Educating African American Men

  In the last quarter century, the social and economic status of the African American male in the US has been described to be steadily deteriorating (Johnson, Farrell, & Braithwaite, 2001).   Ã‚  There are an estimated 18 million African American men in the US today, but majority of this number encounter problems and challenges unique to the African American community (Independent Lens, 2007).Numerous studies have shown that the rates of school failure, unemployment, homicide, incarceration, and other anti-social behaviors for African American males far exceed those for their Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian male counterparts (Johnson et al., 2001).Statistics from the Bureau of Justice show that African American victimization rates in 2000 alone were higher by 20% as compared to those in the general population, while homicide rate for African Americans have been 5 times higher than that of the general population for several decades.Homicide has been the primary cause of death for A frican American males between the ages of 15 to 34.   And while the percentage of African American men graduating from college has almost quadrupled since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, more and more African American males are earning their high school equivalency diplomas in prison each year instead of graduating from college (Independent Lens, 2007).The Bureau of Justice Statistics further provide that less than half of African American boys graduate from high school four years after entering the ninth grade.   More than half of the US’ 5.6 million African American boys (below 18) live in fatherless households, 40% of which are impoverished.And while the ranks of professional African American men have experienced a huge increase in the last four decades (for instance, as of 2004 there were 78,000 African American male engineers, which was a 33% increase in 10 years), 840,000 African American men remain incarcerated, with the chances of an African American boy serving time increasing nearly threefold in the last three decades (Independent Lens, 2007).Related studies further support the evidence presented by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Ã‚   Edelman and Offner (2006) in their study indicate that in inner cities, more than half of all African American men do not finish high school.   In 2000, 65% of African American male high school dropouts in their 20s were jobless – meaning, they were unable to find work, or were not seeking work, or were incarcerated.   By 2004, the number of jobless African American men increased to 72%, compared to 34% for Caucasian men, and 19% for Hispanic male high school dropouts.   In 2004 as well, half of African American men in their 20s were jobless, and these numbers unfortunately included African American men who had earned their high school diplomas (Edelman & Offner, 2006).Furthermore, the movement of the labor force away from factory-based jobs has left unskilled workers of all races with fewer and fewer job options.   As of 2004, 50% of African American men in their 20s who did not have a college education were jobless, while 72% of African American male high school dropouts remained jobless (Western, 2006).These staggering statistics perhaps sadly reflect the difficult life that many African American men in the US have to face.   The inequality and punishment that lower-income African American men must deal with on a daily basis has been much documented in many studies.These economic and social challenges may be rooted in the African American subculture, and would require an extensive analysis of the cultural patterns and behaviors.The statistics showing the unemployment rate of lower-income African American males have also shown that they do not receive the same kind of opportunity that their Caucasian counterparts may have – however, the statistics also show that this status of being unemployed may be largely attributed to the lack of education o f the African American male.Dropping out of high school, not completing a college education, incarceration – all these are factors which contribute to the social and economic deterioration of the African American male.As a way of addressing this social and economic deterioration of the African American male, this study will attempt to draw up a learning community which will allow for the African American adult male to achieve his fullest potential.  Ã‚   The paper will seek to establish a system of adult education wherein African American males may have the opportunity to elevate and improve their social and economic status in society.Section 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Background  Subsection 1.1.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Definition of a Learning CommunityThe concept of a â€Å"learning community† involves two distinct words which have been used in varying but traditionally separate contexts (â€Å"Learning Community – A Definition,† 1998).   The Encyc lopà ¦dia Britannica defines learning as â€Å"the alteration of behavior as a result of individual experience.   When an organism can perceive and change its behavior, it is said to learn† (â€Å"Learning,† 2007).On the other hand, TheFreeDictionary defines community as â€Å"a group of organisms or populations living and interacting with one another in a particular environment.   The organisms in a community affect each other’s abundance, distribution, and evolutionary adaptation† (â€Å"Community,† 2007).Taking the two definitions together, a learning community can then be understood to be an environment wherein a population lives and interacts with each other in order to perceive and change their behavior.Within the academic setting, more specific definitions of a learning community have been provided for in previous research studies.  Ã‚   The concept has been defined as something located in the context of education for the young â€⠀œ 4 or 5 years old until 17 years old – as composing â€Å"a group of students and at least one educator who, for a while and motivated by common vision and will, are engaged in the pursuit of acquiring knowledge, abilities and attitudes† (â€Å"Learning Community – A Definition,† 1998).Kowch and Schwier (1997) in their study defines a learning community as â€Å"a collection of individuals who are bound together by natural will and a set of shared ideas and ideals† (p. 1) and as composed of â€Å"autonomous, independent individuals engaged by influencing each other with a learning process† (Kowch & Schwier, 1997, p. 1).Cross (1998) provides for a similar definition of learning communities as â€Å"groups of people engaged in intellectual interaction for the purpose of learning† (p.4).In her outline, Kirby (2000) identifies different types of learning community models: · Technological learning community.   This model involves stu dents who are connected through technological communications.   The educational program, which is linked to schools, is offered online to students. ·Community education involvement.   This model involves entire communities participating in the operation of public schools and their educational outcomes. ·Cohort learning community.   This last model identified by Kirby involves students who go through an entire educational program or set of courses as cohorts.   Student cohorts are students â€Å"commencing a course of study in a particular year with a particular higher education provider† (â€Å"Glossary A-Z,† 2007).A cohort learning community may be presented in different ways: 1) college undergraduate students with the same major housed in the same dorm, with special arrangements provided for group study; 2) courses taught as a unit, whether for a semester or a school year, with the same students enrolled in each of the classes in the unity; 3) students be ginning an academic program together, being exposed to the same knowledge base, and eventually graduating together (Kirby, 2000).Each of these three learning community models may be applied in various ways and at various educational levels.   Past studies on learning communities have also identified different learning community models.   For instance, Shapiro and Levine (1999) categorized learning community models as paired/clustered courses, freshman interest groups, team-taught programs, and/or residential learning communities.On the other hand, Lenning and Ebbers (1999) categorized learning community models as curricular, classroom, residential, and student-type.  Ã‚   In their study, Freeman, Field, and Dyrenfurth (2001) integrate these previous models and have come up with four general categories for learning community models: ·Collateral course-based learning community model.   This category is identical to Kirby’s (2000) cohort learning community model.   S tudents may take two or more courses together as a cohort group.   This model may involve only two classes or the students’ entire course program for one or more semesters.   Educational programs may be discipline-based or cross-disciplinary theme-based. ·Residential learning community model.   Again, this is similar to Kirby’s (2000) cohort learning model, in that students live together in the same house or dormitory.   Unlike Kirby’s model however, this model proposed by Freeman, et al. (2001), does not necessarily require that the students take common classes or the same course.According to Shapiro and Levine (1999), the residential learning community model integrates the living and academic environment of the students involved. ·Freshman interest groups.   This learning community involves entering a freshman with a particular subject interest, not necessarily in the same major, and allowing the freshman to take grouped or linked courses around that specific area of interest. ·Student-type learning community model.   This learning model, such as honor students, and students with disabilities.   It may or may not involve common courses or living arrangements (Freeman et al., 2001).For purposes of this paper, it is important to understand the definition of a learning community since the latter basically pertains to a group of learners.   In this case, the particular group of learners are African American male adults.   It thus becomes relevant to provide a background on what a learning community is in order to understand how to set about developing an appropriate learning community for African American male adults.It is noteworthy to point out that application of one learning community model does not necessarily mean the exclusion of another model or models.  Ã‚   According to Freeman et al. (2001), a learning community may be structured by following either one model or a combination of models, or even an entirel y new and different model.There is no required or strict standard which must be followed since the needs of the student population or target audience will necessarily vary per environment.  Ã‚   Rasmussen and Skinner (1997) in their landmark study on learning communities provides for the following insight:â€Å"The best design will depend on [the] institutional environment and the specific disciplines to be integrated as well as the characteristics of the faculty and students who will participate.The goal is to provide a richer range of learning experiences to our students and contribute to a more vibrant and supportive campus environment for students and faculty alike† (Rasmussen & Skinner, 1997, p. 15).Regardless of the learning community model selected however, the essence of a learning community should be producing a collaborative, harmonious environment between the teachers and the students.   It should allow for greater interaction of students with their teachers an d peers.   Correlational evidence shows that students who participate in learning communities display more intellectual growth and get more out of their education than less involved students (Cross, 1998).

