How to Start an Academic Club in School

How to Start an Academic Club in School For students planning to apply to a selective college, membership in an academic club is a must. College officials will be looking for activities that make you stand out, and club membership is an important addition to your record. This doesnt mean you will have to feign interest in an organization that already exists. If you share a strong interest in a hobby or subject with several friends or fellow students, you may want to consider forming a new club. By forming an official organization that really interests you, you are demonstrating true leadership qualities. Wanting to take on the role of a leader is only the first step. You need to find a purpose or theme that will engage you and others. If you have a hobby or interest that you know enough other students share, go for it! Or maybe there is a cause you want to help. You could start a club that helps keep the natural spaces (like parks, rivers, woods, etc.) clean and safe. And once you establish a club around a topic or activity you love, you are sure to stay more engaged. You might receive the added honor of recognition from the public and/or school officials who appreciate your initiative. So how should you go about this? If you are starting a club at school, you may want a teacher to serve as advisor as a first step. You may need a teacher or coach just to gain permission for using school facilities.The teacher or advisor may be temporary. Sometimes, a teacher will start the first meeting and encourage students to follow through with organization.The most important requirements for starting a successful club are interest and commitment.Once you know you have a team willing to commit to a regular meeting time and a cause, you can manage the rest with ease.Next you will need clear organization. Structure will keep the club together in slow times (like during a few heavy months of heavy homework and testing) or in the event of a disagreement. Steps to Forming a Club Appointment of a temporary chairman or president. At first you will need to assign a temporary leader who will preside over the drive to form the club. This may or may not be the person who serves as permanent chairman or president.Election of temporary officers. The members should discuss which office appointments are necessary for your club. Decide whether you want a president or chairman; whether you want a vice president; whether you need a treasurer; and whether you need someone to keep the minutes of each meeting.Preparation of constitution, mission statement, or rules. Decide upon a committee to write a constitution or rule booklet.Register club. You may need to register with your school if you plan to hold meetings there.Adoption of constitution or rules. Once a constitution is written to everyones satisfaction, you will vote to adopt the constitution.Election of permanent officers. At this time you can decide if your club has enough officer positions, or if you need to add s ome positions. Club Positions Some of the positions you should considered are: President: Leads meetingsVice president: Plans eventsSecretary: Records and reads minutesTreasurer: Handles fundsHistorian: Keeps a picture book and notesPublicity Officer: Makes and distributes flyers, postersWeb master: Maintains web site General Order of a Meeting You can use these steps as a guideline for your meetings. Your specific style can be less formal, or even more formal, according to your goals and tastes. Call to order by the president or chairmanReading and approval of the minutes from the previous meetingDiscussion of old businessDiscussion of new businessProgramAdjournment Things to consider When to meet and how oftenHow many members you can handleHow much funding you will needWays to raise moneyWhether or not to have club duesActivities for everyone to participate in Finally, you will want to make sure that the club you choose to create involves an activity or a cause that you really feel comfortable with. You will be spending a lot of time on this venture in the first year.

Discuss the role of perceptions of 'otherness' in 'ethnic cleansing' Essay

Discuss the role of perceptions of 'otherness' in 'ethnic cleansing' - Essay Example In most cases, this includes dehumanizing that culture as well. The concept of the ‘other’ is central to the development of enough hatred to believe that ethnic cleansing is not only necessary, but feasible for one set of humans to commit against another. In order to create a belief system that can include ethnic cleansing as a solution for conflicts between cultures, a sense of the ‘other’ must be developed so that a belief in the dehumanization of the opposing culture diminishes any sense of committing murder against a fellow human being. According to Dirven, ethnic cleansing comes as a result of â€Å"abuses of cognitive processes (that) lead to atrocities against humanity beyond the imagination of most of us† (115). Cognitive semantics and the use of external symbols to create unity are also used in order to create a sense of the ‘other’. Those who are unified under a focused set of beliefs use the concept of those who are outside of those beliefs to create the sense of the ‘other’, the group that does not identify with the same belief systems. Dirven goes on to say that â€Å"Features or attributes of the so-called ‘outsiders’ may then be made cognitively significant through exaggerated contrast to the valued manners or behaviours of the newly identified ‘inside’ group† (114). ... They have an overpowering emotional and non-rational quality†. The nature of the need to belong is balanced by the need to identify those who do not belong. It is the nature of the individual to bond and create mutual ‘others’ that provide contrast to the superiority of their own cultural group. In doing this, the defined characteristics of the ‘other’ provide support for why a group will find reasons to isolate away from other groups and create conflict to assert their continued superiority. These methods can be varied, but one of the worst is through the policies that involve ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing involves two different concepts. Ethnicity traits that identify a group are combined with cultural traits. Groups are identified by both their physical manifestations of difference and their cultural manifestations through systems of belief. The difference between ethnicity and culture can be defined by the idea that one is involuntary and the other is voluntary. One is through physical attributes that are not a matter of control or choice. The other is through choosing to bond with others in a formed group (Cohen and Stone 67). The differences between the two are cause for different types of conflict and the line is not always considered clearly drawn. Therefore, if a person of certain ethnic attributes joins a culture that no longer associates them with the belief systems of their ethnic cultural group, this may not prevent them from being included. Joining a cultural group without ethnic markers that identify an individual with that group will also not create a safe place for an individual. The example

