Compare aspects of the life of your mother at the age of 15 with the life you have, aged 15

What did your mum do for fun at the age of fun when she was 15? What sort of career prospects did she have? What sort of food would she have eaten and what would she have viewed as cool? This essay is going to attempt to explore the differences between my mum's life at 15 and mine. My mum at 15 went to a boarding school in Devon, and so her leisure time was structured. My mothers TV viewing was decided by two prefects and the headmistress. At 15 I mostly choose what I watch on television and this varies from Eastenders to Big Brother, whereas the highlight of my mothers viewing every week was TOTP. The girls were never allowed into town except for dental treatment and could only go to the shops if the matron's helper was in a good mood and would let them. By the lower fifth (year 10) the year would have its own common room where they would listen to records by the Rolling Stones and Tamla Motown and talk. My mother told me that after half terms and exeats she and her friends having pooled their money together would have midnight feasts. Midnight feasts are now a feature of most sleepovers and shopping in town is a regular occurrence. As for music it has progressed from records to CDs and from the Rolling Stones to the Darkness. Although we do not have a common room we are now from year 10 upwards aloud to be in our form room at lunch. When my mother was 15 job prospects for women were still pretty limited and the expectation was that women should have a job but should give it up once married to look after the house and any children. There were few respectable professions for women. There example are nursing, teaching and secretarial work. This is very different from the prospects for women today. Today so long as you have the qualifications you can get almost anywhere. In 1970 there were no convenience foods such as pizza from the freezer. My mother remembers most mornings being able to have either a cooked breakfast or toast and cereal. At least once a week there would be a roast dinner as well as Sundays, and also a salad once a week. Desserts were traditionally stodgy such as spotted dick and jam roly poly. There were sometimes non-traditional foods such as paella as the school employed a Spanish cook. Today you can acquire most traditional foods at supermarkets as convenience foods though puddings at school still are mostly the same such as chocolate sponge. Roasts are not as frequent and at most schools you can have salad any day of the week, also food from other cultures are quite common. Fashion styles may have changed since my mother was 15 but the fact that if you were not in the most up to date fashions then you are considered ‘Square' has not. When my mother was 15 mini skirts had just gone out of fashion and skirts had gone to the opposite extreme of maxi skirts. Fashions were more fixed, it was either one thing or another and they did not change as often as today. There are 34 yrs between me and my mum being 15 and though some fashions and the names of the bands that teenagers listen to have changed. Teenagers still follow fashion avidly and try to break as many rules as possible even if boundaries have become wider. Prospects and boundaries may have widened but in essence things have stayed the same.

Philippine history Essay

During the colonization of the Philippines, the Filipinos lost their freedom. They were being abused by the Spaniards. These are the settings in the Spaniards colonization: The Filipinos are required to pay a TRIBUTO or TRIBUTE (TAX). FORCED LABOR is established under the Spaniards government. It is where the male Filipinos 16-60 of age were required to work for the government for 40 days in one year. They were assigned to build or repair roads and bridges Sometimes, they would be assigned to work on a shipyards or foundries or to cut timber in the forest. They were also used as soldiers or sailors. The law required that the worker should be given a nominal salary and to have a free rice rations, but then the officials of the Spaniards government were corrupt and ignored the law. They pocketed the salaries and the rice rations were distributed to them. Another burden imposed on Filipinos was the BANDALA. It is a compulsory sale by the Filipino farmers of their farm products to the Spaniards. This system was being abused also by the Spaniards, their goods were undervalued and in many cases their products were not even paid for. The Spaniards introduced Western or European system of education wherein the principal aim of the education in the Philippines during Spanish regime was to make the Filipinos obedient to them and to be a god fearing Christians. Spaniards established many other systems which are only for their own good. The Filipinos became slaves for a long time. They abused the Filipinos. They were also being maltreated by the Spaniards. Others are being killed. By the help of our great men and some Americans, the Philippines became free from  the hands of the Spanish. And this is the end of the Spanish regime. The United States had a different approach in colonizing the Philippines. The Americans considered educating the Filipinos as one of their top priorities in The Philippines. They treated the Filipinos like their friends. These are the settings in the American colonization: The Americans built schools in the City. Because the Filipinos were hungry for education, they flocked to public and private schools in large numbers. They teach English language to the Filipinos. (The American soldiers were the first teachers of the Filipinos.) They established the Philippine public school system. It provided for free primary education and the establishment of a school to train Filipino teachers. They gave the bright young Filipino students an opportunity to take up higher education in American universities and colleges. They introduced Protestantism (It did not gain wide acceptance maybe because Filipinos were deeply believed in Catholicism). They also established Aglipayan Church (Independent Church). The economic development of the Philippines progressed.

Evaluation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation - Case Study Example Evaluation techniques are classified into two major classes which include the predictive evaluation techniques and descriptive evaluation techniques (Perlis, et al., 1981). The process of evaluation is goal oriented. The goals for which an evaluation process is intended for defines the importance of the evaluation process. One among the goals of evaluation is to determine if the technique is better as compared to existing techniques. This process entails the comparison of the technique with other existing techniques with aims of determining the status of the technique (Clements, 2002). This process is significant since it helps in assessing the technique with respect to already existing techniques and determining its viability in comparison with the existing techniques. Another goal of the evaluation process is to find out how good the technique is. This process is important since it facilitates assessing the technique to determine if it has the desired qualities as intended. Lastly, the process of evaluation of the given technique is aimed at determining â€Å"why the technique is bad†. This is aimed at detecting any weakness existing in the te chnique and this is important since using this weaknesses, suggestions that points out the need for further development can be generated (Farooq & Quadri, 3011). In general, the process of evaluation is aimed enhancing the usability of any given technique. This process of enhancement is aimed at improving user experiences, detecting flaws in the technique, addressing security concerns and removing unwanted features from the technique. The evaluation process as a whole is purported to facilitate technique improvement and enhancement of design supporting aspects. This process is vital since it plays a significant role in the development of the technique. The formative aspect of evaluation is paramount since it aids in the acquisition

Recruitment & Staffing Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Recruitment & Staffing Proposal - Assignment Example One of the recruitment approaches that can be used is gamification. Top companies increasingly use this method, and it can help obtain quality and talented individuals into the company. It is the approach involving developing enjoyable, engaging and fun components to test skills by striking into a competitive spirit always like a game (Smith & Mazin, 2011). HSS interest is recruitment of top level employees and through gamification models, the company can benefit since there is a provision to the employer with a preview of how the senior applicant may perform or manage when doing that particular job. This is a positive outcome should the HSS company consider this recruitment approach. There are occasions when the organization hired a candidate only to find once in the job that he wasn’t okay. This approach helps solve such problems. The second approach of recruitment that human resource can adopt to help the company is employee referral programs. Reward can be used to entice w illing employees in assisting the human resource achieve its aim. The final approach that the HSS human resource will apply is mobile recruitments and social networks this is another current trend in recruitment. Human resource at HSS may explore this option. It involves sourcing for suitable applicants from company’s social sites (Smith & Mazin, 2011). The company through the human resource will observe and identify events across your social networks. They will monitor responses, questions, comments and other various interactions. This can provide indications where to focus and channel social media recruitment efforts. The approach also involves engaging top candidate and identifying where your social networks are very active; involve the best applicants with valuable content such as videos, webinars and blog posts There is three recruitment approaches that could be considered by HSS human

Harmful effects of boxing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Harmful effects of boxing - Essay Example All this just cannot be valid things to make us consider it as a necessary one in our life. Unless we take a broader view, the real effects of boxing cannot be understood in real sense.Is boxing really a sport This is the question that has to be focused on first. The duty of any sport is to entertain the audience and give them pleasure, but not at the cost of the participant's life. We can very well say that all sports are dangerous and boxing is one among them, but the truth is risks in the other sports are accidental, whereas in boxing the purpose of hurting is the real goal. In the name of defeating a person, the boxer actually takes the chance of injuring his opponent fatally. Looking at each men fight for their lives and getting the pleasure from it is what we are all have been doing. Is it not the worst form of entertainment It is very surprising to see how inhumane we are just as the boxers out there.We should derive happiness from sports, the games should encourage us. It sho uld give progress for individual development for both body and mind. This should be the real motive of all sports. But clearly, boxing does not seem to do this. It is just a brutal and barbaric way of human behavior that is all. The real objective of boxing is to knock the opponent to unconsciousness and then claim the title, no matter even if life is lost. In what way does it sound good Is there anything in this sport that we can implement in our life Does it teach us anything These are some questions that we all should think about. Only then we will be in a state of mind to accept the tragic nature of this savage sport. Though there are so many developments in science, technology and education, we have failed to care about certain things. One among them is boxing. We have not understood to look at it as something threatening the life of the players. We are happy to look at them thrashing and punching each other and bleeding throughout the game and with such a stupid curiosity we wait in want of more. More than the players, I personally condemn the authorities and audiences who are the real triggering force behind these boxers. If we stop considering it, things will change and slowly this game would die out in the end. To be very frank, there is nothing fruitful that we can obtain from this game. We have made ourselves to risk in unwanted activities to destroy ourselves. Boxing is one of those industries that make the life of people worst. Here humans are exploited in the name of sport. Boxing triggers our inhumane behavior and makes us act like beasts which sometimes end in killing each other. When education tries to modify human behavior, sports such as this really messes up everything and makes us loose our sense. Here are few cases from which we ourselves can witness the brutality of boxing. BOXING IS HARMING Three hundred thirty boxers have died from injuries received in the ring as per a survey taken from 1945. Though these statistics are no greater than that of football or hockey, you must remember that the very purpose of boxing is to inflict as much pain or injury to the opponent as possible. There are many causes of these boxing-related deaths, however. One cause of death among boxers is long-term diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. One such case is that of Sugar Ray Robinson. Though he did not die directly after a boxing match, it is believed that Alzheimer's contributed to his death. He died at the age of sixty-eight in 1989.

