Tuesday, August 6, 2019

The Darfur Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Darfur Crisis Essay According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 , human rights are described â€Å"as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping constantly in mind(the declaration), shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. † These conventions were agreed upon by the general assembly which consisted of all the member states at the time. According to the articles, the rights of the individual are described in detail the first one being that â€Å"human beings are born free with equal rights, dignity reason and conscience† (Universal Declaration Of Human Rights) Today human rights are a hot contentious issue as abuse of human rights is much more visible, thanks to media and information technology. Contemporary human rights issues according to amnesty international range from: extrajudicial executions where either confirmed or possibly carried out in at least 47countries in 1998 and still continues in some countries especially developing countries; disappearances of people from previous years has been noted in at least 37 countries across the globe; torture and ill treatment perpetrated by security forces, government agencies and police was reported in more than 125 countries plus inmates subjected to inhuman conditions leading to death was also reported as rampant in 51 countries; prisoners of conscience either suspected or confirmed have been held in the past years in more than 78 countries; Unfair trials of suspects is common was noted in 35 countries in 1998; detention without trail of activists and opposition members has been noted in 66 countries; death penalty still being practiced by many countries in the world was carried out in 38 countries and sentences handed out to prisoners in 77 countries. Armed opposition groups are perhaps the most recent notorious of the human rights abuses. Deliberate and arbitrary killings, torture, maiming and hostage taking of civilians has been noted in at least 37 countries and the numbers are growing every day. This paper will deal specifically with human rights abuses connected to the armed resistance groups in the Darfur region of Sudan, showing the background, level of interest, the belief principle behind the actions and the characteristics. I will further look at the consequences and how the issues can be resolved and finally the outcome of such attempts to resolve the issues. Human rights have been traditionally a function of the government to regulate the relation between the state and the individual (UNHCR). This does not however mean that the role of observing human rights is purely a states function. According to the Icelandic Human Rights Centre, it means â€Å"’ every individual and every ‘organ of society’ has an obligation to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the enjoyment of human rights. This obligation is universal and concerns all state and non-state actors. †(IHRC) The actors in this case can be government agencies such as the military, the police intelligence agencies, as well s NGOs, indigenous groups and minority groups paramilitary groups human rights defenders (semi-) autonomous groups; international territories, terrorists, autonomous area, multinational groups and individuals. All of them capable of either upholding or flouting the human rights. (IHRC) An armed resistance is a movement which is born from oppression and firmly rooted in eternal quest for equality and freedom. Though brought about by a natural desire to be free, it is illegitimate because it breaches the laws of the land and seeks to supplant it. However it acquires legitimacy and becomes â€Å"lawful† through exhibiting success and growth not because the ends it seeks to achieve are just but because its control and capture of a territory justifies the means by which the goal is achieved (Satyendra, 2007) Africa Africa has had its fare share of armed resistance groups most of which evolved from disgruntled groups feeling they got a raw deal from the African led governments which inherited the oppressive colonial ruling style. In Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Democratic republic of Congo, Sudan Ethiopia and Nigeria are some of the glaring examples of armed resistance groups which seriously flout human rights. Somalia however is a case of its own because it has no government. Most of these armed groups were after political and economical autonomy and yet others were keen on overthrowing the government to hold power. In Africa the longest war waged by an armed resistance group was that of the Southern Sudan People Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) which lasted more than two decades since its inception in 1983. Since the end of the war and formation of the unitary government all the human rights abuses by the group on its own people such as forced child soldiers and torture seem to be water under the bridge. However there are still other insurgencies going on around in Africa though none has caught the attention of the media like that of the LRA in Uganda. Since war between the group and government broke out in 1986 atrocities against children have been a characteristic of LRA. Children have been abducted and forced to trek thousands of miles to fight in Sudan / Uganda border, forced to commit atrocities against themselves such as shooting and maiming and girls used as sex slaves for the LRA commanders. â€Å"According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the LRA and other rebel groups have abducted approximately 65000 persons since 1986; however with its leader Joseph Kony still on the run though his warrant of arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court he continues to wreck havoc in the communities in northern Uganda. (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2006 March 6, 2007). Though LRA are definitely on the wrong end, the state owned /sponsored armed resistance groups have also been notorious for abusing human rights. In Western Sudan, the Darfur region has seen the Janjaweed, an outfit supported by the Northern Sudan Islamic government reign terror on the Black Muslim population using sophisticated heavy weapons and firearms. The case is similar in Uganda where the Government forces have been used to torture dissidents and conduct arbitrary arrests and beatings. For example Security forces have been blamed for â€Å"a number of deaths in custody, some due to torture. Some people suspected of being allied to rebel forces have been tortured to death in military custody in Kololo, a Kampala suburb, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. † (UN News) Sudan Sudan, before the formation of the joint government between the state of southern Sudan and central government in Khartoum, was presumably an Arab Islamic state. It had membership in the Arab league and subjugated the people of Southern Sudan for more than 2 decades before the end of the civil war in 2004 Sudan has a population of not more than 40 million according to CIA fact book, since no official census has been carried out since the end of the civil war. It covers an area of 2. 376 million square kilometers, slightly more than one quarter of the United States. It is the largest country in Africa bordering 8 other countries on all sides. It has rich reserves of oil and minerals which has been the source of the prolonged wars between the Khartoum government and rebel forces. Though it is also a member of the AU African Union, Sudan like many of the African countries has a despotic leader who has been named in various human rights violations and is currently facing a warrant of arrest by the ICC International court of justice in Geneva. Darfur Darfur covers a larger area of the western side of Sudan which is approximately the size of France. It borrows its name from the Arabic Language where ‘Dar’, meaning house was combined with the name ‘Fur ‘the local people who are the predominant tribe in the area. The country has had a long civil strife with two wars raging in the South and West following the departure of the British who had left everything under the control of the Arab dominated government in Khartoum. The disparities between the regions in the south north east and west were too wide to allow a common religion language or culture. Soon a civil strife was born on the mature ground of racism, social and economic injustice perpetrated by the Khartoum government. This was further aggravated by the introduction of the