Choice 3: Novel Research (Madagascar)
1. My interest in choosing this country is to clearly focus on the education, the children, and the lifestyle they have.
3. Literacy Rate: -Adult illiteracy rates are rising.
-According to data from UNESCO the percentage of adults unable to read and write is projected to increase from 29% to 35% by the year 2015.
-The youth illiteracy rate (15-24 years) is also expected to be 35% in 2015.
-In the southern Atsimo-Adrefana region, where one of the curses is being run,
illiteracy rates are as high as 70%.
-A women explained to IRIN how before the classes she was only able to get
low-paying jobs such as washing clothes. Now due to her new skills, she
hopes to find a higher-paying employment, (ex; Hotels and Restaurants.)
Enrolment Rate: -School enrolment rates have been declining in Madagascar since
international funding dried up, following the coup of 2009.
-With Government spending cut, schools have been receiving less money
and have to make up for lost income by charging registration fees.
(Families are unable to afford those costs)
Gov. Support: -International charities and non-gov organisation (NGO”s) are doing their best
to bridge this education gap.
-The news agency IRIN runs an intensive adult literacy programme in the south
of the country. Funded by the UN development Programme (UNDP) the
course aims to teach functional literacy to adult learners.
-While waitresses are taught how to read menus and do basic sums.
Amount of resources: Many Malagasy children study in a torn down, overcrowded classroom
with very few learning materials.
-More than half of primary school teachers are recruited by parents and
have limited or no training.
-Many communities have no schools at all
-15% of children begin their education in schools that do not offer the ‘
complete primary cycle.
-Annual cyclones and tropical storms damage school structures every year,
and destroy the limited school materials that exist.
PROCEDURES:The total # of procedures legally required to register property
Time (days): The total # of days required to register property.
Cost is recorded as a percentage of the property value assumed to be equivalent to 50 times per capita.
1. My interest in choosing this country is to clearly focus on the education, the children, and the lifestyle they have.
3. Literacy Rate: -Adult illiteracy rates are rising.
-According to data from UNESCO the percentage of adults unable to read and write is projected to increase from 29% to 35% by the year 2015.
-The youth illiteracy rate (15-24 years) is also expected to be 35% in 2015.
-In the southern Atsimo-Adrefana region, where one of the curses is being run,
illiteracy rates are as high as 70%.
-A women explained to IRIN how before the classes she was only able to get
low-paying jobs such as washing clothes. Now due to her new skills, she
hopes to find a higher-paying employment, (ex; Hotels and Restaurants.)
Enrolment Rate: -School enrolment rates have been declining in Madagascar since
international funding dried up, following the coup of 2009.
-With Government spending cut, schools have been receiving less money
and have to make up for lost income by charging registration fees.
(Families are unable to afford those costs)
Gov. Support: -International charities and non-gov organisation (NGO”s) are doing their best
to bridge this education gap.
-The news agency IRIN runs an intensive adult literacy programme in the south
of the country. Funded by the UN development Programme (UNDP) the
course aims to teach functional literacy to adult learners.
-While waitresses are taught how to read menus and do basic sums.
Amount of resources: Many Malagasy children study in a torn down, overcrowded classroom
with very few learning materials.
-More than half of primary school teachers are recruited by parents and
have limited or no training.
-Many communities have no schools at all
-15% of children begin their education in schools that do not offer the ‘
complete primary cycle.
-Annual cyclones and tropical storms damage school structures every year,
and destroy the limited school materials that exist.
PROCEDURES:The total # of procedures legally required to register property
Time (days): The total # of days required to register property.
Cost is recorded as a percentage of the property value assumed to be equivalent to 50 times per capita.
The Impact of Cell Phones In our society.
Emily Colunga
Don’t you think that cell phones have become a big part of peoples life in numerous ways? Cell phones have become an integral part of our society, and like most technologies they have both positive and negative aspects. Ever since electronics started to change in the mid 90’s, driving and texting is about 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving intoxicated. Cell phones have impacted people’s lives, in a bad way by making them become addicted. Drivers start to become irresponsible by using phones while driving. What people do not know is that there are also serious health risks that people do not understand, for example brain damage. Society now is so advanced that it can not even compare to how it was many years ago.
