Culture and Religion

MODULE 10: CULTURE & RELIGION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE INTRODUCTION Culture shapes the way we see the world. It therefore has the capacity to bring about the change of attitudes needed to ensure peace and sustainable development which, we know, form the only possible way forward for life on planet Earth. Today, that goal is still a long way off. A global crisis faces humanity at the dawn of the 21st century, marked by increasing poverty in our asymmetrical world, environmental degradation and short-sightedness in policy-making. Culture is a crucial key to solving this crisis.Source: Preface, World Culture Report, UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 1999. Our cultural values, which often include particular religious beliefs, shape our way of living and acting in the world. Module 11 on Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability explores the importance of indigenous values and spirituality in providing guidance for sustainable living. Such principles and values encourage a spirit of harmony between people, their natural environments and their spiritual identities. The principles for living sustainably that flow from these and other cultural and religious beliefs vary between groups and countries.They have also changed over time as circumstances demand. Despite this diversity, many principles for living sustainably are shared, not only among indigenous peoples, but also between different religious traditions. This module explores the role of culture and religion in providing guidance on ways of living sustainably. It also provides activities which analyse the place of these themes in the school curriculum. OBJECTIVES †¢ To develop an understanding of the relationship between culture, religion and sustainable living; †¢ To explore the principles for sustainable living encouraged in a chosen religion and in a case study from Nepal; To analyse the relevance and applicability of principles of sustainable living in the Nepal case study; and †¢ To encourage reflection on the contribution of religious education in Education for Sustainable Development. ACTIVITIES 1. Defining religion and culture 2. Values and principles 3. A case study: Annapurna, Nepal 4. Culture and development 5. Reflection REFERENCES Bassett, L. (ed) (2000) Earth and Faith: A Book of Reflection for Action, UNEP. Gardner, G. (2002) Invoking the Spirit: Religion and Spirituality in the Quest for a Sustainable World, Worldwatch Paper No. 164, Worldwatch Institute. Robinson, M. nd Picard, D. (2006) Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development, Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO. Schech, S. and Haggis, J. (2000) Culture and development: a critical introduction, Wiley-Blackwell. Throsby, D. (2008) Culture in Sustainable Development: Insights for the future implementation of Article 13 (Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diveristy of Cultural Expressions), UNESCO. UNESCO (2000) World Culture Report, UNESCO Publishing, Paris. UNESCO (2009) UNESCO World Report 2: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO Publishing.World Commission on Culture and Development (1995) Our Creative Diversity, UNESCO Publishing, Paris. World Religions and Ecology Series by Harvard University Press. Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, series editors. †¢ Buddhism – Tucker, M. E. and Williams, D. R. (eds) (1997) †¢ Christianity – Hessel, D. and Ruether, R. R. (eds) (2000) †¢ Confucianism – Tucker, M. E. and Berthrong, J. (eds) (1998) †¢ Daoism – Girardot, N. J. , Xiaogan, L. and Miller, J. (eds) (2001) †¢ Hinduism – Chapple, C. K. and Tucker, M. E. (eds) (2000) †¢ Indigenous Traditions – Grim, J. (ed) (2001) †¢ Islam – Foltz, R. , Denny, F. and Baharuddin, A. eds) (2003) †¢ Jainism – Chapple, C. K. (ed) (2002) †¢ Judaism – Tirosh-Samuelson, H. (ed) (2002) †¢ Shinto – Bernard, R. (ed) (2004) CREDITS Thi s module was written for UNESCO by John Fien using materials and activities developed by Hilary Macleod and Hum Gurung in Teaching for a Sustainable World (UNESCO – UNEP International Environmental Education Programme). ACTIVITY 1: DEFINING RELIGION AND CULTURE RELIGION, VALUES, CULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT The World Commission on Culture and Development defined culture as ‘ways of living together’ and argued that this made culture a core element of sustainable development.Almost all of the grave threats confronting human and planetary survival originate in human actions. However, much narrow thinking on sustainable development has focused almost exclusively on the relationships of people to the natural environment – without considering the people-to-people relationships that lie at the core of a sustainable society. Fulfilling today’s human needs while preserving and protecting the natural environment for future generations requires equitabl e and harmonious interactions between individuals and communities.Developing cultural values that support these people-to-people and people-to-nature values has traditionally been the role of religion in most societies. Religion is a major influence in the world today. It seems that people in all cultures have a set of beliefs that go beyond both the self and the natural world. We use these beliefs to help explain reasons for human existence and to guide personal relationships and behaviour. Part of the great diversity of humankind is the many different religions and belief systems we have developed – Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Taoism, and many more.Religious beliefs have a strong influence on the culture of a community. Indeed, for many people around the world, religious beliefs are central to their culture and provide the moral codes by which they live. Even where people in the contemporary world believe that the traditional beliefs of their parents and societies are not so relevant to their everyday lives, underlying religious beliefs about human worth and how to relate to other people and the Earth are still important parts of their lives. HOW DOES CULTURE INFLUENCE OUR LIVES? Many definitions of culture refer to particular values and beliefs.Other meanings refer to the everyday life and behaviour of people that flow from these beliefs. Others are more general and refer to works of art. Culture is, therefore, an inextricable part of the complex notion of sustainability. It can be seen as an arbiter in the difficult trade-offs between conflicting ends with regard to development goals. As pointed out in the report of the World Commission on Culture and Development set up jointly by UNESCO and the United Nations, culture is not only the â€Å"servant of ends but (†¦) the social basis of the ends themselves†, a factor of development but also the â€Å"fountain of our progress and creativity†.Source: UNE SCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action, paragraph 112. All these meanings or aspects of culture influence our worldviews and the ways in which we view our relationships with the Earth and each other. As a result, these aspects of culture affect different meanings of what it might mean to live sustainably. Culture is an important concept in Education for Sustainable Development.This is because the common cultural models in many societies often do not encourage sustainable development – and what is needed are new, or re-discovered, norms and values that can guide our actions towards sustainable ways of caring for other people and the natural world. Achieving sustainability †¦ will need to be motivated by a shift in values †¦ Without change of this kind, even the most enlightened legislation, the cleanest technology, the most sophisticated research will not succeed in steering society towards the long-term goal of sustainability.Education in the broadest sense will by necessity play a pivotal role in bringing about the deep change required in both tangible and non-tangible ways. Source: UNESCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action, paragraph 103. ACTIVITY 2: VALUES AND PRINCIPLES Despite the variety of religions and cultures around the world, all share common beliefs about the need to care for other people and the natural environment. Such beliefs are essential to a sustainable future.The world’s three major conservation groups – the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) – have identified a range of cross-cultural values that could underlie an ‘ethic for sustainable living’. These values provide principles that can guide human relationships with each other (social equity, peace and democracy) and with nature (conservation and appropriate development), and include: |Social Justice Values: |Conservation Values: | |PEOPLE AND PEOPLE PEOPLE AND NATURE | |Meeting basic human needs |Respecting the interdependence of all things | |Ensuring intergenerational equity |Conserving biodiversity | |Respecting human rights |Living lightly on the Earth | |Practising democracy |Respecting interspecies equity | Identify the values or meanings underlying these principles.These values are similar to the principles and ethics in the Earth Charter analysed in Module 2. These principles reflect values that are common in many religions and cultures. However, it is not the only possible one. For example, the people in The Monk’s Story in Module 21 planned the development of their village in south-west Sri Lanka around six principles for living sustainably that are consistent with their Buddhist religion and their culture. These six principles are: †¢ Harmony with nature †¢ Variety and diversity †¢ Quality of life †¢ Small is beautiful †¢ Self-reliance †¢ Co-operation and peacePeople of other cultures emphasise different principles. For example, the Garifuni people in Belize in Central America are guided by the following five principles for living sustainably: Unity All people are connected to the Earth in a common and interdependent whole. Reciprocity Every human being has a number of rights, but also mutual obligations and responsibilities. Co-operation Related to reciprocity, each individual has responsibilities for his/her brother or sister, just as each brother or sister has responsibilities for him/her. The importance of Mother Earth The land is sacred and can not be sold or bought.Respect for others People should be tolerant of the views, aspirations, values and beliefs of others. This includes respect for the rights of all species and for the spirit of life. RELIGION, CULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY