A Summary of South African Apartheid

A Summary of South African Apartheid Though youve likely heard about South African apartheid doesnt mean you know  its full history or how the system of racial segregation actually worked. Read on to improve your understanding and see how it overlapped  with Jim Crow in the United States. A Quest  For Resources The European presence in South Africa  dates back to the 17th century when the Dutch East India Company established the Cape Colony outpost. Over the next three centuries, Europeans, primarily of British and Dutch origin, would expand their presence in South Africa to pursue the land’s abundance of natural resources such as diamonds and gold. In 1910, whites founded the Union of South Africa, an independent arm of the British Empire that gave the white minority control of the country and disenfranchised blacks. Although South Africa was majority black, the white minority passed a series of land acts that resulted in them occupying 80 to 90 percent of the country’s land. The 1913 Land Act unofficially launched apartheid by requiring the black population to live on reserves. Afrikaner Rule Apartheid officially became a way of life in South Africa in 1948, when  the Afrikaner National Party came into power after heavily promoting the racially stratified system. In Afrikaans, apartheid means â€Å"apartness† or â€Å"separateness.†Ã‚  More than 300 laws led to apartheid’s establishment in South Africa. Under apartheid, South Africans were categorized into four racial groups: Bantu (South African natives), colored (mixed-race), white and Asian (immigrants from the Indian sub-continent.) All South Africans over the age of 16 were required to carry racial identification cards. Members of the same family often were categorized as different racial groups under the apartheid system. Apartheid not only banned interracial marriage but also sexual relations between members of different racial groups, just as miscegenation was banned in the United States. During apartheid, blacks were required to carry passbooks at all times to allow them entry into public spaces reserved for whites. This occurred after the enactment of the Group Areas Act in 1950. During the Sharpeville Massacre  a decade later, nearly 70 blacks were killed and nearly 190 wounded when police opened fire on them for refusing to carry their passbooks. After the massacre, leaders of the African National Congress, which represented the interests of black South Africans, adopted violence as a political strategy. Still, the military arm of the group did not seek to kill, preferring to use violent sabotage as a political weapon. ANC leader Nelson Mandela explained this during the famous 1964 speech he gave after being jailed for two years for inciting a strike. Separate and Unequal Apartheid limited the education the Bantu received. Because apartheid laws reserved skilled jobs for whites exclusively, blacks were trained in schools to perform manual and agricultural labor but not for skilled trades. Fewer than 30 percent of black South Africans had received any kind of formal education whatsoever by 1939. Despite being natives of South Africa, blacks in the country were relegated to 10 Bantu homelands after the passage of the Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act of 1959. Divide and conquer appeared to be the purpose of the law. By splitting up the black population, the Bantu could not form a single political unit in South Africa and wrest control from the white minority. The land blacks lived on was sold to whites at low costs. From 1961 to 1994, more than 3.5 million people were forcibly removed from their homes and deposited in the Bantustans, where they were plunged into poverty and hopelessness. Mass Violence The South African government made international headlines when authorities killed hundreds of black students peacefully protesting apartheid in 1976. The slaughtering of the students came to be known as the Soweto Youth Uprising. Police killed anti-apartheid activist Stephen Biko in his jail cell in September 1977. Biko’s story was chronicled in the 1987 film â€Å"Cry Freedom,† starring Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington. Apartheid Comes to a Halt The South African economy took a significant hit in 1986 when the United States and Great Britain imposed sanctions on the country because of its practice of apartheid. Three years later F.W. de Klerk became president of South Africa and dismantled many of the laws that allowed apartheid to become the way of life in the country. In 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after serving 27 years of a life sentence. The following year South African dignitaries repealed the remaining apartheid laws and worked to establish a multiracial government. De Klerk and Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their efforts to unify South Africa. That same year, South Africa’s black majority won rule of the country for the first time. In 1994, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president. Sources HuffingtonPost.com:  Apartheid History Timeline: On Nelson Mandela’s Death, A Look Back At South Africa’s Legacy Of Racism Postcolonial Studies at Emory University History.com: Apartheid - Facts and History

