Thursday, October 31, 2019

BP Exploration Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BP Exploration - Case Study Example Drawing on your previous analysis, to what extent do you believe BP Exploration's relative performance can be sustained in the medium term Over the last five years, BP Exploration has drawn on a number of resources and capabilities which keep it one of Britain's biggest companies and one of the largest oil and petrochemicals groups in the world. BP employs more than 65,000 people in 70 countries. BP Exploration is responsible for 60% of BP's worldwide revenue. It employs 60% of BP's staff and has more than 40 independent Assets.1 BP's work on oil and natural gas exploration and production, together with the management of crude oil and natural gas pipelines, processing and export terminals has led the company to many areas of the globe. BP Exploration has a wide resource base; already with strong positions in Alaska, the North Sea and North America, it is now developing major new fields in Angola, Azerbaijan, Trinidad, Algeria and in the Gulf of Mexico, with liquefied natural gas business expanding into the Asia Pacific Region. BP's TNK BP venture in Russia employs 100,000 people. It owns and operates five refineries through West Siberia, the Volga-Urals and East Siberia. The BTC Pipeline now runs 443km through Azerbaijan, 249km through Georgia and 1,076km through Turkey. The pipeline, buried its entire length, has eight pump stations. It is the first direct pipeline link between the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean. BP hopes the BTC project will bring positive economic advantages to the region and avoid inc reasing oil traffic through the vulnerable Turkish Straits. In addition to BP Exploration's projects worldwide, BP promotes an 'Upstream' mindset - the company works towards long-term sustainable business, delivering superior service through cycle returns by having a greater share of large, low cost oil and gas fields.2 BP has implemented key successful strategies in order to remain a world leader. These are: making a stand on global warming and climate change; promoting an 'upward feedback' strategy in-house; and development of a business intelligence strategy. To a large degree BP Exploration's resources and capabilities are well aligned with its business plan, generating a competitive advantage for the company as a whole. In the late 1990's BP made a break with the petrochemical industry and set a precedent. The company's management understood it was good business to incorporate ecology into business and community strategic planning. In May 1997, BP CEO, John Brown gave a pioneering speech, announcing BP's decision to accept that climate change is occurring and its intention to do something about it. This move created BP a lot of attention from the world's media, environmentalists and politicians. BP was the first multi-national to make such a stand. It committed to reducing greenhouse emissions and to joining international efforts in minimising greenhouse emissions. Solar energy was officially made a priority, on a par with BP's three other business ventures: exploration, oil and chemicals.3 In-house, BP's 'upward feedback strategy', was designed to create a greater sense of job satisfaction for employees while working in harmony with the company's growth. Senior management was determined to achieve a more open style in the workplace; based on committed teams engaged in open, honest communication to plan and achieve corporate,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Change in Perception and Use of Information from the Internet Essay

Change in Perception and Use of Information from the Internet - Essay Example Reading a book or a long article used to be an easy task to many. The mind would automatically get drawn in into the narrative or argument turns enabling one to read for long periods of time sometimes without breaks. This is not the case now. Concentration gets often lost after a few pages of reading. The mind somehow shuts down and finds an alternative activity to do. Carr explains that long gone is the in depth reading that was the default brain setting. Carr sentiments are a true representation of the present series of events. People have lost interest in in-depth reading, not because they chose to, but because their brains just will not do it anymore (Carr 45). In the past, information got collected primarily by reading. One would have to read a book or the source of information inside out and in some cases repeatedly to lock the information obtained in the brain. This has changed now. One does not have to research or read widely in order to get information. It is all there on the internet. Information gets easily obtained through a click of a button. With a computer and access to the World Wide Web, information is literally on your screen. Sourcing information through the use of technology erodes whatever little that got left of the reading culture.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Social Policy Essays Social Policy For Sex Offenders