How did the modern states of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon come Research Paper

How did the modern states of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon come into being, and what role did Britain and France play in their formation - Research Paper Example On the other hand, the French controlled Ottoman Syria now the modern Syria2. With the formation of these territories after the war, the French and the British took over them and ensured that they became formal by the League of Nations systems of mandate. In this case, the French were assigned the Syria mandate by 19233. The mandate included the present-day Lebanon and the modern Syria. On its part, the British got Southern Iran and Jordan from Baghdad to Basra. However, the French later on gave up the Northern part of Iran in exchange for oil revenues at 2 percent. Through the mandate created, it is quite evident that France and Britain played significant roles in the formation of the modern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan after the war. The drawing of the four states was primarily based on the exploitation of diverse sectarian make

Problem solving Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Problem solving - Case Study Example d, 2015), the job vacancy at Connections of New York require the applicant to demonstrate superior knowledge of Oracle database features, tuning and design methodologies (Connections of New York, 2015). The other difference is that the senior NoSQL/MySQL database administrator is to be responsible for engaging in assembling, managing, and maintaining a heterogeneous database environment in the technical operations group (Softworld, 2015). On the other hand, the position of a senior oracle database administrator requires a person with proven technical and architect skills who have the ability to communicate effectively with developers along with other teams of database administrators (Connections of New York, 2015). At Connections of New York the database administrator is tasked with managing and maintaining all Oracle production and non-production databases, design and fix the functioning of the backup and recovery on DBMS, optimize Oracle database resources for optimum database perf ormance, maintaining Oracle availability on various platforms, carrying out short-term and long-term database analysis, creating database administration polices, mentoring database developers on new database technology, and finally, designing and implementing standards for monitoring (Connections of New York, 2015). On the other hand, the database administrator at Softworld is responsible for ensuring data systems are operating smoothly, writing and performing DDL as well as DDL as needed, audit different databases to ensure integrity, carrying out upgrades, working with the data engineering team, and managing storage restructuring as needed, installing patches as required, and deal with database situations, such as queries run amok, replication, and stale stocks (Softworld, 2015). The average salary for a senior database administrator in New York is $ 122,271 annually, according to the United States Department of Labor. Connections of New York. (2015). Database Administrator Senior,

