Community Affair Research Articles

Kebijakan Dana Pemberdayaan 1% PT. Freeport Indonesia kepada Suku Amungme dan Kamoro Melalui LPMAK

Customary rights owners, investors and the state are working groups that must uphold the principles of justice in PTFI's mining business, the state, the Amungme and Kamoro communities are working partners in mining exploration in Mimika, Papua. Profit sharing between parties I, II and III is regulated in a humane work agreement and no injustice should occur. However, the problem is that customary landowners only receive a partnership trust budget (social budget), which varies annually. For example, from 1994-2003 or 23 years of existence, the social budgeting distribution from PTFI amounted to 1.3 billion US dollars (managed by LPMAK). Partnership budget distributions of $634 and $662 million also occurred (managed by PTFI's Non Community Affair Dept.). Trust and partnership budget reached USD 437.3 in 2006 and 2007 increased to USD 480.3 also distributed by PTFI. Decreased, reaching USD 400.0 in 2010. This research has both academic and practical purposes. It is useful for socially just budget distribution. Then, the methodology used is descriptive qualitative. Data collection was done through direct and indirect interviews. Samples, data analysis and management were conducted on the Amungme and Kamoro tribes as customary rights owners in Mimika, Papua. Research findings; PTFI, the state, the Amungme and Kamoro communities are not good partners in the mining business in Mimika, Papua.

Faith, Family, and Friends as Integral Factors in Student Resilience in the Ateneo de Manila School of Science and Engineering

What makes Filipino students resilient in times of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Even as some students succumb to anxiety and despair and lose motivation to learn, others actively take charge of their learning and remain hopeful and strong amid severe trials. What keeps them going, and what can we learn from them? 25 professors of the Ateneo de Manila School of Science and Engineering selected 92 college undergraduate and graduate students whom they observed to display resilience in learning and prodded them to reflect on how they overcame challenges in and out of the classroom. Whatever their circumstances, our study reveals that these resilient students rely on three main sources of support: deep faith, solid family bonds, and close friends and mentors who hold them accountable. As contrasted to the more individualistic context that gives rise to resilience as posited by Western literature, Filipino resilience is instead truly a community affair.

Education as community affair: Digitally designing knowledge.

Distance learning is becoming increasingly prevalent. If education is a community affair, how do we digitally design for our students the conditions for learning at a distance? This research examines a distance learning environment within a Master’s Degree course created using online discussion forums. With the community of inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) as a guide, the instructor and students shared knowledge and experiences with their educational community. A structural analysis of the discussion forums a quantitative analysis of social, teaching and cognitive presence using a ten-factor model (Dempsey & Zhang, 2019), and a qualitative analysis of individual interviews with community members, found that the role of the instructor is critical in pushing students towards uncertainty, thus opening the way for the relational construction of knowledge. To help students embrace that uncertainty, they require explicit knowledge of the processes that allow a community of inquiry to function.

Filosofia, alterità e democrazia

This article intends to analyze the link existing in Apel between ethics of communication, democracy and difference. In the German author, the argumentative reason is not circumventable. The communicative and intersubjective nature of human identity founds democracy as a form of life and just coexistence. Democracy allows the individual to discover himself as tied to a common history. The paradigm of communicative philosophy overcomes both social nihilism and the dogmatism of some versions of liberalism. This rediscovery of philosophy is connected to the possibility of a social ethics and a free, equal and democratic public discourse.The problems facing today's world cannot find an adequate answer in provisional syntheses of the Postmodern, nor in the deflation of the concept of truth.Apel’s Philosophy advocates linked to the public dimension, arises from the community affair and from human history. What sustains and normatively guides social interaction is a special solidarity, which springs from the intersubjective dimension and the discursive nature of our co-world.

Uniting Public Health and Primary Care for Healthy Communities in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has laid bare the dis-integrated health care system in the United States. Decades of inattention and dwindling support for public health, coupled with declining access to primary care medical services have left many vulnerable communities without adequate COVID-19 response and recovery capacity. "Health is a Community Affair" is a 1966 effort to build and deploy local communities of solution that align public health, primary care, and community organizations to identify health care problem sheds, and activate local asset sheds. After decades of independent effort, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to reunite and align the shared goals of public health and primary care. Imagine how different things might look if we had widely implemented the recommendations from the 1966 report? The ideas and concepts laid out in "Health is a Community Affair" still offer a COVID-19 response and recovery approach. By bringing public health and primary care together in community now, a future that includes a shared vision and combined effort may emerge.