Social Policy Essays Social Policy For Sex Offenders Social Policy For Sex Offenders Children’s protection and safety has become a prominent legislative issue of the 90s and for the millennium. It appears that more and more legislation will continue to be introduced and passed for the best interest of children. The goal is to stop crime against our children in this generation, but for some children it is too late: Anthony Martinez, Polly Klaas, Megan Kanga, the children we did not read about and, unfortunately, those we will be reading about. This paper will discuss Megan’s law (See Appendix A), which requires the registration and notification to communities of released sex offenders. Child abuse legislation proved to be an agenda leader for two other sets of issues: those relating to child care and those relating to personal violence. Child abuse, especially sexual, has infused parents and communities with renewed moral outrage and provided intellectual and political connections to long-standing issues, such as child safety and protection. But perhaps more interestingly, crime legislation gave legitimacy and currency to the consideration of the allied issues of violence, autonomy, and physical safety, including the sexual abuse of children, domestic violence and rape ( Nelson, 1984). Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Bierker (1989) defined sexual abuse as a sexual activity perpetrated on a child by an older person through coercion. The child lacks the emotional and physical maturity to resist what amounts to abuse of the older person’s position of authority and power. Abuse, by definition, causes pain to the child at the time of the abuse and, unless the abuse is disclosed and dealt with, later in his or her life. In recent high profile cases, the children all appeared to have been sexually abused before they were murdered. Sexual abuse of a child generally moves through increasingly intimate activity. Perpetrators carefully plan not only the abuse, but also arrange for a private place to do it. Parents often give the perpetrator access to their child unwittingly. For example, they may allow their child to engage in group activities which are lead by an unknown perpetrator. Megan’s Law seeks to identify known pedophiles and allow parents to inform and teach their children to avoid these offenders. Sexual offenders are a large and growing part of the prison population. In 1980 state prisons held 20, 500 sex offenders; in 1990 there were 63,600; and in 1994 their were 88, 100. They grew not only in number, but also as a percentage of an expanding state prison population: 6.9 percent of 295,819 inmates in 1980; 9.7 percent of 906, 112 in 1994. In 1991, at least 20 percent of the adult prison population in ten states were sex offenders. Community in-patient and out-patient programs specializing in treating sex offenders have proliferated. Still, it appears that relatively few incarcerated sex offenders actually receive treatment. There is insufficient research to establish consistent estimates of recidivism or to identify effective treatments ( Department of Justice, statistics, 1996). The current climate is severely punitive. Many citizens’ approach is to lock-up all the criminals and never release them. The public seems determined to prevent these individuals from committing new crimes no matter the cost. As a result, by August, 1995, 43 states had enacted statutes requiring offenders to register with a central agency or with a law enforcement agency located in the community into which they are released. In late July 1994, seven-year-old Megan Kanka was raped and strangled to death. Such tragedies are periodically reported in our daily periodical across the country, but the difference here was that Megan’s killer lived across the street from the Kanka family in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. Further, the neighbor had served time in Avenel, a facility for sex offenders in New Jersey. The man had been convicted of molesting children twice previously, but the community knew nothing of his background. Megan’s parents and neighbors learned of Jesse Timmendequa’s history only after he was arrested on July 30, 1994, and had confessed to the murder. Megan’s parents, Richard and Maureen Kanka, and their neighbors organized and angrily confronted their city council as to why they were not informed as to the establishment of this â€Å"house for sex offenders† in their family-oriented community. They demanded that the laws be changed so as allow communities to protect themselves from released sex offenders. Jansson defines policy practice as â€Å"efforts to influence the development, enactment, implementation, or assessment of social policies† through the utilization of policy practice skills (which he identifies as analytic, political, interactional, and value-clarification), and the performance of policy practice tasks (setting agendas, defining problems, making proposals, enacting policy, implementing policy, and assessing policy) (Jansson, 1994). With the fall elections approaching, and several Republican anti-crime initiatives stalled in the Senate, Republicans pushed four bills through the House on May 7, 1995 to crack down on sex offenders, witness tampering, stalkers and those who prey on children and the elderly. The Senate cleared the bill (HR 2137) on sex offenders by voice vote May 9, 1995, and President Clinton signed the bill into law. Republicans were hoping that the bills, which dealt with relatively small issues, would resonate with the public and help their party in November. They spotlighted members that were facing tough reelection campaigns as sponsors of three bills. The sexual offender bill was sponsored by Dick Zimmer, Republican from New Jersey, who was in a tight