Hygiene and Cleaning in Food Manufacturing

Hygiene and Cleaning in Food Manufacturing Karl Chamberlain Quality, Hygiene and Environmental Systems Contents Introduction Define the content of quality management systems and critically evaluate the business benefits of such systems What are the benefits to a food producing business of adhering to such a quality management system? The systems, procedures and records utilised by a company to control the quality of a food product The systems, procedures and records utilised by a company to control the safety of a food product The systems, procedures and records utilised by a company to control the legality of a food product Reference list The importance of cleaning programmes within food production areas in the meat industry It is vital to the success of any food manufacturing business to ensure that effective cleaning programmes are in place and are followed. The main purpose of cleaning within a manufacturing environment is to prevent any physical, chemical or microbiological contamination happening to the end product. Cleaning programmes are used to ensure that all areas of the factory and pieces of machinery are cleaned correctly and to a pre-determined frequency. Within the meat industry adequate cleaning is especially important as often raw and cooked meats will be cooked and used on the same site so contamination from raw product to cooked is a high possibility if equipment has not been cleaned properly. If cleaning programs are not in place or are not followed there could be heavy consequences for the manufacturer. Firstly this could lead to a food poisoning outbreak due to microbiological contamination. It could also lead to increased customer complaint due to physical or chemical contamination. Both of these could cause a product withdrawal which will have huge cost implications for the business. Product withdrawals and customer complaints could also lead to losing business, both from end users and from retailers. Losing business could potentially lead to the closure of the business. Hygiene Cleaning Procedure How an Environmental Management System can assist a food manufacturing business in meeting legislative requirements and reducing impacts on the environment Environmental management systems have been in the use for around twenty years and over this time schemes and standards have been created for such systems to follow. One such standard is the ISO 14001 standard, which was first created in 1996 . While the use of an environmental management system is voluntarily, increasingly retailers are requesting that there suppliers have a system in place and that this system is accredited by an external company. An environmental management system (EMS) should be used to manage a food manufacturing business’s environmental impact. This can include managing the company’s waste levels, material usage, emissions and energy usage and transport implications. There are numerous pieces of environmental legislation which a food manufacturer may need to adhere to. This can include legislation on air, water, energy, waste and chemicals. An EMS can be used to assist the food business in meeting these requirements as well as helping to reduce any impacts on the environment. Before an environmental management system can be set up firstly the management must pledge their commitment and an environmental policy should be created. This document should include the intentions of the company regarding environmental issues such as complying with environmental legislation and continuous improvement of environmental systems. Next an environmental review should be carried out, looking at all of the environmental issues that the company has. This will allow the company to find the strenghts and weaknesses of the organisations current operations. The next step is to to plan the environmental mangement system. All environemental issues affecting the company should have been identified previously and this will provide the starting points for the organisation. Environmntal regulations and legislation should be considered and planned to be built into the system. The organisation should also set targets for each part of the system and prograammes and system should be put into place to achieve these targets. Once the enivornmental management system is planned it should be implemented within the business. All staff members within the business should be briefed about the implmenetation of the system and howit will involve them. Responsibilies should be assignemned and training giveen to people who will be directly invloved with the system. Any environmental aspects covered by the system should be integrated into daily procedures within thhe company. The organisation should ensure that they have operational control over any processes which are known to have environmental issues. Contingency plans should be set up in the event that any part of the system fails or an accident happenes such as a chemical spillage and responsible people should be aware of these plans and know what to do should an issue occur. Once the environmental management system is fully implemented external accreditation should be sought. This will give the manufacturers customers confidence in their environmental system and will also help to identify any short comings in the system. The environmental system and the arges set for it shold be measured to ensure that these are being met. The system should also be regualrly audited against and any non conformances should be indetified, reported and rectified. Having an environemtal system allows the manufacturer to identify environmental issues and legislaion that must be met and provides policies and proceures which give guidance on exaactly how this should be done. An environmental system is also a good way to demonstrate compliance to legislation as it shows that an organisation has really commited to reducing its environmental impact and adhering to all relevant legislation. Conclusion Hygiene, cleaning and the procedures and programmes associated with this are a necessity to any food manufacturing company. There are a number of potential penalties and problems that can be caused by not having proper hygiene procedures in place and could ultimately lead to the manufacturer losing business or being shut down by environmental health. The importance of environmental polices and system are also vital for the success of a food manufacturing business however during the recession environmental issues and impacts seem to have taken a back seat to increasing efficiencies and cutting costs however as the economy begins to recover environmental issue may begin to be a major focus for food manufactures again. Reference List Buchanan, G. (1999). Cleaning, Sanitizing Pest Control in Food Processing [Online] Available from: http://seafood.oregonstate.edu/.pdf%20Links/Cleaning,%20Sanitizing,%20and%20Pest%20Control%20in%20Food%20Processing,%20Storage,%20and%20Service%20Areas.pdf Last accessed: 01/04/2014 Cook Safe. (2012). Food Safety Assurance System [Online] Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CDEQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmultimedia.food.gov.uk%2Fmultimedia%2Fpdfs%2Fcshrcleaning.pdfei=wexCU8u6I8nF7Aa18YG4CQusg=AFQjCNFZkCnzwokgHYqHLoev91PjjRm-0wsig2=kIZZraCA5clxeMG4OYQoXAbvm=bv.64125504,d.ZGU Last accessed: 04/04/2014 Hugh Crane Cleaning Equipment (HCCE). (2013). Product Information Sheet: Powerfoam VF4 [Online] Available from: htttp://www. hughcrane.co.uk/media/product/data-sheets/03HC2535.pdf‎ Last accessed: 03/04/2014 Johnson DIversey. (2004). Johnson Diversey Quadet Clear [Online] Available from: www.dbm-ltd.co.uk/hygiene/products//open/quatdet_clear_PIS.pdf‎ Last accessed: 04/04/2014 National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). (2003) ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard; Detailed guide [Online] Available from: http://www.nsai.ie/NSAI/files/6b/6b1d7f65-35c5-4b1e-a8e6-5431982da140.pdf Last accessed: 04/04/2014 Nothern Ireland Environemnt Agency (NIEA). (2009). Measuring the effectiveness of Environemntal Management Systems [Online] Available from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CC8QFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.doeni.gov.uk%2Fniea%2Fmeasuring_the_effectiveness_of_ems_phase_1-2.pdfei=T-tCU6fOOMeg7AbHtICAAgusg=AFQjCNGV95A7BvrcGD51TjkMstp9CUrWNwsig2=EnF7STqNfbgVQbzOsXZpjgbvm=bv.64125504,d.ZGU Last accessed : 04/04/2014 Strum, A. (1997). ISO 14001 Implementing an Environmental Management System [Online] Avalable from: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CDwQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ellipson.com%2Ffiles%2Febooks%2FISO14000.pdfei=eeVCU9WwOLPH7AamhYCgAwusg=AFQjCNE3xtTbKc8rCpwvzDXjyGN7pQL5-Qsig2=dgGtS7XJH5Z_2kfbg4wTywbvm=bv.64125504,d.ZGU Last accessed: 01/04/2014