Slavery: A Mark of Underdevelopment and Its Dent on A Modern World

It is worrisome that till today, slavery which has been abolished since the 19th century is still thriving with the appellation “Human Trafficking.”The young people are usually the target. And one of the major factors influencing its business is the mindset about greener pasture, financial gain or building a future devoid of poverty. But the result is usually sadness, pain, regrets and death in many of the cases. The woes of the journey across borders are almost daily news. Examples are still taken from the traditional slave Ports. There are examples of its damage in history. The Caribbean Island is a culture case as this study reveals. The concept of greener pasture is not usually where the victims think. In many occasions where they were before they left is usually greener. The less privileged forms a background victim both in practice and use. A majority are deceived with fake promises of work or better life. This study examines how it has affected the society especially the less privileged and suggestions on how it can be reduced to a minimal level. It is a community affair in today’s world and everyone is responsible for its practice.

MAGKIPARAT: A CULTURAL PRACTICE OF PEACE-MAKING, HEALING AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION AMONG THE SAMA’ OF TAWI-TAWI

This study explores the usefulness of magkiparat as the traditional customary practice (addat) of arbitration and mediation in conflict resolution among the Sama Community. The study discusses a unique way of settling disputes between the members of the same family or residents in the same community. It seeks to answer the following questions: What is Magkiparat from the perspective of the Sama’ of Tawi-Tawi? What are its political and socio-cultural implications? This cultural practice is a way of settling petty cases among family members or village residents who will come together to resolve their differences. Disputes are an integral part of man’s existence and commonly occur even among the Sama’ communities in Tawi-Tawi. Disputes arise as a result of differences in opinion, family issues, economic or religious reasons, and other issues. Conflict among the Sama’ of Tawi-Tawi is viewed not as an individual personal case but as a family and community affair. These conflicts result in strained relationships and some cases if unresolved, can lead to the loss of lives and property. Therefore, a dispute settlement mechanism is needed that provides practical options in terms of amicable resolutions. This process is facilitated and arbitrated by a third party who may not necessarily be related by blood or affinity to any of the persons or groups in a dispute, but who has the influence and enjoys the trust and confidence of the individuals in conflict. It is not mandatory for all members of the family to observe the magkiparat. Sometimes this ceremony occurs at the volition of family members or at the instance of a third party to convince both sides (mag-isun-isun) to settle their misunderstanding peacefully. In the observance of the magkiparat, God’s mercy and blessings by an imam (Muslim cleric) are sought to heal the wounds and completely reconcile the parties concerned. In the Muslim community, petty cases may be resolved at the level of the local officials. Magkiparat is exactly the opposite of this. It involves a religious rite or duwa’a offered by an imam or religious leader, which binds the members of the family to respect its observance. Such activity represents a model of cultural value. It needs to be explored and made as a mainstream pattern of behaviour for contending parties to iron out their differences. Keywords: Magkiparat, arbitration and mediation, peace-making, customary laws, addat, duwa’a, model cultural values, justice and reconciliation, alternative disputes resolution

BolA family member 2 enhances cell proliferation and predicts a poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor hemorrhage.

Objective: BolA family member 2 (BOLA2) is a novel gene highly associated with human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Tumor hemorrhage (TH) acts as a poor marker for HCC patients and is a community affair in the tumor microenvironment. In the present study, we examined a possible association between BOLA2 levels and HCC patients with TH.Methods: The mRNA and protein levels of BOLA2 were determined in two independent cohorts of HCC specimens by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis, respectively. Survival curves and Cox regression models were used to evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients. The CRISPR/Cas9 system was used to knock out BOLA2 in HCC cells, and the functional role of BOLA2 in HCC cell proliferation in vitro and growth in vivo was examined.Results: BOLA2 mRNA expression is significantly higher in HCC tumour tissue than in nontumour tissue. Immunohistochemistry analysis of HCC tissues showed that BOLA2 protein was significantly correlated with TH, a more metastatic phenotype and worse HCC survival. The potential clinical relevance of BOLA2 expression and TH was validated by a Cox regression model. Furthermore, loss-of-function studies determined that BOLA2 plays critical roles in promoting iron overload, tumor growth and TH. Bioinformatics analysis from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) revealed that BOLA2 is closely associated with the activation of p62-Keap1 signalling and ATG4B expression. These results were confirmed by immunohistochemistry analysis in HCC tissues.Conclusions: Our results suggest that BOLA2 plays an important role in cancer biology and is an independent predictor of prognosis in HCC.