race for the senate seat being vacated by Bill Bradley. The House debate began on an emotional note, and members quickly passed legislation that would require states and localities to inform communities when dangerous sexual offenders were released from prison. The vote was 418-0 . (See Appendix B). The 1994 crime bill (Pub. L 103-322) requires sex offenders to register their address with local police, and it allows this information to be publicized to preserve safety. The House bill sought to make release of this information mandatory. States that did not comply could lose part of their federal crime fighting funds. The bill also would change a section of the crime law that required states to classify as private all information collected when registering sexual offenders. The bill would allow each state to determine what information is private and what is public (Congressional Quarterly, May 11, 1996). President Clinton strongly supported the bills respecting crimes against children and the elderly. On May 17, 1996, he signed Megan’s Law. He has been an advocate for children since he was governor of Arkansas. The following is an except from the ceremony that took at the White House: â€Å"This has been a week in which our country is moving to combat crime and violence. A couple of days ago we awarded over 9, 000 new police officers to some 2,500 communities. That brings us to 43,000 police officers in 20 months along the road to our goal of 100,000. We’re ahead of schedule and under budget.† â€Å"But today, the valiant presence of five American parents reminds us that this fight against crime is so much more a fight for peace and for safety for our people and especially for our children.† â€Å"I thank the Congress for passing it. I thank those who led the fight. And I thank these families more than anything else. God Bless you all.† (See Appendix C). The Jacob Wetterling Crimes against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act provides a financial incentive for states to establish effective registration systems for released child molesters and other sexually violent offenders. States that fail to establish conforming registration systems will be subjected to a 10 percent reduction of formula Byrne Grant funding, and resulting surplus funds will be reallocated to states that are in compliance. Unlike Megan’s Law, the Jacob Wetterling Act permitted, but did not require, states to release registration information to the extent necessary to protect the public. In California, state legislation implementing Megan’s Law was passed in September of 1996 (AB 1562 ). The California Department of Justice issued policy and training procedures for local law enforcement agencies directing implementation of Megan’s Law beginning in July, 1997. As of July, 1997, any citizen can request from their local law enforcement agency, a CD ROM containing information, including photographs, of sexual offenders released into the local community. Police and parole agents will be required to notify the community of sexual offenders residing in the neighborhood. In California, Governor Wilson has attempted to go further still, proposing that sex offenders be required to register for life. The rationale underlying such laws is simple: identify all convicted and released sexual offenders, and the community will be able to take action to protect themselves. Notification, according to some, â€Å"could prevent some tragedies from happening again.† Notification is also expected to improve public safety because the public will be able to identify and report risky behavior by sex offenders (e.g. conversing with children, buying sex-oriented magazines) that might escalate into criminal behavior if ignored. The effectiveness of notification probably depends to a considerable degree on the provisions of the state statute, the resources that states and localities are able and willing to provide for implementing the statute, and the dedication and expertise of probation officers, police officers and prosecutors. Notification is most likely to be effective if it is accompanied by extensive community education and carried out by specialist. ( Finn, 1997) Agenda setting stage. Laws regarding sexual abuse came into being in the late 1970s as professionals and the public became aware of the prevalence of this form of child abuse. Since that time, the legal framework has developed dramatically in response to vicious crimes against children. Perhaps no type of crime has received more attention in recent years than crimes against children involving sexual acts and violence. Several recent tragic cases have focused public attention on this type of crime and resulted in public demand that government take stronger action against those who commit those crimes. Specifically, it was the murder of a little girl at the hands of this â€Å"unidentified† sex offender that served the purpose of getting legislators’ and the public’s attention. A victim of sexual abuse himself, Mark J. Welsh argued that identifying offenders would protect children and help prevent molesters from abusing again. Further, he argued that molesters would be recognized everywhere they went, and no one would allow them to be near children. There was no real opposition to this argument— the laws had to be changed. Another important component of the agenda setting stage is the political demand exerted by large voting constituencies and lobbyists. Children