In countries that do not have an Islamic Legal system, disputes Research Paper

In countries that do not have an Islamic Legal system, disputes related to Islamic financial transactions can lead to outcomes t - Research Paper Example Sharia law, as a moral code and religious law for Muslims; addresses various perspectives of human activities such as economics, crimes and politics, as addressed by secular laws, and it seeks to differentiate intentions, interactions and decisions between those that are good and those that are bad (MacEoin and Green, 2). Just like the secular laws, Sharia code of ethics touch on various interactions of the human race giving the prospects and punitive aspects whenever the codes are breached, though from the secular observation of Sharia being a religious law, it has provisions that make the laws holistic in guiding and governing human interactions making it fall under and satisfy individual legal systems. Economically, just like Christian finance, Sharia economics presents the economic systems that conform to the Islamic scriptures and traditions; behavioral norms and foundations, Zakat tax as the basis of Islamic fiscal policy and other economic provisions that holistically covers t he economic and finance sector (Bonner, 397). Though close and similar to the secular and other traditional laws, in countries that there is no Islamic Legal System, disputes related to Islamic Financial Transactions can lead to outcomes that contradict Sharia Principles. Sharia principles like the secular laws have provisions that govern the Islamic Investment Funds; where investors pool their surplus money for the purpose of its investments to earn profits, Halal, but governed and in strict conformity with Sharia laws, and the subscribers receive certification entitling their pro- rated profits accrued from the fund. The Islamic banking phenomenon is based on sector of profitable for investor that represents growth for positive reputation and responsible management, and by fueling growth that is necessitated by increasing demand stimulated by rising number of Muslims in common law and civil law countries (Imady, Omar and Hans, pp.4-6). The conflict is bound to occur especially on the business ethics provided for by Sharia laws in relation to these countries’ provisions whereby the Islamic economic systems are neither socialists nor capitalist, conflicting interests of natives and the economic outlook of these countries. For instance, Sharia provides for Zakat; a practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on the accumulated wealth, and obligatory to all that are able to do so, contravenes with capitalists economies where in most cases taxation is mandatory to all irrespective of economic background and/ or social class. This would further lead to conflicts especially if certain sections of Sharia have to be incorporated in these countries’ laws such as contractual agreements and financial transactions due to different expectations from both sides and the conflict to the national interests. Capitalist societies/ economies rely on creation of value which can be tangible, for physical goods and/ or intangible for services; which involves transa ctions that mutually benefit the parties, the consumer gets the added value to the product/ service, and the retailer or the producer gets the entrepreneurial profits and royalties which may include interest on shares. To the contrary, the Sharia provisions for legal entity or a business that is Halal as a company that does not borrow money on interest and/or keeps their surplus in interest bearing accounts; and that one being a shareholder of such a company becomes a Sharik, agent for the partners in the matters of

Chapter 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 7 - Essay Example Yet, he had one drawback and that was his young age and the lack of experience. Patrick drew inspiration from the story of David in the Bible to take on his aged and experienced adversary, and against the â€Å"Experience Counts† slogan of his adversary, he developed the right counter slogan â€Å"Our Future †¦Right Here, Right Now†, indicating the arrival of the new generation. The battle for political domination among the African Americans between the Civil Rights generation and the Hip Hop generation taking a new twist. Patrick went on to win and become the Mayor of Detroit. Similar scenarios were developing elsewhere too, like in Newark, where new generation Corey Booker challenged old guard Sharpe James. Corey Booker may have lost the vote by narrow margin, but his efforts along with that of Patrick symbolized the challenge that the younger generation were posing to the older generation across urban America. Patrick is proud to be known as a hip hop mayor, a t itle for a young generation mayor, supportive of hip hop politics. However, as a mayor Patrick has striven to demonstrate responsibility to the electorate, by concentrating on the problems of the children and citizens of Detroit.

Mass Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mass Media - Assignment Example (Marx, 1971). Conflict perspective of social change works as a social institution because both classes do struggle, lead class struggle to maintain their power and lowest classes struggle for gaining the income and power but the result is a clash. The outcome of the clash between opposing classes is not a compromise. On the contrary it is a birth of new conflict, one new born of struggle. In this manner, both societies and individuals change. On the contrary functionalist theory is basically based on homeostatic system, that is, assemblage of interrelated elements of society to make an equilibrium state like norms, customs, and traditions. Industries, educational departments, government, family are also the basic elements of society which are interrelated or interdependent. Like government provide education for the children and parents of the children give taxes in return (Wallerstein, 1974). It is the role of the society to fulfill six basic needs that are member replacement, member socialization, production of goods and services, preservation of internal order, provision and maintenance of sense of purpose and protection from external attacks. These needs are in a state of equilibrium with one another and when one changes than other one accommodates. Functionalist perspective also works as social institution because they interlinked the needs of the society. Like the family depends upon the school for the mental growth of their children so that in the future they will get good jobs (cliffsnotes.com, 2012). Interactionism perspective also work as a social institution because through which individual knows how to interact with their teachers, friends, elders and young ones. Through which individual... This essay makes a conclusion that the sociological theories have drastically changed the views of the society like through conflict perspective people knows they have to struggle and work hard for the society as well as for himself. Views of people towards society have become positively changed. Like the small child knows the meaning of competition, he knows he have to compete with other students for getting good marks. Mass media have greater impact on the views of the people like every banker knows he has to open more accounts as compared to other banker. Conflict perspective arises the competition spirit and struggle spirit that is so good for every society. This report approves that have discussed the impacts of the sociological theories that are the impacts of conflict theory is the enhancement of competition between two groups, like in two classes, between students, between two political groups. In this manner whole society has become socially changed. Functionalist perspective also has very positive impacts like through this perspective people could know that every segment of the society is necessary for each other for creating the balance in the society; in this manner society has become positively changed. Like without the religion the kid could be grown socially stable. He should have some religion as well as he also has his proper family for his mental growth. Interactionism perspective also has positive impacts on the society like after this theory people now know interaction is the compulsory element for enhancement of society.

Social Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 2

Social Computing - Essay Example Directing the customers from these pages to the actual scholarly articles. This will increase the readership of the ‘Educated People Society’ website. It will help them gain various sponsors to run the website and fund actions related to environmental activities and scientific research. Checking the level of awareness created through the social media tools by conducting a questionnaire survey among them and involving in the qualifying youngsters in projects related to their interests. Creating an environmental awareness is the main objective. Be it a laptop the youngsters use or a leather jacket, they should be educated regarding the way it is created, the core technology and the various political and economical facts associated with it. This knowledge is important to make them valuable citizens in future. A youngster who changes his mobile once in year will stick to one smart phone for years if they realize how much e-waste they are creating. A person who knows how the plastic covers thrown around affects the environment will never use them again. Providing such information in an interesting format is the main objective of the social media tools used. The aim of the social media campaign is to advertise about the same by entering their territory. It is hard to make youngsters visit a science related site or lecture them about environment. But, taking the site to tools like Blogger and Twitter where they use will make them peek at it automatically. The blog and Twitter page explains about the animals and the photography site in Nat Geo. The technology blog related dwells with various subjects shown as documentaries in NatGeo, WWF and Green Peace websites. So youngsters with diverse interests will be directed towards these sites from their favourite pastime areas in the internet. The info presented will be mostly in the format of quizzes, puzzles and