Sharia law which sent the south and the Khartoum government in a long protracted war of autonomy from 1983 to the late 2003 when a peace agreement was signed and a new federal government formed. Soon after, the Western part of the country, Darfur was thrown into tumult. This cropped from the confrontation and competition for resources between the nomadic herders of Arabic descent and African tribes who mainly practiced crop farming. Given that the area is sparsely populated and limited in resources, both sides of the divided find themselves competing for fertile land for their livestock and crops. The Arab side of the divide forcefully invaded the fertile brooks and valleys which were the homes of the majority â€Å"black† African tribes, in order to get access to water for their animals. This gave way to a conflict which the government intervened on the side of the Arabs and supported the Arab militia (Janjaweed) militia men against the black population. With no choice but to defend themselves, the black African tribes took up arms against the government forces and the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed retaliated. They attacked non-Arab tribes burning their houses, raped and defiled young children, killed adults and drove the survivors to death and oblivion in the desert. (Everything. com) The Janjaweed were able to perform such acts to a pin point precision using help enlisted form the government, both military and intelligence. The black tribes were forced into refugee camps in neighboring countries such Chad . behind, them the Janjaweed burned their crops to the ground ensuring that no one survive without food. Even in the refugee camps the Janjaweed followed them and surrounded the camps and regularly raped women and killed men whenever they strayed out of the camps. The rebel groups supporting the black tribes have continued to launch serious attacks on the government facilities which the Janjaweed use as their bases. For instance in 2008, they attacked a government army barracks and completely destroyed artillery and supplies. This sent a warning sign to the government that thought the group was not entirely well endowed in military equipment; it was able to dismantle government military facilities (Everything . com). By the time international media had started paying attention to the Darfur crisis, genocide had already began. El-Bashir the president of Sudan had already relinquished some of his executive military powers, the first ever action by a sitting head of state, to one of his aides governing the north Darfur region. The systematic killing of the black people began in earnest. Human Rights violations The humanitarian situation in Darfur is grave. Many people have turned a blind eye on the atrocities being committed by both sides of the divide especially the government sponsored Janjaweed. The Sudan government continues to supply the Janjaweed with military equipment imported form China and Russia who are major trading partners with Sudan. China relying on Sudan’s oil, has chosen to separate politics from trade by finding no connection between weapons they supply to Sudan and the deaths of millions of people from the same weapons transferred to the Janjaweed. The President himself has appeared before national television â€Å"after a massacre in which 225 peasants were killed to declare [that he] †¦ will use all available means, the Army, the police, the Mujahideen, the horsemen, to get rid of the rebellion. . He later firmly denied his government association with the militia and sought to blame the killings on some tribal faction fighting in the area. Though a lot of light has been shed on the issue since, human rights violations continue till today. The rebels like any other armed group in history have sorted to using children as child soldiers to advance their course. These and many more human rights violations would not have been known had it not been the works of actors such as the United Nations, NGOs, relief and human right s organizations which played a big part in giving first hand information of the situation on the ground (Sudan Watch n. d). Children are being used and abused by the militia men in Sudan. The activities of Joseph the wanted rebel leader fighting the government of Uganda is evident in thousands of children being abducted and sold to fighters in Darfur. According to Koffi Annan the then Un secretary general, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  child soldiers are used in the Darfur by the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which has killed, maimed and committed grave sexual violence against children. † (Sudan watch n. d) According to the Washington post Tuesday, July 3, 2007, the raping of Darfur women is not sporadic or random, [but is a systematic action aimed at psychologically making the women inferior, and] is inexorably linked to the systematic destruction of their communities. † (Boustany 2008) In testimony given by one of the victims in the rape cases to reporters, the Janjaweed used racial slurs such as â€Å"I will give you a light-skinned baby to take this land from you, in order to make them feel racially inferior (Boustany 2008). This was also echoed by relief organizations such as World Vision which work in the area. The inhuman treatment of the black African tribes is dehumanizing. Young boys who are mostly targeted by the Janjaweed to be used as soldiers try to escape capture by traveling from one refugee camp to another. The United nations says that more than 30,000 children have become ‘travelers’, moving from one location to another if only to avoid capture. For these children school is something they’ve never heard of, and are therefore illiterate. Education, being one of the basic human rights, is an integral pert of ensuring proper development of the child and a better future. Even the children in Darfur are able to survive this on going genocide; there is no guarantee to a bright future. Apart from rape and child soldiers, Darfur has also witnessed mass killings. Some of the ‘independent’ local media deny even that there has been rape, torture and killing of innocent Africans. According to the Sudan vision an ‘independent Daily’, a report filed by a committee of the United Nations investigating the possibility of existence of a genocide in Darfur in January 2005, showed that†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ despite the serious violations of human rights in Darfur there was no genocide or any existence of genocide in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the paper argued that the allegations of killings and rape were based on a small number of isolated cases which were backed by evidence from relief workers. In fact, the paper alleges that rape and killings and the Janjaweed are a creation from the west and do not really exist. The paper further explains that the information given by the relief workers to western media is biased because if it wasn’t then the aid workers would not be afraid of talking to local media about their findings. The arguments put forward by the paper are self defeating because the neighboring countries like Chad and CAR would not be experiencing the influx of refugees from Darfur in the thousands every day. Secondly the paper, by citing the report by the United nations committee to the security council in 2005, is actually acknowledging the fact that serious human rights violations were taking place at the time; this is usually a pre-cursor to serious war crimes or is just the top layer of the deep rot that is planned wipe out of a group of people. Finally the fact that the aid workers were afraid to talk to the local media goes along way to show how gagged the local media was by the government; there was obviously no protection of the source and it was almost a guarantee that the information would not be shared with the general public or the rest of the world. To really make their story believable, then the Sudan Vision should try and back up their defense by action. What would be the harm of allowing the western media to freely access the area and cover stories of the local people if there’s nothing to hide? According to Amnesty International (2004), in a 43 page report filed with the United Nations, â€Å"massive abuse of human rights in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦many people killed for no reason â€Å"should be reason enough for the international community to lay sanctions against Sudan. The governments attempt to end the conflict using the Janjaweed is