Reflections on prehospitalisation deaths

In the past, death was a family and community affair, but today it is institutional and entrusted to healthcare personnel. Thanks to a questionnaire on their feelings about prehospitalisation deaths, the experience and training needs for healthcare personnel at a mobile emergency and intensive care service were analysed. The majority of these professionals had been confronted with difficulties when faced with prehospitalisation deaths. Thereis little understanding of religious rites, even though this is an important point in dealing with the situation. There is a strong desire for training. The pedagogical support offered in response to the needs expressed was recognised as being useful and should be more widespread.

Empowerment is a Community Affair: Community Level Determinants of Married Womenns Empowerment in Egypt

This paper examines the contextual and community-level determinants of multidimensional women’s empowerment in Egypt, while accounting for the usual individual and household level factors typically included in studies of women’s empowerment. The paper analyzes two dimensions of women’s empowerment: the decision-making and the mobility dimensions by means of two indices constructed from various survey questions relating to these dimensions. We use data from the Population Census of 2006 and the Demographic Health Survey of 2008 to construct community and governorate-level contextual variables to complement the individual-level data we obtain from the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey of 2012 (ELMPS 2012). In line with the literature, the determinants that are relevant to the decision-making and mobility dimensions of women’s empowerment turned out to be quite different, confirming that “empowerment” is a multi- dimensional phenomenon, with women relatively empowered in some aspects of their lives but not in others. Moreover, our results show that context plays an important role in determining women’s empowerment in Egypt after controlling for a variety of individual and household-level characteristics. These results highlight the importance of viewing women’s empowerment, and hence development as social and normative transformations rather than as just resulting from shifts in individual conditions, attitudes and behaviors. Thus, empowering Egyptian women will require changing community norms and values about gender relations rather than simply providing greater educational and employment opportunities for women.

Building a Community of Solution with Resettled Refugees

The crisis of migrants across the globe is of increasing concern, and communities in every nation are faced with providing competent, equitable and culturally appropriate services for resettling refugees. Communities seeking solutions often find that health centric disciplines are not enough to meet the challenges presented by these newly arriving populations. In this article, we present the “Communities of Solution” model proposed in the 1966 Folsom Report, Health is a Community Affair. The Folsom report recognized that healthy communities can be achieved with strong community partnerships, person-centered health care and a focus on public health. In retrospect, Folsom focused firmly on the determinants of health that today shape our thinking about health, health care, and mitigation of disparities. In this article, one community’s efforts demonstrate a multi-faceted approach that is revitalizing an area.

Invasion Is a Community Affair: Clandestine Followers in the Bacterial Community Associated to Green Algae, Caulerpa racemosa, Track the Invasion Source

Biological invasions rank amongst the most deleterious components of global change inducing alterations from genes to ecosystems. The genetic characteristics of introduced pools of individuals greatly influence the capacity of introduced species to establish and expand. The recently demonstrated heritability of microbial communities associated to individual genotypes of primary producers makes them a potentially essential element of the evolution and adaptability of their hosts. Here, we characterized the bacterial communities associated to native and non-native populations of the marine green macroalga Caulerpa racemosa through pyrosequencing, and explored their potential role on the strikingly invasive trajectory of their host in the Mediterranean. The similarity of endophytic bacterial communities from the native Australian range and several Mediterranean locations confirmed the origin of invasion and revealed distinct communities associated to a second Mediterranean variety of C . racemosa long reported in the Mediterranean. Comparative analysis of these two groups demonstrated the stability of the composition of bacterial communities through the successive steps of introduction and invasion and suggested the vertical transmission of some major bacterial OTUs. Indirect inferences on the taxonomic identity and associated metabolism of bacterial lineages showed a striking consistency with sediment upheaval conditions associated to the expansion of their invasive host and to the decline of native species. These results demonstrate that bacterial communities can be an effective tracer of the origin of invasion and support their potential role in their eukaryotic host’s adaptation to new environments. They put forward the critical need to consider the 'meta-organism' encompassing both the host and associated micro-organisms, to unravel the origins, causes and mechanisms underlying biological invasions.