Research Paper Taxation Essay Example for Free

Research Paper Taxation Essay Wage is the fixed amount of compensation for service rendered covering a fixed period of time, usually hours, or fixed amount of work. It is usually a compensation given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to a salesperson based on the amount of his sales. This amount is usually added to basic salary. Bonus is given to simulate employees to work more efficiently and effectively (Valencia Roxas, 2009) To make sure that employees comply with BIR regulation and local government laws, companies must include crucial employee and company information in their payroll systems. Setting up and running the different components that comprise a payroll system requires due diligence and adequate knowledge of tax legislation. Employee’s benefits In Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) 19, paragraph 7 states that employees benefits are all forms of consideration given by an entity in exchange of services rendered by employees. These benefits may be paid directly to the employee’s or to their dependents, such as their children or spouses. These can be settled by payment in cash in form goods and services. Paragraph 4 of PSAS 19 enumerates the following four classes: (a) short term employee benefits; (b) post-employment benefits; (c) other term employee benefits; and, (d) termination. Employee information During the new hire process, companies must collect information such as medical insurance and W-2 forms to determine what should be deducted from an employee’s paycheck. These forms also provide employers which crucial information, such as the employee’s Social Security number and their withholding amount for government tax purposes. The systems must also track and process changes made to the employee’s tax exemption status, pensions, insurance plans or retirement funds. Salary information As part of the new hire process, payroll systems include a component that designates which employees are full time, part time and contractors. Classifying worker in a payroll system is important since the government levies high penalties on companies that categorize employees incorrectly. Applicable taxes and deductions The National internal Revenue Code (R. A 8424) requires the employer to withhold portion of the salaries earned by employees that will at least approximate an income tax due of the earner relative to the income earned. The monthly or semi-monthly withholding s taxable could be obtained from the BIR to serve as guide as to what amount to be withheld from the salary of the employee (http://www. ehow. com/list_6725482_components-payroll-system. html, 17 July 2010). In preparing a payroll, certain government mandated contributions needed to be deducted from the gross play of each employee. These include withholding taxes, PAG-IBIG, SSS (Social Security System) and PhilHealth contributions. Withholding taxes is remitted to BIR while PAG-IBIG is remitted to Home Development and Mutual Fund (HDMF) (Cabrera, Ledesma Lupisan, 2009). Other payroll withholdings include employee contributions to benefits, retirement accounts, and charities, these are determined by the employee during the fringe benefits selection process offered by their employer and must be taken into account as well as any employer matches when reporting payroll . Methods of Payroll Computation A payroll system involves everything that has to do with the payment of employees and the filing of employment taxes. This includes keeping track of hours, calculating wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, thus appropriate methods must be applied in the computation to achieve a desirable output. More and more aspects of payroll are being handled electronically. Methods include direct paycheck deposit, debit cards, payroll and non-payroll, use Web-based information system to allow employees access, with a secure password, to their individual payroll records including pay stubs, an earnings record and in some cases, employer information, such as the company manual or health insurance plan overview (Banning, 2008) Giove (1993) stated the seven methods for computing payroll: Hourly Rate Plan Employees paid on an hourly rate plan receive a fixed amount for each hour they work. An employee’s regular earnings are equal to the employee’s hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked during the payroll period. Salary Plan Salaried employees receive a fixed amount for each payroll period, whether weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. If an employee on the salary plan works less than the regular hours during a payroll period, the employer may deduct for the time lost, although in most cases the employer does not make such a deduction. Regular earnings would be determined by multiplying that hourly rate by the actual number of hours the employee worked during the payroll period. Overtime Pay All employees in all establishments and undertakings whether for profit or not are entitled to overtime pay for work rendered beyond eight (8) hours. But this does not apply to managerial employees, field personnel, and members of the family of the employer who are dependent on him for support, domestic helpers, person in the personal service of another, and workers who are paid by results. Employees in the government are also entitled to overtime pay but they are governed by Civil Service laws and rules. Only employees in the private sector are covered by the Labor Code. Guaranteed Wage It is a written agreement to pay an employee a guaranteed minimum amount regardless of the hours worked, with an extra half-hour premium for hours over 40. Piece – Rate Plan It is a compensation plan whereby employee earnings depend on the units produced. Commission Plan Sales commission plans vary greatly from company to company but are generally based on the sales made during payroll period. Combination Plan This is a compensation method whereby employees receive a fixed amount of salary for each payroll period plus an extra amount for production (piece-work) or sales (commission). Timekeeping Records Accurate timekeeping is an essential part of an efficient payroll system. Every business must have an orderly method of recording the hours employees worked during the payroll period. The time records show the date and the time the workweek starts, the number of hours worked each day, and the total hours worked during the week. Time records are filed after the payroll is prepared and, in accordance with the requirements of the law, retained up to three years. The most common methods of timekeeping use a time clock with timecards or a time sheet. There are two primary reasons to maintain accurate payroll records. First, is the collection of the data necessary to compute the compensation for each employee for each payroll period. Second, provision of information needed to complete the various government report-federal and state- required of all employees. All business enterprise both large and small are required by law to withhold certain amounts from employees’ pay for taxes, to make payment to government agencies by specific deadlines, and submit reports on official forms. (McQuaig Bille, 2008). Other Aspects of Payroll Accounting System Payroll Register The payroll register summarizes employee earnings and deduction information in a journal entry that is inserted into the general ledger for accounting and general research purposes. Payroll registers are also used to create tax report. These documents are prepared by payroll staff or generated using payroll computer system. Payroll Services The meteoric success of payroll services is not accidental, but rather a reflection of the business community’s willingness to outsource the tedious and complex task of payroll accounting to outside specialists. The upside of outsourcing payroll is that payroll services ensure that the company complies with laws pertaining to payroll. That is a big deal considering the time investment it would take the payroll officer to stay current on payroll-related legislation. Another big plus is that payroll services are responsible for keeping track of each employee’s accumulated earning, tax withholding, and other information needed to issue W-2 forms at the end of the year. They also stay on top of things like direct deposits, salary adjustment, quarterly tax payments and all of the other details that can be distraction from the important job of leading the company (http://Gaebler. com/payroll-services, 8 Aug, 2010). In-house Payroll If contracting a payroll service does not sound like a good fit for a business, the management also has the option of doing it in-house. But if the management plans on saving money by personally administering the payroll, having more alternatives will be a better idea. Even if the company only has a few employees, dealing with payroll-related details can be a waste of time. Instead, designating the job to an employee who can give it the time it requires so precious time can be dedicated to other things (http://Gaebler. com/in-house-payroll, 8 Aug, 2010). Whoever ends up doing payroll in the company will be happy to know that there is a lot of software out there to help them. In fact, most accounting software solutions have payroll modules. Start by assessing the capability of their current accounting software program. If it does not have a built-in payroll function, chances are it is available from the manufacturer as an add-on. If it is not, then the company needed to decide whether to change accounting to one that does or attempt to find a payroll program that is compatible with the current system. Either way, it is worth the time to find a computerized system that meets the company’s needs rather than trying to do it the old-fashioned way. Internal Control A district’s accounting and payroll functions are critical for the maintenance of a solid financial foundation. Accurate and timely financial reports are crucial to administration and board decision-making. Payroll must be accurate, as it represents the district’s largest budgeted expenditure. Internal controls must safeguard the district’s assets from misappropriation. Payroll processing is an error prone activity. If organizations have just one or two employees it may seem relatively easy to compute salaries outstanding, taxes etc, but as small business starts adding employees they find spending more and more time in computation of salaries including variable pay. Errors are common in the full and final settlement and increases when employees join in the middle of a term as the processes are manual (http://ezinearticles. om/? expert=Mikael Anderson, 4 Aug, 2010). Waterhouse (2010) said in one of his studies that the objective of internal controls for payroll is to ensure that payroll disbursements are properly recorded and that related legal requirements (such as payroll tax deposits) are complied with. Segregation of duties is an effective internal control. The bank reconciliation clerk reconciles the bank accounts and is not involved in processing or approving items for payment. A payroll administrator, supervisor, specialist and six clerks perform the payroll function. The Human Resources Department (HRD) enters employee data into a database share by Personnel and Payroll and sets the rate of pay. The software system controls the ability of individuals to change information based on their access to the system. This prevents unauthorized individuals from changing this information (http://window. state. tx. us, 6 Aug, 2010). Gelinas, Sutton and Hunton (2005) included in their study some of the procedures that can be used to prevent or detect schemes. First is the direct deposit of payroll to eliminate alteration, forgery and theft of paper check. Second, is checking for duplicate names, addresses, and Social Security number in the employee data, finally is comparing actual to budgeted payroll. Expense Accounts are often an area of fraud and abuse. This include: (a) using legitimate documentation from personal expense for the business expenses; (b) overstating expenses by altering receipts; (c) submitting fictitious expenses by submitting copies of invoices. Such abuses can be minimized by formulating reasonable policies that compensate employees for their out-of-pocket expenses. Copies of invoices should only be accepted in extreme circumstances. Finally, expense account activities should be monitored on a regular basis to detect unusual patterns (Gelinas, Sutton Hunton, 2005). Payroll Fraud Connection Payroll, similar to cash disbursements, is an area ripe with fraud potential. After all, large organizations will make thousands of payments to employees for payroll and expenses account reimbursement every payroll period. Firth (2006) expresses that Payroll Fraud is an important issue that needs to be addressed by both Finance and Payroll professionals. Some of the key activities need to be considered include: improving the quality of master file data, reviewing the end to end payroll process, and reviewing the people that are performing each step in the payroll function. It is worth remembering that improving each of these areas will not only reduce the risk of payroll fraud, it will also result in many other business improvements right across the organization. Here are some of the types of payroll frauds, along with the median loss for each to an employer: (a) Ghost Employee, employees do not actually work for the company but receives paychecks. These can be recently departed employees or made-up persons; (b) Falsified hours and salary, employees exaggerate the time that they work or are able to increase the salary in their employee date; (c) Commission Schemes, employees falsify the sales on which commissions are based or increase the commission rate in their employee date; and, (d) False worker’s compensation claims, employees fake injuries to collect disability payments (Gelinas, Sutton Hunton 2005).