do not vote, but parents, relatives, teachers, grass roots organizations, the Child Welfare League of America, and others do strongly represent them in the political arena. In the case of Megan’s Law, support was bipartisan and unanimous. Further, Congress passed Title VII of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322). That law, entitled the â€Å"Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act,† encouraged states to establish a system where every person who commits a sexual or kidnapping crime against children or who commits sexually violent crime against any person (whether adult or child) would be required to register his address upon release from prison. As further protection, the 1994 Act required states to allow law enforcement agencies to release à ¢â‚¬Å"relevant information† about an offender as necessary to protect the public (Columbia Law, 1995). This community notification provision has been the subject of considerable controversy. Megan’s Law has been challenged by civil libertarians as a violation of sex offenders’ constitutional rights. However, Megan’s Law has thus far survived court challenges. Yet, this has not stopped the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a legal organization dedicated to defending the Constitution, from attacking the constitutionality of notification requirements. The ACLU and others argue that it is unconstitutional to treat sex offenders differently from other violent criminals. Further, the ACLU argues, most sex offenses are committed by people we are not aware are dangerous: friends and relatives and others we do not know about. Community notification tends to generate hysteria about a small group of people for a short period of time. It does not solve the problem, it merely moves ex-offenders around as they are driven from community to community. Moreover, although the ostensible purpose of notification is to permit citizens to take precautions to protect themselves, these laws tend to encourage a state of anxiety which is not helpful to rationally addressing the issue. They also tend to encourage vigilantism. In Washington state, a a released child molester, who had presumedly paid his debt to society, was himself a victim of death threats, assaults and the burning of his home by enraged residents who took the law into their own hands (ACLU, press release, August, 19, 1994). In addition, critics aruge, this law often treats gay men as child molesters and rapists. Years ago, gay men were routinely arrested on felony lewd conduct charges. These were people who were basically engaging in consensual sex with other adults. Although Megan’s Law ostensibly targets sexual predators, the gay community fears that persons arrested for being gay will be identified as sex offenders. Problem defining stage. The problem is whether all released sex offenders should register or not. Different states have relied on different methods of developing notification criteria and as a result, have come up with different criteria. The focus is on developing guidelines for classifying offenders according to the risk they present (low, moderate, high). States have adopted varying criteria to be employed in this classification process. These include the seriousness of the offense, offense history, characteristics of the offender and community support. Proposal writing stage. The bill was included as a special provision in the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (the â€Å"Act†). At the time it was probably written from an ecological perspective due to Megan’s brutal death and the elections. The bill does potentially â€Å"sweep up† too many people. Policy enacting stage. Congressmen Zimmer and the Republican party seized upon Megan’s death to raise an issue during an election year that no one could possibly oppose: protecting neighborhoods from persons likely to commit heinous sexual crimes. Such conditions encourage politicians to introduce bills that are supported by little, if any, responsible research. In my research for this paper, I spoke to Mr. Greg O’Gorman, an aide to Senator Feinstein. He confirmed the obvious: no politician would oppose Megan’s Law because no one wanted to be identified with sexual offenders. Furthermore, he reported that Senator Feinstein has introduced a bill that will â€Å"lock up† a sexual offenders convicted twice of sexual crimes. He stated that the senator has received no opposition from her colleagues. It is unknown if she consulted with mental health practitioners, social workers, or other professionals in order to determine the efficacy of her bill or alternatives to incarceration, such as treatment to prevent recidivism. The policy implementing stage. Law enforcement agencies, parole agents, and other designated practitioners are being directed to enforce Megan’s Law. Each state is implementing Megan’s Law differently. For example, in California all sex offenders—whether adult or juvenile—must register. Communities will be notified of adults classified as â€Å"high risk† or â€Å"serious† sex offenders. (See Appendix D). There are 70,000 sex offenders in California. It is uncertain how many of these will eventually be classified as â€Å"high risk† or â€Å"serious† offenders. Policy assessing stage. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense and Education fund (LLDEF) have joined together to challenge this law on constitutional grounds. The ACLU and LLDEF argue that in many cases notification does more harm than good. They conclude that if information is to be disclosed publicly, it must be limited to that necessary to counteract the offender’s dangerousnous. ( ACLU, press release, August 19, 1994). Still, Megan’s Law is being implemented. In Placencia, California, police notified the community that a twice-convicted child molester, Sid Landau, was residing in their community. The community responded by organizing demonstrations in front of his residence. Some threatened him. Mr. Landau had to obtain legal representation in an attempt to stop the harassment. According to his lawyer, T. Matthew Phillips, Mr. Landau has been through â€Å"hell.† He argues that his client has been unfairly singled-out, that he paid for his crimes and should not be permitted to reenter society. Detective Corinne Loomis of the Placencia Police Department had hoped that people would eventually accept that Mr. Landau and others like him are going to be living in the community, and to appreciate that the best response is be aware and protective. That is what Megan’s Law was designed to do,† she said. â€Å"It was not designed to whip people into frenzy and have them run somebody out on a rail† (L.A. Times, 3-8-97). On April 25, 1997, Sid Landau was arrested for assaulting a cameraman who was following him. In another case, an 18-year-old male from Wisconsin was convicted of a â€Å"lewd act with a minor.† He faces 40 years in prison and, if convicted, he will have to register as a sex offender for life. This young man’s crime was having consensual sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend. The girlfriend got pregnant, and the young man dropped out of school in order to marry and support the girl. A social worker reported this case to the prosecutor’s office, and he was charged and convicted. The young man has the support of his community and plans to appeal his conviction. THE INTERVIEWS In this section I disucss two interviews I conducted regarding Megan’s Law. I could have interviewed anyone because we will all be involved with this law: law enforcement, which will be responsible for notifying citizens, as well as average citizens who happen to live in communities into which sex offenders are released. 1) Jacqueline Waltman Parole agent, California Department of Corrections. Ms. Waltman supervises adult parolees in the San Fernando Valley. 2) Gail Blucher Mother and President of the local Parents and Teachers Association (PTA). Ms. Blucher is resident of the Santa Clarita Valley. Ms. Waltman does not agree with Megan’s Law as it is written. Although she will be obliged to enforce it, she believes that many sex offenders will go â€Å"underground† in order to avoid registration requirements. Once underground, Ms. Waltman argues, these individuals will be more likely to molest more children. Further, she believes that a state of anxiety will be created in the communities encouraging the growth of vigilante groups. She believes her job will be more difficult as a result of supervising parolees in a community that is openly hostile to the parolees’ presence. She recognizes that the Department of Corrections does not provide sex offenders with effective therapy, if it provides any at all. Moreover, she stated that many sex offenders are warned by prison guards not to disclose their crime to fellow inmates so as not to provoke attacks upon themselves. Therefore, many do not request therapy during incarceration. Parole agent Waltman believes that sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated and should remain in prison for the rest of their lives. She nevertheless hopes that they can be treated and rehabilitated. She stated that her priority will always be the safety and protection of children. Jacqueline Waltman works part-time for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services at the Emergency Response Command Post (ERCP). She worked full-time for more than twenty years for the same department. Mrs. Blucher is a full-time homemaker and she is very involved in her seven-year-old daughter’s extracurricular activities. She is married. She has recently gotten involved with the â€Å"neighborhood watch† community program that works with the local sheriff’s department. Mrs. Blucher is anxiously anticipating Megan’s Law. She believes, quite obviously, that children need a safe neighborhood, and supports notification . However, she stated that she could not participate in â€Å"evicting† anyone from her neighborhood, but did not want sex offenders to live anywhere near her family. She strongly believes that sex offenders never change. She stated that the criminal justice system releases criminals too early, especially sex offenders. She supports Assemblyman Bob Margett’s (R-Arcadia) bill requiring that convicted child molesters wear electronic monitoring bracelets upon their release from prison. (I contacted the Assemblyman’s office regarding this bill. His aide reported that the bill passed without any opposition). She is looking forward to working with the â€Å"neighborhood watch† program to make children aware that her house is a designated safe house and that they are allowed to request assistance if they needed too. LETTER TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RAMONA RIPSTON- ACLU 15920 Calle El Capitan Green Valley, CA 91350 Ms. Ramona Ripston Executive Director American Civil Liberties Union 1616 