1.
Education
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Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has an effect on the way one thinks, feels. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy, in most regions education is compulsory up to a certain age. Etymologically, the education is derived from the Latin ēducātiō from ēducō which is related to the homonym ēdūcō from ē-. Education began in prehistory, as trained the young in the knowledge. In pre-literate societies this was achieved orally and through imitation, story-telling passed knowledge, values, and skills from one generation to the next. As cultures began to extend their knowledge beyond skills that could be learned through imitation. Schools existed in Egypt at the time of the Middle Kingdom, plato founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in Europe. The city of Alexandria in Egypt, established in 330 BCE, there, the great Library of Alexandria was built in the 3rd century BCE. European civilizations suffered a collapse of literacy and organization following the fall of Rome in CE476, after the Fall of Rome, the Catholic Church became the sole preserver of literate scholarship in Western Europe. The church established cathedral schools in the Early Middle Ages as centres of advanced education, some of these establishments ultimately evolved into medieval universities and forebears of many of Europes modern universities. During the High Middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral operated the famous, founded in 1088, the University of Bologne is considered the first, and the oldest continually operating university. The Renaissance in Europe ushered in a new age of scientific and intellectual inquiry and appreciation of ancient Greek, around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press, which allowed works of literature to spread more quickly. The European Age of Empires saw European ideas of education in philosophy, religion, arts, the Enlightenment saw the emergence of a more secular educational outlook in Europe. In most countries today, full-time education, whether at school or otherwise, is compulsory for all children up to a certain age, formal education occurs in a structured environment whose explicit purpose is teaching students. Usually, formal education takes place in a environment with classrooms of multiple students learning together with a trained, certified teacher of the subject. Most school systems are designed around a set of values or ideals that govern all educational choices in that system, such choices include curriculum, organizational models, design of the physical learning spaces, student-teacher interactions, methods of assessment, class size, educational activities, and more
2.
Belize
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Belize, formerly British Honduras, is an independent country on the eastern coast of Central America. Belize is bordered on the north by Mexico, on the south and west by Guatemala and its mainland is about 290 km long and 110 km wide. Belize has an area of 22,800 square kilometres and a population of 368,310 and it has the lowest population density in Central America. The countrys population growth rate of 1. 87% per year is the second highest in the region, Belizes abundance of terrestrial and marine species and its diversity of ecosystems gives it a key place in the globally significant Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Belize has a society, composed of many cultures and languages that reflect its rich history. English is the language of Belize, with Belizean Kriol being the unofficial language. Over half the population is multilingual, with Spanish being the second most common spoken language, Belize is considered a Central American and Caribbean nation with strong ties to both the Latin American and Caribbean regions. Belize is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch, Belize is known for its September Celebrations, its extensive coral reefs, and punta music. The origin of the name Belize remains unclear, the earliest known record of the name appears in the journal of the Dominican priest Fray José Delgado, dating to 1677. Delgado recorded the names of three rivers that he crossed while travelling north along the Caribbean coast, Rio Soyte, Rio Xibum. The names of these waterways, which correspond to the Sittee River, Sibun River and it is likely that Delgados Balis was actually the Mayan word belix, meaning muddy-watered. Others have suggested that the name derives from a Spanish pronunciation of the name of the Scottish buccaneer Peter Wallace, there is no proof that Wallace settled in this area and some scholars have characterized this claim as a myth. Writers and historians have suggested other possible etymologies, including postulated French. Many aspects of this culture persist in the area despite nearly 500 years of European domination, prior to about 2500 BC, some hunting and foraging bands settled in small farming villages, they later domesticated crops such as corn, beans, squash, and chili peppers. A profusion of languages and subcultures developed within the Maya core culture, between about 2500 BC and 250 AD, the basic institutions of Maya civilisation emerged. The peak of this occurred during the classic period, which began about 250 AD. The Maya civilisation spread across what is now Belize around 1500 BC, the recorded history of the middle and southern regions is dominated by Caracol, an urban political centre that may have supported over 140,000 people. North of the Maya Mountains, the most important political centre was Lamanai, in the late Classic Era of Maya civilisation, as many as 1 million people may have lived in the area that is now Belize
3.
Society of Jesus
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The Society of Jesus Latin, Societas Iesu, S. J. SJ or SI) is a religious congregation of the Catholic Church which originated in Spain. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents, Jesuits work in education, intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, and promote social justice, Ignatius of Loyola founded the society after being wounded in battle and experiencing a religious conversion. He composed the Spiritual Exercises to help others follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, ignatiuss plan of the orders organization was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 by a bull containing the Formula of the Institute. Ignatius was a nobleman who had a background, and the members of the society were supposed to accept orders anywhere in the world. The Society participated in the Counter-Reformation and, later, in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council, the Society of Jesus is consecrated under the patronage of Madonna Della Strada, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is led by a Superior General. The Society of Jesus on October 3,2016 announced that Superior General Adolfo Nicolás resignation was officially accepted, on October 14, the 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus elected Father Arturo Sosa as its thirty-first Superior General. The headquarters of the society, its General Curia, is in Rome, the historic curia of St. Ignatius is now part of the Collegio del Gesù attached to the Church of the Gesù, the Jesuit Mother Church. In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Jesuit Pope, the Jesuits today form the largest single religious order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church. As of 1 January 2015, Jesuits numbered 16,740,11,986 clerics regular,2,733 scholastics,1,268 brothers and 753 novices. In 2012, Mark Raper S. J. wrote, Our numbers have been in decline for the last 40 years—from over 30,000 in the 1960s to fewer than 18,000 today. The steep declines in Europe and North America and consistent decline in Latin America have not been offset by the significant increase in South Asia, the Society is divided into 83 Provinces with six Independent Regions and ten Dependent Regions. On 1 January 2007, members served in 112 nations on six continents with the largest number in India and their average age was 57.3 years,63.4 years for priests,29.9 years for scholastics, and 65.5 years for brothers. The current Superior General of the Jesuits is Arturo Sosa, the Society is characterized by its ministries in the fields of missionary work, human rights, social justice and, most notably, higher education. It operates colleges and universities in countries around the world and is particularly active in the Philippines. In the United States it maintains 28 colleges and universities and 58 high schools and he ensured that his formula was contained in two papal bulls signed by Pope Paul III in 1540 and by Pope Julius III in 1550. The formula expressed the nature, spirituality, community life and apostolate of the new religious order, the meeting is now commemorated in the Martyrium of Saint Denis, Montmartre
4.
Missionary
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A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to proselytize and/or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development. The word mission originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem, meaning act of sending or mittere, meaning to send. The word was used in light of its usage, in the Latin translation of the Bible. The term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but can be used for any creed or ideology, a Christian missionary can be defined as one who is to witness across cultures. The Lausanne Congress of 1974, defined the term, related to Christian mission as, Missionaries can be found in many countries around the world. Jesus instructed the apostles to make disciples of all nations and this verse is referred to by Christian missionaries as the Great Commission and inspires missionary work. The New Testament-era missionary outreach of the Christian church from the time of St Paul expanded throughout the Roman Empire and beyond to Persia, in 596, Pope Gregory the Great sent the Gregorian Mission into England. In their turn, Christians from Ireland and from Britain became prominent in converting the inhabitants of central Europe, about the same time, missionaries such as Francis Xavier as well as other Jesuits, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Dominicans started moving into Asia and the Far East. The Portuguese sent missions into Africa and these are some of the most well-known missions in history. While some missions accompanied imperialism and oppression, others were relatively peaceful, contemporary Christian missionaries argue that working for justice forms a constitutive part of preaching the Gospel, and observe the principles of inculturation in their missionary work. Over time, the Vatican gradually established a church structure in the mission areas, often starting with special jurisdictions known as apostolic prefectures. The two 9th-century saints Cyril and Methodius had extensive success in central Europe. The Byzantines expanded their work in Ukraine after a mass baptism in Kiev in 988. The Serbian Orthodox Church had its origins in the conversion by Byzantine missionaries of the Serb tribes when they arrived in the Balkans in the 7th century, Orthodox missionaries also worked successfully among the Estonians from the 10th to the 12th centuries, founding the Estonian Orthodox Church. The Russian St. Nicholas of Japan took Eastern Orthodoxy to Japan in the 19th century, the Russian Orthodox Church also sent missionaries to Alaska beginning in the 18th century, including Saint Herman of Alaska, to minister to the Native Americans. Quaker publishers of truth visited Boston and other mid-17th century colonies, the Danish government began the first organized Protestant mission work through its College of Missions, established in 1714. This funded and directed Lutheran missionaries such as Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg in Tranquebar, India and he also got to know a slave from the Danish colony in the West Indies. Within thirty years, Moravian missionaries had become active on every continent, and they are famous for their selfless work, living as slaves among the slaves and together with the Native Americans, the Delaware and Cherokee Indian tribes
5.