Benedict XVI’s Reform: The Liturgy between Innovation and Tradition by Nicola Bux

232 Antiphon 16.3 (2012) Nicola Bux Benedict XVI’s Reform: The Liturgy between Innovation and Tradition. Translated by Joseph Trabbic San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012 165 pp. Paperback $14.95. Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum has often been interpreted as part of a larger project of “dialing back” the renewal of the Church that was enacted at the Second Vatican Council. Fr. Nicola Bux’s Benedict XVI’s Reform advocates for another reading of this motu proprio, one consonant with Benedict XVI’s liturgical theology, both in his writings as Cardinal Ratzinger and as pontiff. The argument of Benedict XVI’s Reform is fairly straightforward. Leading up to the Council, liturgical scholars sought to understand the theological nature of liturgical prayer. The result of this liturgical turn in theology flowered in Pius XII’s Mediator Dei and the reforms promulgated in light of this document. Sacrosanctum Concilium, proceeding from Mediator Dei, sought fundamentally to reaffirm the liturgical doctrine of Mediator Dei. In the postconciliar period, in light of the advocacy of the Consilium, liturgical reforms were carried out not according to the “spirit of the liturgy” or the desires of the people of God but “the critical and intolerant spirit toward the Holy See, [and] the rationalism in the liturgy without any concern for true piety” (64). The result of this approach to liturgical reform, according to Bux, led to the deformation of the liturgy into “a community affair, an affair of the ideas and personal experiences of its members, in which, through its creativity, the community represents itself to itself and the purpose of divine worship—the encounter with the Lord in the Church—disappears ” (74). Those attracted to the divine worship according to the Missale Romanum of 1962 have been further relegated in the Church, dismissed as mere traditionalists by bishops and priests alike. Indeed, there are critiques to be made regarding this narrative (cf. J. Baldovin, Reforming the Liturgy, 2008, 45-51), but such critiques are not damning of the rest of the argument. Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum is a response to liturgical disunity and the elimination of transcendence in liturgical prayer. According to Bux, the wider use of the 1962 Missal of John XXIII allowed for in Benedict’s motu proprio: sets the old rite alongside the new. It does not replace it; it is optional, not obligatory. It does not take away but adds. Thus it expresses unity in variety. It is an enrichment that must heal the wounds caused by the fracture in that communion and lead to reconciliation within the 233 Book Reviews Church, overcoming the interpretations of the Council that favored liturgical deformations. Finally, the osmosis between the old and the new rite will avoid individualism with respect to the former and communitarianism with respect to the latter if in each person it incites the memory of Christ from whom the communion of all flows (85). Fundamentally, then, Bux explains, there are four reasons for fostering wider celebration of the 1962 Missal. First, the 1962 Missal still expresses the faith of the Church, and those that desire to celebrate the liturgy according to this form have a right to do so. Second, the mutual influence of the old and new rite would result in an organic development over time of both rites, especially relative to the direction of liturgical prayer, music, and architecture. Third, such mutual influence would foster the liturgical dispositions necessary to participate in the sacrifice of divine worship. Fourth, the use of the 1962 Missal corresponds more closely to Eastern liturgical practice, thus fostering unity with Orthodox Christians. The contribution Fr. Bux makes in this book-length essay is to situate Summorum Pontificum in the broader liturgical, ecclesiological, and pastoral concerns of Benedict XVI. Liturgical prayer is fundamentally a transformative encounter with the Triune God, who manifests himself in the liturgical signs of the Church. Pope Benedict seeks the renewal of the liturgy not because of ideology, but in order that our encounter with the Triune God in worship might transfigure all creation in love. Though Fr. Bux could not address Anglicanorum Coetibus in the original Italian book in 2008, a close reading of the...

Of Wine Carrying and Bridal Train: A Portrayal of Traditional Igbo Marriage in Elechi Amadi’s The Concubine and The Slave

Marriage, the special kind of union whereby a man and woman are joined together for the purpose of making a home and raising a family is as old as man. As unique as it is, the institution of traditional marriage in Africa has been grossly misunderstood by many prejudiced foreigners who claim that love has no place in the social enterprise. This paper, therefore, explores traditional Igbo marriage as portrayed by Elechi Amadi in two of his novels. It posits that love not only exists among the Igbo in particular and Africans in general but that it is actually celebrated in marriage which is a whole community af fair. It concludes however, that like many things, traditional Igbo marriage has under gone some changes courtesy of the grinding wheel of time.