Speech Acts Politeness And Turn Taking

Speech Acts Politeness And Turn Taking Introduction When we communicate, we give a number of verbal and non verbal cues to the audience that we are referring or targeting to. These verbal or non verbal cues have a lot of impact on the way we keep the listener engaged in the dialogue that we are trying to put up for him and keeping the interest of the listener to actually understand our message the way we want it to be delivered. Until and unless the receiver or the audience gets the message in the way we want it to be delivered, the communication process will mostly fail unless there is a coincidence that the receiver understands what the message meant. Otherwise the receiver or listener of the message will not be able to understand what the important point or points in the whole message were, which part did the sender emphasize more upon, how polite the sender of the message was in the whole communication process and how much room did he give to the receiver to come up with any arguments, additions or suggestions to the message of th e sender as a feed back. Thus, with this introductory not, this paper will actually come up with a discussion in which three important elements of communication that are speech acts, politeness and turn taking will be discussed in order to see how they have an influence on the receiver and what problems do those people face with these concepts being second language English speakers. The paper will first explain all the three elements and then conduct an interview in which a second language English student and a native English speaker will have dialogue and will be observed and analyzed on the basis of the above mention elements. After the observations, the communication process of the second language English speakers and their behavior will be compared to the native English speaker and then recommendations will be advised accordingly. Speech Acts Starting with the discussion about speech acts, we need to take an aerial view of the communication process and the words we use for communicating our message to the target audience. The first question is that how are words related to the world? What is the process and what is the logic behind the entire communication process in which a speaker tries to explain something to a hearer by using a set of words and then delivering these words to the hearer and the hearer actually understands what the speaker wanted to say. For example, if a speaker makes a statement that Alan went home. What is it in the sentence which will distinguish it from being a question or from being a piece of information? The statement is very simple to understand if it is said in a simple monotonous tone. But, if we relate speech acts with the punctuation marks, we see that when we put a question mark at the end of the same question, the question mark transforms the statement into a question and if an exclamatio n mark is used, it transforms the same statement into a piece of information that is given in great surprise. Therefore, when understanding speech acts, we see that speech acts are more or less like punctuations. They are not written but, the way the words are uttered, the tone that has been used, the pause that is given between sentences and the feelings that have been added through specific emphasis actually add meaning to these set words and can change the meaning of a simple statement as well as it is described in the earlier discussion. According to Austins theory, speech acts can take over three different meanings Propositional Meaning Illocutionary meaning Perlocutionary meaning The propositional meaning is the literal meaning of what is being said. For example if one says it is hot in here, then in literal meaning the speaker wants to say that the temperature is high or hot at a certain place. But, the illocutionary meaning relates to the social function of what is being said or the actual meaning of the statement. Taking into consideration the same example, we see that the same sentence or statement can be used as a request so that someone might help to open a window, it can be an indirect refusal so as to expect the receiver to close the window as someone might be feeling cold and it can also serve as a complaint in which a speaker may try to register that the hearer should know it better then to keep the window shut. However, as far as Perlocutionary meaning is concerned, it is related to the understanding of the receiver to understand what does it means when someone something like that. Using the same example, we can see that the desired outcome could be of opening of windows. According to the same theory, speech acts have been classified into 5 categories according to the functions that are assigned to each category. Co missives Expressive Directives Representatives Declaratives Promises Apologies Requests Claims Declarations Threats/ offers Complaint/thanks Suggestions/commands Reports/assertions decrees Speech Act Theory The origins of speech acts theory can be extended to philosophy of language but now it is considered as a sub-discipline for cross cultural programmatic. This theory basically explains how human beings achieve and accomplish desired intentions and motives through the use of language by using words in a way that they actually highlight the meaning of the sentence in a manner that the hearer understands what they actually mean besides the literal meaning. Austin relates the performance of saying words with an act of locutionary and the study of how specific words are uttered and what impact does utterance have on the message that is being delivered  [1]  . According to the theory of Austin, every statement might be inferred in all the three meanings that have been discussed in the earlier part of the paper, but, it is up to the acts that make them specific in their meaning and how the hearer infers them. The speaker can use any of the meaning combined with proper speech act in orde r to give the same sentence a different meaning. A speaker can change the same question to a complaint by uttering in a specific manner that is associated with anger or with surprise  [2]  . There has been a lot of discussion going on relating to whether the speech acts are specific to certain languages or are they specific to different cultures. The reason of this discussion is quite relevant with the essence of our discussion on which the analysis will be framed. the paper will conduct an interview in which students will be observed that whether they use certain speech acts because they belong to different cultures or do they use the same speech acts as speaking the same language regardless of the fact that one of them is a native English speaking and the other one is second language English speaker  [3]  . As it is described in the theory many linguistic mechanisms that have been implemented are in lieu of the cultural differences which cause mis interpretation of messages that are sent from speakers of different cultures and thus they cause break downs and loop holes most of the times when ethnic communication is taking place. This will help us understand more why the two students who were observed behaved in a certain manner during the interview and how differently did the interpret each other  [4]  . As it is in phonology and morphology, we also see that the basic cultural instincts and traits also shape the way a person emphasizes on words and gets his message across to the other person. The fact is that in different culture, the level of emphasis that is put in different situations is different and the way a message is transformed from a question to a complaint is also different. Therefore, on the part of the speaker and the listener, misconception or misinterpretation can result in noise ultimately leading to the distortion of the message that has to be actually delivered. Politeness Politeness can be simply defined as implementing good manners and reasonably good etiquettes via verbal communication. However, the concept of politeness is a subjective term. The level of politeness in one culture might differ from the level of politeness in another culture. Although politeness, being a positive phenomenon means to impart good manners and make others feel relaxed and comfortable with whatever the speaker is saying, however, in different cultures and specific to situations, politeness can also be used as a tool to make the other person feel ashamed of some acts that may not be appreciated by others around him or her  [5]  . According to British Social anthropologists, politeness can also be categorized into two segments. Negative politeness Positive Politeness In negative politeness we basically try to make a request in a way that it minimizes all chances in which the other person might be hurt due to a certain act. For example, rather than going to colleague and ordering to return the pen, we can go and add a sentence which says if you dont mind or if it is not too much trouble can I take the pen back  [6]  . However, the positive politeness is when a speaker tries to come into a relationship with the hearer by highlighting and safeguarding his interests, ego and personality traits and manipulating sentences in such a way that the hearer feels good about it and tries to conform to what the speaker is saying. This is just like talking to a child where a parent or guardian does not uses negative politeness with the child but by showing the child and the importance that he deserves, the parent or guardian tries to make the child understand certain manners and etiquettes that he should show towards elders. When the child gets the polite behavior, he actually starts trusting the parent or guardian more and understands that whatever they have to say is for the childs own benefit and interest in the future so he automatically conforms to it  [7]  . There are several techniques to show politeness: When one has to express a situation of ambiguity or uncertainty, one can use politeness by making the point clear indirectly that he does not know about what is going to happen or by hedging the situation with ifs and buts to make the situation look less negative. Taking the example of a child once again, we see that when parents do not know about something, they do not clearly say no to the child to scare the child away, but, they try to explain the matter to the child in an indirect way and make a hypothetical situation in which the child understands that there is a lot that no one knows. This way the child is not discouraging for asking questions in the future and at the same time the parents show their politeness to the child as well. People also tend to lie politely in order to make it less hurting for the listener. For example, a stock broker may not leak his information to another competitor but he can actually use polite behavior to indirectly change the topic. Using questions instead of revealing the truth. For example, if a group member knows that the other group member has not started work, rather than simply saying you have not started work, the group member can also ask did you check the information that I mailed you for your part. Turn-Taking A study of ten major languages reveals that the concept of turn taking is basically guided by two simple rules. Avoid speaking when someone else is speaking Avoid silence and long pauses between discussion and communication process As it is meant by turn taking, every speaker must pause after he or she has made her message clear in one go and then give a chance to the other person to add value to the discussion. The reason why we call it adding value is the fact that when the hearer starts speaking, it is actually related to the statements that the speaker has made and it is more like a feedback rather than a literally giving a turn. Every speaker should expect a feed back and also give time for the feedback or response to the other person in order to see whether the hearer has got the message in the right context or not or what more information needs to be provided . A communication process cannot be complete if only one of the persons is constantly speaking unless it is a Debating competition where a speaker has to address a large audience, Moreover, it is also not advised to actually overlap anothers turn because of the fact that the concept of noise in the communication process comes into play at this point   [8]  . Furthermore, the research made it clear that every language follows the same rules of turn taking and a variation of just milliseconds was seen in some languages which were also influenced by the types of syllables that the other speaker had to utter. Otherwise, whether it is the second language English speaker or the native English speaker, both of the participants clearly know how to wait for their turn and then take turn automatically from where the other person leaves it. Interview Coming to the interview in which all the three elements of the communication process that have been discussed above will be integrated upon the observation, we see that all of them have some effect or the other in making communication slightly difficult or biased when a native English speaking boy and a second language English speaking boy communicate. The basic reason that was seen in politeness and the speech acts was actually the cultural difference that made it difficult for both the participants to get to the desired point of view off the other. however, as far as taking turn is concerned, it has more to do with the thinking process that both of the participants had to go through in their minds to actually give it a though to understand what the other person said especially in the case of the second language English speaker and then elaborate words to reply. This practice used to take a bit longer in which the native English speaking boy used to carry on the discussion or nod th e other boy for his thoughts and ideas about the situation. Starting with speech acts, following is a conversation that will serve as a good example how both the participants graded each other as rude. (Scarcely, 1990) Now in the above discussion, speaker A is the Second Language English Speaker and Speaker B is the native English language speaker. Speaker B, though incorrect in his conclusion, claimed that speaker B showed a rude behavior because in B culture, interruptions are looked upon as impolite. B thinks that any sort of an interruption in a communication process is rude, as an interrupted, thus, A is rude. However, if we say A is from Iran, and that in his society, interrupting can also be seen as a sign of friendliness, casualness and comfort between two speakers, then according to a he is not wrong. So this is one of the biggest problems that Second language English speakers face with Native English speakers. When speaking English they do not realize that they have to blend into the culture as well and try not to blend in their own culture in the second language that they are trying to learn. Moreover, it was obvious from the tones and speech acts of the second language English speaker that he had a company of people who also spoke English as a second language. The reason was the same that their style of communication could not blend it to the natives and thus they divided into their own groups. Resulting in communication gap and distances which did not enable the second language speakers to develop their language the way natives speak it. They seldom got a chance to infer and subconsciously grasp the rules of how the natives spoke their language. As far as turn taking is concerned, we can see the fact that the non native speaker often took some more time rather than interrupting all the time. the fact is that he used to take some time to actually think what was he had just heard, what is his response, translate into English and then select the suitable words to get the message across. In the mean time the native English speaking boy often nudged him to remind that he it was his turn to carry on the discussion or to ask if there is everything alright. This is not actually related to any culture or linguistic mechanism, but, it is actually related to the thought process through which this specific participant had to go through. It is not the case with all non native English speakers as there might be many who have a faster though process still, the problem is not that rare as well. Recommendations and Conclusions Here are a few recommendations that the non-native speakers may use in-order to come out of the linguistic deficiencies that often cost them decreasing self confidence and fear of competition. The first thing that teachers need to do with non-native speakers is to highlight the advantages of native English language. The advantages may not be only restricted to the way they will converse, but social advantages as well so as to enable them to mingle in the natives more easily and conversing on their level  [9]  . Moreover, the teachers should tell these students what difficulties they might be facing in using the second language and what are the general difficulties that everyone faces. These students might not be able to identify their difficulties on their own as better as the teacher can. Thus, the responsibility lies on the teacher to make them identify their difficulties and make them work on them only rather than perfecting the language by conversing more amongst them. Also, feedback is another way to keep the student in line with the learning process. Good or bad, it will serve as an asset for the student in the long run because of the fact that he would trust the teachers advice and feedback more then what his peers have to say about his communication skills. The more the teacher gives feedback, the better the student will show response and try to overcome the difficulties by developing interest and maintain the enthusiasm with which the student joined the English language class.