Jamaica
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Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea, consisting of the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles. The island,10,990 square kilometres in area, lies about 145 kilometres south of Cuba, Jamaica is the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean, by area. Inhabited by the indigenous Arawak and Taíno peoples, the island came under Spanish rule following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494, Many of the indigenous people died of disease, and the Spanish imported African slaves as labourers. Named Santiago, the island remained a possession of Spain until 1655, under British colonial rule Jamaica became a leading sugar exporter, with its plantation economy highly dependent on slaves imported from Africa. The British fully emancipated all slaves in 1838, and many chose to have subsistence farms rather than to work on plantations. Beginning in the 1840s, the British imported Chinese and Indian indentured labour to work on plantations, the island achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. With 2.8 million people, Jamaica is the third-most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, Kingston is the countrys capital and largest city, with a population of 937,700. Jamaicans predominately have African ancestry, with significant European, Chinese, Hakka, Indian, due to a high rate of emigration for work since the 1960s, Jamaica has a large diaspora around the world, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and her appointed representative in the country is the Governor-General of Jamaica, an office held by Sir Patrick Allen since 2009. Andrew Holness has served as the head of government and Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2016, the indigenous people, the Taíno, called it Xaymaca in Arawakan, meaning the Land of Wood and Water or the Land of Springs. Colloquially Jamaicans refer to their island as the Rock. Slang names such as Jamrock, Jamdown, or briefly Ja, have derived from this, the Arawak and Taíno indigenous people, originating in South America, settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC. When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1494, there were more than 200 villages ruled by caciques, the south coast of Jamaica was the most populated, especially around the area now known as Old Harbour. The Taino still inhabited Jamaica when the English took control of the island in 1655, the Jamaican National Heritage Trust is attempting to locate and document any evidence of the Taino/Arawak. Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494 and his probable landing point was Dry Harbour, now called Discovery Bay, although there is some debate that it might have been St. Anns Bay. St. Anns Bay was named Saint Gloria by Columbus, as the first sighting of the land, the capital was moved to Spanish Town, then called St. Jago de la Vega, around 1534. Spanish Town has the oldest cathedral of the British colonies in the Caribbean, the Spanish were forcibly evicted by the English at Ocho Rios in St. Ann. In 1655, the English, led by Sir William Penn and General Robert Venables, the English continued to import African slaves as labourers
6.
British Honduras
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British Honduras was the name of a territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, after it became a British Crown colony in 1862. In 1964 it became a self-governing colony, the colony was renamed Belize in June 1973 and gained full independence in September 1981. British Honduras was the last continental possession of the United Kingdom in the Americas, for history prior to 1862 and following 1981, see History of Belize and History of Belize#Independence. The Treaty of Versailles between Britain and Spain gave the British rights to cut logwood between the Hondo and Belize rivers, the Convention of London expanded this concession to include the area between the Belize and Sibun rivers. As the British consolidated their settlement and pushed deeper into the interior in search of mahogany in the late 18th century, in the second half of the 19th century, however, a combination of events outside and inside the colony redefined the position of the Maya. During the Caste War in Yucatán, a struggle that halved the population of the area between 1847 and 1855, thousands of refugees fled to the British settlement. The Legislative Assembly had given large landowners in the colony firm titles to their vast estates in 1855, the Maya could only rent land or live on reservations. Nevertheless, most of the refugees were small farmers who, by 1857, were growing quantities of sugar, rice, corn. In 1857 the town of Corozal, then six years old, had 4,500 inhabitants, second in only to Belize Town. By 1862 about 1,000 Maya established themselves in ten villages in this area, one group of Maya, led by Marcos Canul, attacked a mahogany camp on the Bravo River in 1866, demanding ransom for their prisoners and rent for their land. A detachment of British troops sent to San Pedro was defeated by the Maya later that year. Early in 1867, more than 300 British troops marched into the Yalbac Hills and destroyed the Mayan villages, provision stores, the Maya returned, however, and in April 1870, Canul and his men marched into Corozal and occupied the town. Two years later, Canul and 150 men attacked the barracks at Orange Walk, after several hours of fighting, Canuls group retired. Canul, mortally wounded, died on 1 September 1872 and that battle was the last serious attack on the colony. In the 1880s and 1890s, Mopán and Kekchí Maya fled from forced labour in Guatemala and they settled in several villages in southern British Honduras, mainly around San Antonio in Toledo District. The Maya could use Crown lands set aside as reservations, under the policy of indirect rule, a system of elected alcaldes, adopted from Spanish local government, linked these Maya to the colonial administration. The Mopán and Kekchí Maya maintained their languages and a sense of identity. But in the north, the distinction between Maya and Spanish was increasingly blurred, as a Mestizo culture emerged
7.
Belize City
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Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households and it is located at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a tributary of the Belize River. The Belize River empties into the Caribbean Sea 5 miles from Belize City on the Philip Goldson Highway on the coast of the Caribbean, the city is the countrys principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Several cruise ships drop anchor outside the port and are tendered by local citizens, the city was almost entirely destroyed in 1961 when Hurricane Hattie swept ashore on October 31. It was the capital of British Honduras until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970, Belize City was founded as Belize Town in 1638 by British lumber harvesters. It had been a small Maya city called Holzuz, Belize Town was ideal for the British as a central post because it was on the sea and a natural outlet for local rivers and creeks down which the British shipped logwood and mahogany. Belize Town also became the home of the thousands of African slaves brought in by the British to assist in the forest industry. It was the site for the 1798 Battle of St. Georges Caye, won by the British against would-be invaders. For this reason, historians say that the capital was the Colony. Belize Town slowly improved its infrastructure and has been the object of numerous infrastructural projects, the city has also been hit hard by Hurricane Richard and by the 2016 Hurricane Earl. Fires on Northside and Southside have burnt out great stretches of housing, the city is also susceptible to flooding problems in the rainy season, but timely repairs and a letup in the rain usually help. Belize City spreads out Mile 6 on the Western Highway and Mile 5 on the Northern Highway, politically, it is divided into ten constituencies, described below. Freetown, the westernmost constituency on Northside, is home to the Belama, Coral Grove, Buttonwood Bay, within the city proper it extends up to around the former Belize Technical College area. Caribbean Shores includes Kings Park, a suburb north and west of Freetown Road, West Landivar. Pickstock inhabits the banks of the Haulover Creek extending to Barrack Road, St. Johns Cathedral stands on the southern end of Albert Street. St. John’s is the oldest Anglican Church in Central America, the orange bricks came to Belize aboard British ships as ballast. Construction began in 1812, and the church was completed in 1820, St. John’s is the only Anglican cathedral in the world outside England where the crowning of kings took place. Fort George is perhaps the most colonial area in the City and contains Memorial Park, the Baron Bliss Grave and Baron Bliss Lighthouse, on the Southside, Lake Independence, Collet and Port Loyola are home to some of the citys poorest residents
8.
Peace Corps
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The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government. The work is related to social and economic development. Each program participant, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen, typically with a college degree, Volunteers work with governments, schools, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, and entrepreneurs in education, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment. After 24 months of service, volunteers can request an extension of service, from 1961 to 2015, nearly 220,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps and served in 141 countries. The Peace Corps shows the willingness of Americans to work at the level in order to help underdeveloped countries meet their needs. The Peace Corps has affected the way people of other countries view Americans, how Americans view other countries, following the end of World War II, various members of the United States Congress proposed bills to establish volunteer organizations in developing countries. In that calling, these men would follow the work done by the religious missionaries in these countries over the past 100 years. In 1952 Senator Brien McMahon proposed an army of young Americans to act as missionaries of democracy, privately funded nonreligious organizations began sending volunteers overseas during the 1950s. The President, knowing how I felt, asked me to introduce legislation for all three, I introduced the first Peace Corps bill in 1957. It did not meet with much enthusiasm, Some traditional diplomats quaked at the thought of thousands of young Americans scattered across their world. Many senators, including liberal ones, thought it silly and an unworkable idea, now, with a young president urging its passage, it became possible and we pushed it rapidly through the Senate. It is fashionable now to suggest that Peace Corps Volunteers gained as much or more and that may be true, but it ought not demean their work. They touched many lives and made them better, Only in 1959, however, did the idea receive serious attention in Washington when Congressman Henry S. Reuss of Wisconsin proposed a Point Four Youth Corps. In 1960, he and Senator Richard L. Neuberger of Oregon introduced identical measures calling for a study of the ideas advisability and practicability. Both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee endorsed the study, in this form it became law in June 1960. He later dubbed the proposed organization the Peace Corps, a brass marker commemorates the place where Kennedy stood. In the weeks after the 1960 election, the group at Colorado State University. Kennedys opponent, Richard M. Nixon, predicted it would become a cult of escapism, others doubted whether recent graduates had the necessary skills and maturity
9.
CARE (relief agency)
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CARE is a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Founded in 1945, CARE is nonsectarian, impartial, and non-governmental and it is one of the largest and oldest humanitarian aid organizations focused on fighting global poverty. In 2014, CARE reported working in 90 countries, supporting 880 poverty-fighting projects and humanitarian aid projects, CARE also advocates at the local, national, and international levels for policy change and the rights of poor people. Within each of these areas, CARE focuses particularly on empowering and meeting the needs of women and girls, CARE International is a confederation of fourteen CARE National Members, each of which is registered as an autonomous non-profit non-governmental organization in the country. CARE, then the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe, was founded on November 27,1945. World War II had ended in August of the same year, after pressure from the public and Congress, President Harry S. Truman agreed to let private organizations provide relief for those starving due to the war. CARE was initially a consortium of twenty-two American charities with the purpose of delivering aid to Europe in the aftermath of World War II. The organization delivered its first food packages in 1946, President Truman bought the first CARE package. CARE guaranteed delivery within four months to anyone in Europe, even if they had left their last known address, because European postal services were unreliable at the time these signed receipts were sometimes the first confirmation that the recipient had survived the war. The first CARE Packages were in fact surplus “Ten-in-One” US army rations packs, in early 1946 CARE purchased 2.8 million of these warehoused rations packs, originally intended for the invasion of Japan, and began advertising in America. On May 11,1946, six months after the agencys incorporation and these packages contained staples such as canned meats, powdered milk, dried fruits, and fats along with a few comfort items such as chocolate, coffee, and cigarettes. 1946 also marked CAREs first expansion out of the US with the establishment of an office in Canada, by early 1947 the supply of Ten-in-One ration packs had been exhausted and CARE began assembling its own packages. These new packages were designed with the help of a nutritionist, by 1949 CARE offered and shipped more than twelve different packages. These unspecified donations continued and in early 1948 CAREs Board voted narrowly to officially move towards unspecified donations, the US Agricultural Act of 1949 made surplus US agricultural products available to be shipped abroad as aid either directly by the US government or by NGOs including CARE. In 1954 Public Law 480, also known as the Food for Peace Act, although the organizations mission had originally been focused on Europe, in July 1948 CARE opened its first non-European mission, in Japan. Deliveries to China and Korea followed, which CARE described as aid to areas implicated by WWII, in 1949 CARE entered the developing world for the first time, launching programs in the Philippines. Projects in India, Pakistan, and Mexico began soon after,1949 also marked CAREs first expansion into non-food aid with the development of self-help packages containing tools for farming, carpentry, and other trades. In 1953, because of its expansion to projects outside Europe, other Board members however felt that CAREs mission should continue albeit with a new focus on the developing world
10.