obviously failing. The Janjaweed and the Darfur based militia groups are threatening the lives of over six million inhabitants of the region. Acts of arbitrary bombings, torture and killing of victims, planned abductions and rape are mostly perpetrated by the government forces and their hired goons- the Janjaweed. The nature in which most of the killings are carried out as explained by survivors is akin to extrajudicial killings and summary executions styles. Amnesty international further criticizes the government for keeping mum on the killings going on and accuses the government of malice by its open support for the janjaweed militia. In fact President El- Bashir continues to use Arab convicts and prisoners in the Janjaweed by freeing them on condition that they join the militia group. It is these men who under the direct orders of the powers that be, who carry out the heinous, act of raping, killing and plundering of innocent people in the name of racial cleansing. Those who manage to escape to camps in neighboring Chad were still facing death in another form. The region being remote and with harsh climatic conditions was inaccessible to most of the relief and aid workers so the wounded malnourished and the sick cannot get help. Secondly, the Sudanese government using helicopters, dropped bombs in the border town of Tina that killed and wounded civilians in the very same camps they were supposed to be safe. According to the Human rights watch organization world report 2009, there are many impediments to establishing the magnitude of the true scale of human rights abuse in the region due to laxity by many nations to act on the preliminary reports by people in the field. The fact that that UJN has not been able to find evidence of genocide in Darfur has also dealt a big blow to the people of Darfur. Since the Darfur crisis began more than 5 years ago, more than 2. 5 million have been displaced and more than 70,000 killed according to figures released by the United Nations. However analysts point out hat this could be an underestimation because nobody knows how many have actually died. The fact that this figure is based only on a six month study and did not include deaths from violence, executions and fighting means that it could be a number of times more than what is given(BBC news, 2005). In the US analysts estimate the figure of the dead people in the region to be more than 340,000 up to the beginning of the year 2005. In the UK the estimated death rate is put at 300,000 because no data is available for people killed by the janjaweed, those who are missing or detained by the government One of the former workers in the region told BBC that â€Å"the reality is that we just dont know the scale of the problem, (BBC news, 2005). Efforts by people and organizations that have worked in the area and witnessed the atrocities of the militia men to get the international community to act have been thwarted by some very key members of the UN council in charge of security. The countries have challenged the legality of the arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan by the ICC by citing that he is a sitting head of state and should therefore not be summoned to the court until his term expires. A report by Human Rights Watch showed how governments choose to delay on human rights actions because of maintaining alliances with other countries. They mostly hide under the banner of sovereignty so as to escape the responsibility of chastising their neighbors. These governments make claims of regional solidarity or solidarity within the global South, but the solidarity that they have in mind is with abusive leaders, not their victims(HRW, 2009). Most of them try to run away from the problem by saying it’s a political issue which they have no say in but the reality is that in our world today the two are like different sides of the same coin. So what is being done to abate the situation? In Darfur the non state actors such as world vision, Amnesty international and other humanitarian agencies have been on the fore front to expose human rights abuses in the continent, however they have also face d difficulties from state owned armed groups such as the police who have reportedly beaten and even killed some aid workers because of revealing such injustices. In Sri-Lanka this is common to appoint where media has continually been locked out of conflict areas and the areas sealed off by the government as operation areas. Other bodies such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) work to offer the best expertise and support to the different human rights monitoring mechanisms in the United Nations system: In addition other UN charter based bodies also formed under the same office perform the functions though within certain areas of jurisdiction and ensure that the respect for human rights is observed. Law and human rights can be understood in practice as it is in the Security Council such that an armed group violating human rights today succeeding to form the next government will equally be responsible for the human rights violations of the movement that brought it to power. Though this has never actually been seen to work in practice, it is s good theoretical point of view to argue from. It is time to change our scope of thinking. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International are reporting on these armed insurgents and pushing for reforms and respect for human rights obligations even beyond humanitarian law. Forced divorces and physical torture on members of the armed groups have been highlighted by activists, taking this to a more informative level with development of declarations, commitments, and memoranda of understanding and codes of conduct being adopted. This help in tailor-making standards, rules and obligations for a specific situation. Preliminary empirical work done in this area ‘‘suggests that where armed groups do commit themselves to written codes of conduct, this encourages them to respect human rights’’. A study of some of the important codes with regard to Burundi, Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, East and West Timor, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation revealed that the agreements state that the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid are to enjoy the following rights: ‘‘the right to live in security and dignity, the right to basic needs, the right to receive humanitarian assistance without discrimination and according to basic needs, the right to be involved in humanitarian activities of concern to them, the right to legal and effective human rights protection, and the right to protection against forced population transfer’’. Organizations are engaging with non-state actors in monitoring commitments made by such armed groups in the areas such as interpersonal mining for instance the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict works by obtaining and monitoring commitments not to recruit or use children in armed conflict. Geneva Call is such an organization (Clapham, 2006) It is argued that non-state actors such as armed opposition groups and private security companies have human rights obligations. Other non-state actors though not mentioned here, are present in times of armed conflict and have their own human rights obligations. It is important to mention international organizations their associated peacekeeping operations and Non security firms. Now that it is becoming apparent that the legal; framework has to be expanded to include non- state actors in resolving conflicts, lawyers need to widen their field of human rights obligations to include of non-state actors. This has in fact been noted in countries such as Guatemala Sierra Leon Sri Lanka Lebanon and Nepal. Sometimes governments have laid obstacles in the name of political mileage by accusing the humanitarian agencies of giving legitimacy to the armed resistance groups and thus threaten to halt their support. However humanitarian law has come in handy. No one can be accused of supporting terrorists by accusing them of flouting article 3 of the Geneva convections and this applies to o human rights law. Human rights do not only govern our relationship as individuals with the government but also the relationship we have between ourselves and between government and other illegitimate associations such as armed resistance groups without us risking giving them legitimacy by according them human rights. The simple act of ignoring human rights issues concerning these non- state actors means