Free Essays on The Tell Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe is acknowledged today as one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature. His skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He is also considered the father of the modern detective story. The Tell Tale Heart is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator remains nameless and sexless in the story. H/she takes care of an old man with whom the relationship is unclear. At the beginning of the story, the narrator says that he loved the old man but he hates his eye and h/she believes that the eye is evil. H/she confesses that the one and only reason for killing the old man is his eye: â€Å"Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man†. The narrator begins the story by trying to convince the reader that h/she is not insane. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is mentally unstable. For seven nights precisely at midnight, the narrator enters the old man’s room to observe the eye. On the eighth night the narrator enters the room and the old man sat suddenly in his bed, crying out â€Å"who’s there?† the narrator stood still for over an hour, as did the old man who did not lie back down. Then h/she opened the lantern slightly and the ray was on the eye only. This made the narrator go furious and he moved to the old man who shrieked once, he/she dragged him off his bed and killed him. The old man’s body was chopped and buried under the planks of the floor. The police came because of a shriek reported by a neighbor. H/she invited them and they sat chatting, after a while the narrator started hearing the old man’s heart beating from under the flooring. The heart beat grew louder and louder, finally h/she confesses of killing the old man. At the beginning of the story t... Free Essays on The Tell Tale Heart Free Essays on The Tell Tale Heart Edgar Allan Poe is acknowledged today as one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature. His skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He is also considered the father of the modern detective story. The Tell Tale Heart is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator remains nameless and sexless in the story. H/she takes care of an old man with whom the relationship is unclear. At the beginning of the story, the narrator says that he loved the old man but he hates his eye and h/she believes that the eye is evil. H/she confesses that the one and only reason for killing the old man is his eye: â€Å"Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man†. The narrator begins the story by trying to convince the reader that h/she is not insane. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is mentally unstable. For seven nights precisely at midnight, the narrator enters the old man’s room to observe the eye. On the eighth night the narrator enters the room and the old man sat suddenly in his bed, crying out â€Å"who’s there?† the narrator stood still for over an hour, as did the old man who did not lie back down. Then h/she opened the lantern slightly and the ray was on the eye only. This made the narrator go furious and he moved to the old man who shrieked once, he/she dragged him off his bed and killed him. The old man’s body was chopped and buried under the planks of the floor. The police came because of a shriek reported by a neighbor. H/she invited them and they sat chatting, after a while the narrator started hearing the old man’s heart beating from under the flooring. The heart beat grew louder and louder, finally h/she confesses of killing the old man. At the beginning of the story t...

Unification of Germany and Italy in the 19th century Assignment

Unification of Germany and Italy in the 19th century - Assignment Example During the year 1848 Europe was taken over by the democratic revolution and the German representatives in the unification were King Wilhem I (King of Prussian), who wanted to increase the strength of the army and elect a new Prime Minister. The second leader was Otto von Bismarck who was the Prime Minister, who had no room of idealism in his regime and was the leader of realism. During the year 1866 and 1877 there was a seven week war which provoked the Austria to call a war on Prussia, in which Prussia were successful and they took control over the northern Germany, which was followed by the Franco-Prussian War in which the Prussian army took over the northern France and took 80,000 French Prisoners. This war the final stages into the unification of the Germany and the southern region on accepted the Prussian as the leaders. There were many reasons that lead to World War I, few of the reasons were long pending and few of other arose near the war that made the decision more affirmati ve. Few of the long reason that forced the war was the Rise of Militarism, this was in result of the increase of use of power by the European in the late 18th Century. The Europe started to believe that the military powers were one of the most feasible and desirable reasons to resolve the increasing hostile and fragile political conditions in the world. Another long term reason that caused the World War I was The Arms Race, the excess use of military caused imbalance in the powers; this led to the innovation of technology with respect.