Cell phones are a daily use, whether it’s for emergencies or not. We all use them in school, our house, at work, in the bathroom, before sleeping, and sometimes even while driving. Certain people can get so tremendously attached that it becomes an addiction. They find it very hard to put away because they feel like something new is going on inside their phone. Every smartphone user who feels like this have what is called “checking habits”. Checking habits is a repetitive type of habit that makes you check your emails, other apps such as Facebook, and Instagram. This usually happens every 5-10 minutes for people who have this habit, or compulsion.(Do you obsessively check your smartphone? By Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent). Whether its during school or at work, people still get that urge to keep checking their phone. Having phones in a class should not be permitted. It keeps the students off task and it will not let them concentrate. Students can not multitask by playing a game or being on Facebook and still manage to pay attention to the teacher.The phones are a big distraction in class because it leads to students not learning, which could make them fail assignments and sometimes even the whole class. Over the past year 94% of students admitted to accessing social media during class, from time to time, or even more frequently. 95% of students take pictures or make recordings for non-study purposes. 94% send e-mails and text messages, 93% listen to music during class, and 91% actually talk on their phones during class. Researchers determined that on average every student uses a cell phone in 60% of his or her classes.(“University of Haifa” 2). Researchers also found that age also influences cell phone use. For example, 10th graders use their phones in class most frequently while 12th graders use them the least. As the students start to grow older, they notice that their education is more important than an electronic device. Depending on the school policies, school’s should at least not allow phones in class for lower classmates. It could lead students to get in big trouble with the principle, or parents because of how immature they still are. If there were not any cell phones allowed in class students would actually stay on task, participate more, ask more questions, and their education would become more advanced. Students would not fail any classes and their grades would go higher. Now even adults get too addicted, they start to lose their responsibilities of parents within time. If they have a job they are not able to finish any of their work, they could slack off more, and even end up getting fired . They could end up losing their job for not doing what they are suppose to do, and getting another job would be much harder to get. Phones take away the time they could be spending with their family or friends. When a person is too addicted to their cell phone, they tend to sleep with it, have dinner with it, go to the restroom, have a serious conversation while texting someone, and even drive while being on the phone. Adults and students happen to become really attached once they have full media on their phones. This means having Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Myspace, etc. These applications are social network apps that keep the people wanting, looking, and expecting more. They are looking at their phone constantly to check what’s “new”. They are expecting interesting stuff to happen, such as notifications from family members or friends. This is the good thing about cell phones, the way they let you communicate with family that lives really far away. Sometimes people just take it too far and check their phones constantly. Or they end up spending the rest of their time on YouTube, which is a media full of videos, same as Netflix. What these people do not understand is that they are doing wrong. Instead of paying too much attention to a cell phone, why doesn’t that person just turn it off and simply put it away?
The risks of using a cell phone while using a motor vehicle is extremely dangerous. Once a person turns on the car, they should immediately turn the phone off or put it somewhere where they can not reach it. Having a cell phone out in front of a driver is a huge distraction. It does not let them keep their eyes on the road, which is very important, and it does not keep the driver concentrated at all whatsoever. A call or text are things that are very tempting to see. Drivers will grab their phone and “see” the calls or texts. This is why accidents are caused. It is about 6 times more likely to cause an accident texting than by driving intoxicated. Driving and talking on the phone hands free or not affects the driving ability as much as drinking alcohol. The United States has been trying to keep people from harming themselves and/or others. Ten states, including Washington D.C, do not allow drivers to use any type of handheld mobile phones. Also, 39 states including Washington D.C prohibit all drivers from text messaging. It does not matter if someone is simply going to check their phone, because the time it takes to grab it and open it takes exactly 5 seconds minimal. That much time is taken away from concentrating, and can end someone’s life in less than 5 seconds."Lots of kids think they can multi-task," Lori Evans, MD, director of training in psychology at the NYU Child Study Center, says. "But multi-tasking isn't really multitasking. It's just shifting attention. So kids think they can text and pay attention to the road, but in reality they can't. That's dangerous."(Don't Text and Drive Blog.) Mobile devices lead a 400% increase of people keeping their eyes off the road. 48% of any teens from ages of 12-17 have been in a car while the driver has been texting. 27% of adults have either sent or received a text while driving, 55% of young teens claim its easy to text while driving.(Texting and Driving Statistics” 6). Never assume that a teenager will not use their phone while driving because in a survey, more than half of teen aged 16-17 said they have talked on the phone while driving. A third of those teens admitted that they text while driving. In the state of Colorado, it is illegal for drivers of all ages to text while behind the wheel. Although there is certain expectations to use a cell phone for example, during an emergency. To report a fire, road hazard, traffic accident, report a person driving reckless, careless, or unsafe manner are also acceptable. According to the DMV, “When you receive a call or text on your cell phone while driving your vehicle, you should be able to find a safe place to pull over or wait until you reach your destination to respond. Having awareness at all times will make a big impact on the overall safety of our roads.Taking these simple precautions can significantly reduce the risk of an accident.”(Don't Text and Drive Blog) In Colorado, if a police officer pulls you over for a cell phone violation, the first time will result in a $50 fine. Also a $100 fine for subsequent cell phone violations, other charges may also apply. Studies also show that the biggest influence on how teens drive is their parents. Teens are used to seeing their parents talk on the phone while driving, and it makes them seem its not hard at all. In order to make a stop to this situation, drivers must pull over to the side, or completely turn off the phone. There should be new stricter laws. For example, anyone who is caught texting or talking on the phone while driving should get their license taken away temporarily or permanently depending on the amount of warnings that person has had.