also that we are failing in protecting the rights of the victims of abuses perpetrated by these agencies. The solution therefore lies in how both the state and non- state actors ply their parts in the problem. Though reforms in the international law will go along way to improve the human rights of many people caught up in conflict areas, it still is not enough to guarantee that they will be strictly observed. Human rights do not just need strong legislation to make it relevant and enforceable. It also needs the goodwill on the part of the government non state players, commissioned bodies and commitment on the part of the state to ensure that human rights remain human rights whether in conflict situations or in peaceful situations. According to the resolution 1556 by the UN Security â€Å"on the crisis in the Sudanese province of Darfur, the Philippines ambassador to the UN remarked that ‘sovereignty also entails the responsibility of a State to protect its people. If it is unable or unwilling to do so, the international community has the responsibility to help that State achieve such capacity and such will and, in extreme necessity, to assume such responsibility itself’ â€Å"(Williams Bellamy, 2005). Hence if El- Bashir, having demonstrated that he has been unable to protect the citizens of his own country, needs to be forced to act or action taken against him. References Amnesty International (2004) Massive abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur Press release BBC News how many have died in Darfur? 16th Feb 2005 http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/africa/4268733. stm Boustany R (April 2008): Rape in Darfur. UNICEF adviser says rape in Darfur, Sudan continues with impunity Washington post http://www. un. org/apps/news/story. asp? NewsID=12280Cr=darfurCr1= CIA world fact book www. travel-brazil. info/cia-world-fact-book-Sudan. html Clapham A (2006): Human rights Obligations of non- state actors: Vol. 88 No. 863 International Review of the Red Cross Journal Everything 2. com http://everything2. com/title/Darfur HRW: world report: 15th 2009 http://www. humanrightsblog. org/reports/archives/007743. html

Monday, August 5, 2019

How Google is Changing Your Brain Article Analysis

How Google is Changing Your Brain Article Analysis When in doubt ask your all-knowing friend google. The authors Daniel M. Wegner and Adrian F. Ward who wrote How Google is Changing Your Brain published in 2013 in the Scientific American. Wegner and Ward argue that instead of relying on the diversity of our friends knowledge, people tend to ask google first. The article begins building credibility with convincing facts and examples; however, toward the end of the article, the sudden flip to how google is good weakens their credibility and ultimately, the article. In the article, the authors first set the stage by describing a birthday party scenario and how each person knows intuitively what to do. While one may remember the time and place of the party, the other may take note of the dress code.   The article then outlines that when presented with new information, people distribute remembering certain facts among their social group. When someone does not remember the right name or how to fix a broken machine they simply turn to someone who knows. The authors provide a few more examples to instill the idea of not only do people know the information stored within their minds; but, also the information of members of their social group. Throughout the entirety of the article, the authors use many strong examples and experiments that strengthens their claim, credibility and appeal to ethos. Mentioning the experiments boosts Wegner and Wards credibility showing that they have done their homework while providing statistics and facts. They also use their own experiments to support their claim which show they have first-hand experience with the subject. Adding to Wegner and Wards ethos appeals, they also have strong appeals to logos, with many facts and logical progressions of ideas. They point out facts, that show people are relying on computers to remember information, instead of the diverse information their friends may possess: We found that those who believed the computer had saved the list of facts were much worse at remembering. People seemed to treat the computer like transactive memory partners off-loading information to this cloud mind rather than storing it internally. These facts support the idea that people are beginning to rely on the internet and computers, instead of themselves and friends. Wegner and Ward continue with many more supporting ideas: it seems that the propensity for off-loading information to digital sources is so strong that people are often unable to fix details in their own thoughts when in the presence of a cyberbuddy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ As we off-load responsibility for many types of information to the Internet, we may be replacing other potential transactive memory partners friends, family members and other human experts with our ever present connection to a seemingly omniscient digital cloud. These are a few of the many ideas, that support the authors claim that this is a real and substantial problem that humans are relying less on each other, and more on the internet. The convincing statements appeal to logos and presses upon the reader that this is a topic worth discussing. However, the end of the article lacks the same effectiveness of the paragraphs before it. For example, Wegner and Ward notes that the internet is up to date, not subject to the distortion that afflicts human memory, and quicker than calling a friend hoping they have the information you seek. This damages the strength of their credibility and their argument. Additionally, the authors last statement in the article, refers to the internet in a way that weakens the articles purpose. While returning to the introduction in the conclusion is a  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   frequently used strategy, they chose to abandon if not to totally disregard their beginning statement. Wegner and Ward states that humans are being freed from the necessity of remembering facts. The sudden dependence and off-loading of information to the internet is a movement that people should embrace. Though the article begins by effectively persuading to the readers the importance of the diversity of information their friends possess Wegner and Ward loses power in the end, where they need to drive home their argument. Readers can see a problem exists throughout the article; however, the sudden shift to downplay the problem, makes the reader not take it seriously in the end. Wegner, Daniel M., and Adrian F. Ward. How Google Is Changing Your Brain. Scientific American 309.6 (2013): 58-61. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Aug. 2016.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Mechanisms of Action

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs: Mechanisms of Action Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a type of drugs that can be used as pain killers. Nowadays, other pain killers such as paracetamol are more widely used, as they have fewer side effects, and cost less. However, NSAIDs are mostly used in conditions which cause inflammation. It may take from a few days to more than three weeks to show their anti-inflammatory effects. They are specifically used to treat arthritis, menstrual cramps, sports injuries, and headaches. There are different types of NSAIDs that are used in different situations. For example, Ketorolac (Toradol) is only used for short-term treatment of moderately severe acute pain that otherwise would be treated with opioids. (Ogbru, 1997). Aspirin is also a NSAID that is used long-term, at low doses, specifically to inhibit blood clot formation and prevent heart attacks and strokes in individuals at high risk for developing blood clots. The most common and undesirable side effects of NSAIDs are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, decreased appetite, constipation, rash, dizziness and headache. The most severe side effects are kidney failure, liver failure, ulcers and prolonged bleeding after an injury or surgery (Ogbru, 1997). Mechanisms of Action Prostaglandins are a group of lipid compounds that are produced by specific group of enzymes called cyclooxygenases from arachidonic acid (Zeilhofer, 2007), which promote vital functions in inflammation, pain, fever; support the blood clotting function of platelets; and protect the lining of