Food Processing :: essays research papers

Food Processing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the history of mankind science has searched into the realms of the unknown. Along with it bringing new discoveries, allowing for our lives to become healthier, more efficient, safer, and at the same time, possibly more dangerous. Among the forces driving scientists into these many experiments, is the desire to preserve the one fuel that keeps our lives going; FOOD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As early as the beginning of the 19th century, major breakthroughs in food preservation had begun. Soldiers and seamen, fighting in Napoleons army were living off of salt-preserved meats. These poorly cured foods provided minimal nutritional value, and frequent outbreaks of scurvy were developing. It was Napoleon who began the search for a better mechanism of food preservation, and it was he who offered 12,000-franc pieces to the person who devised a safe and dependable food-preservation process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The winner was a French chemist named Nicolas Appert. He observed that food heated in sealed containers was preserved as long as the container remained unopened or the seal did not leak. This became the turning point in food preservation history. Fifty years following the discovery by Nicolas Appert, another breakthrough had developed. Another Frenchman, named Louis Pasteur, noted the relationship between microorganisms and food spoilage. This breakthrough increased the dependability of the food canning process. As the years passed new techniques assuring food preservation would come and go, opening new doors to further research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Farmers grow fruits and vegetables and fatten livestock. The fruits and vegetables are harvested, and the livestock is slaughtered for food. What happens between the time food leaves the farm and the time it is eaten at the table? Like all living things, the plants and animals that become food contain tiny organisms called microorganisms. Living, healthy plants and animals automatically control most of these microorganisms. But when the plants and animals are killed, the organisms yeast, mold, and bacteria begin to multiply, causing the food to lose flavor and change in color and texture. Just as important, food loses the nutrients that are necessary to build and replenish human bodies. All these changes in the food are what people refer to as food spoilage. To keep the food from spoiling, usually in only a few days, it is preserved. Many kinds of agents are potentially destructive to the healthful characteristics of fresh foods. Microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi, rapidly spoil food. Enzymes which are present in all raw food, promote degradation and chemical changes affecting especially texture and flavor. Atmospheric oxygen may react with food constituents, causing rancidity or color changes. Equally as harmful are infestations by insects and rodents, which

Santeria and Lukumi Religions Practiced by Hispanic Caribbeans :: Religion Religious Caribbean Essays

Santeria and Lukumi Religions Practiced by Hispanic Carribeans Religious origins: The Yoruba religion was brought to the Hispanic Caribbean approximately four hundred years ago by African slaves during the period of conquest and colonization of the new world. The religion remained traditionally strong among the African community until the Spanish conquerors began to prohibit its practice. When the Spaniards reached the New lands they brought with them the religion of the reigning King. That is Queen Isabella's religion; Catholosism. The conquerors forced the slaves to accept the Catholic faith as their new religion. The African, stripped already of their dignity refuse to give up their religious beliefs, this belief being all they brought with them. Knowing of the negative ramnifications, punishment and sometimes even death if caught "devil worshipping" it meant that in order to continue to worship theri Gods the angry Africans had to find a way to practice thier religion. They astutely hide theri religion behind Catholic religious practices and saints. The religion is therefore called "Santeria" or the way of the saints. According to Migene Gonzalez-Wippler Santeria is neither a cult or a sect. "It is a monotheistic religion, where God is seen as the creator of the Universe and of humanity. The orishas, syncretized with catholic saints, are repositories of God’s powers and the mediators between humanity and the Supreme Being. During this same period the Lukumi religion was also developed. The Lukumi religion is very similar to that of Santeria, while Santeria utlizes the Catholic Saints and prayers for ritualistic purposes Lukumi does not. Lukumi tends to make African images to represent the Orisha and makes little or no use of Christian prayers. The Lukumi religion is a less diluted form of Orisha worship and was mostly concentrated in Cuba. In Santeria, Yorubas then continue to worship and honor the Orishas and to practice their strong religious beliefs. The Yoruba rituals are modified and made similar to that of the Catholic religion. As aforementioned , when the Africans where brought to Cuba and the other New Lands they saw themselves forced to disguise theri ancestral religion and to embrace the church of theri captors. This created a complex religious mixture of beliefs. Because of its roots in Africa the worship of the saints has been a misunderstood religion, sometimes reffered to as unciviliazed and almost always viewed as a dark religion or a devil worshipping religion.