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, California, 90026 April 24, 1997 Dear Ms. Ripston My name is Xiomara Flores-Holguin and I am a graduate social work student at the University of Southern California. I am writing you in support of the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern California chapter’s position on Megan’s Law. I agree with the ACLU’s argument that notifying communities of sex offenders’ presence may cause more harm than good. First, released sex offenders are going to live somewhere. I am concerned about â€Å"not-in-my-backyard† vigilantism that will encouraged if citizens are not properly educated on bounds of appropriate action to take when notified of the presence of a sex offender in their communities. Second, there is little evidence that the Department of Corrections addresses the problem when the sex offenders are in prison. They cannot reassure society that these sex offenders are rehabilitated because they do not provide them any treatment. Also, we cannot forget that many former â€Å"sex offenders† have never presented a threat to society. I refer to gay people convicted of lewd acts for engaing in consensual sex with other adults. Will Megan’s Law require that these victims of homophobia be identified as â€Å"sex offenders† living in our midst? I wanted to express my appreciation and gratitude to the American Civil Liberties Union for your ongoing work in defending the Constitution of ALL people, whether we like them or not. Thurgood Marshall once asked, â€Å"Mental health and the law what if anything do they have in common?† He responded that both are concerned with the aspirations and problems of the human condition, and both deal with human rights and human responsibilities. Let us continue in our commitment to work on behalf of ALL people. Thank you. Sincerely, M. Xiomara Flores-Holguin MSW Graduate Student CONCLUSION At the beginning of this assignment, I believed that I had a strong position as to Megan’s Law and felt that this law was almost perfect. However, as a social worker, I recognized that the law was supported by little empirical research. I realize that no policy analysis is ever complete, that it is impossible to discover all of the data (data are essentially infinite) and to ask all of the possible questions. Policy analysis is always an approximation of the ideal and, as such, decisions are always made on the basis of incomplete data (Karger Stoesz, 1994). Karger and Stoesz (1994) argue that despite a nominal reliance on an analytical framework, social policy analysis in the â€Å"real world† is to some degree always biased. Because policy is analyzed by human beings, it is always done through the mirror of the analyst’s value system, ideological beliefs, and particular understanding of the goals and purposes of social welfare. Subjectivity is reflected in the omission (conscious or otherwise) of facts or questions, or in the relative weight given to one variable at the expense of others. Also, political pressure may be put on the policy analyst to come up with recommendations that are acceptable to a certain interest group. Regardless of the causes of subjectivity, policy analysis is always an approximation of the ideal, in effect an informed anticipation as to the effects of a policy or a set of policies. I believe that we need to stop crime against children in this generation. Furthermore, we need to identify and help those children that will be capable of continuing this cycle of crime as adults. The imprisoned sex offender, the released sex offender, and the unknown sex offender were children once, too. We should therapeutically treat the juvenile as soon as they are identified as potential offenders. We should not give up on people by â€Å"locking them up† An African proverb admonishes us, â€Å"It takes a village.† Let us take more responsibility. I will be pursuing a Community, Organization, Planning and Administration, concentration next year. I realized long ago that I wish to empower clients and advocate for them. I want to do so at the macro level. REFERENCES American Civil Liberties Union. (August 19, 1994). Press Release. Registration and community notification of convicted sex offender. ACLU Washington Office publication. Bierker, S.B. (1989). About sexual abuse. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publisher. Brown, J.M. , Gilliard, D.F., Snell, T.L. , Stephan, J.J., Wilson, D.J. (1996). Correctional populations in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics : Washington, D.C. publication. Finn, P. (1997, February). U.S. Department of Justice, Statistics on sex offender community notification. Rockville, Maryland: National Institute of Justice Publications. Jansson, B. (1994). Social policy: from theory to policy practice. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole. Karger, H.J., Stoesz, D. (1994). American social welfare policy: a pluralist approach. New York: Longman. Nelson, B. J. (1984). Making an Issue of Child Abuse. Chicago: The University Press. Palmer, E. A. (1996). GOP pushes four crime bills through the House. Congressional Quarterly. p. 1305. Richardson, L. Target of Megan’s Law Moves, Causing Stir. Loa Angeles Times, March 8, 1997, p.A20. Schopf, Simon (1995). â€Å"Megan’s Law†: Community notification and the Constitution. Columbia Journal of Law. 29 (117), 118-146. Welch, M.J. (1994). Press Release. Publicizing child molesters in your community. Personal mailing.