the stomach from the damaging effects of acid (Ogbru, 1997) (Figure 1). Mode of action of NSAIDs is to exert anti-inflammatory, analgesic (pain relieving), and antipyretic (fever-reducing) effects through the blockade of prostaglandin synthesis via non-selective inhibition of cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) isozymes (Chakraborti et al., 2010). Both COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes produce prostaglandins that serve inflammation, pain and fever. However, only COX-1 produces and regulates prostaglandins that protect the stomach (gastrointestinal) and support platelets (Ogbru, 1997) (Figure 2). NSAIDs reduce the concentration of prostaglandins throughout the body by blocking the COX enzymes. As a result of this, ongoing inflammation, pain and fever are decreased. For example, when concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) elevates in certain parts of the brain, body temperature increases. This increase in body temperature changes the firing rate of neurons that control thermoregulation in the hypothalamus. Aspirin which can act as an antipyretic, work by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase and reducing the levels of PGE2 within the hypothalamus of the brain. As a consequence, body temperature falls, and fever is relieved (Aronoff Neilson, 2001). It is important to understand that the pain pathway is not the same for fever and other cases like tissue injuries. In tissue injury, prostaglandins together with other agents like histamine, act on the sensory neurons present in the injured or stimulated tissue which in turn conduct the generated signal to the spinal cord. The afferent fibres (neurons) transmit the pain signal to the spinal cord. The signal is then propagated from the spinal cord to the pain centres in brain. This is carried out by synapse formation between afferent sensory neuron in the dorsal root ganglion of the spinal cord, transferring the signal up the spinothalamic tract to synapse in the thalamus. Therefore the final synapse with the primary sensory cortex fibres occurs in the thalamus (Lorne, 2010) (Figure 3 4). As a result of this, pain centres in brain will become alerted and body will feel the pain. Therefore, prostaglandin synthesis inhibition by NSAIDs will result in pain pathway blockage, hence reduc ing or killing the pain. Irrespective of the type of injured tissue (ligament, tendon or muscle), the body reacts to injury with a sequence of events that initiates with an influx of inflammatory cells and blood. Removal of debris and recruiting growth factors e.g. cytokines toward the injury site are the subsequent events that are carried out by the inflammatory cells. The same Prostaglandins that are blocked by NSAIDs are partly involved in this inflammatory stage. In a normal healing process (without application of NSAIDs), a proliferative stage consisting of a mixture of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells naturally follows the inflammatory stage. At this stage, the fibroblasts construct a new extracellular matrix and continue into the maturation stage (final stage) where functional tissue is laid down. The crucial point is that each stage of repair is a prerequisite for the subsequent stage. Hence, although blocking the inflammatory stage by NSAIDs relieves the pain, it may delay the healing of musculosk eletal injuries (Stovitz Johnsons, 2003). Side effects of NSAIDs such as ulcers and bleeding promotion are due to reduction in bodys prostaglandin level which protects the stomach and supports platelets and blood clotting. In other words, NSAIDs like aspirin, especially in high doses, act as pain killers by reducing prostaglandin concentration; however, this reduction can also raise severe unwanted effects like ulcers (Ogbru, 1997). There are various NSAIDs in terms of potency, duration of action, body elimination manner, how strongly they inhibit COX-1 and their tendency to cause ulcers or promote bleeding. The more an NSAID blocks COX-1, the greater is its tendency to cause ulcers and promote bleeding. One NSAID,  celecoxib  (Celebrex), blocks COX-2 but has little effect on COX-1, and is therefore further classified as a selective COX-2 inhibitor. Selective  COX-2 inhibitors  cause less bleeding and fewer ulcers than other NSAIDs. (Ogbru, 1997). Rofecoxib (tradename = Vioxx) In 1999, two new highly selective COX-2 inhibitors, known as coxibs (celecoxib and rofecoxib) which were claimed to have low gastrointestinal (GI) side effects were introduced which resulted in high commercial development. Rofecoxib (Vioxx) was introduced by Merck (one of the largest pharmaceutical companies) as a more effective and a safer alternative to NSAIDs for the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis (Krumholz et al., 2007). While found to have fulfilled these goals in part, a worrying series of events took place in the late 2004 period when rofecoxib was withdrawn worldwide from the market because of alarming cardiovascular incidents and concerns about increased risk of heart attack and stroke due to long-term, high-dosage use. Other coxibs were subsequently withdrawn on suspicion of having the same adverse effects, although to a varying degree (Rainsford, 2007). Previous to introducing the drug to the market, it were concerned that the drug might have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system by changing prostacyclin to thromboxane ratio, which have opposite effects on regulating blood flow and clotting. (Prostacyclin and thromboxane are members of the family of lipids known as eicosanoids.) (Krumholz et al., 2007) A study sponsored by Merck during 1996-1997 reported that rofecoxib decreased the concentration of prostacyclin metabolites in urine in healthy volunteers by about half. Merck officials sought to soften  the academic authors interpretation that COX-2 inhibition within the vascular endothelium may increase the propensity for thrombus formation, the basis of what became  known as the FitzGerald hypothesis. The academic authors changed  the manuscript at Mercks request-for example, they changed  systemic biosynthesis of prostacyclin was decreased by  [rofecoxib] to Cox-2 may play a role in the systematic biosynthesis  of prostacyclin. (Krumholz et al., 2007). However, despite knowing that rofecoxib may elevate thrombus formation, none of the studies that constituted Mercks new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 were designed to examine cardiovascular risk. The studies were all generally small, had short treatment periods, enrolled patients at low risk of cardiovascular disease, and did not have a standardised procedure to collect cardiovascular results (Krumholz et al., 2007). In 1999, the largest study on rofecoxib, the vioxx gastrointestinal outcomes research (VIGOR), took place by Merck. The purpose of the study was to show that the drug would have fewer GI side effects than naproxen (NSAID) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The study took place without a standard procedure for collecting information on cardiovascular events. Finally, the study showed that rofecoxib was not more effective in terms of mitigating symptoms of arthritis but halved the risk of GI events. However, the study showed that there was also evidence of an increased risk of myocardial infarction. Therefore, the first suspicion about the metabolite meanings i.e. urine prostacyclin data was right. Nevertheless, Merck decided to propose a naproxen assumption, implying that rofecoxib had not been harmful but that naproxen had been protective, despite having no evidence that naproxen had a protective effect on cardiovascular system (Krumholz et al., 2007). Finally, after wide usage of Vioxx in clinical centres around the world for around 5 years, due to an increase in serious cardiovascular events, the company voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from the market, in 2004. Currently, a lot of studies are taking place to discover why cardiovascular failures took place with coxibs, to identify safer coxibs, and to clarify the roles of COX-2 and COX-1 in cardiovascular diseases and stroke in order to develop newer agents to control these conditions (Rainsford, 2007). Overall, in order to improve the care of patients and gain their trust back, putting patients interests first is necessary. A renewed commitment and re-establishing collaborations between industry, academics, journals and practising doctors are the only way to extract something positive from this unfortunate event.