Davy Crockett Essay

Davy did many thing through out his childhood all the way up to his adulthood. Davy was born in Tennessee on August 17, 1786 . John crockett (davy’s father) sent Davy to work for a man who was taking a herd of cattle to Virginia at age 12. Davy helped the man drive cattle for over 200 miles from Tennessee to Virginia. The trip was a little over 2 weeks, and then Davy finely returned home. Soon after, the man Wanted Davy to keep working for him. Davy was homesick but he still said yes. About one month later Davy could not stand being away from his family. So he ran away from the mans house and headed home. At age 13 Davy set out on his own, and learned to become one of the worlds greatest/and craftiest backwoodsman around. Legend says that Davy was friends with a bear and could get a raccoon to come down from a tree by just grinning at it . At age 16 Davy moved back to Tennessee with his family. In 1811 Davy’s family moved to Tennessee. They made there home near what is now the border of Alabama. By 1813 the white men had made the native Americans very made. The native Americans were called the creeks. The reason for the creeks being made is because the white men took there land. The white men thought the creeks were going to attack so they attacked first. the creeks fought back against the white men. This started a war. Davy helped the creeks fight against the white men. When Davy got back from the creek war, Polly gave birth to a daughter. Polly died in the summer of 1815. In 1816 Davy married Elizabeth Patton to care for his two children, let alone her own three children. In 1816 Davy almost died of malaria, and in 1818 Davy becomes a â€Å"court referee† in Lawrence country, Tennessee. In 1821 David Crockett was elected to the state legislature at age 35. In 1827 David Crockett was elected to the House of Representatives in Congress. David Crockett served in congress from 1827-1831, and then he served in Congress again from 1833- 1835. when he was in Congress he often made speeches and told many of his adventures. Books came out filled with information and stories about Davy’s life. They even made a lay about Davy called the lion of the west in 1831. David Crockett and a congressman Thomas Chilton wrote a book about Davy’s life. Davy was a legend while he was still living, and still is a legend to this very day. in 1835 David Crockett moved to Texas. Texas was not a state when Davy moved there. Davy was now 49 years old and he wanted to explore the frontier . Davy joined the Texas army. David fought in the Texas revolution in 183 6. the Texas Revolution was over a Mexican government that ruled Texas. The people who lived in Texas wanted to be free from the Mexicans.

The Pragmatic Education Philosophy

Pragmatism emerged from the writings of John Dewey who believed that experimentation was the best approach for educating young minds. For example, pragmatists feel that field trips, educational excursions etc are more effective in teaching students about the world instead of audio-visual aids. Pragmatism includes such as thoughts as futurism, and educational humanism and Reconstructionism. Pragmatic education philosophy doesn't assign a traditional role to the teachers who are only seen as guides and not exactly more knowledgeable beings. George R. Knight in his book on education philosophies explained that pragmatism focuses on real life experiences as the main source of knowledge and education. They gives the example of field trips as he says that for a child to learn about dairy products, its better to take him to a barn and let him experience the whole thing himself instead of showing him a movie on the subject. (p. 75) Idealism is an important philosophy that gained greater influence over education in the 20th century and was not so popular prior to that. It has been present in the educational field for a long time emphasizing the reality of ideas, thoughts, and mind over material and matter. William E. Hocking who is a modern thinker in this area maintained that due to emphasis on ideas; this philosophy should have been called â€Å"idea-ism† instead of idealism. This is because idealism is more concerned with intrinsic values such as honesty, truth, courage etc while idealism in the case of education stresses the importance of ideas, thoughts and mind precisely. Educationists working on idealistic philosophies would concentrate more on the development of ideas instead of more physical things believing that this would lead to action automatically. Students are taught that they create or produce what they think and they are told to strive for perfection. Realism is more or less a reaction to idealism. This philosophy maintains that material and physical world exists independent of ideas and thoughts. Whether we think about a mountain or not, it does exist. It will exist even if we don't think about it or have never had an idea of what a mountain is like. Realist educationists would want students to learn through their senses of smell, feel, and taste since they believe in the existence of the natural world. They also maintain that the best way is to learn through experiencing the physical world. Nature plays an important role here as educationist would prefer to teach through observation of natural order. The teachers with realistic bend of mind would want students to development judgment and ethics by experiencing and observing the world. Behavior psychology is also one of the important branches of study for realist educationists. Existentialism philosophy focuses on emotions more than the intellect. The person, his values, beliefs, ideals, and identity are of greater importance than his intellectual capacity and for this reason it views education in slightly negative light. This is because they feel that a student learning through traditional educational means would become nothing more than a pawn in capitalist world. To become a whole and healthy human being who has a unique personality and thinking capacity, it is important to allow the students to explore the world on their own. â€Å"Existentialism is not a philosophy but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy. Most of the living â€Å"existentialists† have repudiated this label, and a bewildered outsider might well conclude that the only thing they have in common is a marked aversion for each other. (Kaufmann: 75) The teacher in this case would be seen as a facilitator instead of an authoritarian figure. Existentialism supports the idea of allowing students all possible answers to a question instead of handing them down one answer as the only and final solution. Existentialism has something in common with pragmatism as both advocate a curriculum based on individual needs instead of fixed theories and ideas.

Al Qaeda Network

Al qaeda the ‘terrorist network’ and Osama bin Laden have carried out a complicated ‘media campaign and ‘public relations’ over the last 10 years (qtd. in Bevy, 2006).As Bevy (2006) excerpted, â€Å"’terrorism-analyst’ think that these communications have been intended to draw out ‘emotional reactions’ and converse intricate ‘political messages’ to a worldwide viewers as well as to explicit populaces in the ‘Islamic world’, the U.S., Asia, and Europe.†A number of analyst and officials consider that ‘Al Qaeda’s messages’ hold signs that notify and educate operatives to get ready for and perform fresh attacks. Bin-Laden has referred to his ‘public-statements’ as significant chief sources for parties in quest to know Al Qaeda’s political demands and ideology.Osama bin Laden’s familiarities as a ‘financier’ and ‘logistical-coordinat or’ for the Arab and Afghan struggle to the ‘Soviet-Invasion’ of Afghanistan throughout the 198os are considered to have supplied backdrop for his principle that ‘Muslims’ can obtain valuable ‘military action’ motivated by ‘Islamic principles’ (Bevy, 2006).According to Bevy (2006), his contact to the philosophies of ‘conservative Islamist-scholars’ in Saudi Arabia and his work with the Arab activist in Afghanistan offered the ideological and theological foundation for his principle in the interest of ‘puritanical Salafist Islamic-reform’ in Muslim societies and the need of ‘armed resistance’ in the countenance of ‘perceived aggression’ – an idea Al-Qaeda has since connected with a commonly-binding ‘Islamic principle’ recognized as â€Å"defensive-jihad† (qtd. in Bevy, 2006).After a few years after he initiated setting up Arab volunteers to dispose of ‘Soviet forces’ from ‘Afghanistan', bin-Laden had a ‘vision’; the instant had come, he informed his friends, to start a ‘global jihad’, or’ Islamic holy-war’, in against to the crooked ‘secular-governments’ of the ‘Muslim Middle East’ and ‘Western-powers’ that maintained them (New York Times, 2001).Bin Laden, the ‘Saudi’ millionaire’, would utilize his campgrounds in Afghanistan to obtain ‘holy-warriors’ from around–the-world – who had at all times followed ‘local goals’ – and figure them into an ‘international-network’ which would wrestle to convey all Muslims under a ‘militant-version’ of ‘Islamic law’. At some stage in the ‘anti Soviet jihad’ Bin-Laden and his combatants have been given American and Saudi funding; a number of ‘analysts’ think Bin-Lad en himself had ‘security-training’ from the C.I.A. (BBC, 2004).Following the ‘Iraqi-invasion’ of Kuwait, Bin Laden articulated these analyses in resistance to the beginning of ‘foreign military-forces’ to Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden illustrated the presence of non-Muslim troops and U.S. in Saudi Arabia following 1991 Gulf-War as reason for transformed commitment to ‘defensive jihad’ and the endorsement of violence against the United States and Saudi government.What is Al Qaeda?Any number of theories has been advanced as to the origins of the name â€Å"Al Qaeda†, from a reference to a computer file revealing the identities of Arab veterans of the Afghanistan conflict (the database), to Osama bin Laden’s alleged high-tech headquarters, deep in the mountains of Afghanistan (the secret base), drawings of which – impressive though entirely fictitious – were produced by the American media when U. S. operations be gan in October 2001 (Chaliand & Blin, 2007).The name Al Qaeda, which instantly became the focus of the media attention following the August 1998 U. S. embassy bombings had long had mythical status. According to Chaliand and Blin (2007) Osama bin Laden himself had contributed to the mystery surrounding the name by never uttering it prior to the events of September 11. The groups’ leaders, in their internal communications, usually referred to it as â€Å"the society†, an internationally neutral appellation.In fact, it was ‘Abdallah Azzam who had named the organization; in 19888, the first signs of a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, ‘Azzam decided that he would not disband the Army of Arab volunteers he had created four years earlier but would use it to undertake a much vaster mission – re-conquest of the Muslim world (Chaliand & Blin, 2007).To that end, he needed a standing vanguard of fighters to serve as leaders of the umma; he coined the term al- qaeda al-sulbah (the solid base) for this, which was also the headline of an editorial he wrote in al-Jihad in 1988.