World Health Organization and Health Information Systems Research Paper

World Health Organization and Health Information Systems - Research Paper Example Scientific advancement has shown a sharp decrease of mortality rate and early detection and vaccination of infectious diseases such as: Small-pox, Polio, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, Whooping Cough and more recently Hepatitis-B, Swine-Flu and Cervical cancer. W.H.O. fulfils its objectives through its core allocated functions: i) whenever a sole decision is to be taken among two, W.H.O. take the leadership role. ii) it shapes the research agenda and ensures the generation, translation and distribution of valuable knowledge; iii) it sets patterns and standards and promotes and monitors their implementation; iv) coherences ethical and evidence-based policy options; v) provides technical support, boosts change and builds sustainable institutional capacity; and vi) assess health trends and monitors the health situation (Lee,2009, p.xiii). With the implementation of Information System, every field of the society including the World Health Organization are facing improvement at a very fast pac e. Information System is at the core of the health care profession. It has a massive progression in Health Care division in its different fields like electronic patient registries, management system, process and programmable evaluation and also in decision support system for clinics and diagnostic centers. It cuts down the cost and by manpower reduction and sophisticated technologies and proper implementation. Both the organization and the system have to be transformed in the right manner in order to effectively implement the process. Information System management is a careful act balanced between the organization and the system (Berg, 2001). This research explores the different information technologies like Health Information System, Decision Support System, Electronic Data Interchange, Internet, Tele-medical and Medical Images that are used in World Health Organization in the developed countries and analyses its advantages, problems and the impacts of those problems that can affec t the Health Organization (Scielosp, 2004). Issues to be investigated World Health management department are very actively and effectively improving the various sectors to protect the population health. Few countries in different parts of the world today are using comprehensive systems to maintain this database. The organization has to take decisions on critical situations like measuring whether the policies and programs are working efficiently or not for different diseases like H.I.V. and A.I.D.S., malaria and tuberculosis as well as maintaining funds and workforce management. According to the World Health Organization, there are multiple benefits of using Information Management System (Carlson, 2007, p.1). WHO Health Focus The main aim of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to pursue activities that would help in generating better health standards for individuals across the world. Different schools of thought have different opinions with regards to the manner of achievement of the goals underlined by the organization. The aspect of defining a guiding principle to the organization with regards to the achievement of its objectives call for the need to ensure designs based on a large number or multiple frameworks. Certain aspect under this

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay Example for Free

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay An expectation has arisen among film-critics and audiences, that movie-makers will deal with the serious issues, such as racism and violence, at a serious level. In other words, it is expected by critics and film-goers alike that films will have meaning. However, if meaning is expected what precisely creates and communicates meaning in a film? As Louis Giannetti points out in his book, Understanding Movies (2008), the presence of ideology in a film impacts the film in its entirety, from tone to theme. In Giannettis estimation, ideology is another language system in film and this language is largely conveyed through code (Giannetti, 453). In order to help illustrate the way that ideology influences films, Giannetti offers a series of categories into which the influence of ideology in film can be functionally divided. The following discussion of the film 300 (2007) will use Giannettis ideas as a support-structure to show how meaning in film is ultimately determined by the films prevailing ideology. In any discussion of meaning in film, it will be important to distinguish between what might be considered overt or even propagandistic meaning and thematic or expressive meaning. Of course this distinction is quite artificial and the two hypothetically divided types of meaning are often one and the same. That said, there is often a conspicuous difference between a film which has an explicit propagandistic agenda than a film which is based on generating thematic and emotional subtlety. The movie 300 offers, even to the most casual viewer, an example of what Giannetti calls Explicit ideology (Giannetti, 449). In this category of ideological content, a movie serves, at least partially, as obvious propaganda for a viewpoint or cause. That 300 functions as a form of propaganda is easily arguable. However, it is slightly more difficult to pinpoint exactly what specific cause or theme is being forwarded by the films ideology. In order to determine the films ideological bearing, closer attention must be paid to its content and its artistic tone. Giannetti mentions that tone in a film can be one of the most