‘I call the people.’ Church bells in fourteenth-century Catalunya

Bells were an inescapable part of fourteenth-century urban life. They signalled the hours of the day and times for prayers; they warned of tempests and enemy armies; they heralded masses, funerals, and deaths. The pealing of bells brought men, women, and children together, choreographing communal behaviour in time and space. Bells echoed the vox Domini, calling out the deaths of holy men and women, celebrating the working of miracles. The ubiquitous presence of bells reflected the omnipresence of God in the medieval world. Their echoes transformed private moments into collective experiences, elevating the mundane into the miraculous. Scholars have rarely examined the religious aspects of bells, looking instead at their more practical side, especially their utilisation as markers of time and the allegedly concurrent rise of mercantile culture. This article approaches bells from the viewpoints of those men and women who heard them and wanted them rung. Focusing on sources from Christian clerics, we see that medieval men rang the bells with clear, but many possible, purposes in mind. By marking time and prayers, Christian church bells helped to create and facilitate communities within dioceses, spurring and choreographing their actions. During funerals, bells broadcast private moments, giving them communal significance. The transformative, creative function of bells is clearest in their role in miracles. In Manresa, the vision experienced by a few became a community affair when the church bells gathered the people; the bells transformed an ordinary day into one where the people, as a community, received divine favour. Finally, with the deaths of holy persons, the tolling of bells transformed private, even anonymous deaths, into moments of wonder as God’s hand touched the world. The pealing of bells defined Christian communities in the Mediterranean and, at the same time as rulers and elites throughout the region were seeking to control minority groups, those same groups were seeking to exercise control over the sounds within their own communities. Through the pealing of bells, churchmen across Catalunya sought to direct the thoughts and prayers of their listeners. When the Christian clerics of Catalunya rang their churches’ bells, they had specific aims in mind, yet, as the evidence demonstrates, the pealing of the bells never meant just one thing. This article demonstrates that there is much more to understanding medieval bells than knowing ‘for whom the bell tolls’; we have to look at the listeners as much as the ringers in order to understand their cultural significance in medieval Europe. This article is a first step in how such a study could be begun.

Effective Grassroots Social Action in Public Education

This article identifies public school education as a community affair which requires the talents of lawyers, social science scholars, and other kinds of people. Since public education is described as a community affair, diversity in student body and faculty is recommended as a way of gathering essential opinions on how education may benefit all individuals as well as the community. Grassroots strategies for achieving effective social action are discussed.

HIV in South Africa: talking about the big thing ‐ by Squire, C.

<i>HIV in South Africa: talking about the big thing</i> ‐ by Squire, C.

Launching learners in science, preK-5: how to design standards-based experiences and engage students in classroom conversations