Cognitive psychology Essay

Cognitive psychology had in its early days concerned itself with the study of attention and consciousness as the main focus of psychological inquiry. Attention had been defined as the means by which the human mind can process a specific amount of information from all the other information present in the immediate environment and from memory (Sternberg, 2006). The most common experience that an individual may have that demonstrates the function of attention is the cocktail party problem; this demonstrates the ability of the mind to actively process single information at a given time and be able to disregard others. This is referred to as selective attention, if we pay attention to every stimulus that is presented to us, and then we would have a stimulus overload and hence would affect our understanding and experience of particular stimuli. In the Stroop effect it was demonstrated that it is very difficult to attend to the color of the ink and the word color at the same time. However, through practice and sensory adaptation, the brain has the ability to adapt to the different stimuli and hence do not give attention to its sensory modalities, for example, a person who work in a coffee bar would likely not pay attention to the aroma of the coffee beans than the customers who frequents it. A closely related concept to attention is consciousness. A person’s consciousness is the degree to which one is aware of his/her feelings and experiences and the awareness that he/she is feeling or behaving in a particular way. Consciousness is important because it enables the mind to actively process information, without consciousness there is no attention (Sternberg, 2006). Although some behaviors may become automatic and does not need to be attended like swimming or eating, in other instances priming which is the ability of the mind to supply missing information based on previous experiences or memory is demonstrated in the ability of the mind to recognize incomplete pictures of familiar objects. Attention is one of the most basic human ability, which is the precursor to learning, to effective communication, to decision-making and even intelligence and self-awareness. Attention is one of those concepts that is not given much thought but undoubtedly is the framework from which so many behaviors are manifested (Sternberg, 2006). Paying attention is one of the biggest problem that modern man have, due to the advanced technology and scientific knowledge that enabled man to create tools that would attend to the usual information that we encounter on a daily basis, our ability to attend to something has become limited. For example, our cars now have GPS which can help us reach our destinations faster than if we relied on our own attending skills, hence we do not pay attention to the landmarks, to sign posts or even to pedestrians because we have the GPS tell us where to go to. Another example is how we have embedded our watches with pulse monitors, we do not pay attention now to how we feel when we jog, but instead rely on the monitor to tell us if we are going faster or slower than our target rate. Even diets have become prepackaged to certain caloric amounts that we don’t pay attention to the amount of food we consume and whether our brain is sending us signals that we are already full. In this fast paced and disposable culture, attention is the least of our concerns, even with the fact that our ability to focus and attend to something is limited and almost always inaccurate if it goes beyond what our brains can process. Attention is also linked to intelligence and learning, an acute sense of awareness and excellent attending skills enable the individual to notice the smallest detail which aids in the processing of information. Perception Perception collectively refers to the means by which we recognize, organize and make sense of the stimuli that we receive from the environment through our different senses. Psychological research into perception had been the focus of the Gestalt theorists and from which they were the first to develop theoretical assumptions and explanations of different perceptual processes (Sternberg, 2006). Gestalt psychology says that the whole is more than the total of the sum of its parts, which meant that although it is important to breakdown perception into its components and structure, the perception of the whole is more important than its parts. Just like attention, the human brain can adapt to the different sensual stimuli that we encounter on a daily basis. Perceptual constancy says that our perception of a certain object becomes stable even if we are removed from the origin of the stimulus; an example is when how we can remember that a certain candy is sweet and sour even if we just look at it. A number of perceptual illusions mostly on visual perception had demonstrated the limited capacity of the human brain to perceive visual stimulus (Sternberg, 2006). The figure and ground principle shows that our perception of an ambiguous object may vary depending on what is perceived and processed first, whether the figure or its background. A sensory accommodating principle, the law of Pragnanz shows that when we are presented disparate and random stimulus, we tend to organize the information to form a coherent whole. Our ability to perceive objects and other stimulus is influenced by a number of factors such as depth, context effects, light and color, directionality and source of stimulus. At present there are other perception theories that propose different approaches to the study of perception. The top-down theories approach says that perception starts from pre-existing and prior knowledge of perceptual cues and processes. The bottom-up theories argue that perception is dependent on the stimulus and data that is to be processed. Perception is in the realm of cognitive psychology and is further studied using the experimental methods. Researches on perception were popular in the early days of psychology but interest waned with the surge of behaviorism. In the last decade however, with the resurgence of experimental and cognitive psychology and with the technological advancements of computers that would measure perception, new interest on perception and perceptual processes have resurged. Moreover, the process by which the human mind perceive the sensory stimuli has been used to model artificial intelligence and the studies of which is geared towards the development of more intelligent robots and machines (Sternberg, 2006). Our ability to perceive the various information present in our environment determines how effectively and accurate our perception of and understanding of the world around us. If for example we lose our sense of sight, life would be very difficult and if not dark, if we become deaf then we would not be able to hear and appreciate our own laughter. Losing one of our senses changes our life and sometimes it would take a long time for us to adjust to the inability to feel, to become aware of where we are and what we are doing. In as much as how limited our perceptual abilities are, what a normal person is endowed with is already enough than missing one of it. Our perception is also influenced by our consciousness and the attention we give to those information (Groome & Grant, 2005), we may be able to sense and perceive various sensory stimuli but if we do not attend to it or if we are not conscious of it, then we cannot attach meaning to what we perceive. Memory Memory is a cognitive process that is necessary for everyday functioning and which is based on the stored information and previous experiences. Memory is composed of three stages, the encoding, storage and retrieval process; encoding refers to how our brain process new information, storage is the means by which we store information and experience, which can either be long-term or short-term memory, the last process is retrieval which refers to the process by which we withdraw stored information. Memory has three information processing model, sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory. Sensory memory is the initial encoding of sensory information and provides very brief storage, iconic memory for visual stimuli and echoic memory for auditory stimuli. Short-term memory or working memory refer to the memory storage where information is temporary held and needs to be used immediately, auditory codes are more easily stored than visual information, the amount of information stored in working memory is very small but can be increased through chunking. Long-term memory is where information is stored for long periods of time or even for a life time. The information stored is usually very important and are used frequently, at present long –term memory can store an infinite number of information. Semantic memory is another form of memory which refers to the general world knowledge which is made up of interconnected networks of information called a semantic network which we use to be able to process new information, however semantic memory also facilitates stereotypes and schemas which affects how we perceive new information. Damages to the brain can cause memory loss such as amnesia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other more specific inabilities to process information. Information can be committed to long term memory through rehearsal, which is to consistently practice and work with the information needed to be remembered such as studying for exams or mastery of skills. Even if the information is stored in long term memory it is still subject to decay especially with the passage of time, if information is not used or retrieved, it will ultimately decay and be forgotten. Memory is one of the major concentrations of psychology in terms of how the brain functions, aside from perceiving sensory stimuli. The study of memory at present is now likened to how computers work and process data, the processes in memory even borrow terms from computer science such as encoding and retrieval. In a way, the brain processes information in much the same way as computers, but how it is encoded has not been adequately understood. Some theorists says that neural networking and the firing of neurons are the means by which information is encoded which is why any damage to the brain would result to memory loss (Baddeley, 1999). There are also conditions wherein memory loss is very specific like the inability to recognize faces that had been previously encountered. Memory serves many functions and which enables us to remember basic functions that are not physiologically automatic, for example, the mastery of reading skills, number skills and even the ability to dress oneself and to tie shoe laces. Our memory is the our storehouse of information and skills, when we go to school, all the things we need to learn is committed to memory and our previous experiences and stored information will help us process new information through accommodation and assimilation. As we age, and as our brain deteriorate, we experience memory loss which makes it impossible for us to live alone (Bredart, Brennen, Delchambre, McNeill & Burton, 2005). Recent research said that memory can still be enhanced even as we get older by continuously engaging in activities that would make use of our brain. Thinking Thinking is a collective term that refers to the process, by which we actively integrate new and previous information, it is also the process by which problem solving, decision-making and creativity is done. Thinking is a cognitive process that engages the mind, memory, learning and stored knowledge in arriving at a decision or a solution to the problem and the creation of new ideas. Thinking is a mental exercise that every person engages in as a means of applying the information and skills gained from learning and knowledge acquisition. There are different forms of thinking; namely productive, convergent and divergent thinking. Productive thinking is the process by which the mind finds a way to be able to produce a new idea, object or project. Convergent thinking is when the mind narrows down its evaluation of related knowledge to come up with a single best answer. Divergent thinking occurs when the object of the mental exercise is to generate as many theories and options for a single problem which is similar to brainstorming. Thinking as a process involves the analysis of related information or the contexts at which a certain problem exists, in analysis, the problem or idea is broken down into its component parts and then scrutinized under some perspective or framework of analysis. There are many ways in which we arrive at solutions to a problem or to decision-making strategies, one of which is insightful thinking. Insight refers to the point wherein a solution is identified after studying the problem, this happens when the individual gains an understanding of the interrelatedness of the information needed to solve the problem. There is also what is called as the use of available heuristics, with heuristics, there is not systematic way of thinking, it may lead to the solution to the problem by chance or it may not. Thinking is a diversified cognitive process, and at times it is very difficult to define when one is thinking, most of us refer to specific situations like problem-solving, decision-making or creativity to refer to different ways of manipulating information and data. However, these all involve the use of previous knowledge, to better understand the present information and to be able to present a comprehensive output using the old and new information. The study of thought process had been probably influenced by the delineation of abstract and concrete thinking as proposed by Piaget, and to some extent the concept of having to concrete examples and being able to think abstractly are very human traits (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). Some theories even say that thinking is the only ability that humans can do and animals cannot. When we think, we take out information relevant to the material we are working on and then evaluate the new information based on what we already know. For example, we know from mathematical principles of whole numbers that 1+1 is 2, when we work with a problem that asks us to do 1+1 then we know it is two, not because we have memorized the information but because we know that a whole number is added another whole number it will become 2 whole numbers, likewise we would know that 1+-1 would not equal to 2 because it has a negative sign. Thinking is probably the only exercise that has tremendous possibilities for generating bright, innovative, creative and excellent ideas (Eysenck & Keane, 2005). When asked to write an essay, I would probably thin first what I would write in it before actually putting it into paper. This refers to the act of identifying relevant information and using our mental faculties to come up with novel and new ways of presenting information and experiences. Language Language is one of the topics that have baffled scientists for the last part of history; the study of language in cognitive psychology is related to how language is acquired and how it is produced. Language refers to the process of attaching meaning to symbols in order to communicate with others. Language as used by man is different from those used by animals; we need mental representations of words in order to identify what it is and to use language as a means of expressing those symbols. For example, a red juicy tomato describes the color, firmness and taste of a round fruit which is used as a vegetable and eaten raw in most dishes. To the cognitive psychologist, language is directly related to the brain since damage to the Broca’s region would affect the speech ability of the individual. Psycholinguistics is the specific study of language as it relates to the human mind. Language is a complex process wherein the mind identifies the object, event, or feeling, and translates it into the existing language repertoire of the individual and then activates the body to produce the sounds that would verbalize the message and the idea. Language can be in written form or verbal, but psychologists are more interested in how verbal language is developed. There are several theories that attempts to explain language acquisition, one of which says that there is an innate biological mechanism that enables us to acquire, process and use language (Plomin & Dale, 2000). This would mean that language is something that we naturally do as a course of development, we are bale to acquire language in much the same way that we can walk or run or crawl. Another theory is hypothesis testing, which says that children develop language through a series of hypothesis testing which is to tentatively prove what they believe to be word relationships language patterns. For example, a 3 year old child may use language in the third person and when adults respond to his words indicating the he should own what he say, then he would know that he need not use the third person. Semantics refer to the study of meaning in a language and is often the focus of experimental research especially when a new word is developed and how a person attaches meaning to a particular word. At present one that is stressed by educators is the concept of metacognition, which is the ability to thin about what we are reading and writing even before we comprehend its entirety. Language is one of those fascinating subjects in psychology, although it is highly technical when it is broken down into its specific parts, it is also a very informative aspect of human existence. Language development and acquisition is often the means by which culture is transmitted and wherein socialization is handed from one generation to the next. Language also mirrors the culture of the society it develops from and this has been the focus of indigenous psychology and cross-cultural studies on the universality of psychological concepts in different languages (Esgate & Groome, 2004). Language is the main vehicle by which we interact and relate to other people, we are able to communicate with each other because we all use language, the inability to express our ideas and thoughts and feelings may leave the person handicapped and isolated from the rest of society. Languages disabilities may also hinder the education of children as learning basically occur in the context of communication and exchange of words and ideas. Language is said to be enhanced when the person has a large vocabulary, which means that the person has a large number of learned words which are available to him to aid him when he communicates with other people. At present the issue of English as a second language is prevalent in the educational system as more and more non-native English speakers are becoming a part of our society (Esgate & Groome, 2004). This has opened another field of study which is how a second language is acquired especially if it is very different in structure and form from the native language.