My First Chat Room Experience Essay -- Internet Communities

My First Chat Room Experience Perhaps some of the most amusing sites to visit on the Internet are the online communities. Given this topic, I was forced, although it was inevitable experience hardly avoidable, to do some self exploration by entering the intriguing world of chat communities. Communities designed for talk, friendship, romance, entertainment, education, support, or even pleasure. With the variety of topics I had the opportunity to explore, I was exposed to all of these options. Initially, my first experience was frustrating and awkward. However, as I became more familiar with the sites, I was able to navigate around quicker and acquire helpful information and resources. In essence, entering the online community world has offered me unparalleled experiences which have strengthened me both educationally and emotionally. Although the Internet is quite a mechanically inclined experience, (ie research a topic, find the information, and leave), I discovered the online communities can also offer a completely different emotional experience. An experience which provides worldwide participants a forum to interact with faceless and often nameless strangers like themselves. An interaction based on a linguistic connection rather than a physical one. While this type of relationship may seem impersonal to an online community virgin, I came to discover in my journey that the physical distance between communicators is hardly important in comparison to the emotional connection. If one is emotionally close to someone, distance is definitely an insignificant factor. At the same time, one can be physically close but emotionally eons apart. In addition, while the medium of the conversation is anonymous and often discreet, this seems t... ...was definitely a memorable one. I experienced and learned in every room I visited. Still my favorite was undoubtedly the interracial chat room. The emotional support it provided was far more substantial than the pure enjoyment aspects of the other sites. Overall, each site provided a different service. A service catering to the requests a highly focused audience. However, I noticed the online communities did have one common underlying thread. The ability to bring people together and give them a sense of belonging. While I admit I will probably not visit a few of these sites again, they were all helpful in making my first chat room experience a truly unforgettable one. WORKS CITED http://www.angelfire.com/ak/hotwax2/index.html http://chat.yahoo.com/?=Interracial%20Dating http://chat.yahoo.com/?room=basketball http://www.twsonline.com/INTERracial/ir-chat.html