It is not possible to provide information on the beliefs and practi ces of all the religions and cultures in the world and the ways in which they support principles of living sustainably. However, the Internet is a wonderful archive of this information. This activity invites you to search the Internet to find out about the link between a religion of your choice and living sustainably. Choose a religion that you would like to explore. †¢ Identify three questions about the links between religion, religious beliefs, cultural values and ways of living sustainably that you would like to find out about this religion. †¢ Identify key words in your questions to use in an Internet search. †¢ Open an Internet search engine of your choice. Type the name of your religion plus (+) some of the key words from your questions in the ‘SEARCH’ space, e. g. , â€Å"islam+ecology†, or â€Å"christianity+social justice†, or â€Å"hinduism+peace†, or â€Å"buddhism+economics†, etc. Then click ‘SEARCH’ an d visit the listed sites. Continue this process until you are satisfied with the answers you have to your three questions. †¢ Keep these written answers beside you as they will be used in the next activity. ACTIVITY 3: A CASE STUDY: ANNAPURNA, NEPAL Begin by opening your learning journal for this activity. THE ANNAPURNA CONSERVATION AREA PROJECT This activity provides a case study of the influence of culture and religion in a successful sustainable development project, the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) in Nepal. Q1: Use the following three questions to guide your analysis of cultural and nvironmental issues in the Annapurna region of Nepal. †¢ What are the main cultural and environmental issues facing Nepal and the Annapurna region? †¢ What is the difference between the philosophy of the establishment of the Annapurna Conservation Area and other National Parks? †¢ Why was the Annapurna region selected for the conservation programme known as ACAP? Q2: Use the following three questions to guide your analysis of the objectives and principles of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project. †¢ What is ACAP’s relationship with tourism? †¢ Why is the concept of ‘lami’ so important to ACAP? Why does Prince Gyandra Bir Bakran Shah say that conservation is for the people? Q3: Identify how the key activities conducted by the Annapurna Conservation Area Project contribute to a sustainable future in the region. †¢ Resource conservation †¢ Tourism management †¢ Community development †¢ Conservation education and extension INTERVIEWS WITH ACAP COMMUNITY LEADERS Read the transcripts of interviews with two community leaders in the Annapurna region. As you read the interviews make a note of the principles of sustainable living the two people describe.This information will be used in the next part of this activity. †¢ Min Bahadur Gurung, Chair of the ACAP Conservation and Development Committee â € ¢ Om Bahadur Gurung, Buddhist monk from a village within the Annapurna Conservation Area Use your knowledge of this region, and ACAP principles and strategies to identify nine principles for sustainable living that are embedded in the religion and culture of the people of the Annapurna region. In the Internet search, in Activity 2, you investigated three questions about the relationship between beliefs and principles of sustainable living in a religion of your choice.Use your knowledge of this religion and the Annapurna case study to examine how relevant the nine Annapurna principles for sustainable living are to the religion you investigated in Activity 2. ACTIVITY 4: CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT Cultural diversity has emerged as a key concern at the turn of a new century. Some predict that globalisation and the liberalisation of the goods and services market will lead to cultural standardisation, reinforcing existing imbalances between cultures.Others claim that the end of the bipo lar world of the Cold War and the eclipse of political ideologies will result in new religious, cultural and even ethnic fault lines, preluding a possible ‘clash of civilizations’. Scientists warn of the threats to the Earth’s environment posed by human activity, drawing parallels between the erosion of biodiversity and the disappearance of traditional modes of life as a result of a scarcity of resources and the spread of modern lifestyles. Source: Introduction, UNESCO (2009) UNESCO World Report 2: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO Publishing.While cultural issues are gaining in public attention everywhere, they often have low priority in the development policies of many countries. Stressing the importance of considering culture in development projects, James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, stated: In this time of globalisation †¦ the poor are the most vulnerable to having their traditions, relationships, and know ledge and skills ignored and denigrated †¦ Their culture †¦ can be among their most potent assets, and among the most ignored and devastated by development programmes.Source: Culture Counts, Conference on Financing, Resources and the Economics of Culture in Sustainable Development, Florence, Italy, 4-7 October, 1999. Culture is important in the processes of social and economic development. Socially, it provides for the continuity of ways of life that people in a region or country see as significant to personal and group identity. Economically, various forms of cultural expression such as music, dance, literature, sport and theatre provide employment as well as enjoyment for many people. These contribute increasingly large amounts of money to the economies of most countries every year.Employment is also generated through the restoration and presentation of cultural heritage centres and sites – both for education and tourism. OUR CREATIVE DIVERSITY An independent Worl d Commission on Culture and Development (WCCD) was established jointly by UNESCO and the United Nations in December 1992 to report on the interactions between culture and development. Chaired by Mr Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1982 to 1991, the Commission, presented its report, Our Creative Diversity, in 1995.Our Creative Diversity highlighted culture as the ‘last frontier’ of development. Development not only involves improved access to goods and services, but also provides â€Å"the opportunity for people to choose a full, satisfying, valuable and valued way of living together, thus encouraging the flourishing of human existence in all its forms and as a whole†. Read a summary of Our Creative Diversity. One of the recommendations of Our Creative Diversity to UNESCO was to publish regular reports on culture and development.The first World Culture Report (1998) described culture as â€Å"both the context for development a s well as the missing factor in policies for development†. It also questioned many of the cultural assumptions in the development models being used to guide economic, social, political and conservation policies worldwide . It asked the question, â€Å"Can we say that the range of development models has progressively narrowed over time? †, and concluded that: †¢ Western cultures have customarily been employed as the basis of thinking about development: â€Å"Western culture has held an iron grip on development thinking and practice†. This model equates development with modernisation and modernisation with Westernisation, and this is a cause of great concern in many countries. †¢ Increasingly, it is being recognised that there are several alternative strategies of development. †¢ A paradox of globalisation is that local cultures are being stressed more than before, at least in ways that reflect local cultural interpretations of the diverse cultural a nd economic processes that are part of globalisation. While cultural pluralism is increasingly becoming a eature of most societies, people are turning more and more to culture as a means of self-definition and mobilisation. CULTURAL DIVERSITY Cultural diversity is an important human right. It is a cornerstone of citizenship in any society. However, historical pressures and domestic political trends have limited the right to cultural autonomy and expression of some citizens. As a result, many minority peoples have been marginalised from the development processes in their own countries.This is tragic both for the marginalised groups and for development trajectory of the wider society. As a result, the 1998 World Cultural Report stated that: †¦ considerable imagination is needed to build the participatory institutional spaces where diverse voices can express themselves, whether in the management of local environmental issues, the organization of local urban life, or the operation of political institutions of functioning democracies. Source: World Culture Report, UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 1998. The same principle holds at the global scale.More and more, countries (especially in the South) are arguing that societies differ in their particular paths of development; that each society has its own history, political and social structures and cultural values; that development policies should respond to the needs and requirements of each society; and therefore that what is appropriate to one society may not be appropriate to another. Just as no development strategy can be said to be culturally neutral, a culturally sensitive approach to development is the key to addressing the interlinked social, economic and environmental problems confronting the planet as a whole.Cultural diversity — which emphasizes the dynamic interactions between cultures and sensitivity to cultural contexts — thus becomes a key lever for ensuring sustainable, holistic development strategies. Source: Chapter 7, UNESCO (2009) UNESCO World Report 2: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO Publishing. This issue has been a major concern of the UNESCO African Itinerant College for Culture and Development (AICDD). AICDD is a regional coordinating body for discussion and debate on the cultural dimensions of development.Research by AICDD indicates that development efforts in Africa have not yielded the expected results, and argues that there are three culturally-related reasons for this: †¢ The unsuitability to the African context of development models and methods taken from industrial societies. †¢ The institutional, geographic, social and cultural gap between people living and working locally and