People's United Party
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The Peoples United Party is one of two major political parties in Belize. It is currently the opposition party with 12 of 31 seats in the House of Representatives. It is a centre-left Christian democratic party, the party leader is Johnny Briceño, who currently serves as Belizes Leader of the Opposition. The PUP was founded in 1950 as a party while the country was ruled by the United Kingdom as British Honduras. Under George Cadle Price the PUP played a role in negotiating Belizes self-government in 1964. The PUP dominated local British Honduran and later Belizean politics from the mid-1950s until 1984, the UDP has been the partys main opposition since the early 1970s. Under Prices leadership, the PUP returned to power in 1989 but was defeated by the UDP again in 1993, after Prices retirement in 1996, the PUP won a landslide victory in 1998 under the leadership of Said Musa. The PUP won 22 of the 29 seats in the House of Representatives in 2003 and it subsequently held 21 seats after losing one to the UDP in a by-election in October 2003 after the death of one of its House members. After nearly 10 years in power under Musa the PUP decisively lost the February 2008 election to the UDP, the party remains in opposition after the 2012 election, in which it was narrowly defeated by the UDP. Among the Unions leaders were Clifford Betson, Antonio Soberanis, Henry Middleton, on December 31,1949, an incident occurred that would force them to act. On this date, a Saturday, the Governor devalued the Belize dollar after previously insisting he would not do so, an ad hoc committee, the Peoples Committee, was formed in January 1950 and began to speak out against this unwelcome act in particular and colonialism in general. A wave of anti-British and anti-colonial sentiment struck British Honduras that had never before been seen, the PC found that almost overnight it had become the salvation of the people. Belizeans rapidly accepted the new partys statements against colonialism and exploitation of the masses, on February 12,1950, a crowd of 10,000 marched to Government House in Belize City and proceeded to stone the houses of supposed pro-British elements. A meeting at the Battlefield Park in central Belize City was teargassed by police, and it was the first time that Belizeans had spoken so forcefully against British colonial policy and on a national level, featuring men and women. By April, the PC/PUP had infiltrated the General Workers Union, by September 1950, an overworked PC was forced to admit that it had overreached itself and that the work of enlightening British Hondurans was the vein of a political party. Its members agreed unanimously to the dissolving of the PC and the birth of the PUP on September 29,1950, a draft constitutional report prepared to examine Belizes readiness for development appeared in April 1951. It argued that the British system allowed Belizeans to the fruits of their labours and its views reflected those of the middle class of merchants and colonial supporters who saw no reason for change. The colonialists also sought to support, and created a National Party in August 1951 to oppose the PUP
11.
European Economic Community
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The European Economic Community was a regional organisation which aimed to bring about economic integration among its member states. It was created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957, upon the formation of the European Union in 1993, the EEC was incorporated and renamed as the European Community. In 2009 the ECs institutions were absorbed into the EUs wider framework and it gained a common set of institutions along with the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community as one of the European Communities under the 1965 Merger Treaty. In 1993, a single market was achieved, known as the internal market, which allowed for the free movement of goods, capital, services. In 1994, the market was formalised by the EEA agreement. This agreement also extended the market to include most of the member states of the European Free Trade Association. Upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 and this was also when the three European Communities, including the EC, were collectively made to constitute the first of the three pillars of the European Union, which the treaty also founded. The EEC was also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking countries and sometimes referred to as the European Community even before it was renamed as such in 1993. In 1951, the Treaty of Paris was signed, creating the European Coal and this was an international community based on supranationalism and international law, designed to help the economy of Europe and prevent future war by integrating its members. In the aim of creating a federal Europe two further communities were proposed, a European Defence Community and a European Political Community. While the treaty for the latter was being drawn up by the Common Assembly, the ECSC parliamentary chamber, after the Messina Conference in 1955, Paul Henri Spaak was given the task to prepare a report on the idea of a customs union. The so-called Spaak Report of the Spaak Committee formed the cornerstone of the negotiations at Val Duchesse castle in 1956. Together with the Ohlin Report the Spaak Report would provide the basis for the Treaty of Rome, in 1956, Paul Henri Spaak led the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the Val Duchesse castle, which prepared for the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The conference led to the signature, on 25 March 1957, the resulting communities were the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. These were markedly less supranational than the communities, due to protests from some countries that their sovereignty was being infringed. The first formal meeting of the Hallstein Commission, was held on 16 January 1958 at the Chateau de Val-Duchesse, the EEC was to create a customs union while Euratom would promote co-operation in the nuclear power sphere. The EEC rapidly became the most important of these and expanded its activities, one of the first important accomplishments of the EEC was the establishment of common price levels for agricultural products. In 1968, internal tariffs were removed on certain products, another crisis was triggered in regard to proposals for the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy, which came into force in 1962
12.
Belmopan
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Belmopan is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451, although the smallest capital city in the continental Americas by population, Belmopan is the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and San Ignacio. Founded as a community in 1970, Belmopan is one of the newest national capital cities in the world. Since 2000 Belmopan has been one of two settlements in Belize to hold city status, along with Belize City. Belmopan is located in Cayo District at an altitude of 76 metres above sea level. Belmopan was constructed just to the east of the Belize River,80 km inland from the former capital, the government was moved to Belmopan in 1970. Its National Assembly Building is designed to resemble a Pre-Columbian Maya temple and this new capital would be on better terrain, would entail no costly reclamation of land, and would provide for an industrial area. In 1962, a committee chose the site now known as Belmopan,82 kilometres west of the old capital of Belize City, since Belize was a British colony in 1964, Premier George Cadle Price led a delegation to London to seek funds to finance the new capital. Although they were not ready to commit to funding such a large project, to encourage financial commitment from the British government, Premier Price and the PUP government invited Anthony Greenwood, Secretary of State for the Commonwealth and Colonies, to visit Belize. One of the highlights of this visit was the unveiling of a monument at mile 49 on the Western Highway, the monument records that Lord Greenwood dedicated the site for the new capital on 9 October 1965. Thus, in a fashion, there was a commitment, the initial estimated cost for building this new city was 40 million Belize dollars. Only 20 million Belize dollars were available, but the momentum was not to be lost, in 1967, work began, the first phase of the new city was completed in 1970 at a cost of 24 million Belize dollars. From 1970 to 2000 the administration of Belmopan was managed by the Reconstruction and Development Corporation, Recondev was vested with the power and authority to provide, or cause to be provided, the municipal functions necessary for the smooth running of the citys business and infrastructure. The British High Commission opened in 1981 when Belize achieved independence, in February 2005, the United States government broke ground and started building a new embassy in Belmopan,43 years after it was chosen as the new capital city. The U. S. embassy was opened on 11 December 2006. Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Venezuela also have embassies in Belmopan, while Ecuador, Chile, however, with four embassies and 29 consulates the former capital of Belize City still has most of the countrys foreign diplomatic community. The city layout centers around the Ring Road which is just under 4 km in circumference, the majority of government buildings are situated either within or around the Ring Road, and a large area within the Ring Road is also given to parkland. The National Assembly Building is the point of the citys design, with the grey stone architecture and broad steps designed to resemble a Mayan temple
13.