important aspects of presenting the films ideology. What Giannetti means by tone is its manner of presentation (Giannetti, 489). For example, in the movie 300, any number of important scenes, if played with a comic rather than a heroic tone, would create a different response in the viewer and therfore communicate a different ideological vision. Imagine the scene where Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well: if the well had sounded out a loud burp after swallowing the messenger, the tone of the scene would have mocked the idea of Spartan pride and Spartan loyalty rather than celebrating it. The reason that tone is so important in a film is that it defines the way the audience will evaluate and judge the characters and scenes of a film. Because as Giannetti insists, Tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values (Giannetti, 489), tone is closely connected to ideology and theme. In the example given above, Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well and this scene is presented in a heroic tone. From the outset of the film, the viewer is cued-in to understand that the Spartans are heroic and that they operate from a sense of pride and fearlessness. The tone of heroicism is conveyed not only through the action of the scene, but through the stylized representation of the characters as muscle-bound heros. The Mise-en-scene of the film is connected to the visual color-schemes of comic books and graphic novels. The sense of legend permeates the film, as it permeates the actual historical event. Therefore, the most dominant or controlling tone of 300 can be considered heroic. The fact that a movie has a controlling tone does not mean that other types of tones are not present in isolated scenes. In fact, the opposite is generally the case. The shifts against the dominant tone also help to convey meaning and ideology in a film. If the controlling tone of 300 is heroic, then the scenes that play against this dominant tone, such as the scene where Theron rapes Queen Gorgo, serve to reinforce the films dominant tone and ideology. When Theron tells the Queen she will not enjoy what is going to happen to her, the tone of the scene is tragic rather than heroic, and Therons status as a villain is cemented in the audiences minds. The scene, by depicting graphically, the rape of Spartas Queen reinforces the heroic sacrifice of Leonidas and his men. Another aspect of films that influences ideological language is the cultural context in which a given film is made and shown. Cultural context is a crucial aspect of a films ideological meaning. The expectations of a given audience rest on the fact that Every nation has a characteristic way of looking at life, a set of values that is typical of a given culture (Giannetti, 465). The movie 300 is an American movie made for American audiences. ecause of this it would be hard for anyone to miss the obvious connections between contemporary world-events and the ideological themes that are shown in the movie. Comparisons with recent events are more or less easy. Any observer could see the present-day war against terrorism as a stand for freedom and to view the Battle of Thermopylae as a sort of allegory for the modern-day struggle against tyranny. Obviously, the movie 300 forwards this connection through the kind of code that Giannetti describes. Still, as Dennis Behreandt points out in his review of the film from The New American (2007) the movie serves to buttress the American mythos that our present-day warriors are likewise fighting for freedom in Iraq and also that this is most evident in the scene where Gorgo addresses the Gerousia, the Spartan Senate when her speech could only remind any aware person of the recent troop surge in Iraq (Behreandt). This kind of cultural context would, obviously, be of less significance to someone who lived out side of the U. S. han to someone steeped in to American values. In addition to the cultural context of a film, there is usually a predominant political context. The political context of a film, for Giannetti, can loosely be divided into one of two categories: left and right. Left-leaning films are those that show multiple viewpoints to issues and propose more flexible responses to issues and problems. Giannetti describes leftists as people who believe we ought to be flexible in ou r judgments. By contrast, right-leaning film-makers are those who embrace a more stringent world-view. The rightist film-maker is more absolute in judging human behavior [ ] Right and wrong are fairly clear-cut and ought to be evaluated according to a strict code of conduct (Giannetti, 457). In the case of 300, the designation of Rightest is, obviously, the most fitting for the film due to its tone and cultural perspective. Loosely, according to the discussion above, the following observations about 300 can be made in light of Giannettis criteria for evaluating the ideological underpinnings of films. First, that 300 is a film that relies predominantly on a heroic tone. Second, the film 300 depends on the specific cultural associations of American society to find its full ideological impact. Third, that 300 represents a Rightest political ideology. The three conclusions, taken together, along with the initial determination that 300 is an explicit communicator if ideology, beg the question as to whether or not 300 is more a vehicle for entertainment or propaganda. One of the opposing aspects to this idea is the fact that 300 is based on history. The idea that historical realism balances out the poetic licesne often taken by Hollywood regarding tone and presentation is one that, for better or worse, many film-goers probably believe. In