Essay example --

The internet is a system where the global network of computers are connected by having constant sending and receiving of data using the transmission control protocol or internet protocol as a channel (Team, 2012) (Apache). Internet is also known as a virtual space where people can retrieve information, communicate with others around the world and many other activities, especially the baby boomers and the generation X. Baby boomers are people born between the year 1946 to the year of 1964 (Library, 2013); while generation X are individuals born in between the years of 1966 to 1976 (Schroer). They are the group of people where they face troubles and problems in adapting towards the internet technology. The following paragraphs will be their struggles and also the ways to help them adopting the internet technology. As people grow older, their ability of learning new things tends to slow down. Thus due to their gradually slowing learning pace, the baby boomers and the generation X are experiencing hard times to adopt with the new technologies. This is a situation and a fact that is unable to avoid because this is human nature. Even if they tried to learn a new technology, before they could even fully learn it, another new technology will be invented. The baby boomers and the generation X just could not follow the fast pace of changes in the technology world. Though their learning pace is slowing down it does not mean they do not have the ability to learn at all. If they are willing to learn and hardworking enough, they can still be able to cope with the new technology. To the baby boomers and the generation X who always feels that the current style is the best; they will be using the basic model cell phones. This is because to them,... ...nformation is needed, such as online bank transferring website can strengthen the security of their webpages. This can boost the confidence level of the baby boomers and the generation X towards internet banking and increase the sense of reliability of online banking, which can then benefit both parties. Inform the baby boomers and generation X about the advantages and the usefulness of password, where it acts as the key to access the information stored online and it also can actually protect leaking of information to others. In conclusion, the baby boomers and generation X are having difficult times in handling the non-stop developing technology field. Many of them do not have the ability to or a chance to have contact with the technology. Things need to be done to help them to cope with the new technology so that they will not be left out from the modern society. Essay example -- The internet is a system where the global network of computers are connected by having constant sending and receiving of data using the transmission control protocol or internet protocol as a channel (Team, 2012) (Apache). Internet is also known as a virtual space where people can retrieve information, communicate with others around the world and many other activities, especially the baby boomers and the generation X. Baby boomers are people born between the year 1946 to the year of 1964 (Library, 2013); while generation X are individuals born in between the years of 1966 to 1976 (Schroer). They are the group of people where they face troubles and problems in adapting towards the internet technology. The following paragraphs will be their struggles and also the ways to help them adopting the internet technology. As people grow older, their ability of learning new things tends to slow down. Thus due to their gradually slowing learning pace, the baby boomers and the generation X are experiencing hard times to adopt with the new technologies. This is a situation and a fact that is unable to avoid because this is human nature. Even if they tried to learn a new technology, before they could even fully learn it, another new technology will be invented. The baby boomers and the generation X just could not follow the fast pace of changes in the technology world. Though their learning pace is slowing down it does not mean they do not have the ability to learn at all. If they are willing to learn and hardworking enough, they can still be able to cope with the new technology. To the baby boomers and the generation X who always feels that the current style is the best; they will be using the basic model cell phones. This is because to them,... ...nformation is needed, such as online bank transferring website can strengthen the security of their webpages. This can boost the confidence level of the baby boomers and the generation X towards internet banking and increase the sense of reliability of online banking, which can then benefit both parties. Inform the baby boomers and generation X about the advantages and the usefulness of password, where it acts as the key to access the information stored online and it also can actually protect leaking of information to others. In conclusion, the baby boomers and generation X are having difficult times in handling the non-stop developing technology field. Many of them do not have the ability to or a chance to have contact with the technology. Things need to be done to help them to cope with the new technology so that they will not be left out from the modern society.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

cuba :: essays research papers

Cuba Cuba is the country that I will research for this assignment. Cuba was found by humans in about 3500 BC. On October 27, 1492 Christopher sighted Cuba and then by 1514, Diego Velà ¡zquez de Cuà ©llar had conquered the island for the Spanish crown. In these particular countries cattle ranching became most popular for Cuban economy, but by 1592 the system was abolished. Cuba is the Caribbean’s commercialized islands and is one of the world's last bastions of communism. In Cuba US dollars are not accepted. People that travel to Cuba have to have their money converted over to Cuban money in order to buy anything, and the cost to change the money is 10% of how much you are exchanging. This issue causes problems for many people that visit the country. Cuba has about five main attractions with Havana being the most popular. Baracoa is another major attraction of Cuba that sits on a headland between two picturesque bays near Cuba's easternmost point of Cabo Maisà ­. Santiago de Cuba is another main attraction and is the second biggest city in Cuba. Trinidad is the last of the attractions in Cuba and is the only one that I am familiar with. Out of all of these attractions Havana is not only the most popular but is the center of the country of Cuba. The size of Cuba is 110,860 sq km and has a population of eleven million. The capital of the Republic of Cuba is Havana which has over 2 million people. Cuba has different races that live within the country. They have 60% Spanish descent, 22% mixed-race, 11% African descent, and 1% Chinese. This country also has different religions which have: 47% Catholic, 4% Protestant, and 2% Santerà ­a. The country has a communist government and the head of state is the President of the Council of State

Friday, August 2, 2019

Psychoanalytic Personality Assessment Essay