government decision-makers and authorities. †¢ A lack of the institutional knowledge and skills to plan development policies and projects that are consistent with the cultural context.Consequently, there are increasing challenges to the dominant western approach to economic development and modernisation – not only from the South but in the North as well. The demonstrations each year in major cities every time meetings are held by the World Trade Organisation and other international political and financial institutions (that are perceived as promoting a uniform model of development) are evidence of this. Finding space for these alternative models of development will not be an easy task – this is the downside of globalisation and the domination of the world economic system by major transnational corporations.As a result, discussions about culture and development tend to be framed in terms of several key issues that relate to the social, economic, political and conservation dimensions of sustainable development, including: †¢ Culture and economic development †¢ Cultural diversity, conflict and pluralism †¢ Cultural rights and indigenous peoples †¢ Globalisation and cultural di versity †¢ Culture and sustainability †¢ Culture and poverty †¢ Culture and democracy †¢ The economics of cultural heritage †¢ Culture, freedom and independence †¢ Heritage conservation and values †¢ Global creativity and the arts. Indicators of culture and development. Research these issues in the UNESCO World Report 2: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue. ACTIVITY 5: REFLECTION Begin by opening your learning journal for this activity. Completing the module: Look back through the activities and tasks to check that you have done them all and to change any that you think you can improve now that you have come to the end of the module. Q4: How important is religious education to the curriculum in your school? Q5: To what extent are students encouraged to relate religious education lessons to principles for living sustainably?Q6: Are there ways in which the Annapurna case study could be integrated into religious education lesson s or other subjects in your school curriculum? Definitions of Religion A religion is a set of spiritual beliefs about two key aspects of life: concern with the ultimate meaning of human existence; and an identification with a supernatural power beyond the limits of the human and natural worlds. The many different religions have different beliefs about these two aspects of life. However, religions generally have the following characteristics in common: †¢ A belief in supernatural beings, or gods; A code of morality believed to be sanctioned by the gods; †¢ Ceremonial and ritual acts which focus on sacred objects and symbols; †¢ Communication, notably through prayer, with the supernatural; †¢ Particular religious feelings, such as a sense of mystery, awe, adoration and reverence, that tend to be aroused in the presence of sacred objects or symbols, and during ceremonies and rituals associated with the supernatural; †¢ A particular world view, or a general unde rstanding of the world and the individual’s place in the universe, that shapes the religion’s overall organisation and style of life; and A social group expressing the above features with and to which the individual identifies and contributes. Source: Adapted from Bell, R. and Hall, R. (1991) Impacts: Contemporary Issues and Global Problems, Jacaranda Press, Brisbane. The Annapurna Region of Nepal Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal, with an area of 147,181km? , is a land of ecological contrasts. Within a short span of 200km, the altitude varies from less than 100m to 8850m. This is Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), the highest peak in the world. The tropical monsoon forests, temperate evergreen forests and arid steppes of the Tibetan plateau are a result of these changes.For centuries the landscape has also been carved by large numbers of Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid people representing more than 45 ethnic and tribal groups. This peaceful land of unexcelled beauty and cultural heritage, ge nerally known as ‘Shangri-La’, is also one of the least developed countries in the world. More than 90% of the population are subsistence farmers and more than 40% live below the poverty line. These people depend on depleted forests for fuel, fodder and timber. Currently more than 87% of the entire country’s energy requirement comes from fuelwood.The dependence on firewood as a source of energy in rural areas is more than 93%. Forests are being destroyed at a rate of nearly 3% annually. This loss of forests, combined with overgrazing by livestock and cultivation of crops on marginal land, has triggered processes of soil erosion and landslides during the monsoon season. Annapurna Ecological and cultural issues in the Annapurna Region are not too different from those in other Himalayan regions – except that they are greater in magnitude. Within a short distance of about 120km, the altitude varies from less than 100m to 8091m at Annapurna 1, the eighth highes t peak in the world.Due to its geographic features and terrain, it provides many micro-climates supporting sub-tropical lowlands and forests in the plains and the valleys, lush rhododendron and temperate evergreen forests in the South of the Annapurna, and alpine steppe and arid environments to the North of the Annapurna region. This area contains over 100 species of orchids and many of Nepal’s 700 medicinal plants. The region also serves as excellent habitats for rare and endangered species such as the snow-leopard, the musk deer and the blue sheep. It is also the habitat of five of the six species of pheasants found in Nepal.The Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) encircles the major peaks of the Annapurna Himal with an area of 2600km?. Catchments of three major river systems are roughly bordered by the major trekking route. It is also home to over 40,000 people of different ethnic and tribal backgrounds with various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Bon Po, Shamanism and Animism represented. Gurung, Magar, Thakali and Manangi are the dominant groups. Generally, these people are subsistence farmers who depend on the forests for fuel, fodder and timber.The Annapurna Conservation Area The Annapurna region is by far the most popular trekking destination in Nepal attracting over 60% of the total overseas trekkers in Nepal. The natural environment, resources and cultural integrity of this region are deteriorating due to over-grazing, intensive agriculture, poverty and a high population growth rate, and the influx of this large number of trekkers. Rational forest management for a sustainable yield of timber is not common. These factors mean that the cultural and natural environments of the region are in jeopardy.In view of this environmental deterioration in one of the most spectacular regions of Nepal, His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal issued directives in the Spring of 1985 to investigate the possibility of giving protected status t o the Annapurna region. The directive required a management plan that would help to strike a balance between the basic needs of the local inhabitants, tourism development and nature conservation. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) began in 1986 to address the problem of maintaining a crucial link between economic development and environmental conservation.It recognises that protection of critical habitats and maintenance of species diversity cannot be achieved without improving the economic conditions of poor villagers who inhabit the mountains. Unlike national parks and wildlife reserves, it regards humans, and not any particular species of wild animals or plants, as the focal point of every conservation effort. Source: Adapted from Gurung, C. P. (1990) People’s participation in conservation: Annapurna Conservation Area Project, Proceedings of the International Conference on Tropical Biodiversity, Kuala Lumpar, pp. 74-85. The Annapurna Conservation Area ProjectBa ckground What is conservation – if not for the people? It must be viewed only as a means, the end being the improvement of the quality of our very existence. His Royal Highness Prince Gyanendra Bir Bikran Shah, Chair of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) operates under the guidance of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, Nepal’s leading non-profit, non-governmental environmental organisation. It is self-funded by entry user fees but receives additional support from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (USA) and the German Alpine Club.The project was set up in 1986 and has undertaken an innovative and successful approach to natural resource and tourism management in the Annapurna region. ACAP practices a multiple land use method of resource management, combining environmental protection with sustainable community development and tourism management. Income from tourism is used to integrate traditional subs istence activities into the framework of resource management and to develop small-scale conservation and alternative energy projects in order to raise the living standards of the local people.ACAP has a grassroots philosophy and approach that involves local communities in all aspects of the conservation and development process. ACAP’s role is that of ‘lami’, or ‘matchmaker’, between local communities and sources of appropriate skills, knowledge and technical and financial assistance which enables these communities to improve the quality of their lives. Recognising that the breakdown of social structures contributes to environmental degradation, ACAP also strives to strengthen the cultural integrity of the area. At the heart of ACAP’s program is conservation education.ACAP believes that without increasing the level of awareness of both villagers and visitors, lasting environmental protection and cultural diversity cannot be achieved. Objectives The objectives of the project are to conserve both natural and cultural resources for the benefit of the local people of both present and future generations by implementing rational management policies and programs. ACAP’s long term objective is to benefit the 40,000 inhabitants living in the 2600km? Annapurna Conservation Area by providing a viable means to help them maintain control over their environment. Principles ACAP bases its activities on three principles:People’s participation In order