addition to the idea that a culture could exert such self-discipline in its military caste and instill within each soldier a sense of bravery and fearlessness was a very powerful concept in 300 , which seems to resonate deeply with modern times. It is hard not to be fascinated by the Spartans, to wonder what made them as strong and resolute a they were and to wonder just as Xerxes What kind of men were these Spartans who in three days had slain before his Majestys eyes no fewer than twenty thousand of His most valiant warriors? (Pressfield, 8). However, the fact shades of realism exist within the largely stylized or expressionistic flavor of the film only serves to elevate its power to transmit equally stylized (or stereotyped) ideologies. For example, the difference between vanity and pride seemed to have a great deal of influence on the Spartan conception of bravery as it was portrayed in the movie 300. Modern-day leaders would never think of putting themselves in direct danger like King Leonidas: his pride rather than his vanity dictated his actions and pride stems from a sense of civic (or national) unity. Loyalty is another important concept in the movie. It becomes the central most important idea, given that Spartan military power evolved out of the phalanx, which required the utmost loyalty and steadfastness of each warrior in the unit as a whole. The idea that a Greek traitor showed the Persians another path, which enabled them to come round behind and encircle the Greeks and that this ultimately led to the wholesale destruction of the Spartans at Thermopylae shows how important loyalty was to the Spartans. After Leonidas is killed his men fought on with redoubled fury under the Persian arrows, as much to defend the fallen body of their King from the savagery of the barbarians as to show their valor (THE GREATEST WARRIORS). The historical basis of the film is incorporated into the larger and more important myth of the movie that is conveyed in heroic tones that simplify historical subtleties and create a fictional paradigm of idealism. Therefore, the fact that realism in films can be construed into a propagandistic function, is the reality that filmmakers, and especially American filmmakers, are subject to the prejudices and blind-spots which are inherent to the social position they occupy and to which they owe their ability to make high-profile films. Elizabeth G. Traubes Dreaming Identities: Class, Gender, and Generation in 1980s (1992) offers background to the mores and machinations of the filmmaking industry in America and her observations are important for understanding that movies are, in fact, propagandistic and often they represent the experience of only a very small segment of American society. This narrowness is obscured, according to Traube, beneath a veneer which can be thought of as a traditional moralistic package. Traube points out that, in reality, audience preferences are only one of many factors that influence production decisions. Producers also shape their work to conform to dominant sensibilities and values, including those of the producing community itself (Traube, 69). This reality combined with Traubes complex but insightful understanding of fairy-tale motifs in movies is crucial to elucidating the way that anger and racial conflict are expressed propagandistically in film. All fables rely on a straightforward, linear narrative due to the fact that complex stories tend to obscure the thrust of the intended moral. Because the author of any fable is able to transform topical news and politics into universal predicaments (Haggiss Fable 38), a fable carries with it the dangerous connotations of stereotype and oversimplification. The movie 300 stands as an heroic statement about the importance of protecting liberty and freedom. The ideological message that bravery and loyalty are essential aspects of preserving freedom and rather than Sparta, now it is America that faces the threat from Persia and by telling this story so forcefully and with so much passion the film embrace the mythos of the battle rather than the historical truth of the era, which is strongly conveyed in the film. (Behreandt). The ideological underpinnings of the movie 300 are based in a rightist, conservative set of political values that celebrate military capacity and force of strength. he films ideological message is one of social and civic duty as well as xenophobia. The film is geared toward an American audience in a time when America faces military challenges on several fronts and as such plays to the expectations of its audience. The tone of the film is heroic and its political ideology is conservative. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that, as mentioned by Giannetti, the ideological language of the film emerges as the most important aspect of the film as a whole. Further, the code that is used in the movie is comprised of historical truths and cultural stereotypes. The film blurs the line between entertainment and propaganda. It is accurate to suggest that the film, stripped of its propagandistic functions, would cease to exist. The unity of the film, in terms of narrative, editing, staging, costuming, scene construction and even music is derived more from a unity of ideology than from a unity of style or form. The movie follows a traditional fairy-tale arc of narrative to reinforce an already existing set of ideologies in its expected audience. Therefore, the best way in which to interpret the movie 300 is the method demonstrated by Giannetti that isolates and categorizes the ideological code of a film and makes the ideological language much more understandable for the average film-goer.