Friday, October 25, 2019

An Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder Essay -- Diseases/Disorder

Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder Autism spectrum disorder has become the most common neurological and developmental disorder diagnosed in children today. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) estimate that 1 out of every 88 American children have been properly diagnosed. There is no known cure for autism, and the inconsistencies of the symptoms of autism in each case make it difficult to target a particular set of effective treatments. However some behavior management therapies, specifically physical therapy, may help to significantly control the unwanted symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Symptoms. Children begin showing symptoms of autism as early as twelve months of life, making two to three years old the typical age of diagnosis. The symptoms of autism are truly of a spectrum, hence the name, meaning no child is affected by the disorder in quite the same way. However, symptoms of autism are generally categorized into three basic areas of impairment, the first of these being sociability. Most children with autism have trouble comprehending basic social situations. A child with autism likely makes little eye contact, fails respond to other people in their environment, and reacts inappropriately when others show extreme emotion. It is common for children with autism to misread emotional cues because they focus on a person’s mouth while speaking instead of their eyes as would an unaffected person. Likewise, people may have difficulties understanding the emotions of an autistic child. Many times their body language or tone of voice will not match the emoti on that they are trying to express. The second area of impairment is communication. Children with autism ... ...#pub12 Nicholson, H., Kehle, TJ., Bray, MA., & Heest, J. (2011). The Effects of Antecedent Physical Activity on the Academic Engagement of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 48(2), 198-213. Ospina, MB., Krebs, SJ., Clark, B., Karkhaneh, M., Hartling, L., et al. (2008). Behavioural and Developmental Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 3(11). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19015734 Petrus, C., Adamson, SR., Block, L., Einarson, SJ., Sharifnejad, M., & Harris, SR. (2008) Effects of Exercise Interventions on Stereotypic Behaviours in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Physiotherapy Canada, 60(2), 134-145. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012) Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Thursday, October 24, 2019

British Colonization to India

The first European power to arrive in India was the army of Alexander the Great in 327-326 BC. The satraps he established in the northwest quickly crumbled after he left. Later, commercial trade was carried between Indian states and the Roman Empire by Greco-Roman sailors that reached India by sailing on the Red and Arabian Seas. ?The Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama, was the first European to arrive in India solely by navigating the sea, at the end of the 15th century.Having arrived in Calicut, which by then was one of the major trading ports of the eastern world, he obtained permission by Manavikraman Raja to trade in the city from Saamoothiri Rajah. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/British_Empire). British empire has been in India since the early 1600's, when the East India Company started trading and British missionaries first began their efforts. A large number of Christian schools providing English education were set up trough out India by the early 1800's. The process of produc ing English-speaking natives in India began with the â€Å"Minute† of 1835, which officially endorsed T. B.Macaulay's goal of forming â€Å"a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern – a class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect† (quoted in Kachru 1983, p. 22). English became the official and academic language of India by the early twentieth century. Direct administration by the British, which began in 1858, effected a political and economic unification of the subcontinent. The rising of the nationalist movement in the 1920's brought some anti-English sentiment with it — even though the movement itself used English as its medium.Once independence was gained and the English were gone, the perception of English as having an alien power base changed; however, the controversy about English has continued to this day. Kachru notes that â€Å"English now has nation al and international functions that