to have long lasting efforts in conservation in the Annapurna region, it was recognised that the interests of the local people and their needs must be considered first. Unless these people really felt that the fruits of conservation could be harvested by themselves and that the resources belonged to them, the support of the local people could not be obtained. Thus, the project considers the local people as the main beneficiaries and includes them in the planning, decision-maki ng and implementing processes, and delegates more responsibilities for the management of the conservation area to them.Thus, various management committees (forest management committee, kerosene depot management committee, health centre management committee), selected and nominated by the local people, are formed in order to manage the various ACAP activities. Most of the community development projects undertaken by ACAP are carried out with 50% local contribution either in cash or kind. Thus, the project is administered by only a few staff, most of them hired locally. Catalytic role His Majesty’s Government of Nepal and various other national and international agencies have implemented a number of development and conservation projects in the region.It is not the aim of ACAP to duplicate or take over these projects but to work with them in order to improve the quality of life of the people. ACAP uses grassroots methods to help the villagers maintain control over their local re sources as well as help them to identify their immediate needs and priorities. As a result, ACAP considers itself a ‘lami’ (matchmaker) that will bring together resources from outside in order to meet the needs of the local people. Sustainability One of the most important characteristics of the project is sustainability.Many of the foreign aided development projects in developing countries fail because they do not have any provision for sustaining them once the donor agency leaves. These projects once completed can neither be maintained and managed by the local people nor by the government – creating a great loss of time, energy and resources. ACAP has to be financially self-reliant once the funding from WWF-USA and other donor agencies is exhausted. Hence, an entry user’s fee of about US$7 is levied on all the international trekkers visiting the Annapurna region.His Majesty’s Government of Nepal allows ACAP to collect the fee and deposit it in its own account. Thus, there will not be any financial burden, either to King Mahendra Trust and and His Majesty’s Government or to the local people once funding from the donors is terminated. A similar approach is also maintained among community development projects where the local people are either trained or provisions made for the projects to continue. As an example, a community health centre in Ghandruk was founded by a ? 300,000 Endowment Fund to which ? 100,000 (US$3500) and ? 00,000 (US$7000) were contributed by the local people. Source: His Royal Highness Prince Gyanendra Bir Bikran Shah, Chair of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. An interview with Min Bahadur Gurung Respected local elder from Ghandruk and Chairman of the region’s Conservation and Development Committee Interviewer You have been involved for many years in the indigenous management of your region’s forests and other natural resources. Has culture or religion influenced your man agement of these areas? Min Bahadur Gurung Of course. In our village we practice Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism.Our ancestors or forefathers managed their forest resources by themselves without the help of outsiders. They set aside a forest area for fuelwood and harvested it on a rotational basis. Interviewer Would you think there is a negative impact on the forest when you harvest for fuelwood? Min Bahadur Gurung When you harvest the selected old trees of a particular area, and for a certain period of time, there will be no adverse impact on the environment. Our traditional rotational system makes the forest harvesting sustainable in the long run. We also feel very familiar with our forest.We know what species of trees to harvest, when, where and for how long. Interviewer It seems that you and your people have a close relationship with the natural environment. How do you link culture, religion and environment? Min Bahadur Gurung Our culture and religion provide education for nature conservation. In every village we have a forest sanctuary where we worship our forest god. The forest is prohibited from any use and is thus a home for many birds, deer, insects and other living forms. We believe that if we cut such sacred forest we will be sick.The forest’s resources, especially traditional medicinal plants, are also important. We use them to treat many common diseases. Our sacred forests are set aside above our village. We feel safe from landslides and our water source is kept in good condition. It also keeps our village green thus providing a high aesthetic value. Our forests shape our lifestyles and behaviours. Interviewer The way you protect your forest has high ecological value. Would you believe this system to be sustainable? Min Bahadur Gurung The way we protect and conserve our forest is for our benefit.We harvest the fruits of our conservation efforts. Since our forefathers, we have followed this culture and religion. Thus, sustainable management a nd use of the forest resources is our way of life. We are not relying on outsiders to manage our forest and wildlife and our conservation practices don’t rely on money for its success. Everyone in the village looks after their forest. Our communal management system is working. Our children are also growing into this system, so I hope they learn the way we are managing our resources.Additionally, the arrival of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) was a blessing for us. Interviewer How is ACAP working in the village? Min Bahadur Gurung We support ACAP’s integrated conservation and development program through people’s participation. It has helped us to strengthen our traditional institution with the formation of the Conservation and Development Committees. ACAP emphasises traditional resource management practices. This has allowed us to continue our traditional systems of fuelwood collection and rotational grazing in our alpine pastures. ACAP didnâ€℠¢t drive the local people from the villages.Other protected areas such as national parks in the Himalayas have excluded local people totally which has created conflict between parks and people. ACAP has also enabled us to implement small-scale community development projects such as drinking water supply, medical facilities, irrigation, bridges and trail construction and repair. Additionally, we also now have a forest nursery. Interviewer What do you think about sustainable living and how do you inter-relate your development works? Min Bahadur Gurung We believe development should not be an agent for destruction to our environment.It rather should aim to meet the basic needs of the people, for example provide food, cotton and shelter. Most importantly, we are protecting our environment. If you have fresh air to breathe, fresh food to eat and a safe shelter in which to sleep, then you live in a sustaining society. Our lifestyles will be more sustainable if we learn to live in harmony w ith our environment. If we neglect the environment that is sustaining our lifestyle, then we will be destroying our future. An interview with Om Bahadur Gurung Buddhist Monk and Lama (Priest) from the Village of Ghandruk, Nepal InterviewerAs a Buddhist monk, how does religion play a part in your daily life? Om Bahadur Gurung Culture and religion are an important part of all of our lives. We have been practising them since our childhoods. Our parents have taught us the good things and to follow the Ramro Bato (Good Path). I have inherited my culture and religion from my father. I have learnt compassion, happiness and to the value the good things in my life. Thus, we respect our culture and religion. Interviewer It sounds like following the Ramro Bato has taught you a great deal of good things in your life. Could you please elaborate a bit more?Om Bahadur Gurung Well, in our society, people do all sorts of things, both good and bad. I learnt that if you do a bad thing, you will have t o face disastrous consequences, ‘pap’, after your death. Cleanliness is important in our religion. Our three hundred years old monastery is in the forest, away from the dirty village. We respect the forest because it is the home of our god. We protect the forest and tell other villagers to do so. The forest provides valuable medicinal herbs which are important in our lives. Our mantra (prayers) and traditional medicinal herbs save the lives of our people when they are sick.We tell people not to cut down trees and not to kill animals. Interviewer Oh! Why do you tell this message to others? Om Bahadur Gurung The answer is simple. Do you kill your children? No, you do not. You love your children, don’t you? All creatures have life and they are born freely on the planet Earth. I believe they have the right to survive. As a human being, we should take care of all the living creatures and live in harmony with their environment without oppressing them. Interviewer It so unds good. How does your culture and religion reflect the notion of sustainable living?Om Bahadur Gurung All living creatures live and die. As for human beings, we believe they do not die, but change their spirit and form another life. We Lamas perform ‘arghau’, for example, within 49 days of a person’s death because that spirit will be in a hard life. We pray to our god to send them into heaven and to change their life into another living creature. That is our interpretation of sustainable living. Life is a cycle. If we don’t do our ‘karma’, the cycle will be broken. Interviewer Finally, do you have any message to educators? Om Bahadur GurungI have learnt many lessons from my Guru (mentor) over the years. To prove my worthiness as a Lama, I spent three years, three months and three days in a hostile place to learn the ways of the Buddhist culture and religion. When I went to the city to observe other monasteries and meet other monks, I learnt that I still have to learn more. I hope educators have more access to learn about our culture and religion. From my experience, I would say that the Buddhist philosophy of culture and religion provides the wisdom to protect our environment and sustain our lifestyles.