United Democratic Party (Belize)
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The United Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Belize. It is the party, having won the 2008,2012 and 2015 general elections. It also holds the mayoralty of the countrys largest city, Belize City, a centre-right conservative party, the UDP is led by Prime Minister of Belize Dean Barrow. In 1973 political opposition in Belize was weak and the ruling Peoples United Party had never lost an election since its foundation. The main opposition parties, the National Independence Party and the Peoples Development Movement met together with a new Liberal Party to consider forming an alliance to fight the PUP, the resulting merger formed the United Democratic Party on 27 September 1973. Controversially, a significant portion of the United Black Association for Development also voted to join the UDP upon foundation, the UDPs first electoral test was the 1974 general election in which it fielded candidates nationwide except in Corozal District, where it supported candidates from the Corozal United Front. It won six seats, and was within 18 votes of winning three more, former Peoples Development Movement head Dean Lindo was subsequently named party leader. The party had success in elections during the 1970s. Its representation in the House of Representatives dropped to five seats, in December 1983 the UDP won Belize City Council elections and the following year they were victorious in the general elections, winning 21 of the 28 seats. However, they lost power in the 1989 elections, winning 13 seats to the PUPs 15, for the 1993 elections the party formed an alliance with the National Alliance for Belizean Rights. The alliance won 16 of the 29 seats, with the UDP taking fifteen, however, they were soundly defeated in the 1998 elections as the PUP won 26 of the 29 seats, after which Esquivel was replaced by Barrow as party leader. The PUP remained in power following the 2003 elections, in which the UDP only won seven seats, after ten years in opposition, the UDP won the 2008 general elections, taking 25 of the 31 seats. Dean Lindo Theodore Aranda Curl Thompson Manuel Esquivel Dean Barrow Official website The Guardian Party newspaper
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Ferris State University
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Ferris State University is an American public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school was noteworthy at its time for accepting female students beginning with its first graduating class and it is also the only public university in Michigan to be founded by an individual. Today Ferris is the ninth-largest university in the state with 14,560 students studying on its campus, at one of the 19 off-campus locations across the state. Two- and four-year degrees are offered through eight colleges and graduate degrees from six. The school is known for having a faculty–student ratio of 1,16, Woodbridge Nathan Ferris was born January 6,1853 in a log cabin near Spencer, Tioga County, New York, the son of John Ferris, Jr. and Stella Reed Ferris. As a child, Woodbridge attended a public school, which he claimed, was the horror of his life. He did learn to read fairly well there, however, and his father was slightly deaf, and Ferris had to learn to speak clearly in order for his father to hear, because his father objected to the practice of merely reading loudly. The practice of clear enunciation, learned at an age, was a great help to Ferris in his later life as a speechmaker. When he was 14 years old, Ferris entered the academy at Spencer, NY, at the age of 16, Ferris attended his first teaching institute at Waverly, NY, and shortly afterwards began his first teaching job. Later, in spring of 1871, Ferris entered the Oswego Normal and Training School at Oswego. At Oswego Ferris came under the tutelage of Hermann Krusi, instructor of drawing, Krusi was the son of the chief assistant to Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi at Pestalozzis school in Switzerland. Oswego Normal during its formative years was pushing the Pestalozzian theory of learning by doing rather than through theory, at Oswego, Ferris met Helen Gillespie, who later became his wife. In early 1874, Ferris became the principal of Spencer Free Academy and he married Helen Gillespie who also served as a teacher at Spencer. At the end of the year at Spencer, the Ferrises decided not to continue in public school work. That dream led Mr. Ferris through several ventures involving private education, in 1879, Ferris once again entered public education as superintendent of schools in Pittsfield, IL. He held this position for five years, leaving it vowing never again to be involved in public education, in May 1884, he moved his family to Big Rapids, MI with the intention of opening a private school. The Big Rapids Industrial School, forerunner of Ferris State University, in addition to his role as an educator, Ferris ran for and was elected to the office of Governor of the State of Michigan in 1912. His overwhelming popularity also got him elected to the office of US Senator in 1922. Woodbridge Ferris died on March 23,1928, a thousand Ferris students and townspeople gathered at the train station standing in the drizzling rain in silent tribute as the funeral train pulled in
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Primary education
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Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of compulsory education, coming between early childhood education and secondary education. Primary education usually takes place in a school or elementary school. In some countries, primary education is followed by school, an educational stage which exists in some countries. In order to achieve the goal by 2015, the United Nations estimated that all children at the entry age for primary school would have had to have been attending classes by 2009. This would depend on the duration of the level, as well as how well the schools retain students until the end of the cycle. As of 2010, the number of new teachers needed in sub-Saharan Africa alone, however, the gender gap for children not in education had also been narrowed. Between 1999 and 2008, the number of not in education worldwide had decreased from 57 percent to 53 percent, however it should also be noted that in some regions. According to the United Nations, there are things in the regions that have already been accomplished. The country doubled its enrollment ratio over the same period, other regions in Latin America such as Guatemala and Nicaragua as well as Zambia in Southern Africa broke through the 90 percent towards greater access to primary education. In Australia, students undertake preschool then 13 years of schooling before moving to vocational or higher education, Primary schooling for most children starts after they turn 5 years old. In most states, children can be enrolled earlier at the discretion of individual school principals on the basis of intellectual giftedness, in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory, ACT and Tasmania students then move through Kindergarten/Preparatory School/Reception and Years 1 to 6 before starting high school. Pre-School/Kindergarten,4 to 5 years old Prep, currently, at the age of 6 children attend from the grade 1 to 4 what is called Ensino Primário, and afterwards from grade 5 to 9 the Ensino Fundamental. At the age of 15 the teenagers go to Ensino Médio, which is equivalent High School in other countries, Primary school is mandatory and consists in nine years called Ensino Fundamental, separated in Ensino Fundamental I and Ensino Fundamental II. Primary school is followed by the three years called Ensino Médio. 1st grade, 15- to 16-year-olds, 2nd grade, 16- to 17-year-olds, 3rd grade, in Canada, primary school usually begins at ages three or four, starting with either Kindergarten or Grade 1 and lasts until age 13 or 14. Many places in Canada have a split between primary and elementary schools, in Nova Scotia elementary school is the most common term. The provincial government of Nova Scotia uses the term Primary instead of Kindergarten, most children are pupils in the Danish Folkeskolen, which has the current grades, Kindergarten, 3–6 years https, //meta. wikimedia. The first three grades of school are called Algkool which can be translated as beginning school and can be confused with primary school
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Secondary education
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Secondary education covers two phases on the ISCED scale. Level 2 or junior secondary education is considered the second and final phase of basic education, every country aims to provide basic education, but the systems and terminology remain unique to them. Secondary education typically takes place six years of primary education and is followed by higher education. In most countries it is compulsory for students between the ages 11 and 16, Compulsory education sometimes extends to age 19. In classical and mediaeval times secondary education was provided by the church for the sons of nobility and to boys preparing for universities, as trade required navigational and scientific skills the church reluctantly expanded the curriculum and widened the intake. As late as 1868, secondary schools were organised to satisfy the needs of different social classes with the labouring classes getting 4yrs, the merchant class 5yrs, only then did it become accepted that girls could be sent to school. The rights to an education were codified after 1945, and countries are still working to achieve the goal of mandatory. It is at this education level, particularly in its first cycle. Within a country these can be implemented in different ways, with different age levels, Level 1 and Level 2, that is primary education and lower secondary together form basic education. Though they may be dated they do provide a set of definitions. The educational aim is to complete provision of education, completing the delivery of basic skills. The end of secondary education often coincides with the end of compulsory education in countries where that exists. There are also vocational schools that last only three years. Secondary schools supply students with primary subjects needed for the work environment in Croatia. People who completed secondary school are classified as medium expertise, there are currently around 90 gymnasiums and some 300 vocational schools in Croatia. The public secondary schools are under the jurisdiction of regional government, the two secondary phases are the Gymnasium followed by Eniaio Lykeio or Unified Lyceum. The third phase is the Post-secondary education consisting of public institutions or universities. Due to historic reasons, the Czech school system is almost the same as the German school system, the school system is free and mandatory until age 15
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Tertiary education
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Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage, third level, and post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of a school providing a secondary education. Tertiary education generally culminates in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, Tertiary education includes further education, as well as higher education. Since the 1970s specialized FE colleges called “tertiary colleges” have been set up to courses such as A Levels. An early example of this expanded in September 1982 as part of a reorganization of education in the Halesowen area which also saw three-tier education axed after just 10 years in force. In some areas where schools do not universally offer sixth forms, unlike sixth form colleges, the staff join lecturers rather than teachers unions. Within Australia Tertiary Education refers to continuing studies after a students Higher School Certificate and it also refers to any education a student receives after there final compulsory schooling, which occurs at the age of 17 within Australia. Tertiary Education options include University, TAFE or private colleges, List of countries by tertiary education attainment Education by country List of universities and colleges by country Brick, Jean. Academic Culture, A Students Guide to Studying at University, sydney, N. S. W, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research
18.
Test (assessment)
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A test or examination is an assessment intended to measure a test-takers knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics. A test may be administered verbally, on paper, on a computer, Tests vary in style, rigor and requirements. A test may be administered formally or informally, an example of an informal test would be a reading test administered by a parent to a child. An example of a formal test would be an examination administered by a teacher in a classroom or an I. Q. test administered by a psychologist in a clinic. Formal testing often results in a grade or a test score, a test score may be interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by analysis of a large number of participants. An exam is meant to test a childs knowledge or willingness to give time to manipulate that subject, a standardized test is any test that is administered and scored in a consistent manner to ensure legal defensibility. Standardized tests are used in education, professional certification, psychology, the military. A non-standardized test is flexible in scope and format, variable in difficulty. Since these tests are developed by individual instructors, the format. A non-standardized test may be used to determine the level of students, to motivate students to study. Finally, the frequency and setting by which a non-standardized tests are administered are highly variable and are constrained by the duration of the class period. A class instructor may for example, administer a test on a basis or just twice a semester. Depending on the policy of the instructor or institution, the duration of each test itself may last for five minutes to an entire class period. In contrasts to non-standardized tests, standardized tests are used, fixed in terms of scope, difficulty and format. Although there is variability between different copies of the same type of standardized test, there is variability between different types of standardized tests. Any test with important consequences for the individual test taker is referred to as a high-stakes test, a test may be developed and administered by an instructor, a clinician, a governing body, or a test provider. In some instances, the developer of the test may not be responsible for its administration