are both distinct and complementary. English has thus acquired a new power base and a new elitism† (Kachru 1986, p. 12). Only about three percent of India's population speak English, but they are the individuals who lead India's economic, industrial, professional, political, and social life.Even though English is primarily a second language for these persons, it is the medium in which a great number of the interactions in the above domains are carried out. Having such important information moving in English conduits is often not appreciated by Indians who do not speak it, but they are relatively powerless to change that. Its inertia is such that it cannot be easily given up. This is particularly true in South India, where English serves as a universal language in the way that Hindi does in the North. Despite being a three percent minority, the English speaking population in India is quite large.With India's massive population, that three per cent puts India among the top four countries in the world with the highest number of English speakers. English confers many advantages to the influential people who speak it — which has allowed it to retain its prominence despite the strong opposition to English which rises periodically. When British rule came to an end in 1947, the subcontinent was partitioned along religious lines into two separate countries—India, with a majority of Hindus, and Pakistan, with a majority of Muslims; the eastern portion of Pakistan later split off to form Bangladesh.Many British institutions stayed in place (such as the parliamentary system of government); English continued to be a widely used lingua franca; and India remained within the Commonwealth. Hindi became the official language (and a number of other local languages achieved official status), while a vibrant English-language intelligentsia thrived.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Congress grills execs on ‘cascade of failures’ behind Gulf oil spill

On 15th may 2010, Congress conveyed a meeting with executives from BP, Transocean and Halliburton companies, and the executives were grilled on why better measures were not put in place to stop oil spewing along the Gulf of Mexico. Congress demanded an explanation for the â€Å"cascade of failures† behind the spillage, concentrating mostly on the vital events at the deep-sea wellhead just before a blast devoured the rig and set off an appalling rapture.BP America chairman, MacKay Lamar said that their main obligations were to stop the spillage, clean up the mess and compensate the impacts of the spillage but not to play a blame game with the partners. Policymakers compared the tragedy to some historical catastrophes from sea to space. The hearing was also attended by environmentalists who were clad in black T-shirts saying â€Å"Energy shouldn’t cost lives† with some wearing black teardrops symbolizing agony caused by the spillage.Chairman of the Energy and Natur al Resource committee, Jeff Bingaman, said that they were likely to discover a cascade of failures and technological and human and regulatory errors if the calamity was anything like other catastrophic failures of technological systems in modern history. Senator Murkowski admonished that everyone one was intertwined in the process of trying to shut off the leakage and finding a safer way of exploiting energy.She added that the incident has reminded everyone that production of energy is never without risks or environmental costs. Murkowski added that if operators are found to have violated the law they will not be excused. Failure to cap the spillage has caused anxieties everywhere from congress to the Louisiana beach which is anticipating the hurricane season. Congress required pledges that BP and its partners would pay what could amount to billions in economic and environmental reparation.The spillage is thought to have been caused by a methane gas surge from deep within the well. The executives did not disclose why a heavy â€Å"mud† compound was replaced with much lighter sea water thereby reducing the wells’ downward pressure. MacKay told congress that a key piece of safety equipment suitably called blowout preventer which was owned by Tranoacen failed to work. Steven Newman the president of Transocean disclosed that Halliburton was in the process of tipping cement into the pipe to plug it but the final cap had not yet been put in place.Tim Probert, the executive that was representing Halliburton indicated that his company followed BPS drilling plan, industrial practices and federal regulations. Work cited Harry, R. , Matthew Daly and Frederic J. Frommer. â€Å"Disasters†. 11th may 2010. Fox News. 24 May 2010