Helping Children Master the Basic Facts Essay

The chapter â€Å"Strategies for Multiplication Facts† provides detailed overview of strategies used for mastering and enlarging multiplication facts. It is suggested that basic facts may be improved due to relating existing knowledge to new facts. The author outlines five group strategies stating that the first four are easier and they cover 75% of multiplication facts. Nevertheless, it is noted the offered strategies are simply suggestions, not the rules to follow. Actually, these strategies help students think of various facts easily. The special attention in the chapter is paid to doubles, zeroes and ones, helping facts, division facts and ‘near facts’, etc. It is noted that fact remediation should be used in case when students are unable to master basic facts mentioned above. Such students need new approach to comprehend basic facts. Therefore, fact remediation is of great importance, because it aims at providing hope for students having problems with mathematics. Often students experiencing difficulties with getting facts, start thinking they are unable to learn facts at all. The author recommends to â€Å"let these children know that you will help them and that you will provide some new ideas that will help them as well†. (184) It is admitted in the chapter that students who comprehend the basic multiplication facts doesn’t reason better that student who find it difficult to get the idea of basic facts. The author states that nowadays the goal of mathematics isn’t simply to learn how to count, instead it aims at learning how to reason, how to make the sense of things around. What is more important, mathematics develops the skills of critical thinking and punctuality. Mathematics teaches students to solve problems and, therefore, students experiencing difficulties with mastering basic facts shouldn’t be excluded from mathematical experiences. Summing up, the author claims that all students should be involved in â€Å"exciting and meaningful experiences, they have real motivation to learn facts and real opportunities to develop relationships that can aid in that endeavor†. (185) References Van De Walle, John. (2003). Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. USA: Allyn & Bacon.

Review on ang lihim ng pamilya rizal Essay

That documentary was quite intriguing especially the thing about Saturnina and her uncle Jose Maria.It got me thinking for an hour or two because if it was true it would be a disgrace to the family. The events links together; Saturnina got pregnant, her mother, Theodora took her on a long vacation and then they’ve returned with Soledad the baby that Theodora claimed to hers and Soledad was meztisa just like Jose Maria. Some questions run through my mind like how did that happen? Was it planned?does Theodora did not raised saturnina like the way she have raised rizal?.Another interesting issue is that the Alonzo family was a bastard because Theodora’s mother, Brigada Quintos was not a legal wife of her father,Lorenzo and the only legal child was Jose Maria. It was cleared to me why Rizal did not live in the alonzo mansion. Also, that’s why the Alberto mansion wasn’t recognized as a landmark because family Rizal wasn’t really connected to the mansion. Today the Alberto ancestral Mansion in Bià ±an laguna is being torn piece by piece for it will be moved to another location. Many people are against it because that is the house that Theodora grew with and it should be treated as a national landmark. I’m against it too because Theodora was an important person in history and she’s the one who mold Rizal into what he’d become. Despite the fact that Theodora wasn’t a legal child, she is still one of the people that have a right to it. The mansion is full of Filipino history and to be destroyed just for a foreign coffee shop? That’s not right. At the end of the documentary, the most important thing I’ve learned is everyone can be a hero. You don’t need to have a good family background; you just need to prove yourself worthy, care for your country and countrymen just like our national hero.

Problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Problem question - Essay Example Donoghue became ill after consuming a drink which contained a decomposed snail. The House of Lords found that she did have a valid claim against the manufacturer of the drink. A three-step criterion later emerged, which was solidified in the case of Caparo Industries Plc v Dickman.5 A duty between defendant and claimant exists in the presence of a reasonable forseeability of harm, a relationship of proximity between defendant and claimant, and it being just, fair and reasonable to impose liability on the defendant for his careless actions.6 In the present matter, the police were at the festival in order to provide security and crowd control. Based on the number of people in the park, a reasonable forseeability of harm did exist. The facts state that the amount of people in the park threatened to become a safety hazard. A relationship of proximity existed between the police and everybody at the festival, since their job was to provide security at the festival. ... each of duty occurred.7 The test asks whether the actions of the defendant were below the threshold of a â€Å"reasonable man†.8 Defendant must perform his job as a reasonably skilled and competent person.9 On the night of the festival, in an effort to control the crowd, the police erected barriers and cordoned off the area of the park where the band was playing. By doing so, they had not lessened the number of people, but had virtually trapped the people that were there. A â€Å"reasonable man† would not trap a crowd of people when there was already a concern about the number of people in the area. Instead, perhaps dispersing the crowd or refusing entrance to additional people would seem better alternatives. Simple causation is established if â€Å"but for† the actions of the defendant the harm would have occurred.10 The case of McGhee v National Coal Board is usually followed when determining causation.11 With regard to the Jigger matter, since the police had t rapped the people around the stage area, they had no means of escape when the crowd panicked. The surging crowd was also trying to escape, crushing anybody in their path, causing Mike Jigger and Uncle Lewis’ injuries. Finally, the fourth element of negligence is the injury cannot be very remote from the breach that occurred. In the present matter, the claimants’ injuries occurred almost immediately after the breach. Therefore, this element of negligence is satisfied. Based on a review of the facts, it appears that Mike Jigger and Uncle Lewis can establish a claim against the police for negligence. None of the three main defenses to negligence liability appear to be available to the police in this matter. Volenti non fit injuria is a Latin phrase meaning â€Å"to the willing, no injury is done.† This defense

Governance and International Relations Lifeboat Ethics Essay

Governance and International Relations Lifeboat Ethics - Essay Example This divide is the basis of much talk within the ranks of the economists and gurus who understand ethics and how it should be implemented across the board . What is even more interesting is the fact that surrounds the determination of resources for the developing nations as they seem to go beyond a certain level of growth within their respective regimes. It is a fact that the world is not that rosy for the underdeveloped countries which essentially have to make both ends meet to ensure that they are on the right path – geared to achieve results which are attainable and positive along the way . On the same token, this paper gives a good look at the lifeboat ethics which indeed is a way to find out where the resource distribution should be acknowledged and how this would mean sheer value for all the nations in the world. Philosophically, it is quintessential to understand the phenomenon behind the lifeboat ethics. This is a term that was proposed by Garrett Hardin, who was an ecologist in the year 1974. Hardin used this metaphor to describe a situation where a lifeboat consisted of 50 people which had room for another 10 individuals to get on board. Since this lifeboat is on the move as it is in the ocean where hundreds of swimmers surround it, the ‘ethics’ element comes in when the dilemma arises with regards to the swimmers . This dilemma discusses whether these swimmers should be taken on board the lifeboat or left as they are at the moment. Hardin believed that the lifeboat metaphor could easily be compared alongside the Spaceship Earth model which consisted of resource distribution where he asserted that a spaceship would be led by a single leader who is essentially the captain of the spaceship. However, the earth lacks a captain4. He also opined that the tragedy of the commons came about from the spaceship model which was completely different from the lifeboat premise where rich nations were seen as the lifeboats while poor countries were termed as the swimmers5. In the same setting, Hardin’s lifeboat ethics resembles closely with the environmental ethics, utilitarianism, resource depletion talks and so on. He uses lifeboat ethics to find out the queries regarding policies such as immigration, foods banks and foreign assistance in the form of aid. Purely from a philosophical perspective, the aspect of lifeboat ethics should be understood with regards to how the policies are drafted for the rich and the poor nations at the same time. This means that their domains are drawn up in such a way that there are successful touch points for the rich countries while extreme losses for the poor ones. This divide is something that has a huge say in deciding who is going wrong and which country needs to pull up its socks to bring harmony within this world in terms o f resource allocation6. Hence lifeboat ethics is a good enough measure of finding out how ethical domains should be understood within the basis of bringing about equality so that no one misses out on the resources which are available throughout the world. In terms of the philosophical undertakings, it is only with the presence of adequate policies that things will get resolved and that too in an amicable fashion for all the nations in the world – without any discrimination whatsoever. Hence attention should be paid towards the philosophical side as well because these remain significant to comprehend within the relevant thick of things. When one discusses the tangent of lifeboat ethics, it is also of paramount essence to gain an insight into what the fallacies are. The future is never known with a particular degree of certainty which is indeed required for the problem at hand. Also there is the basis of no one being likely to be in the situation which has been

United Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

United Healthcare - Essay Example United Healthcare has developed various programs that will help in providing consumers of all ages and gender with health services. The programs include AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, and Ingenix (UHG, 2009). AmeriChoice is a program that the organization has developed to help low-income families to access health care at an affordable price. This program enables low-income families to pay for health services using any means that fits their economic well-being (Gray, Lowery, & Benz, 2013). This development will enhance low-income earners to access health services in the organization in the next decade. The institution has also developed a program known as OptumHealth that helps employees who have health needs. This initiative educates the employees and it helps them to overcome chronic diseases (Miles, 2012). This program will enable all organizations to enroll their workers in the initiative to improve their health. A report by the United Healthcare organization indicates that at least 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 on a daily basis (UHG, 209). This has motivated the organization to develop a program known as Ovations, which helps individuals who are above 50 years to get the health care that they deserve. This initiative helps the aging members of the society to determine and access the health services that fit their personal needs. The organization is also entering into partnerships with shopping centers and stores to increase access to health services. These partnerships enable the company to open branches in the shopping centers (Showalter, 2012). This will ensure that citizens access health education and services almost at their doorstep in the next decade and beyond this time. Â  

Free Will and Fate in Sartres No Exit and Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus Essay

Free Will and Fate in Sartres No Exit and Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus - Essay Example Although they conceded that man had the power to choose and make decisions for himself, they felt that these decisions inevitably ended up playing into the hands of fate. This can be seen clearly in Oedipus Tyrannus. Oedipus learns from the Oracle that it is his fate to murder his biological father and sleep with own mother. Upon learning of his fate, Oedipus flees from the land of his youth in an attempt to escape his fate. After he becomes king, Oedipus seeks to learn the truth behind the murder of his father which caused the land of Thebes to be cursed. He summons the blind prophet Teiresias who hints at the truth which eerily echoes the oracle's prediction: Even though Oedipus tried to escape his fate by attempting to flee, his destiny overrides his free will as he ignorantly winds up fulfilling the oracle's prophecies of patricide and incest. In this play, fate is seen as the master of man's destiny and it shows how man is virtually helpless when it comes to living out his preordained destiny. By contrast, Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit has the major underlying theme of existentialism; that is that man and man alone controls his destiny. Existentialism is the belief that there is no God or fate and therefore man is in charge of his own destiny. Basically, the past is past and has no bearing on today, what is here and now is the reality. Man has the free will to choose to be free or he can be imprisoned by letting other people choose his destiny for him. Also by allowing himself to become imprisoned by the past, man is condemning himself to a life that can't be lived. Of the three main characters in No Exit, two are doomed to an eternity in Hell because of their failure to take responsibility for their actions which got them there in the first place. Besides blaming others for her problems, Estelle even blames her death on fate, "then two years ago I met the man I was fated to love. We knew it the moment we set eyes on each other. He asked me to run away with him, and I refused. Then I got pneumonia and it finished me." Estelle is saying that because she denied her destiny, her punishment was death. In life and in death, Estelle allows others to create her self image rather than take responsibility for her own life, this can be seen when she asks the others repeatedly how she looks and through the use of Inez as her mirror, she shows how she is still letting other people determine who she is. Estelle and Garcin both refuse to give up the past, as they go over and over the events that brought them to Hell. Their inability to live in the present, in effect condemns them to Hell. In Hell as on earth, Garcin continues to leave his existence in the hands of other people. Garcin let other people decide who he was on earth, at one point even declaring, "I've left my fate in their hands." In Hell, he allows Estelle to determine who he really is by allowing her to define if he is a coward. Garcin's inability to leave Hell even when the door is open shows how he lets his fear of being responsible limit his choices and eventually condemns himself.