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Curriculum
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In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often specifically to a planned sequence of instruction. Curriculum may incorporate the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, Curriculum is split into several categories, the explicit, the implicit, the excluded and the extra-curricular. Curricula may be standardized, or may include a high level of instructor or learner autonomy. Many countries have national curricula in primary and secondary education, such as the United Kingdoms National Curriculum, uNESCOs International Bureau of Education has the primary mission of studying curricula and their implementation worldwide. The word curriculum began as a Latin word which means a race or the course of a race, the first known use in an educational context is in the Professio Regia, a work by University of Paris professor Petrus Ramus published posthumously in 1576. The term subsequently appears in University of Leiden records in 1582, the words origins appear closely linked to the Calvinist desire to bring greater order to education. By the seventeenth century, the University of Glasgow also referred to its course of study as a curriculum, by the nineteenth century, European universities routinely referred to their curriculum to describe both the complete course of study and particular courses and their content. There is no agreed upon definition of curriculum. Braslavsky states that curriculum is an agreement among communities, educational professionals, furthermore, the curriculum defines why, what, when, where, how, and with whom to learn. Outlines the skills, performances, attitudes, and values pupils are expected to learn from schooling and it includes statements of desired pupil outcomes, descriptions of materials, and the planned sequence that will be used to help pupils attain the outcomes. The total learning experience provided by a school and it includes the content of courses, the methods employed, and other aspects, like norms and values, which relate to the way the school is organized. The aggregate of courses of study given in a learning environment, the courses are arranged in a sequence to make learning a subject easier. In schools, a curriculum spans several grades, Curriculum can refer to the entire program provided by a classroom, school, district, state, or country. A classroom is assigned sections of the curriculum as defined by the school, implicit curriculum, lessons that arise from the culture of the school and the behaviors, attitudes, and expectations that characterize that culture, the unintended curriculum. The term itself is attributed to Philip W. Jackson and is not always meant to be a negative, hidden curriculum, if its potential is realized, could benefit students and learners in all educational systems. Also, it not just include the physical environment of the school. Excluded curriculum, topics or perspectives that are excluded from the curriculum
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Anglicanism
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Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising the Church of England and churches which are historically tied to it or hold similar beliefs, worship practices and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to the Magna Carta and before, adherents of Anglicanism are called Anglicans. As the name suggests, the churches of the Anglican Communion are linked by bonds of tradition, affection and they are in full communion with the See of Canterbury, and thus the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his person, is a unique focus of Anglican unity. He calls the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference, chairs the meeting of primates, Anglicans base their Christian faith on the Bible, traditions of the apostolic Church, apostolic succession, and writings of the Church Fathers. Anglicanism forms one of the branches of Western Christianity, having declared its independence from the Holy See at the time of the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. Many of the new Anglican formularies of the mid-16th century corresponded closely to those of contemporary Protestantism, the word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English Church. Adherents of Anglicanism are called Anglicans, as an adjective, Anglican is used to describe the people, institutions and churches, as well as the liturgical traditions and theological concepts developed by the Church of England. As a noun, an Anglican is a member of a church in the Anglican Communion, the word is also used by followers of separated groups which have left the communion or have been founded separately from it, although this is sometimes considered as a misuse. The word Anglicanism came into being in the 19th century, although the term Anglican is found referring to the Church of England as far back as the 16th century, its use did not become general until the latter half of the 19th century. Elsewhere, however, the term Anglican Church came to be preferred as it distinguished these churches from others that maintain an episcopal polity, as such, it is often referred to as being a via media between these traditions. Anglicans understand the Old and New Testaments as containing all necessary for salvation and as being the rule. Reason and Tradition are seen as means to interpret Scripture. Anglicans understand the Apostles Creed as the symbol and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith. Anglicans celebrate the sacraments, with special emphasis being given to the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion. Unique to Anglicanism is the Book of Common Prayer, the collection of services that worshippers in most Anglican churches used for centuries and it was called common prayer originally because it was intended for use in all Church of England churches which had previously followed differing local liturgies. The term was kept when the church became international because all Anglicans used to share in its use around the world, in 1549, the first Book of Common Prayer was compiled by Thomas Cranmer, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. The founding of Christianity in Britain is commonly attributed to Joseph of Arimathea, according to Anglican legend, Saint Alban, who was executed in 209 AD, is the first Christian martyr in the British Isles. A new culture emerged around the Irish Sea among the Celtic peoples with Celtic Christianity at its core, what resulted was a form of Christianity distinct from Rome in many traditions and practices
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Methodism
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Methodism, or the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and Johns brother Charles Wesley were also significant leaders in the movement and it originated as a revival within the 18th century Church of England and became a separate Church after Wesleys death. Because of vigorous missionary work, the movement spread throughout the British Empire, Wesleys theology focused on sanctification and the effect of faith on the character of a Christian. Distinguishing Methodist doctrines include an assurance of salvation, imparted righteousness, the possibility of perfection in love, the works of piety and the primacy of Scripture. Most Methodists teach that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for all of humanity and that salvation is available for all, in theology and this teaching rejects the Calvinist position that God has pre-ordained the salvation of a select group of people. However, Whitefield and several others were considered Calvinistic Methodists and held to the latter position, Methodism emphasises charity and support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the works of mercy. These ideals are put into practice by the establishment of hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens and schools to follow Christs command to spread the gospel, the movement has a wide variety of forms of worship, ranging from high church to low church in liturgical usage. Denominations that descend from the British Methodist tradition are generally less ritualistic, Methodism is known for its rich musical tradition and Charles Wesley was instrumental in writing much of the hymnody of the Methodist Church. In Britain, the Methodist Church had an effect in the early decades of the making of the working class. In the United States, it became the religion of many slaves who later formed black churches in the Methodist tradition. The Methodist revival began with a group of men, including John Wesley and his younger brother Charles, the Wesley brothers founded the Holy Club at the University of Oxford, where John was a fellow and later a lecturer at Lincoln College. The club met weekly and they set about living a holy life. They were accustomed to receiving Communion every week, fasting regularly, abstaining from most forms of amusement and luxury and frequently visited the sick, the fellowship were branded as Methodist by their fellow students because of the way they used rule and method to go about their religious affairs. John, who was leader of the club, took the attempted mockery, unsuccessful in their work, the brothers returned to England conscious of their lack of genuine Christian faith. They looked for help to Peter Boehler and other members of the Moravian Church, at a Moravian service in Aldersgate on 24 May 1738, John experienced what has come to be called his evangelical conversion, when he felt his heart strangely warmed. Charles had reported an experience an few days previously. Considered a pivotal moment, Daniel L. John Wesley came under the influence of the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, Arminius had rejected the Calvinist teaching that God had pre-ordained an elect number of people to eternal bliss while others perished eternally. Conversely, George Whitefield, Howell Harris, and Selina Hastings, George Whitefield, returning from his own mission in Georgia, joined the Wesley brothers in what was rapidly to become a national crusade
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Vocational education
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Craft vocations are usually based on manual or practical activities and are traditionally non-academic but related to a specific trade or occupation. Vocational education is referred to as career education or technical education. Vocational education can take place at the secondary, post-secondary, further education, and higher education level, however, online vocational education has grown in popularity, and made it easier than ever for students to learn various trade skills and soft skills from established professionals in the industry. Wilhelm von Humboldts educational model goes beyond vocational training, if this basis is laid through schooling, vocational skills are easily acquired later on, and a person is always free to move from one occupation to another, as so often happens in life. In Australia vocational education and training is mostly post-secondary and provided through the vocational education, however some senior schools do offer school-based apprenticeships and traineeships for students in years 10,11 and 12. Australia’s apprenticeship system includes both apprenticeships in trades and traineeships in other more service-oriented occupations. Both involve a legal contract between the employer and the apprentice or trainee and provide a combination of school-based and workplace training, Apprenticeships typically last three to four years, traineeships only one to two years. Apprentices and trainees receive a wage which increases as they progress through the training scheme and this allows national portability of qualifications and units of competency. A crucial feature of the package is that the content of the vocational qualifications is theoretically defined by industry. A Training Package is owned by one of 11 Industry Skills Councils which are responsible for developing and reviewing the qualifications, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research or NCVER is a not-for-profit company owned by the federal, state and territory ministries responsible for training. It is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and communicating research and statistics about vocational education, the boundaries between vocational education and tertiary education are becoming more blurred. A number of training providers such as Melbourne Polytechnic, BHI. Such applied courses include equine studies, winemaking and viticulture, aquaculture, information technology, music, illustration, culinary management, the largest and the most unified system of vocational education was created in the Soviet Union with the professionalno-tehnicheskoye uchilische and Tehnikum. But it became effective with the transition of the economies of post-Soviet countries to a market economy. Education and training is the responsibility of states, but the single European labour market makes some cooperation on education imperative, including on vocational education. The process is based on mutually agreed priorities that are reviewed periodically, much of the activity is monitored by Cedefop, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. In Finland, vocational education belongs to secondary education, after the nine-year comprehensive school, almost all students choose to go to either a lukio, which is an institution preparing students for tertiary education, or to a vocational school. Both forms of secondary education last three years, and give a qualification to enter university or ammattikorkeakoulu, i. e. Finnish polytechnics
23.