Right to Housing Under the Constitution of Kenya

RIGHT TO HOUSING UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA The right to housing comprises an intricate part in the realization of one of the most basic needs of a human being, shelter. Everyone has the right to a decent standard of living as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that has attained the status of jus cogens due to its wide acceptance. Essential to the achievement of this standard is access to adequate housing. It has been said that housing fulfills physical needs by providing security and shelter from weather and climate.It fulfills psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy. It fulfills social needs by providing a gathering area and communal space for the human family, the basic unit of society. It also fulfills economic needs by functioning as a center for commercial production. Due to various factors including insufficient financial and natural resources, population growth, political upheavals, and rural- urban migration, a vast population of Kenyans especially those living in urban areas end up homeless or in informal settlements. Dr. P. L.O Lumumba in his speech during the World Habitat forum in 2004 described the lengths to which people unable to afford adequate housing go to provide shelter to themselves and their families. He said that some of them end up seeking refuge in, â€Å"slums areas, squatting in informal settlements, old buses, roadside embankments, cellars, staircases, rooftops, elevator enclosures, cages, cardboard boxes, plastic sheets, aluminum and tin shelter. † According to a UN Habitat study done in 2008, 60-80 percent of residents in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, live in informal settlements.In fact, the same study shows that while 60 percent of Nairobi’s populations live in informal settlements, their homes occupy only 5 percent of the total land area of the city and its environs. Although right to adequate shelter is a human right, this does not imply that the gov ernment is obliged to provide each of their citizens with land and an appropriate house to live in. This is dependent on the laws and policies of each individual country. In Kenya, the debate about the justifiability of housing and some other socio-economic rights seems to be over with the passing of the 2010 Constitution.This is because the constitution has provisions that seek to protect the provision of these rights to every citizen as will be discussed in the next part. 1. 1 The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 When Kenya gained independence in 1963, every Kenyan was relieved to have finally been freed from the yoke of colonialism. The independent Kenya adopted a constitution that had majorly British influence but that seemed to suffice during those early ‘teething years’. But as years passed by, the biting reality that the country had been taken over by neo-colonialists hit home.The independence constitution was not sufficient to protect the general public from the vici ous acts and decisions of those in power. There was need for constitutional reform. Kenyans have long struggled for constitutional reform. They struggled because they suffered under an oppressive system of government. Their human rights were suppressed. The power of the state was concentrated in one person, the president. First regions and then local governments were stripped of all their powers. At the center, the president dominated all institutions of the state. Cronyism substituted for politics.Merit counted for little. The law was frequently abused by the government and the exercise of power was unpredictable and arbitrary. The judiciary had failed to protect the constitution and the rights of the people. The civil service and other executive organs lost independence. There was corruption, plundering both of the state and a captive private sector, on a massive scale. The new constitution therefore had to be a document that remedies the shortcomings of the independence constitut ion. The drafters of the new Constitution aimed to restore the confidence of the citizens with their government.One of the salient features of the 2010 constitution is the incorporation of a strong and comprehensive Bill of Rights. It contains a number of rights, which were missing from the independence constitution, including rights to official information, environment, economic and social rights, and rights of consumers, et cetera. The 2010 Constitution strengthens the achievement of the human rights by limiting the restrictions that may be placed on rights and by establishing a strong mechanism for the enforcement of rights. It also provides for an independent commission of human rights to protect and promote rights and freedoms.Of importance to this research are the Economic and Social rights. Article 43 provides for each person’s right to: a) The highest attainable standard of health b) Accessibility and adequate housing and to reasonable standards of sanitation. c) Free dom from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality. d) Clean and safe water in adequate quantities. e) Social Security. f) Education. Amongst this list of rights is the right to housing. Forced evictions of persons living in unplanned settlements and slums are a common feature of urban development.People living in these informal settlements live at the margins of society. Land is generally an expensive investment in Kenya therefore only a few can afford it. Those who cannot afford it opt to rent apartments or houses or rooms from property owners but there are some who cannot still afford this kind of arrangements and so set up their housing structures on any free land that they come across, regardless of whether it is private land or public land set out for other purposes. This latter group of people is the ones who fall victim to forced evictions.Article 2(5) and (6) of the constitution general rules of international law and any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya f orm part of the laws of Kenya. Kenya ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) on 3/1/1976 and consequently became bound to respect, protect and enforce the rights therein, including the right to adequate housing and the related prohibition of forced evictions. It is with this backing of the law that victims of forced evictions that are not conducted in the manner stipulated in both domestic law and international law are able to defend their right to housing through the courts. ——————————————- [ 2 ]. Article 25(1) which states in part, â€Å"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [ 3 ]. Nicholas Okemwa, Forceful Evictions and the Right to Adequate Housing(2011)16 ; The Bench Bulletin 58 [ 4 ]. Dr. P. L. O Lumumba, Powers of Urban Authorities over Settlement Control: The Kenyan Case. He presented this paper during the world habitat forum organized by un-habitat held on the 13th –17th September 2004 at the Barcelona, Spain [ 5 ].Preliminary Results of the 2009, National Population and Housing Census. [ 6 ]. Draft Eviction an Resettlement Guidelines, 2010. [ 7 ]. Commentary on the Kenyan Constitution, (Consolidation of 15 articles in the East African Standard). [ 8 ]. Article 35 [ 9 ]. Article 42 [ 10 ]. Article 43 [ 11 ]. Article 46 [ 12 ]. Article 24 is the only article that provides for the specific procedure to be followed for a right contained in the Bill of Rights to be limited. This is unlike in the independence constitution where each right was immediately followed by a claw-back clause. [ 13 ]. Article 11