Family Business and Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Family Business and Business Management - Essay Example Many of the world’s leading publicly listed corporations are operating under the category of family business. For instance, corporate giants like Walmart, Samsung Group, Tata Group, and Foxconn are some of the well-known family businesses in the globe.   From the viewpoint of the family business consultant Schneider, there are eight major elements including purpose, structure, organizational culture and relationships rewards to shareholders, potential mechanisms in the organization, leadership, strategic and operational performance outcomes, and financial performance outcomes influencing the development of a healthy family business (para 4). The purpose is the factor determining the existence and long term sustainability of a family business. The major reason for the failure of many family businesses is that there exists ambiguity and lack of agreement on the vision, priorities, and goals of the business. Hence, a healthy family business will be characterized by clearly stated business goals and priorities. In addition, it is commonly seen that many family business ventures do not survive beyond the generation of the founders due to lack of foresightedness. In contrast to this, a strong family business will have a well-defined family philosophy that facilitates the continuation of the business beyond generations and sets a framework for the future operations of the company. According to Schneider, â€Å"structure is the architecture of grouping people in the family business† (para 5). The author continues that the structure of the family business has to necessarily fit the purpose and the current environment of the business.

Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Anthropology - Essay Example There was the development of complex form of communication. People also formed government due to their centralized form of life (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2009). This paper seeks to present some of the biological and/or social consequences of humans switching from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a farming lifestyle. There were various consequences of human switching from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a farming lifestyle. Most of these consequences are social and biological. The most significant change was brought by sedentary life. This form of life encouraged high population growth. As a result, more food was needed to satisfy the ever-increasing population. However, this led to increased competition for food as human population rose above the available food. Additionally, the shift from hunter-gatherer to farming led to diet change. This had a tremendous influence on the anatomy of human teeth and jaws. This is because initially human was adapted to hard food, but this shift led to adoption of simple food that required little effort to chew. In fact, the hunter-gatherer had longer, narrower jawbones. The size of jaw became shorter when farming was adopted because most of the foods were raw and processed (Larsen, 1995). Moreover, the rate of disease transmission increased as the hunter-gather er adopted a more sedentary lifestyle. This was because of the unhealthy practices and living together with other domesticated animals (Larsen, 1995). Therefore, society became more susceptible to disease than it was before. Additionally, the change of life to a more sedentary life meant people could farm instead of hunting and gathering. This forced people to settle down in a centralized place. Consequently, there was the development of settlement and group living in the society. This was followed by development of more complex social institutions, and thus well-established forms of communication. There was also division of work and this led to the development of government

Comprehensive evaluation in Mathematics Essay Example for Free

Comprehensive evaluation in Mathematics Essay Continuous comprehensive Evaluation should be carried out in relation to learners’ cognitive, affective and psycho-motor growth. Cognitive growth refers to the intellectual development of learners (such as learners’ knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation). Affective growth emphasizes learners’ attitude, interest and personal development. Psycho-motor growth deals with learners’ ability to perform some activity or do some practical work. Therefore, if you want the teaching-learning process to be really effective, you should evaluate the learners continuously and comprehensively Hence to bring about the improvement in the quality of education and the holistic development of the child who is tomorrow’s global citizen, evaluation process should focus adequately on both scholastic and non-scholastic areas of development. Hence the focus needs to shift to comprehensive evaluation. The comprehensive evaluation also needs to have continuity at regular intervals through out the academic year. This thought is further gets support from the fact that the National Progressive Schools Association has also recommended the scrapping of class X board exams This module focuses upon the various evaluation tools and techniques which can be used for decision making with reference to learners scholastic and non scholastic needs. By comprehensive evaluation, we mean that evaluation should not concern itself only with knowledge but it shall also take into account the factors that are inherent in students’ growth such as skills, understanding, appreciation, interest, attitude and habits. In other words, evaluation should cover all the learning experiences of the learner in curricular as well as non-cognitive areas. Need of Continuous comprehensive evaluation. Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation is intended to provide a holistic profile of the learner through assessment of both scholastic and non-scholastic aspects of education spread over the total span of instructional time in schools. It helps to identify those positive attributes of the learner which are not usually assessed during the examinations conducted by the Board As it is spread over a period of two years in class IX and X it provides several opportunities for the school to identify the latent talents of the learners in different contexts.

Assistant Practitioner Providing Support For A Diabetes Patient

Assistant Practitioner Providing Support For A Diabetes Patient The following paper will reflect on an experience as a trainee assistant practitioner which involved the care and support of a patient with type 1 diabetes. For this reflection I will use Bill as a pseudonym name for my patient as The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2010) states that. The common law of confidentiality reflects that people have a right to expect that information given to a nurse or midwife is only used for the purpose for which it was given and will not be disclosed without permission. This covers situations where information is disclosed directly to the nurse or midwife and also to information that the nurse or midwife obtains from others. For this assignment Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) will be utilised as I feel comfortable with this model. Gibbs (1998) refers to the experience as an incident which involves exploring good and bad feelings, however Johns (1995) suggests that the fundamental purpose of reflective practice is to enable the practitioner to interpret an experience in order to learn from it. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong condition in which the body cannot control the amount of glucose in the blood. This is because the body cannot produce the natural hormone insulin. Diabetes is a common, lifelong condition and as Zimmet et al (2001) identify that in developed countries one person in thirty may be affected and it is likely that by 2025 there will be three hundred million people with diabetes worldwide, this is mainly the result of more sedentary lifestyles and increased obesity. In 2006 Diabetes UK estimated that there were more than two million people with diagnosed diabetes and up to one million who are still undiagnosed (Diabetes UK 2006). A holistic approach to this long term condition is essential as it can come with so many complications. Complications may arise from inadequate management and treatment of the condition, which can adversely affect the quality of life and have financial implications for patients and the National Health Service (DH2001). There are two types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes there is no production of insulin by the beta (ß) cells of the pancreas. In type 2 diabetes, which accounts for over 80 per cent of all cases of diabetes, insulin is produced by the ß cells and is released into the bloodstream, but it subsequently fails to act properly at the sites of glucose uptake, which are skeletal muscle, liver and adipose tissue (Donnelley and Garber 1999, Reginato and Lazar 1999). As a trainee assistant practitioner I was asked by the district sister to visit Bill to do a blood test which had been requested by the general practitioner as Bill is housebound and unable to attend a blood clinic. The blood test was to check his full blood count and HbA1c which had not been done for almost a year. Bill is seventy four years of age, lives alone and has lived with diabetes for many years. Bills wife passed away a year ago and has one son who lives many miles away so sees him very little; he does however have a neighbour who pops in to check on him now and again. Bill administers his own insulin in the mornings and checks his blood sugar levels daily before giving his insulin. My first impressions of Bill were that he looked frail and quite pale but having not met him before this may have been the norm for him. Whilst taking the blood sample I began chatting to Bill and he started to tell me that he had several episodes of feeling unwell recently and on that morning he had felt particularly unwell. I asked him to explain why he felt unwell and what symptoms he was experiencing. He explained the symptoms included shaking in his hands, feeling lightheaded and a fuzzy headache. As a trainee assistant practitioner I felt it necessary to explore what was wrong with Bill even further. First of all I began taking some basic clinical observations, his blood pressure was 140/90, pulse 80 and regular which were both within normal limits. He appeared pale and clammy so I checked his blood glucose level which was 3.2mmols; Bill was suffering from hypoglycaemia. Blood glucose levels are normally maintained within relatively narrow limits at about 5-7mmol/l (Williams an d Pickup 2004). My immediate concern was to ensure Bills blood glucose levels did not drop any further and the priority was to take short term action and increase his blood sugar to prevent it becoming any worse. Bill had no glucose tablets or glucogen so with his consent I looked in his fridge and cupboards to find something that would increase his blood sugars quickly. All that was in his fridge was a carton of milk a few slices of bread and some jam, I promptly gave him a drink of milk and made a jam sandwich. I felt it was my responsibility to sit with Bill until his blood glucose returned to acceptable levels and he had recovered from this episode of hypoglycaemia. I took Bills blood glucose levels every ten minutes until it returned to a safe and acceptable level. Bills blood sugar was now 5.2mmols and he was feeling brighter I checked to see if he ever recorded his blood glucose levels or kept a record of administration of his insulin but there was nothing. I asked him about his diet he said he hadnt been feeling up to eating much, I asked who did his shopping which he informed me his neighbour gets his milk and bread and a few other little bits when he needed them. I was aware that the lack of food in the house was probably the cause of Bill suffering from hypoglycaemic attacks. Hypoglycaemia occurs when the blood glucose level falls below 4mmol/L and is a common side effect of insulin therapy. Causes of hypoglycaemia include missed or late meals, not eating enough, taking too much insulin, exercise and excessive alcohol. National Health Services Choices (2009) state that hypoglycaemia should be treated with fast-acting carbohydrate, for example, 3-6 glucose tablets, 150ml fizzy drink or 50-100ml Lucozade, and followed up with a longer-acting carbohydrate, for example, biscuits or a sandwich. Glucose gels, for example, GlucoGel are useful to raise blood glucose levels and blood glucose should be recorded five to ten minutes after treatment. After ensuring that Bills hypoglycaemic attack had subsided and he was feeling better I made him a cup of tea and left him another sandwich that he could have at lunchtime. My initial feelings were of concern for Bills safety in the future and as a trainee assistant practitioner I knew that it was my responsibility to see my mentor immediately to discuss the situation. I was satisfied that I had taken the time to find out what was wrong with Bill and that he had recovered from his hypoglycaemic attack which I may not have taken time to do in my previous role. From the years of working in the community nursing setting experience I was fully aware that other mutli-displinary agencies may need to be involved in the care of Bill. I returned to the office and fed back to my mentor and later that day we returned to Bill and a full assessment was undertaken, it came to light that Bill had been struggling for some time with his diabetes, personal care and shopping and housework. It was decid ed by my mentor that for the interim period until care and support for Bill could be implemented that the district nursing team would administer his insulin that way his blood glucose levels could be regularly recorded and ensure that he has eaten something. He was also referred to the community diabetic nurse for a review of his insulin regime. Dietary management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes Nutritional therapy is an integral part of effective management of diabetes and has a vital role in helping people with diabetes to achieve and maintain optimal glycaemia control (Delahunt 1998, UKPDS 1990).I visited the general practitioner surgery and obtained some patient information on diabetes care and diet and took them to Bill, with the supervision of my mentor I sat with him and read through them. Once a care package was in place the carers would be informed of what foods Bill should and should not have and they would help with meal preparation. The British Diabetic Association (1999) suggest that ideally dietary information should be delivered by a diabetes specialist dietician, however in the case of Bill awaiting an appointment to see the dietician would have taken time and the information was needed on a more urgent basis. McGough (2003) suggest that structured patient education plays an important role in enabling people with diabetes to manage their diabetes on a day-to-day basis and a greater emphasis should be on the benefits of regular physical activity and weight management. More flexibility in the proportion of monounsaturated fat and carbohydrate in dietary intake and sucrose should no longer be restricted to a specific amount. For Bill initially it was essential that he was provided with regular meals and snacks at least three times daily to prevent any further hypoglycaemic attacks. An urgent referral was sent to members of the multi-disciplinary team and a meeting was arranged the following day with a social services. Referrals were also sent to the community diabetic nurse, dietician and foot health services. On assessment with my mentor she identified that Bill had not been washing properly and had not cut his toe nails for some time, Bill was also experiencing pain in his legs and feet. Bi ll was likely to be experiencing diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and I completed a pain assessment chart with him. Hill (2009) identifies that painful neuropathy affects the feet, typically causing burning or stabbing pain, which is particularly apparent at night. This was a mirror of what Bill described his pain as and we reassured him that his pain control would be discussed with his general practitioner as at present Bill took no analgesia at all and there was none in the house. The general practitioner prescribed paracetamol 1000mg four times daily initially as he felt that the pain may improve once more control had been gained again with his diabetic control. I returned to assess Bills pain control several days after commencing paracetamol and it had improved, he was still experiencing slight discomfort but felt that he would like to continue on this regime as he did not want anything stronger at the present time. It was agreed with Bill that this would be reviewed again the fo llowing week. A joint visit was done with the diabetic nurse, my mentor and myself and it was identified that Bills technique of giving his own insulin was poor due to poor dexterity in his hands and he was unable to turn his insulin pen properly or read the digits on the pen clearly. It was unclear how long Bill had been trying to manage in this way but Bill would certainly need long term care with his insulin from the district nursing team. The diabetic nurse identified that Bills eyesight was particularly poor and that he had not had his eyes checked for several years. Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness and many patients do not have any symptoms of the damage occurring in the retina until the complications have become advanced. NICE (2008) recommend annual screening for all patients with diabetes and that a record of the retina is made by digital imaging for year on year comparison to identify the development and progression of retinopathy. The general practitioner was informed that Bill had not had his eyes checked and he agreed that he would refer him for retinopathy screening. As a trainee assistant practitioner I have learnt valuable knowledge in the management and care of patients with diabetes, from Bill requiring a routine blood test he has become a complex patient with multiple problems related to his diabetes. Due to the word limitations of the essay all areas of complications relating to diabetes could not be covered but through researching and reading around the topic I am aware of other complications such as nephropathy, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease. I have continued as an assistant trainee practitioner to visit Bill and monitor his progress with my mentor. His blood glucose levels have improved and are maintained controlled between 6-9mmols. Bill has needed some psychological support as he is used to seeing few people and all of a sudden his life has changed and he has several members of the multidisciplinary team visiting and reviewing him regularly. Overall I feel a sense of satisfaction that from a routine bl ood test and utilising a more advanced role all of this relating to Bill has been identified and his health and care are much more improved.