Library of Congress
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The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States, the Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D. C. it also maintains the Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia, which houses the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. The Library of Congress claims to be the largest library in the world and its collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 450 languages. Two-thirds of the books it acquires each year are in other than English. The Library of Congress moved to Washington in 1800, after sitting for years in the temporary national capitals of New York. John J. Beckley, who became the first Librarian of Congress, was two dollars per day and was required to also serve as the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The small Congressional Library was housed in the United States Capitol for most of the 19th century until the early 1890s, most of the original collection had been destroyed by the British in 1814, during the War of 1812. To restore its collection in 1815, the bought from former president Thomas Jefferson his entire personal collection of 6,487 books. After a period of growth, another fire struck the Library in its Capitol chambers in 1851, again destroying a large amount of the collection. The Library received the right of transference of all copyrighted works to have two copies deposited of books, maps, illustrations and diagrams printed in the United States. It also began to build its collections of British and other European works and it included several stories built underground of steel and cast iron stacks. Although the Library is open to the public, only high-ranking government officials may check out books, the Library promotes literacy and American literature through projects such as the American Folklife Center, American Memory, Center for the Book, and Poet Laureate. James Madison is credited with the idea for creating a congressional library, part of the legislation appropriated $5,000 for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress. And for fitting up an apartment for containing them. Books were ordered from London and the collection, consisting of 740 books and 3 maps, was housed in the new Capitol, as president, Thomas Jefferson played an important role in establishing the structure of the Library of Congress. The new law also extended to the president and vice president the ability to borrow books and these volumes had been left in the Senate wing of the Capitol. One of the only congressional volumes to have survived was a government account book of receipts and it was taken as a souvenir by a British Commander whose family later returned it to the United States government in 1940. Within a month, former president Jefferson offered to sell his library as a replacement
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Federal Research Division
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The Federal Research Division is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Program is run by the Federal Research Division, the Federal Research Program of the Library of Congress was authorized by the United States Congress in accordance with the Library of Congress Fiscal Operations Improvement Act of 2000. FRD has provided custom products and services on a basis to entities of the Federal government of the United States since 1948. It also is authorized to provide the services to governmental entities of Washington. The Federal Research Division is located on the floor of the John Adams Building in Washington
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Public domain
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The term public domain has two senses of meaning. Anything published is out in the domain in the sense that it is available to the public. Once published, news and information in books is in the public domain, in the sense of intellectual property, works in the public domain are those whose exclusive intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable. Examples for works not covered by copyright which are therefore in the domain, are the formulae of Newtonian physics, cooking recipes. Examples for works actively dedicated into public domain by their authors are reference implementations of algorithms, NIHs ImageJ. The term is not normally applied to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, as rights are country-based and vary, a work may be subject to rights in one country and be in the public domain in another. Some rights depend on registrations on a basis, and the absence of registration in a particular country, if required. Although the term public domain did not come into use until the mid-18th century, the Romans had a large proprietary rights system where they defined many things that cannot be privately owned as res nullius, res communes, res publicae and res universitatis. The term res nullius was defined as not yet appropriated. The term res communes was defined as things that could be enjoyed by mankind, such as air, sunlight. The term res publicae referred to things that were shared by all citizens, when the first early copyright law was first established in Britain with the Statute of Anne in 1710, public domain did not appear. However, similar concepts were developed by British and French jurists in the eighteenth century, instead of public domain they used terms such as publici juris or propriété publique to describe works that were not covered by copyright law. The phrase fall in the domain can be traced to mid-nineteenth century France to describe the end of copyright term. In this historical context Paul Torremans describes copyright as a coral reef of private right jutting up from the ocean of the public domain. Because copyright law is different from country to country, Pamela Samuelson has described the public domain as being different sizes at different times in different countries. According to James Boyle this definition underlines common usage of the public domain and equates the public domain to public property. However, the usage of the public domain can be more granular. Such a definition regards work in copyright as private property subject to fair use rights, the materials that compose our cultural heritage must be free for all living to use no less than matter necessary for biological survival
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Bureau of International Labor Affairs
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The Bureau of International Labor Affairs is an operating unit of the United States Department of Labor which manages the Departments international responsibilities. Our efforts help to ensure a fair playing field for American workers and contribute to stronger export markets for goods made in the United States. ”ILAB promotes the security and stability of United States workers in international affairs and provides advice. The Bureau of International Labor Affairs is located in the Frances Perkins Building, Room C-4325,200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington and it is currently under the direction of Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs Carol Pier. The Bureau of International Labor Affairs was formed October 10,1947, schwellenbach as a means to formally institutionalize the international directives of the Department of Labor. Responsibility for this project was given to ILAB which published the first of its reports on the subject, The Sweat and Toil of Children, in 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13126 which prohibited the purchase of items which were produced by forced or indentured labor. It also authorized the Department of Labor to compile a list of items and this fell under the purview of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The current list, as compiled by ILAB, consists of 31 products including bamboo, beans, cocoa, coffee, nuts, rice, rubber, shrimp, as of 2004, ILAB has spent more than $250 million to combat child labor since 1995. It is intended that $20 million be budgeted for this purpose and these efforts will be focused in the countries of Guatemala, Indonesia, Nepal, and Rwanda. ILAB provides technical assistance with other countries in the areas of expertise, worker health. This program began in the aftermath of World War II when the Department of Labor taught German trade unionists to assist in European reconstruction efforts, additionally, ILAB has undertaken various social initiatives globally including a $10 million project to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in workers. These initiatives are all aimed at providing stability to a global economy in which labor issues in foreign countries can have negative effects in the United States. Bureau of International Labor Affairs. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, Washington, DC, Department of Labor,1994
27.
United States Department of Labor
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The department is headed by the U. S. Secretary of Labor. In carrying out this mission, the Department of Labor administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws and these mandates and the regulations that implement them cover many workplace activities for about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. The U. S. Congress first established a Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1884 with the Bureau of Labor Act, to information about labor. This bureau was under the Department of the Interior, the Bureau started collecting economic data in 1884, and published their first report in 1886. Later, the Bureau of Labor became an independent Department of Labor and it became a bureau again within the Department of Commerce and Labor, which was established February 15,1903. President William Howard Taft signed the March 4,1913, bill establishing the Department of Labor as a Cabinet-level Department, William B. Wilson was appointed as the first Secretary of Labor on March 5,1913 by President Wilson. Secretary Wilson chaired the first meeting of the International Labour Organization in October 1919, the Federal Employees Compensation Act, signed Sept.7,1916, provided benefits to workers who are injured or contract illnesses in the workplace. Frances Perkins, the first female member, was appointed to be Secretary of Labor by President Roosevelt on March 4,1933. Perkins served for 12 years, making her the longest serving Secretary of Labor, during the John F. Kennedy Administration, planning was undertaken to consolidate most of the departments offices, then scattered around more than 20 locations. Construction on the New Labor Building began in the mid‑1960s and finished in 1975 and it was named in honor of Perkins in 1980. President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress to consider the idea of reuniting Commerce and he argued that the two departments had similar goals and that they would have more efficient channels of communication in a single department. However, Congress never acted on it, in the 1970s, following the civil rights movement, the Labor Department under Secretary George P. Shultz made a concerted effort to promote racial diversity in unions. In 1978, the Department of Labor created the Philip Arnow Award, Department officials said the program was modern and fair and that it was part of ongoing contract negotiations with the local. In August 2010, the Partnership for Public Service ranked the Department of Labor 23rd out of 31 large agencies in its annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government list. In December 2010, then-Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was named the Chair of the U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, in July 2011, the Department was rocked by the resignation of Ray Jefferson, Assistant Secretary for VETS, in a contracting scandal. On March 4,2013, the Department began commemorating its centennial, tom Perez was appointed as Secretary of Labor on July 23,2013. According to remarks by Perez at his swearing-in ceremony, Boiled down to its essence, did not earn a satisfactory overall grade. Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations Equal Employment Opportunity Commission National Labor Relations Board Occupational Information Network Ticket to Work Lombardi, labors Voice in the Cabinet, A History of the Department of Labor from Its Origins to 1921
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History of Belize
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The History of Belize dates back thousands of years. The Maya civilization spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BC to 1200 BC and flourished until about 1000 AD. Several major archeological sites, including Cahal Pech, Caracol, Lamanai, Lubaantun, Altun Ha, the first recorded European settlement was established by shipwrecked English seamen in 1638. Over the next 150 years, more English settlements were established and this period also was marked by piracy, indiscriminate logging, sporadic attacks by natives, and neighboring Spanish settlements. Great Britain first sent an official to the area in the late 17th century and it became a crown colony in 1862. Subsequently, several changes were enacted to expand representative government. Full internal self-government under a system was granted in January 1964. The official name of the territory was changed from British Honduras to Belize in June 1973, many aspects of this culture persist in the area despite nearly 500 years of European domination. Prior to about 2500 B. C. some hunting and foraging bands settled in farming villages, they later domesticated crops such as corn, beans, squash. A profusion of languages and subcultures developed within the Maya core culture, between about 2500 B. C. and 250 A. D. the basic institutions of Maya civilization emerged. The peak of this occurred during the classic period, which began around 250 A. D. The recorded history of the center and south is dominated by Caracol, North of the Maya Mountains, the inscriptional language at Lamanai was Yucatecan as of 625 CE. The last date recorded in Choltian within Belizean borders is 859 A. D. in Caracol, yucatec civilisation, in Lamanai, lasted longer. Farmers engaged in various types of agriculture, including labor-intensive irrigated and ridged-field systems and their products fed the civilizations craft specialists, merchants, warriors, and priest-astronomers, who coordinated agricultural and other seasonal activities with rituals in ceremonial centers. The Maya were skilled at making pottery, carving jade, knapping flint, the architecture of Maya civilization included temples and palatial residences organized in groups around plazas. These structures were built of cut stone, covered with stucco, stylized carvings and paintings, along with sculptured stelae and geometric patterns on buildings, constitute a highly developed style of art. Belize boasts important sites of the earliest Maya settlements, majestic ruins of the classic period, about five kilometers west of Orange Walk, is Cuello, a site from perhaps as early as 2,500 B. C. Jars, bowls, and other dishes found there are among the oldest pottery unearthed in present-day Mexico, cerros, a site on Chetumal Bay, was a flourishing trade and ceremonial center between about 300 B. C. and 100 A. D