The Arctic Tundra :: Antarctica Nature Wildlife Environmental Essays

The Arctic Tundra The Tundra is located in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, as well as a few regions of Antarctica. The Tundra is the second largest vegetation zone in Canada. It can be divided clearly into three different sections: the High Arctic Tundra, the Low Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra. The latter Alpine Tundra occurs in higher altitudes such as mountains whereas the first two are mainly based in plains and lowlands of some kind. The Low Arctic Tundra is the transmission point to the north. It is located above Canada's Boreal forests and is followed by the High Arctic Tundra. The High Arctic Tundra is located farther north and encompasses the Arctic circle as well as most of the western Northwest Territories. Generally though since climate more or less corresponds to vegetation zones, the Tundra is located in Arctic climate areas. Temperature The Tundra suffers a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area remains barren save for a few shrubs and lichens. It's winters last from 8-10 months and the summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of it's territory is located within the northern pole a lot of the Tundra receives alternating 6 month periods of light and dark. This is also the reason why the Tundra receives cold weather; at it's degree of latitude the suns rays end up hitting the region obliquely, thus causing less solar heat. Here are the temperatures of the Tundra in general: Average January temperature: -32.1 degrees Celsius Average July temperature: +4.1 degrees Celsius Temperature range: 36.2 degrees Celsius Average annual temperature: -17 degrees Celsius Lowest temperature recorded: -52.5 degrees Celsius Highest temperature recorded: +18.3 degrees Celsius After seeing these temperatures you can see the reason why barely anyone lives up there and why there is rather little natural vegetation. Seasons And Moisture Content The main seasons of the Tundra are summer and winter. The winter will last 8 to 10 months followed by the short and much less cold summer. During the summer some lower areas of the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and fauna will start to creep out of hiding. The few summer months are used by many animals such as the polar bear, to mate and to prepare for the once again oncoming winter. During the winter months most everything remains frozen. Many of the animals migrate south for the winter whereas some stay behind or even group together for ritual group suicide (lemmings). There is little precipitation all year long in the Tundra. The average yearly total is 136 mm, out of which 83. The Arctic Tundra :: Antarctica Nature Wildlife Environmental Essays The Arctic Tundra The Tundra is located in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, as well as a few regions of Antarctica. The Tundra is the second largest vegetation zone in Canada. It can be divided clearly into three different sections: the High Arctic Tundra, the Low Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra. The latter Alpine Tundra occurs in higher altitudes such as mountains whereas the first two are mainly based in plains and lowlands of some kind. The Low Arctic Tundra is the transmission point to the north. It is located above Canada's Boreal forests and is followed by the High Arctic Tundra. The High Arctic Tundra is located farther north and encompasses the Arctic circle as well as most of the western Northwest Territories. Generally though since climate more or less corresponds to vegetation zones, the Tundra is located in Arctic climate areas. Temperature The Tundra suffers a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area remains barren save for a few shrubs and lichens. It's winters last from 8-10 months and the summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of it's territory is located within the northern pole a lot of the Tundra receives alternating 6 month periods of light and dark. This is also the reason why the Tundra receives cold weather; at it's degree of latitude the suns rays end up hitting the region obliquely, thus causing less solar heat. Here are the temperatures of the Tundra in general: Average January temperature: -32.1 degrees Celsius Average July temperature: +4.1 degrees Celsius Temperature range: 36.2 degrees Celsius Average annual temperature: -17 degrees Celsius Lowest temperature recorded: -52.5 degrees Celsius Highest temperature recorded: +18.3 degrees Celsius After seeing these temperatures you can see the reason why barely anyone lives up there and why there is rather little natural vegetation. Seasons And Moisture Content The main seasons of the Tundra are summer and winter. The winter will last 8 to 10 months followed by the short and much less cold summer. During the summer some lower areas of the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and fauna will start to creep out of hiding. The few summer months are used by many animals such as the polar bear, to mate and to prepare for the once again oncoming winter. During the winter months most everything remains frozen. Many of the animals migrate south for the winter whereas some stay behind or even group together for ritual group suicide (lemmings). There is little precipitation all year long in the Tundra. The average yearly total is 136 mm, out of which 83.

Health and Family Life Education School Nutrition Plan Essay

The goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living Project† at The People’s Cathedral Primary School is to assist children and families in making healthy food choices by supporting nutrition policies, expanding opportunities for nutrition education and focusing on physical improvements in the canteen. In order to bridge school activities with nutrition habits in the home, families will be engaged through school sponsored Family Nights, cooking demonstrations, and nutrition related homework assignments. At the project’s conclusion, the school’s overall nutrition environment will improve substantially, such that healthy eating habits are the norm- rather than the exception. Children will be afforded the opportunity to consume enough energy and nutrients to fuel optimum learning and physical development. Targeted Environments and Population The â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† project will focus on the entire student population The People’s Cathedral Primary School along with their families. The school is located within the St. Michael district, serving 350 students ages 3-12 years in preschool to class four. The school population will primarily be reached through school based intervention. Primary Healthy Eating Challenges to Address Achieving nutrition integrity within a school, means taking a comprehensive