Whether someone is using a phone, computer, or even watching t.v, scientists have actually proven that these type of devices happen to cause brain damage within years. Professor Lennart Hardell in Sweden was the person who found an increased risk of brain tumors from adults who have 10 or more years of cell phone use. The percentage of the risks from that would be 280%. From children to teenagers there happens to be a higher risk of a total of 420%. That is only because those kids barely start to use cell phones. According to the National Cancer Institute, “A recent study showed that when people used a cell phone for 50 minutes, brain tissues on the same side of the head as the phone’s antenna metabolized more glucose than did tissues on the opposite side of the brain. The researchers noted that the results are preliminary, and possible health outcomes from this increase in glucose metabolism are still unknown,”(Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ). There are three main reasons why people are concerned that cell phones might have the potential to have certain types of cancer or other health problems. The first reason is that cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, in other words radio waves. Radio waves form a non ionizing radiation, and any tissue nearest to where the phone is held can absorb this energy. The second reason is that the cell phone use has increased dramatically, as of 2010 there were more than 303 million subscribers in the United States. Now the International Telecommunications estimated that the cell phone subscription is 5 billion, that is more than half of the people in this entire world. The last reason is that over time, the number of cell phone calls per day, the length of each call, and the amount of time people use cell phones have increased. Getting exposed to too much ionizing radiation, such as from radiation therapy, is known to increase the risk of cancer. In 2012, in the United States there was an estimate amount of 22,910 new diagnoses and 13,700 deaths from brain cancer.The scientific instrument for measuring electromagnetic fields (EMF) is a way from preventing any type of brain damage from happening. Devra Lee Davis, founder of the Environmental Health Trust says that, “Distance is your friend”. If you check the legal fine print in any cell phone manual, you’ll see manufacturers like Apple and Motorola recommend keeping your cell at least 10 millimeters—or the width of a pencil—away from your body at all times”.(Effects of cell phone radiofrequency signal exposure on brain glucose metabolism.)These are some of her steps she tells people so they can lower their exposure to cell phones. Sometimes even switching hands can help, for example if a person is talking on the phone with their left hand, changing it to the right can also limit the amount of exposure. Letting children ONLY use cell phones for emergencies, can also prevent them from getting brain cancer later on in the future. Children actually have a higher risk of developing brain cancer due to their nervous system, the head size, and of course their age. Their nervous system is still developing and therefore more weak to the factors that may cause the cancer. Their heads are smaller than those of adults and have a greater proportional exposure to the radiofrequency radiation that is given by cell phones. Children are also still too young and have the potential of accumulating more years with these cellular devices than adults. Taking nutritional supplements, such as Vitamin D is a way to help cure brain tumors. The easiest way to prevent brain cancer from happening would be to maintain cell phone usage. People who are too attached to their phones should either decrease the amount of time spent on cell phones, or avoid using any type of electronic devices.(Effects of cell phone radiofrequency signal exposure on brain glucose metabolism.)
Apps on cell phones are another world of entertainment. Some people even start to get really obsessed by playing a simple game. Facebook is not only a way to communicate with family, but to even make new friends. Facebook is the largest online social network founded in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. In 2008 Facebook had 100 million users and as of March 2013 has 1.11 billion. Facebook filed for a $5 billion IPO on February 1st 2012 and valued the company at $104 billion. Facebook is one of the largest social networks that has impacted us the most. The average time we spend on Facebook is around 18 minutes daily but per visit. The average amount of people installing this app on their mobile device each day is 20 million. Most of these people’s friends on Facebook are just pure strangers. 81,000,000+ is the amount of fake profiles created on this social media.(Facebook Statistics.) At some point Facebook has caused personal problems for everyone. Whether you saw something you didn’t want to, you got a disturbing message, or even getting scammed. With so much of your private information available in your Facebook account, it is easy for scam artists and hackers to use this information to target your other accounts such as, email, banking, and PayPal. Also another bad thing would be getting virus attacks, because no matter how secure a website is, hackers always find a way around so they can try to spread worms and viruses via the website. Since news spreads very fast on Facebook, a click on an unknown link is all that is needed to spread the virus to your friends, their friends and so on. It is always good to be careful before clicking links and following them. In the year of 2009, Facebook was the most visited site on the Internet.(Facebook Statistics.) People spend a lot of time interacting with others and checking on what other people are doing, and you can forget to take care of yourself. Spending a long time online can lead to various health issues like headaches, back aches, eye strain and a long list of other maladies. When using Facebook everyone should be able to protect themselves by using proper privacy settings, and not use the same Facebook password that you use for other online accounts. There are real gifts, real games, and real people out there. Interact with them in real life and use Facebook as a tool to keep in touch with people, not spend the whole day playing Mafia Wars, Farmville, etc .