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Pre-Columbian Belize
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Belizes history begins with the Paleo-Indians. They were nomadic people that arrived in the Asia to the Americas migration across the frozen Bering Strait, perhaps as early as 35,000 years ago. In the course of millennia, their descendants settled in and adapted to different environments in the Americas, creating many cultures in North America, Central America. The Mayan culture emerged in the area of the Yucatán Peninsula and the highlands to the south, in what is now southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, western Honduras. Many aspects of this culture persist in the area despite nearly half a millennium of European domination, all evidence, whether from archaeology, history, ethnography, or linguistic studies, points to a cultural continuity in this region. The descendants of the first settlers in the area have lived there for at least three millennia, prior to about 2500 BC, some hunting and foraging bands settled in small farming villages. A profusion of languages and subcultures developed within the Mayan core culture, between about 2500 BC and AD250, the basic institutions of Mayan civilization emerged. The peak of this occurred during the Classic Period, which began about AD250. Farmers engaged in various types of agriculture, including labor-intensive irrigated and ridged-field systems, the earliest pottery found in Belize is in the western part of the country. Emerging information from western Belize suggests that populations may have been in place as early as ca.1200 B. C. at Cahal Pech. At the northern sites, the pottery is now believed to have come somewhat later, at the Cuello site, from perhaps as early as 1000 BC. jars, bowls, and other dishes found there are among the oldest pottery unearthed in Mesoamerica. The site, five kilometers west of Orange Walk, includes platforms of buildings arranged around a small plaza, the presence of shell, hematite, and jade shows that the Maya were trading over long distances as early as 1500 BC. The Mayan economy, however, was still basically subsistence, combining foraging and cultivation, hunting, Cerros, a site on Chetumal Bay, was a flourishing trade and ceremonial center between about 300 BC and AD100. It displays some distinguishing features of early Mayan civilization, the architecture of Mayan civilization included temples and palatial residences organized in groups around plazas. These structures were built of cut stone, covered with stucco, stylized carvings and paintings of people, animals, and gods, along with sculptured stelae and geometric patterns on buildings, constitute a highly developed style of art. Impressive two-meter-high masks decorate the temple platform at Cerros and these masks, situated on either side of the central stairway, represent a serpent god. The Maya were skilled at making pottery, carving jade, knapping flint, one of the largest carved jade objects of Mayan civilization was found in a tomb at the classic period site of Altún Ha, thirty kilometers northwest of present-day Belize City. Usually stated to be the head of the sun god, Kinich Ahau, it is quite unlike this deity, save for the square
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Battle of St. George's Caye
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The Battle of St. Georges Caye was a short military engagement that lasted from 3 to 10 September 1798, off the coast of what is now Belize. However, the name is reserved for the final battle that occurred on 10 September. The Spaniards had previously attempted to expel the Settlers on six occasions, September 10,1798 marked the final Spanish attempt to take over the area. Today, the Battle of St. Georges Caye is a national public, however, the symbolic meaning and significance of celebrating the 10th varies upon class and ethnic backgrounds. After the final two and a battle, ravaged by sickness, the Spaniards withdrew and the British declared themselves winners. The territory that is now Belize was under dispute from as early as the mid-1750s by Great Britain and Spain, although Spain never occupied Belize, she considered it part of her Central American territories, such as Mexico and Guatemala. The British had entered the territory as of 1638 to harvest logwood, Spain recognised this trade in the Treaty of Paris but did not undertake to draw boundaries, leading to further disputes. Indeed, from 1779 to 1782 the settlement was abandoned, its settlers, known as the Baymen, due to conflicts with the inhabitants Despard resigned, but by 1796 it was clear the issue would have to be settled. The British ships that were sent from Jamaica to assist the baymen were the Merlin, humphreys relates that in a 1796 visit to the area, Visitador Juan OSullivan claimed the British were encroaching on Spanish territory in Mexico by cutting near the Hondo. Upon his return to Spain, hostilities broke out between Great Britain and Spain as a result of the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish viewed the situation seriously and determined to remove the British. Colonists appealed to Jamaican Lieutenant Governor Alexander Lindsay, 6th Earl of Balcarres, but upon his arrival, Dundas noted panic in the settlement and the subsequent dispatching of slaves to cut logwood instead of preparing to defend the settlement. Balcarres then named Major Thomas Barrow Superintendent of the settlement, on 18 March, magistrates Thomas Potts, Thomas Graham and Marshall Bennett all asked Barrow whether there were any incoming messages from Jamaica. Impatient with the plans to defend the settlement, the Baymen called a meeting for 1 June 1797. At this meeting, the Baymen voted 65 to 51 to defend the settlement and this initial support wavered considerably between then and September 1798, as reports came in of the size of the Spanish fleet. Don Arturo ONeill Tirone, Yucatán Governor and Commander of the expedition, had secured, This estimate was reduced due to outbreaks of yellow fever. Nevertheless, it was enough to frighten the Baymen into posting lookouts near the boundaries of the territory, the Merlins captain in 1798 was John Moss, a strategist on the order of Barrow. By 18 July 1798 the fleet had reached Cozumel, leading the settlers to agree to arm their slaves, there were still some who were cautious and demanded evacuation, including Potts, but Balcarres ignored them and imposed martial law on 26 July. In addition there were 700 troops ready to attack by land
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Geography of Belize
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Belize is a small Central American nation, located at 17°15 north of the equator and 88°45 west of the Prime Meridian on the Yucatán Peninsula. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, with 386 km of coastline and it has a total of 542 km of land borders—Mexico to the north-northwest and Guatemala to the south-southwest. Belizes total size is 22,966 km², of which 22,806 km² is land and 160 km² is water, Belize is the only country in Central America without a Pacific coastline. Belizes largest river is the eponymous Belize River, belizes lowest elevation is at sea level. Its highest point is Doyles Delight at 1,124 m, the climate in Belize is tropical, with a rainy season from June to December and a dry season from January to May. Natural hazards include hurricanes and coastal flooding, especially in the south, topographical feature divide the Belizean landscape into two main physiographic regions. The mountains rise to heights of about 1,100 metres, with the highest point being Doyles Delight in the Cockscomb Range, covered with shallow, highly erodible soils of low fertility, these heavily forested highlands are very sparsely inhabited. The second region comprises the northern lowlands, along with the coastal plain. Eighteen major rivers and many perennial streams drain these low-lying areas, the coastline is flat and swampy, with many lagoons, especially in the northern and central parts of the country. Westward from the coastal areas, the terrain changes from mangrove swamp to tropical pine savanna. Belize claims an economic zone of 200 nautical miles and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles. Belize is the country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean. The interlocking networks of rivers, creeks, and lagoons have played a key role in the geography of Belize. Both of these river valleys possess fertile alluvial soils and have supported considerable cultivation, Belize has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, although there are significant variations in weather patterns by region. Temperatures vary according to elevation, proximity to the coast, average temperatures in the coastal regions range from 24 °C in January to 27 °C in July. Temperatures are slightly higher inland, except for the highland plateaus, such as the Mountain Pine Ridge. Overall, the seasons are marked more by differences in humidity, average rainfall varies considerably, ranging from 1,350 millimeters in the north and west to over 4,500 millimeters in the extreme south. Seasonal differences in rainfall are greatest in the northern and central regions of the country where, the dry season is shorter in the south, normally only lasting from February to April
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Conservation in Belize
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These acts have established a number of different types of protected areas, with each category having its own set of regulations dictating public access, resource extraction, land use and ownership. Roughly 26% of Belizean land and sea is preserved within a total of 95 reserves, however, most of these protected areas are actually for the management of resource use and extraction, rather than for the preservation of the environment. Situated within the Mesoamerican hotspot, Belize has a level of terrestrial. It is home to more than 150 species of mammals,540 of birds,150 of amphibians and reptiles, nearly 600 species of freshwater, the country contains a vast array of ecosystems, many of which are critical habitats for threatened and endangered species. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, stretching the length of the countrys coastline, is the largest unbroken coral reef complex in the Western Hemisphere. In Belize, the rich diversity of corals and other marine life has qualified it to be designated a World Heritage Site. Much of the mainland of Belize forms part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, the number of species endemic to Belize is low, since Belize is a small country and does not have many habitats that are unique. Most of the few endemics are found in the Maya Mountains, up until the 1970s, Belize, formerly British Honduras, had relatively relaxed environmental laws that went largely unenforced. However, with the formation of the Belize Audubon Society in 1969, soon following was the Environmental Protection Act of 1992, which outlined the statutory powers of the Department of the Environment. To ensure proper financial backing, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust was created in 1996 and this trust is responsible for all funds raising, and the allocation of funds to protected areas. Belize is party to a number of legally binding multilateral environmental agreements, an evaluation compiled in 2005 identified a number of flaws in the system. These included a lack of government co-ordination with private landowners, the analysis also noted the need for stricter conservation methods in forest reserves, and to encourage sustainable methods of resource extraction. It stressed the need to protect and maintain biological corridors in their entirety. Another ecotype identified as lacking proper attention was the deep water ecosystems. As part of an attempt to prioritise resource allocation across the system and it was recommended that this scoring system be used to monitor the performance of protected areas in the future. The full analysis of the system was published in November 2005, archaeological Reserve, These reserves are designated for the protection of historic archaeological sites, typically ancient Mayan ruins. Forest Reserve, These areas are designed for sustainable timber extraction without destroying the biodiversity of the location, companies are given permits to extract after being reviewed by the Forests Department. Marine Reserve, These are designated for the conservation of ecosystems, including marine animals and their habitats
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Fauna of Belize
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Belize is a country with a rich variety of wildlife, due to its unique position between North and South America, and a wide range of climates and habitats for plant and animal life. The avifauna of Belize include a total of 590 species, of two are globally endangered and four have been introduced by humans. Out of 450 different species of salamanders found in the world, only 6 different types are found in Belize and this group of salamanders are the lungless salamanders, meaning they do not breath through lungs, but instead through the pores of their moist skin. There are 3 different species of living in Belize, out of more than 300 species. The largest known toad can be found in Belize, the Marine Toad and it can grow up to 20 cm, and weight as much as 1.2 kg. These toads are more commonly found in human rather than wildlife. They have adapted to human settlements, so they will eat cat or dog food left out for house pets, there are more than 800 species of rain frogs that exist, and 8 of them are found in Belize. They vary in size, from the Maya Rain Frog which is about 2. 5-3.5 cm, Rain frogs are usually terrestrial, so they can be found on the forest floors, in or near pools, ponds, and streams. They are different from tree frogs in their color, usually having more earth tones with dark markings on their backs, out of more than 700 species of tree frogs,12 of them can be found in Belize. Unlike rain frogs, they have bright colors such as orange, blue, red. Tree Frogs, like their name, are most commonly found in trees, despite their skinny legs, they are very good jumpers and climbers. In Belize, there are 2 species of crocodilians that roam around the waters, although both of these species are not particularly aggressive, they are found as a danger to humans. The American Crocodile can grow up to 6.4 m and they are usually found in the swamps and lowlands of Belize. Morelets Crocodile, which is smaller than the American can grown up to 4 m and these crocodiles are mostly seen along the coast of Northern and Central Belize in freshwater. Belize has many different species and types of turtles, there are 3 different species of Hard-Shelled Sea Turtles such as the Loggerhead, which on average is 2.3 m long and 540 kg. They are found in the oceans and coastal waters of Belize. Another is the Green Sea Turtle which on average is 1.5 m, the third type of hard-shelled Sea Turtle that can be founding Belize is the Hawksbill Turtle. This sea turtle is only about 1 m and does not exceed 50 kg,2 of the species of turtles that live primarily on land in Belize are the Furrowed Wood Turtle and the Slider Turtle