Psychoanalytic theory was developed by Sigmend Freud. It is a system in which unconscious motivations are considered to shape normal and abnormal personality development and behavior. Psychoanalysis is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory of Development explains that if there was a conflict in a stage and not resolved that person would be fixated. Carl Jung’s Analytic Psychology is according to the mind or psyche. Alfred Alder’s Individual Psychology is the importance of each person’s perceived niche in society. Freud’s work is now the most heavily cited in all of psychology. Most of Freud’s patients did not need treatment so he resorted to using hypnosis. He used the technique of free association in order to understand the causes of mental and physical problems in his patients. Dreams to him were saw as pieces and hints of unconscious. The problems of inner conflict and tension are found in dreams. There are three structured parts in the mind according to Freud. The three parts are id, ego, and superego. Freud’s and Jung are compared by using unconscious sexuality in their theories. The id, das es in German means the it; it operates according to the demands of the pleasure principle to reduce inner tension. Ego is the Latin word for I. Personality that deals with the real world according to the reality principle to solve real problems. Superego rules over the ego and parts are unconscious, though it constrains our individual actions. Freud looked for meaning in minor connections thoughts and behaviors. Now 100 of years later there are no three levels id, ego, and superego. Freud was correct in concluding that certain parts of the mind are not subject to conscious awareness. His theories opened new approaches to human nature and psychotherapy. Carl Jung theory is divided into three parts just as Freud’s theory is. The three are unconscious, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious. Freud and Carl embody the sense of self for unconscious. Personal unconscious are thoughts and urges that are unimportant at the present. This contains past (retrospective) and future (prospective) material to be compensated to have a balance. Collective unconscious is comprises a deeper level of unconsciousness and is made up of powerful emotional symbols called archetypes. Archetypes are derived from the emotional reactions of our ancestors. Carl Jung was interested in the deepest universal aspects of personality and expanded ideas of the unconscious to include emotionally charged images and expanded ideas of all generations. He also gives the concepts of complexes meaning emotionally charged thoughts and feeling on a particular them. Another thing is he describes personality as being comprised of competing forces pulling against one another to reach equilibrium. Alfred Adler focused on the social world and its identity. Adler and Freud’s differences were in the origin of motivation. Freud theory was based on prime motivations that were built on pleasure and sexuality. Adler’s theory is based on motivations that are more complex. Adler was much more concerned with social conditions and saw the need to take preventive measures to avoid disturbances in personality. He believed personality problems can be avoided by using detailed knowledge about individuals to construct healthier social environment. Personality typology based loosely on Greek notions of the bodily humors. He believed in positive goal oriented and nature of human kind. There are two characteristics that I agree with which are: Jung’s personal unconscious and Alder’s superiority complex. There are two characteristics that I disagree with which are: Freud’s latency stage and Alder’s collective unconscious. Psychosexual Development has five stages: oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, Oedipus complex, Electra complex, latency stage, and genital stage. Oral stage is where we satisfy our hunger and thirst. Anal stage is where we feel relief when defecating. Phallic stage is where adolescents focus on genitals. Oedipus stage is where a young boy wants to kill his father to marry his beloved mother. This is the opposite for girls in the Electra complex. Latency stage is where adolescents focus more on academics and friendships. Genital stage is where marks the beginning of an adult life of normal sexual relations, marriage, and child-rearing. Challenges from the outer environment and from our inner urges threaten us with anxiety; there are three defense mechanisms that I can relate to very well. The three are reaction formation, displacement, and rationalization. The processes that the ego uses to distort reality to protect itself are called defense mechanisms. Reaction formation is the process of pushing away threatening impulses by overemphasizing the opposite in one’s thoughts and actions, e.g. Josephine was a classmate of mine in 2008. A lot of my peers in that year were exposing themselves to be either gay or lesbian. Josephine’s religious and outspoken background made her very judgmental towards her peers. Ultimately, the summer of 2009 being in the spotlight of high school she had a girlfriend. Displacement is the shifting of the target of one’s unconscious fears and desires, e.g. Jason and I get into arguments all the time just as any normal couple. The dishes were not washes like I had asked. For some reason my frustration was at an all-time high. The dog tipped over the trash can in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Not to mention the dog feces in the living. I had enough so I kicked my dog, Charles. Rationalization is a mechanism involving post-hoc logical explanations for behaviors that were actually driven by internal unconscious motives, e.g. I want to move back home so that it will be easier for the baby and I just know it would be so much easier and a better opportunity for me to concentrate on school, but the underlying is that I just want to leave my current home. In conclusion, psychoanalytic theory was developed by Freud. This is a system in which unconscious motivations are considered to shape normal and abnormal personality development and behavior. Both Freud and Jung believed ego played a huge part in personality and the unconscious sexuality. Adler and Freud’s theory differed by the origin of motivation. Freud believes in prime motivations were pleasure and sexuality. Adler believes in human motivations that are more complex. Like Jun Adler believed in the importance of the teleological aspects, or goal-directedness of human nature. Difference in Freud’s and Adler’s philosophies was that Adler was much more concerned with social conditions. He saw the need to take preventive measures to avoid disturbances in personality. In all of these theories helped open new approac hes to human nature and psychotherapy. References Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2011). Personality. Classic Theories and Modern Research (5th ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Impacts of malnutrition on children Essay

Capacio (2013) once said that one of the underlying reasons for establishing feeding program is to provide targeted families and their children, an incentive to attend school. It is popular strategy for achieving both educational and social objective among school children, which includes combating and fighting hunger and malnutrition. She further said that its potential impact on education is that aside from alleviating short-term hunger among children, proper nutrition improves children’s cognitive functioning and attention. Better nutrition provides them better assistance to diseases which would keep them from attending school, thus would indirectly improve educational achievement. School feeding programs could help supplement the problem for malnourished children through providing them with healthy meals. Meanwhile, Manasan @ Cuenca (2007) assert that malnourished children often experience loss of mental capacities. They became sickly and loss their presence of mind. Because of this children that are malnourished often have low performance in school. School feeding program is done to reduce the number of malnourished children and improve their nutritional status and at the same time improving their performance in the class. Bundy (2009) suggests that appropriately designed school feeding programs increase access to education and learning and improve children’s health and nutrition especially when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition programs. Similarly, a recent review by Jomaa (2011) reveals relatively consistent positive effects of school feeding on energy intake, micronutrient status, school enrollment and attendance of the children participating in school feeding programs compared to non-participants. At present there are approximately 300 million chronically hungry children in the world. One hundred million of them do not attend school. And school feeding programs have been continuously gaining popularity in developing countries, mostly among those affected severely by childhood hunger and malnutrition. These program aims to enhance the concentration span and learning capacity of school children by providing meals in schools to reduce malnutrition. Furthermore, Luistro (2012) said that 42,000 undernourished pupils stand to benefit from the Department of Education’s School Based Feeding Program, which