approach to program planning, management, operations and integration of nutrition into the total education program of the school. With this in mind, I anticipate working with the following three challenges to create and sustain a healthy eating climate at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. These challenges are: †¢ School policies to support healthy eating habits and choices †¢ Nutrition education as an integral part of the school’s curriculum †¢ Equipment to serve fresh fruits and vegetables in the canteen The People’s Cathedral Primary School is particularly concerned about the nutritional health of their students, who are among the highest-risk groups for childhood obesity and diabetes. The staff of The People’s Cathedral Primary School is highly motivated by the goals and opportunity of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Ac tive Living† project to pursue more aggressive nutrition policies for their students. Education is an integral component in guiding healthy food choices. As part of the nutrition education integration component of this project I will work diligently with school staff to develop and integrate nutrition education into core subjects. Through this cross-curricular approach, teachers will be able to address multiple learning requirements in a time effective manner. The third challenge of the project is the physical availability of healthful options. It is my belief that the school and community have a shared responsibility to provide all students with access to high-quality foods as an integral part of the total education program. The People’s Cathedral Primary School has demonstrated the receptivity to nutritional interventions through a morning snack program. However, while fruit and vegetable consumption is up, The People’s Cathedral Primary School is without a plan to continue incorporation of fresh fruits and vegetables into the student’s diets in a sustainable manner. Through this project proposal, the school would purchase a salad bar that would deliver fruits and vegetables on an ongoing and sustainable basis. Proposed methods of increasing access to healthy food and healthy eating choices The overall goal of the â€Å"Healthy Eating, Active Living† is to help children make healthy food and activity choices by supporting policies, nutrition education and physical improvements at The People’s Cathedral Primary School. Improvements in all three areas will result in a school norm that supports healthy food habits and choices. Goal 1: Develop and maintain an Effective Partnership to promote healthy eating. Goal 1’s main tactics are to form a workgroup within the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), complete assessments, develop an action plan for the school, and pursue additional financial support. This workgroup will provide oversight and technical assistance to the project. Assessments will be completed to review food consumption patterns, school nutrition policy, and need for physical improvements to the kitchen and canteen. Parents and teachers who are culinary experts with experience in improving kitchen and canteen environments will assist. Additional funding will be pursued, specifically to support a full kitchen and cafeteria renovation. Goal 2: Increase community awareness of the health and other benefits of healthy eating The main tactics of Goal 2 are to develop a health promotion campaign, encourage healthy foods from diverse cultures, and develop a video highlighting project activity. The project will work with local culinary experts such as Chef Peter Edey and Chef John Hazzard as well as students, staff and families to develop fun, engaging, and culturally relevant health promotion materials to be posted throughout the school and to be sent home. As an example, a Healthy Eating Map that highlights inexpensive places to purchase healthy foods, will be developed and distributed to the school community. Project staff will coordinate quarterly Family Nights to promote healthy foods from diverse cultures through cooking demonstrations and celebrations. The school will introduce an ethnic food menu. The local media will be enlisted to promote events at the school. Lastly, Class 3 and 4 students will create a video o f project activities and impacts to share with surrounding schools. Goal 3: Increase access to and availability of diverse healthy eating programs The primary tactics of Goal 3 are to introduce nutrition education, promotions and programs into the school. Nutrition education will be enhanced through a variety of projects. First, the school will introduce a salad bar into the school meal program. Second, the school will work with community agencies to offer cooking demonstrations for all classroom and families. Third, this project will work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and school staff to bridge the connection between the canteen and the classroom, better integrate nutrition education into core subject areas, and provide nutrition field trips to local farms. Finally, the school will work with The Ministry of Agriculture during the summer to increase nutrition opportunities for the students they work with. The increased collaboration of school staff on promoting nutrition will allow positive nutritional messages to be reinforced in a variet y of settings throughout the school. Staff will also benefit as they increase their knowledge level about healthy nutrition. Goal 4: Enhance policy and organizational supports for healthy eating . In order to address Goal 4, I will work with a core group of staff to complete an assessment of the school’s nutrition environment and policies using Ministry of Agriculture assessment tool. The school will be asked to focus on a small number of policies. Partnering agencies will support the school in implementing current and new nutrition policies through training, technical support and incentives. The group will also work with local culinary experts to assess the existing canteen environment to see how the school can include a salad bar into their existing space and streamline how food is served so that children are standing in line less. The adoption of these policies will help create a school norm supportive of a healthy nutrition environment. Goal 5: Improve built environments, facilities, equipment, and other supports for healthy eating Goal 5 deals with the physical changes needed at the school to support healthier eating. The school canteen is currently without a salad bar and bulletin boards for promoting good nutrition. The project would allow the school to purchase a salad bar, bulletin boards, and other equipment needed to prepare and promote fresh fruits and vegetables. The project will also allow for physical improvements needed in the school garden to supplement nutrition education activities.