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Flora of Belize
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The flora of Belize is highly diverse by regional standards, given the countrys small geographical extent. Situated on the Caribbean coast of northern Central America the flora, few Amazonian elements penetrate as far north as Belize and in species composition the forests of Belize are most similar to the forests of the Petén and the Yucatán. The vegetation of Belize was first systematically surveyed in the 1930s, recent mapping projects have employed the following principal terrestrial and coastal categories of native vegetation, lowland broad-leaved forest. This is a diverse forest type in Belize, now reduced in extent by clearance for agricultural land. It includes such tree species as Simarouba glauca, Calophyllum brasiliense, Terminalia amazonia. This is an important vegetation type in northern Belize, in which scattered trees occur in short grass, savanna is maintained as open vegetation by a combination of wet-season flooding, dry-season drought and fire. Typical trees include, Acoelorraphe wrightii, Quercus oleoides and madre de cacao Gliricidia sepium, lowland pine forest or pine savanna (open forest mainly composed of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis with shrubs such as the rough-leaved sandpaper tree. Submontane pine forest submontane broadleaved forest, characteristic vegetation of the Maya Mountain massif above 500m. Typical species include Podocarpus guatemalensis, Swietenia macrophylla, Terminalia amazonia, Virola brachycarpa, ecologically important vegetation type of the coastal cayes. Several species of mangrove are involved including, red mangrove, black mangrove, in addition the buttonwood although not a true mangrove is often associated with mangroves in littoral forest. Also see the section on mangroves below, sandy bays often have extensive mats of seagrass. There are several different types in Belize, turtle grass, manatee seagrass and this is a mixed vegetation type, of shrubs and small trees with grasses and sedges, found along watercourses. Typical species include Schizolobium parahybum and Ceiba pentandra, loss of this habitat was one of the particular environmental concerns of building the Chalillo Dam on the Macal river. Although initially established for jaguar conservation it is important for plant conservation. Guanacaste National park - approximately fifty acres of tropical forest reserve in the Cayo District of Belize, the signature tree of the reserve is the Guanacaste of which several giant specimens may be found. Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve - a forest reserve of 6,750 acres, in the Maya Mountains with rugged relief, in addition to the above there are numerous other important forest reserves such as, Chiquibul Forest Reserve There are numerous conservation challenges in Belize. One is the extensive recent illegal cutting of the understorey palms xate and this has a severe effect on the health and reproduction of these characteristic understorey components. 7%, down from 75. 9% in late 1980. A similar study by Belize Tropical Forest Studies and Conservation International revealed similar trends in terms of Belizes forest cover
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Politics of Belize
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Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Belize, the party system is dominated by the center-left Peoples United Party and the center-right United Democratic Party. There have been other small parties that have participated at all levels of elections in the past. Although none of these political parties have ever won any significant number of seats and/or offices. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, the Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law, as head of state, Queen Elizabeth is represented in Belize by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Belize is a monarchy and parliamentary, its democracy is based on the Westminster model. Belize is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and is represented in the country by Governor General Dr. Colville N. Young, Sr. a Belizean and Belizes second governor general. The primary executive organ of government is the Cabinet led by a Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers are members of the majority political party in Parliament and usually hold elected seats in the National Assembly concurrently with their Cabinet positions. Cabinet members can also be drawn from the Senate, the 31 members of the House of Representatives are popularly elected to a maximum five-year term of office. The Senate consists of 13 Senators plus the President of the Senate, the President of the Senate is then selected by the 13 Senators, either from amongst themselves or from the general populace. The President presides over the sessions of the Senate but ordinarily has no voice nor vote in the proceedings, where the President is selected from amongst the thirteen, the powers of Senator and President of the Senate are vested in this one person. Otherwise, the President has no powers as would ordinarily be vested in a Senator, over the past few years, there has been much debate over whether the members of the Senate should be appointed or elected. This discussion continues as Belizeans continue to weigh the pros and cons of an elected versus appointed senate. As of 8 February 2008, the Government of Belize is controlled by the United Democratic Party which has a majority in the House of Representatives after general elections of 7 February 2008. The former government, the Peoples United Party is now in Opposition, the UDP previously governed Belize from 30 June 1993 to 27 August 1998, the PUP had governed from 4 September 1989-30 June 1993, and the UDP from 14 December 1984-September 4,1989. Before 1984, the PUP had dominated the scene for more than 30 years and was the party in power when Belize became independent on 21 September 1981. Members of the independent judiciary are appointed, cases may under certain circumstances be appealed to the Privy Council in London
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Constituencies of Belize
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Belizes 6 districts are politically divided into 31 constituencies. Each constituency sends one representative to Belizes House of Representatives for 5-year terms and this election is known as the General Election. Each person votes for the candidate they would want to represent their constituency in Central Government, each political party nominates a candidate or Standard Bearer for each constituency. The winner becomes the Area Representative of the constituency, while the loser generally remains the Standard Bearer of that constituency for political party. Coming out of January 2008, the most populous constituency had a population of 7,085 while the least populous constituency had a voting population of 3,195. In Belizes 2003 General Elections,29 constituencies voted in their Area Representatives for Belizes House of Representatives, since then it was noted that the difference in voting populations between the most and least populous constituencies was rather large. In 2004 a Task Force was appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission to study the matter and their Final Report was submitted in October 2004. It is noted that the Elections and Boundaries Department has the right to occasionally reassess constituencies, among several things that their report suggested, the expansion of the Cayo Districts number of constituencies to six had the most impact. Later the following year the law was passed to two additional constituencies within the boundaries of Cayo. The newly created constituencies are Belmopan, containing the city of that name. These new constituencies held their first-ever election during the General Election in 2008, note that these populations are for Belizean citizens who are eligible to vote and does not represent actual population. As of March 2015 the voting population of Belize is estimated at 148,026 while the population is estimated at 301,300. The Voter Age Population, i. e. all persons over the age of eighteen, is 161,677, of these, more than 91 percent are actually registered. Males slightly outnumber females in the population, though the gap is noticeable in the urban areas such as Belize City. Below is the order for the creation of Belizes current constituencies. The British Honduras Legislative Assembly becomes the Belize House of Representatives,1979 The following were renamed, Stann Creek District, Stann Creek Town renamed Dangriga, Stann Creek Rural renamed Stann Creek West
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Constitution of Belize
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The Constitution of Belize is the supreme law of the nation of Belize. It was signed in September 1981 with effect from that date, the Constitution of Belize, Chapter 4 of the Laws of Belize, is divided into a preamble,12 parts and four schedules. They are set out as below, what Belize is and its boundaries, Constitution established as supreme law. Provisions for public emergencies, protection of detained persons under emergency laws, comprises sections 23-9 Becoming a citizen on Independence day. Born in Belize on or after, born outside Belize on or after. Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Performance of functions during absence or illness, ministers of Government and portfolio allocation. Establishment of Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, originally, appeals to Her Majesty in Council, appeals to Privy Council since abolished by Belize Constitution Bill and replaced with Caribbean Court of Justice. Appointment of public officers and other civil servants,3, Oath of Allegiance and Office 4, Revocations. Belize in the late 1970s was engaged in a dispute with Guatemala. It became increasingly clear that Belize had more support and a stronger case. Repeated demands by Guatemala and the United Kingdom that Belize cede territory were rejected by Premier George Cadle Price, by contrast, the newly formed Opposition United Democratic Party wanted the claim settled before proceeding to Independence. In the general elections of 1979, the PUP won and the seeds of the Constitution would begin to fall into place, in 1980, the United Nations and Organization of American States both called for Belizes independence by the end of 1981. January 31,1981 saw a White Paper issued by the Government that began discussions on the proposed Independence Constitution, Belize became independent on September 21, with the Constitution going into effect as of that date. The constitution of Belize has been amended several times since its ratification in 1981 and it was first amended in 1985 to make changes to Belizes citizenship requirements. This later provision was criticized for allowing the sale of Belizean passports to foreigners who had never resided in Belize, in 2010, the Constitution was amended to make the Caribbean Court of Justice the highest court of appeals in Belize, replacing the Privy Council. Full text of 1981 Belize Constitution
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Foreign relations of Belize
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Belize maintains 14 embassies to foreign countries, one consulate, and three missions to international organizations. In 1990, Belize became a member of the Organization of American States, both countries established diplomatic relations on January 8,1992. In 2013 both countries have an agreement on Technical cooperation, argentina is represented in Belize through its embassy in Mexico City. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 March 1983, on February 15,1982, formal relations were established. Colombias embassy in Belize closed in 2002 in order to cut down on costs though the embassy of Colombia in El Salvador is also concurrent to Belize. On April 17,2013, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister met with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia in order to strengthen relations, both countries established diplomatic relations in 1995. Belize has an embassy in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic is represented in Belize through a non-resident ambassador in Santo Domingo and an honorary consulate in Belmopan. Both countries are members of the Organization of American States and the Group of 77, both countries have established diplomatic relations on 21 September 1981. Both countries are members of both Commonwealth of Nations and Association of Caribbean States. Belizes principal external concern has been the dispute involving the Guatemalan claim to Belizean territory, diplomatic relations between Mexico and Belize were established in 1981. Mexico has an embassy in Belmopan, Belize has an embassy in Mexico City. Both countries are members of the Association of Caribbean States and the Organization of American States, diplomatic relations between Nicaragua and Belize were established in 1981. Nicaragua has an embassy in Belize City, Belize is represented in Nicaragua by its embassy in Guatemala City. Both countries are members of the Association of Caribbean States, Central American Integration System, both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 December 1981. Both countries have established relations on 21 September 1981. Both countries are members of both Commonwealth of Nations and Association of Caribbean States. Both countries have established relations on 21 September 1981. Both countries are members of both Commonwealth of Nations and Association of Caribbean States
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Governor-General of Belize
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The Governor-General of Belize is the representative of the monarch of Belize, currently Queen Elizabeth II, in all matters pertaining to the country. The office of Governor-General is provided for by Part IV, Sections 30 to 35 of the Constitution,32. - A person appointed to hold the office of Governor-General shall, before entering upon the duties of that office, take and subscribe the oath of allegiance and office. Will be of duration, or c. is suffering from an illness which he considers, acting in his own deliberate judgment. He may, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, the Governor General resided at Government House, Belize until 1984, even after the capital had moved to Belmopan in 1970. In 1984, the Governor General moved to Belize House in Belmopan, formerly the residence of the British High Commission on North Ring Road, list of Prime Ministers of Belize Belize Constitution