Hepatitis E Virus Infection in HIV-Infected Persons

Hepatitis E Virus Infection in HIV-Infected Persons Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a global disease (1,2). HEV infection represents a major global public health issue especially in developing countries, where the global death rate is 1-15% and up to 30% in pregnant women (3). Every year there are an estimated 20 million hepatitis E infection (HEV) are registered over the world. it is known that chronic liver disease by hepatitis E develops in persons who are undergoing immunosuppression, including individuals infected with HIV(4). Recently, many studies have demonstrated cases of chronic HEV infection (characterized by detection of HEV RNA greater than or equal to 6 months in plasma) and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients, including organ transplant recipients(5) patients with lymphoma and haematological malignancies (4,6 ) and in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (7). A number of studies have suggested that In persons infected with HIV may acquire HEV infection more often than individuals without HIV (8,9). The first verified case of chronic infection E in 2008 (10), which can to lead to liver damage and develops of hepatic fibrosis and even cirrhosis in immunosuppressed patients such as Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and solid organ transplant recipients (11-14). Immunosuppression has been shown that facilitates chronicity of HEV infection, Therefore HIV infection is one of the possible causes for HEV persistence (15) and there are published reports of high HIV/HEV co-infection rates for particular regions (16,17). There are some data that suggest that HEV may promote the progression of liver disease due to other causes (18). There are only a few reports regarding HEV seroprevalence in Individuals who are immunocompromised. The seroprevalence of anti- HEV IgG in HIV-positive cohorts ranges varies from one geographic location to another from 1.5% to 11.2% (19,20). Incidence of infections caused by HEV, defined by detecting HEV RNA in the serum, i s low, ranging from 0 to 1.3% (21-23). However, studies regarding co-infection of HIV and HEV and HEV associated chronic liver disease in HIV-infected patients are limited in IRAN. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of HEV RNA in HIV infected patients in Iran a country with moderately high prevalence of both infections. Therefore, in order to better understand the clinical impact of HEV infection in these populations we have conducted a study determining HEV RNA in HIV-infected patients. In the present study, we determined whether HEV RNA were present in serum samples obtained from HIV-infected patients to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, HEV infection in HIV-infected individuals. In addition, epidemiological, clinical and analytical factors were analyzed in order to identify potential risk factors associated with HEV seropositivity. The aim of this study was to define the degree of prevalence of HEV RNA in the group of HIV infected patients in Iran. For this study real-time RT-PCR assays targeting ..genes have been developed. We report 6 cases of hepatitis E infection in HIV-infected patients that   none of our patients received ribavirin treatment. Methods and materials:       Study population and samplecollection: A total of 80 Iranian patients with HIV-1 infection attending the Tehrans hospitals were enrolled in this study from February 2015 to April 2016. The exclusion criteria considered as patients who had been received anti-retroviral therapy. This study followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and study has been approved by a local research ethics committee of the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The participants were informed all aspects of the current study, and Informed consent was obtained from all of the participants prior to their enrollment for current study. About 5 ml of peripheral whole blood Sample from each participant was collected into a sterile EDTA-containing Vacutainer tube and plasma was separated from blood via centrifugation and frozen at -70 oC until analysis. HEV RNA Extraction: Efficient HEV RNA extraction using the High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid Kit generates purified HEV RNA was extracted from 200 ml of plasma (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). RNA pellets eluted with the provided elution buffer and stored at -70 °C until analysis. cDNA Synthesis: For detection HEV RNA, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rReal Time PCR) was was performed by using the first strand cDNA synthesis kit by Revert AidcDNA synthesis kit from RNA templates (Thermoscientific, USA). In a nutshell, RNA samples were heated in 65 °C for 10 minutes, then chilled on ice. The uniform suspension of bulk first-strand cDNA reaction mix was added according to the manufacturers protocol, then One ÃŽ ¼l of DTT solution, and 1 ÃŽ ¼l of random hexamer (24) primer (0.2 ÃŽ ¼g) were added to the RNA After heat denaturation and RNA and RT primers were mixed properly by pipetting up and down for several times, then incubated for an hour at 42 °C. For Real time PCR, the QuantiTect Probe PCR Kit (Qiagen, Germany) was used, based on its instruction kit. HIV-1 viral load quantification: Measurement of blood plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration performed by COBAS TaqMan 48 (Roche Diagnostics, Hacienda Drive Pleasanton, CA, USA) kit in the patients plasma samples (500 ÃŽ ¼l) and high pure extraction was used according to the manufactures recommendation. This method is a Real-Time PCR based on dual-labeled hybridization probe which targets the highly conserved region of HIV-1 gag gene. Limit of Detection of the COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test is 48 to 107 copies/mL. Hepatitis E Virus real time PCR assay: A Real Time PCR assay was developed for detection of HEV RNA. The primers amplify a bp region containing the . variable regions of the .. Primers sequences and their position with melting temperature are shown in . So, after alignment of complete genomes, HEV consist of Nucleotide sequences based on pubmed database. Reactions contained 5 µl of cDNA, 2.5 mmol/L MgCl2, 800 mmol/L of dNTPs, 100 ng of each primer,30 ng of probe and 1.5 units of QuantiTect Probe PCR Kit (Qiagen, Germany) to a total volume of 15  µL. Thermal cycling conditions were as follows: 95 °C for 10 min; 40 cycles of 95 °C for 15 sec, 60 °C for 40 sec, Quantitative determination of the amplified products have done by the BioRad CFX-96 instrument (BioRad, USA). In order to synthesis our ideal genes, tests should be done by two pairs of forward and reveres primers. Our specific probes were designed by different fluorescent labels to track our targets separately. Statistical analysis:The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Categorical variables were compared by Fishers exact test or the chi-square test as appropriate. Continuous variables was analyzed using Students t test. Data are presented as absolute counts, proportions [95% binomial exact confidence intervals (CI)], medians [interquartile range (IQR)], and means [standard deviation (SD)]. For all comparisons, p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study population consisted of 80 participants with HIV-1 infection that were enrolled in the current study . The mean age of the patients was 36.51  ± 12.75 (range 4-64) years. Among 150 participants, 95 (63.3 %) were male and 53 (35.3 %) were female. . Real-Time PCR assay for HEV nucleic acid detection results in 6 (.%) positive samples out of 80 subjects, including . males (69/2%) and .. females (30/8%). Based on the analysis by Fisher exact test, no significant association was observed between HEV and gender of the patients (p value= 0.79) (Table 2). In our study, half of the HIV-1 infected patients were over 30 years of age, while the other half were under 30 years. The mean age for 6 HEV positive patients and 74 HEV negative ones was 40.9 and 35.8 years respectively. There was no significant correlation between age and HEV s RNA positivity (p value= 0.18) (Table 3). By measuring the viral load, we could examine the relationship between HIV viral load and HEV infection. The average HIV viral load in positive and negative HEV patients was 14471.92 and 17016.66 respectively but t-test analysis showed no association between HEV -positive RNA and HIV Viral Load (p value= 0.61) (Table 4).   Discussion: The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of HEV RNA in blood samples which have been collected from HIV-1-infected patients in Tehran, Iran. In current study we used Real-Time PCR method mainly because it has been shown to be more sensitive and reliable than other methods for identify the infection. Since HEV could be potentially inhibited by anti-retroviral therapy (ART), especially ribavirin (25), none of our HIV-1-infected patients received ribavirin treatment. Thus, our data is not influenced by the viral suppression of antiretroviral therapy. immunosuppressive agents have been shown to facilitate severity or risk of chronicity of hepatitis E infection, HIV infection being one of the possible causes that may lead to HEV persistence (15), and there are Studies of high prevalence of HEV/ HIV co-infection for particular regions (16,17). Moreover, an relationship between exposure to HEV and cirrhosis has been reported in patients with cirrhosis (26), and chronic HEV infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease in an HIV co-infection patient has been recently described (15). The presence of HEV RNA indicates current infection. This study is the first report to show HEV RNA in HIV-1-infected patients in Tehran, Iran. In this cross-sectional analysis, the overall HEV molecular infection was 7.5% (6/80). The seroprevalence of anti- HEV IgG in HIV-positive cohorts ranges varies from one geographic location to another from 1.5% to 11.2% (19, 20). Incidence of infections caused by HEV, defined by detecting HEV RNA in the serum, is low, ranging from 0 to 1.3% (21-23). In our study, we find HEV-RNA in 6 HIV patients, Unlike studies by Amitis Ramezani et al did not identify any case of HEV-RNA. An explanation for this finding could be the viral suppression observed in HIV-1-infected patients with antiretroviral therapy in their study. our results adapted with results of studies by Madejon et al., (27) Renou et al. (28) and Pischke et al. (29)Therefore, our data also support HEV infection as a viral hepatitis among HIV patients with With relatively moderate prevalence. Hepatitis E virus infection recently has been described as an emerging infection among patients with immunosuppressing conditions of such human immunodeficiency infection (30-32). In current study we found a moderate prevalence (7.5%) of HEV RNA among HIV positive individuals attending the Tehrans hospitals in Iran. Although this rate is higher than the previous studies among Similar patient population in the industrialized countries (33-35), it is lower than the rates of HEV infection reported among some population groups HEV endemic areas of Africa (36) and Asia (15). Carry et al. (39) and Keane et al. (40) have also suggested that the chronic HEV infection may be averted by use of highly active antiretroviral. A sufficiently large sample size is also necessary to establish this finding. The main conclusion of our study is that HEV infection important to consider in the differential diagnosis of otherwise unexplained chronic hepatitis in Iranian HIV-1-infected patients. Furthermore, our study revealed that HEV infection has moderate prevalence in the HIV-infected population of Tehran. Due to the HEV infection that may cause rapidly progressing chronic hepatitis in immunosuppressed HIV co-infection patients, with development of cirrhosis in the short term, Screening for HEV in HIV-infected individuals presenting Symptoms of Hepatitis or with hepatic fibrosis of unknown origin is warranted.

Leonardo Da Vinci :: Art Science Humanity

Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his q uest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a "Renaissance child" because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. While there, Leonardo often painted portions of Verrocchio’s paintings for him, such as the background and the kneeling angel on the left in the Baptism of Christ (Encarta). Leonardo’s sections of the painting have soft shadings, with shadows concealing the edges. These areas are distinguished easily against the sharply defined figures and objects of Verrocchio, that reflect the style called Early Renaissance. Leonardo’s more graceful approach marked the beginning of the High Renaissance. However, this style did not become more popular in Italy for another 25 year (Gilbert 46). Leonardo Da Vinci :: Art Science Humanity Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his q uest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a "Renaissance child" because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. While there, Leonardo often painted portions of Verrocchio’s paintings for him, such as the background and the kneeling angel on the left in the Baptism of Christ (Encarta). Leonardo’s sections of the painting have soft shadings, with shadows concealing the edges. These areas are distinguished easily against the sharply defined figures and objects of Verrocchio, that reflect the style called Early Renaissance. Leonardo’s more graceful approach marked the beginning of the High Renaissance. However, this style did not become more popular in Italy for another 25 year (Gilbert 46).

Savannah :: Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Description

As I walked into the hot, sticky gym to say goodbye on the last day of the summer at Camp Glenn Taylor, the air seemed to be trying to smother me. Outside, the rain was bouncing off the sidewalks, keeping the campers inside that day. The kids didn't notice me at first. They were too busy chasing each other around the gym with the frenzy of being trapped indoors for a day. Then, someone spotted me, and I was suddenly swarmed by hugs coming from all directions. Wriggling through the arms of the other campers was Savannah. She buried her dirty, snot-covered face into my side. I chuckled to myself, remembering my first day with her three months ago. The counselors had decided to take the campers for a hike. We corralled them into the cabin and instructed them to apply bug spray because of all the mosquitoes in the woods. Left and right, little fingers squeezed out the spray, gradually covering each body. But not the mischievous Savannah. No, she insisted upon carrying her bug spray with her and zapping the mosquitoes in mid-air. Unfortunately, this also generated a large quantity of insect repellent into the air. Every time I took a breath, my lungs were filled with noxious fumes. I could taste the bitter air on my tongue. It stung my eyes. "Savannah," I called, "Stop using that bug spray! It's making me sick!!!" Savannah scampered behind a tree, and I could hear the "sssssss" of the aerosol can. "Savannah, I'm warning you, leave that can alone. Either put it on your body or give it to me. Do not spray it into the air again." Before I'd hardly finished my last sentence, Savannah was bolting down the trail ahead of me, out of sight. I let out a sigh of exasperation. The summer ahead of me suddenly seemed to get longer. The most distinctive feature of Savannah, besides her ornery personality, is her face. She looks like a sprite or a tree-nymph. She has a heart-shaped face, which is dark brown: a combination of sun tan from many hours of playing outside and dirty from the same thing. Her almond eyes are deep and dark, but almost always carry a twinkle of mischief. Her face is framed by long brown stringy hair that falls below her shoulders. Savannah is a girl of few words, in English at least.