aims to boost their health and help them do well in school. He also added that the feeding program gives nutritious meals to pupils suffering from severe malnutrition for 100 to 200 feeding days. According to Food for Education Stakeholders (2000), evidence strongly suggests that school feeding programs can increase attendance rates, especially for girls. School feeding or take home rations serve as incentives for enrolling children in school and encouraging daily attendance. Early malnutrition can adversely affect physical, mental and social aspects of child’s health, which as a result leads on underweight, stunted growth, lowered immunity and mortality. The lack of nutrition imposes significant economic costs on individuals and nations including how it affects on academic performance and behaviors at school and long term productivity adults. Problems like delayed entry to school, less overall schooling, smaller stature and lower school performance among children represent a great motivation to impose feeding programs. Henceforth, the researchers embark to pursue this study in order to determine the effects of feeding program to the health condition and academic performance of the students in Maasin Central School. In addition, the researchers believe that the results of this study would help curb the problems of malnutrition especially to younger children. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND This study is basically premised on the theories of Ahmed (2004), Jukes, Drake @ Bundy (2008) and Adelman (2008). It is also supported by the following legal bases such as House Bill No. 428, House Resolution No.26 and  DepEd Order No. 43, S. 2011. According to Ahmed (2004), solid empirical evidence of the impact of school feeding programmes on educational outcomes proves that school feeding increases school enrollment and attendance by reducing drop-out. Enhanced nutrition and health of primary school children leads to improved learning and decreased morbidity, paving the way for healthier lives. He further said that the school feeding programmes not only alleviate child hunger in school, but also enhance nutrition, particularly when the food is fortified with micronutrients. This raises the potential to improve a child’s health, school performance and educational attainment. Furthermore, Jakes, Drake @ Bundy (2008) state that when school feeding targets preschool children, it can help give a child a healthy head start and pave the way for a promising future. There is compelling evidence that poor nutrition in early childhood affects cognitive development and learning potential and poor health is an additional barrier to education. They further said that increased access to preschool can enhance education outcomes and equity among children of primary school aged-children. School feeding should be seen as a part of a continuum and one of many potential interventions that support nutrition for pre- primary and primary school aged- children. School feeding in pre- primary schools, for children aged 3 to 5 years can be seen as preventive, and has the potential to bridge the gap between infancy and primary school age- 6 to 11 years in countries where pre- schools are part of the basic education. Meanwhile, Adelman (2008) said that improving micronutrient status through food fortification or micronutrient powders, particularly of iron, B- vitamins, vitamin A and iodine, contributes directly to enhance cognition and learning capacity. Recent studies in Kenya and Uganda proved that both in- school meals and take home rations (THR’s) reduce anaemia prevalence. In addition, Grillenberger (2003) believes that school feeding enhances the diet and increases the energy and kilocalories available to a child. It targets micronutrient deficiencies, which are widespread among school- age children in developing countries and which increase susceptibility to infection, leading to absenteeism and impairing learning capacity and cognition. Alderman (2011) highlighted the importance of school feeding programmes both as a social safety net for children living in poverty and food insecurity, and as a part of national educational policies and plans. School feeding  programs can help to get children into school and help to keep them there, through enhancing enrollment and reducing absenteeism. And once the children are in school the programs can contribute to their learning through avoiding hunger and enhancing cognitive abilities. Furthermore, school health and nutrition interventions have been recognized in addressing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of universal basic education and gender equity in educational access. In order to achieve these goals, it is essential that even the poorest children, who suffer most from ill health and hunger, are able attend school and learn while there. Disadvantaged children- the poor, the marginalized, girls and children in fragile states- often suffer from ill health and malnutrition and therefore benefit most from school feeding program. According to Jacooby (2012) ascertained that school snacks in the Philippines were completely additional resources to the students in the program. That is each additional calorie provided in school led to an identical increase to the total calories consumed by the student during the day. Numerous studies show that in school feeding has a positive impact on school enrollment or participation in areas where initial indicators of school participation are low (Jukes, Drake @ Bundy 2007). Moreover, Greenhalgh (2007) @ Lehrer (2008) claimed that school feeding programs which provide meals at school (SPFs) or related take home rations (THRs) can improve enrollment and attendance, can address chronic hunger or micronutrient deficiencies and, by improving health or by increasing a child’s focus in the classroom, can enhance learning. According to Jomaa (2011), states that school feeding programs (SPFs) are intended to alleviate short- term hunger, improve nutrition and cognition of children and transfer income to families. He also added that the positive impact of school feeding on growth, cognition, and academic achievement of school- aged children receiving SPFs compared to non- school- fed children was less conclusive. This review identifies in the design and implementation of SPFs and calls for theory- based impact evaluations to strengthen the scientific evidence behind designing, funding and implementing SPFs Likewise, House Bill No.428 otherwise also known as â€Å"Child Nutrition Act of the Philippines†- (an Act establishing in the Department of Education a National School Feeding Program for elementary grade pupils) requires the implementation of a National plan of Action that will save millions of elementary school  children from malnutrition and illiteracy by establishing in the Department of Education a National Feeding Program that could significantly reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and swiftly resolve related school and pupil- learning problems. House Resolution No.26- a resolution directing the house committees on basic education, social services, health and government to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the implementation of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) particularly, the various feeding programs for public school children in children in early childhood care and education centers (Day Care Centers), elementary and secondary schools all over the country. The resolution was filed on January 7, 2013 by Congressman Jonathan A. de la Cruz. Finally, DepEd Order No. 43, S. 2011 states that the Department of Education (DepEd) through the Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) should strengthen the School Health and Nutrition Programs (SHNP) into its key programs and aligning all its activities into one seamless whole. This is envisioned to make this Department better able to determine the effectiveness and relevance of its programs, and to make responsive to the DepEd’s mission of enhancing the student’s motivation and capacity for learning, improving learning, outcomes, reducing absenteeism and ensuring that school- age children are able to stay in school as enunciated in the Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).