Although there are many negative effects of cell phone use, the technology itself is not all bad. Cell phones have been a lifesaver for more than 20 years now. People can get easier access to almost anything, just from their phone. Whether its directions to a certain place, for example the nearest library, a restaurant, any type of store, a city, etc. They even help a person get caught up with any type of world wide news going on. A person can now even check the weather, pay bills, buy online, and get completely entertained. Apps on cell phones are another world of entertainment. Some people even start to get really obsessed by playing a simple game. Cell phones now have been an easier way of communication. There is a way to communicate with family members by simply texting them, or giving them a call. Also social networking has become a lot more advanced by having Facebook, which you can also now use to talk on the phone with.
Going back a couple years ago when a person was in danger, for example if he/she was lost, there was not exactly a way to figure out where that person was. Now that technology is really advanced with a simple phone call, the police can simply track down where that call is coming from. It keeps the parents from not worrying too much, because their child has a cellphone. Right now more than half of American teenagers own a cell phone, and this number is growing very quickly. Elementary school aged children now even carry cell phones, but this is even more marked in countries outside the United States. In New Zealand 84% of children have a cell phone by age 14. Many of these children's parents want them to have a cell phone so they can be reached at all times. It also gives the parents a bit of peace in their mind because they know that in case of an emergency, the children are a call away. This is usually the only reason why parents buy their kids cell phones, because its a safer and faster way of communicating with them. According to a 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation 85% of teens have cell phones, aged 14-17. 69% of them are aged 11-14, and 31% of kids are aged 8-10.(Daily Media Use Among Children and Teens Up Dramatically From Five Years Ago).Before parents get their kids a cell phone, they should first look for the development signs. Parents must see if their kids lose their belongings often, if they are responsible, be trusted, and if they will be able to use the phone safely. This would also let teenagers know the responsibility it takes to handle a phone, for example not overuse the limits, keep it in good condition, and not lose it. Once a teenager loses his/her phone, the parent pretty much buys a new one. Either because their parents feel bad, or because of their safety purposes.
Right now cell phone prices are increasing expeditiously. If a person goes to a store to buy a new phone, the price ranges would be around $39.99 to $749.99.( Before You Sign a Cell Phone Contract: What You Need to Know.) Its also even more expensive to get a contract phone, because contracts last 2 years, and if someone wants to cancel that contract before those 2 years, the company charges that person a fine of $360.00.(“Cell Phones. Liane Cassavoy 3). But that is not all, once a person buys a new cell phone they still go straight for the accessories such as, phone cases, earphones, screen protectors, etc. Companies also charge for roaming services, which lets a person have service out of the U.S. but the extra fees are very expensive. Cell phones do have the potential to make us more focused on what’s going on in our personal lives, and the personal lives of the people that we’re close to. Maybe we’re just not paying enough attention to things outside that actually do matter.
Every single person in this world has a bright future ahead of them, in reality your phone is not always going to be there and help you with your situations. Instead these people should get to know the real world, the real people, and feel the real emotions. We all need to take a break from our phone and realize how important nature is, how important it is to be outgoing, and how we really need to cherish the moments we spend with our loved ones. At some point our phones are not going to be their when we are going through rough times, but special people will. Our phones are not going to help your brain do better, but they sure will do the opposite. They also will not undo an accident caused by a simple text, and these are the type of things us humans need to understand. Cellular devices have impacted our lives definitely in a bad way more than a good way, but mainly because we choose to live that way. We should all just put our phones down, walk outside, take a deep breathe, and just discover new things that the world gives us.
Work Cited
- "5 Reasons Why Your Kids Should Have Cell Phones." Parenting RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2013.
- "94% of High School Students Using Cellphones in Class." University of Haifa. N.p., 2012. Web.
- "Before You Sign a Cell Phone Contract: What You Need to Know." About.com Cell Phones. Liane Cassavoy, n.d. Web. 21 May 2013.
- "Daily Media Use Among Children and Teens Up Dramatically From Five Years Ago." N.p., 20 Jan. 2010. Web.
- "Don't Text and Drive Blog." Don't Text and Drive Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2013.
- "Hongkiat.com." Hongkiat.com RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2013.
- "Texting and Driving Statistics." Texting and Driving Statistics. N.p., 2012. Web.
- "The New York Times Upfront | The News Magazine for High School." The New York Times Upfront | The News Magazine for High School. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2013.