Design of Sound Activated Remote Control Essay

ABSTRACT Nowadays, when delinquency has more and more expanded and burglary, even car theft has become a social phenomenon and due to the limitation of infrared remote control in terms of control distance from the electrical equipment which not exceed in 30 feet or 10 meters and require line of sight when communicating with each other that you cannot easily access the equipment when you’re not in home or away from your car. This project study able to provide a solution for security and electronic devices conveniences. Design of sound activated remote control and alarm system utilizing mobile phone has been developed for security purposes and safety conveniences of electrical and electronic equipments with no phone call charges. The proposed design consists of the designed interface board and two cellular phones: one as a controller and the other as a transceiver. Whenever the status of the alarm changes, an automatic dial triggering of transceiver mobile phone will activated to alert the controlling mobile phone. Alternatively, the controlling mobile phone can turn on and off the equipment that connected to system by calling the transceiver mobile phone from any place that have mobile phone signal coverage. Findings of the project study showed that the design and developed circuit of mobile phone that used available local parts in the market is working properly for safety conveniences. It was user friendly through cellular communication and it effectively turns on and off electrical equipments through missed call triggering where you can easily access your equipments even if you’re not in the house or in holiday vacation. It proves that the ring detection circuit of the proposed project avoids phone call charges to the caller resulting to low cost maintenance compared to other commercial system that capable of performing similar functions but with relatively high cost. Based on the data collected the researcher concluded that the project is proven feasible, cheaper maintenance and easy to use and integrate. This was very reliable and worthy as an equipment remote control and alarm monitor system during its operation. In comparison to similar devices the developed system had able to perform similar functions without even software or programming involved. It was very effective and advisable for controlling equipments that are beyond the reach of the user without phone charges to the caller This project study is highly recommended to used for the community to activates their electrical and electronic equipments from any location that within the coverage area. These add up to their security and handiness of the equipments. For the students and future researcher with the same field of study should made research also to complement the information provided in this study. For the improvement of the design automatic charging of the mobile phone unit should take in consideration and the design system must be properly encapsulated to eliminate any unwanted signals that might trigger the system.

Organisational Behaviour of Siemens and Dell Companies Essay - 1

Organisational Behaviour of Siemens and Dell Companies - Essay Example Research claims that OB is the study of â€Å"the interface between human behavior and the organization, and of the organization itself†. The organizational structure reflects the framework of management and delineates employee relationships â€Å"at different levels within the organization†. Research has labeled organizational culture the glue which holds an organizational together and â€Å"addresses the lived experiences of people†. Siemens is a multinational conglomerate which originated in Germany and is headquartered there in Berlin. Being the largest company in entire Europe, it has always made strikingly innovative efforts to preserve its reputation over changing times. A wide range of quality products is offered by Siemens from medical imaging equipment to transport products to generators to electrical services. Dell, in contrast, is primarily a computer manufacturing American company which is known for dealing with computers and laptops. Dell has a repu tation for delivering quality to its customers by designing products in exact accordance with customer specification. There are different leadership styles seen at both Siemens and Dell which will be scrutinized in this report. Organisational structure is a formal system of task and relationships which controls how people in a workplace interact with each other to accomplish organizational objectives. In addition to shaping behavior and different operations, it is also important to remember that organizational structure is dynamic and â€Å"evolves as an organization grows and differentiates†. Some important types of organizational structure are functional, divisional, and matrix. The above figure shows how a business is structured in a functional structure. Departments are set up to control different areas of activity. In this structure, an organization is divided into different groups and each group has its own purpose. There are different types of departments like a market ing department, a designing department, a sales department etc.

Religious Conflicts in Lebanon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Religious Conflicts in Lebanon - Essay Example Moreover, there is conflict between the Sunni Muslim majority and the Shiite Muslim minority who been engaged in conflict for a long time and up to date, they are not at peace with each other. The Druze is another distinct fraction in Lebanon, they are also the minority in Lebanese society, and they have been into conflict with the Christians in the 1840s when the country was known as Mount Lebanon. Until today, there is tension between these religious groups as they are trying to build a stable democracy. It can be therefore noted that the chaos among religious groups in Lebanon is as a result of failure to establish a working power sharing system between these groups. This paper explores the religious conflict in Lebanon and it is organized in three sections. The first section presents sectarianism in Lebanon, followed by an analysis of the root of the conflict, identifying the actors and their interests. Lastly, the paper discusses possible solutions and consequences of different policy solutions. Mostly, the conflict in Lebanon is presented as a sectarian conflict, which involves the moderate Christians and the extremist Muslims (â€Å"Troubles a test†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Apart from religious differences between the Christians and the Muslims, there is also conflict within the Muslim community, between the Sunnis and the Shiites. The Muslim society was divided in Sunni and the Shiite because of the power struggle over succession (Tomass 714). The entire population including the Christians and Muslims speak Arabic language; however, sectarianism is a dominant socio-political reality in Lebanese society despite the features they have in common. Sectarianism is not a new in Lebanon, historical Lebanon also called Mount Lebanon used to be shared mainly by Druzes and the Maronites. They did not coexist in peace and harmony as they fought over land ownership and distribution of political power among other issues. But these two groups have coexisted in harmony until the