Preface Acknowledgements About the Authors Part I. Welcome to 'Launching Learners in Science' 1. Origin of 'Launching Learners in Science' Knowing Science Knowing Children and How They Learn Knowing Structures That Facilitate Learning and Teaching Science Changing Emphases Outline of the NSES Science Content Standards I. Unifying Concepts and Processes IIA. Science as Inquiry IIIB. Physical Science Content Standards IIIC. Life Science Standards IVD. Earth and Space Science VE. Science and Technology VIF. Science in Personal and Social Perspective Conversation Starters 2. The Nature of Science What Is the Nature of Science? Science as a Body of Knowledge Sciences as Process Elements of the Scientific Process A Historical Example Science as Process in Elementary School Reviewing the Nature of Science in Elementary Education Conversation Starters 3. Prior Beliefs, Efficacy, and Teaching Science Influence of Experiences and Beliefs on Practice Efficacy Reflecting on the Walls of Teaching Science Getting Around the Walls Wall #1: I Do Not Know Enough Science Content Wall #2: Students Need to Know the Answers Wall #3: I Don't Have Time to Teach Science @all #4: Active Science Lessons Disrupt My Classroom Management Reflecting on Your Own Science Walls Conversations Starters Part II. Construction Ahead! Influences on Learning 4. Maturation and Learning Constructing Knowledge Piaget: The Interaction of Maturation and Experience Assimilation and Accommodation Equilibrium / Disequilibrium Stages of Cogitive Development Conversation Starters 5. Social Interaction and Learning Vygotsky and Social Interaction Language Culture The Teacher's Role: Personal Educator Optimum Learning: The Zone of Proximal Development Identifying Students' Zones of Proximal Development Scaffolding: Stretching Without Pulling The Right Amount of Interaction The Controlling Guide The Dispassionate Guide The Effective Guide Social Interaction With Peers Conversation Starters 6. Active Learning Active Learning: Hands-On, Minds-On The Emotional Side of Active Learning The Ingredients for Active Learning Materials Manipulation Choice Language Adult Support Conversation Starters Part III. Classroom Experiences 7. Key Science Experiences The Key Science Experiences A Wheel of Key Science Experiences Observing Representing Organizing Detecting Patterns and Questioning Experimenting Sharing Putting It All together The Key Science Experiences and Maturation Scaffolding for the Teacher Conversation Starters 8. Thinking Routines Getting In To the Learning in the Classroom Staying Active in the Learning Going Deeper Within the Learning Why Use Thinking Routines? Maturation and Thinking Routines Scaffolding Within Thinking Routines Scaffolding With Language Scaffolding With Tools Scaffolding With the Environment Gathering Your Balloons Conversation Starters 9. Planning Science Workshops What Is a Science Workshop? Whole-Group Instruction Thinking About Creating Workshops A Sample Workshop Unit Scaffolding Within Workshops Scaffolding Content Scaffolding for Student Needs: Differentiation Scaffolding the Key Science Experiences Tips for Getting Started With Workshops Why Workshops? Creating Your Own Workshops -- A Checklist Before a Unit Before a Workshop Conversation Starters Part IV. Science Is a Community Affair 10. Assessment Formative Assessment Features of Formative Assessment Formative Assessment and Motivation Task Orientation and Ego Involment Tools of Formative Assessment Helping Students Self-Assess Questioning as a Type of Formative Assessment Anecdotal Note Taking Student Journals Rubrics Portfolios Summative Assessments The Why of Assessing Conversation Starters 11. Access to Science in a Classroom Science Studios Access to Science Access to Materials Types of Materials Collecting and Organizing Materials Why Is Access to Materials Important? Supporting Students' Work With Materials Access to Science Spaces Physical Space Emotional Safety Adequate Time for Investigation Celebrations of Accomplishments Access to People Support From Teachers Collaboration With Peers Family Involvement Community Resources Access to the World Technology Field Trips The Great Outdoors The Best of Both Worlds: Laboratories and Studios for Children Conversation Starters 12. Connections to Curriculum Your Foundation: The Science Curriculum Study Your District Objectives Plan Units Around the Objectives The Next Layer: Integration Making the Curriculum Your Own Conversation Starters Part V. Resources Resource A: Safety Safety in the Classroom Safety and Active Learning Some Absolute Musts Resource B: Literature Children's Literature References Index

Talk‐Story: Perspectives of Children, Parents, and Community Leaders on Community Violence in Rural Hawaii

To enhance our understanding of what community violence means to a multiethnic school community in rural Hawaii and obtain people's perspectives of how to deal with and prevent violence-related behaviors among children. An exploratory design was used to collect qualitative data from a purposive sample of 150 key stakeholder participants, including 84 school children aged 5-10 years and 66 adults. Focus group methodology via Hawaiian island-style (culturally adapted techniques) of "talk-story" and a metaphor of introduction were used to elicit contextual data on the experiences, meanings, and perceptions of youth violence. Qualitative narrative analyses were used to analyze the data. Five higher order themes were found, including the need to: build a common understanding of what violence looks like; develop school-based identification, management, and prevention efforts; develop comprehensive school health services; develop state-level school health policies; and conduct outreach to make violence prevention a community affair. The findings will inform the development of a school-based culturally adapted violence-prevention program led by teachers, in partnership with parents, students, and community-cultural leaders.

Thales: His contribution to scientific knowledge

The cosmocentic period of Western Philosophy was a child of ‘circumstance'. This was because of the general dissatisfaction from Homer and Hesiod's explanations of the universe. Their accounts were based on mythology, which could not attract the attention and the fancy of the people for long. The cosmoscentic period of philosophy emerged very promising with: A systematic approach to the observable rather than on an ad-hoc basis; A focus on nature itself rather than supernatural gods and powers; Arguments which were open to inspection and test, instead of assertions based on mere authority. With these three major approaches, this period attempted diverse explanations of the phenomena in order to discern the underlying similarity, which could be termed as the ultimate stuff of the universe. This of course is the foundation of modern science (Shand, 2 – 4). So, as philosophy is not a community affair but a thought of a single individual, Thales emerged as the first to systematize his speculation in a scientific manner about the primary stuff of the universe and on other issues. That is why this paper is to presents to us the contribution of Thales to scientific knowledge. Of course, we are not going to discard his contribution based on what science is today but on what science was as of that time. Sophia: An African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 8(1) 2005: 130-135 Keywords : Keywords :