12 Angry Men Analysis – 2

Nobody could forecast that a low budget movie with 12 different actors performing in one single room could affect in such a remarkable degree several sciences like law, business, psychology etc. The movie, based on the scenario that a 12 member jury group is about to decide through a certain procedure if a young boy is going to face the death penalty or not, can be linked with many theories referring to leadership or group/team work. Influenced by the Group Effectiveness Model of Schwarz (2002), the structure of the group along with the context and the process are vital for its effectiveness (Eirini Flouri & Yiannis Fitsakis 2007).In the first part of the film when the stage of forming, as it is claimed by the Tuckman’s Team Model, occurs, we notice the main characteristics of this group(David A. Buchanan & Andrej Huczynski, 2010). The group consists of 12 male middle aged white men probably coming from the middle class. Even from this first impression, admiring the effort of the film to achieve diversity, signs of prejudice appear. Specifically, the fact that all of them are men and moreover white men represents main biases of that period.Additionally, as it is mentioned to Sheldon’s Theory about the biases, the somatotype of each person declares in a certain way its character and this can be noticed by the selection of the characters and their match with the roles (Big guy is the tough one, smaller and thinner is the most innocuous, the handsome is the sensible and sensitive one etc. ) (David A. Buchanan & Andrej Huczynski, 2010). Despite the fact that the movie is trying to accuse such biases (which will be underlined later) certain ways of projection of that period could not be avoided.This is one of the reasons why in the remake of the film in 1997 black actors participated as well and later there even women were introduced in the team for certain theatrical versions. (Eirini Flouri & Yiannis Fitsakis 2007). The existence of a â€Å"one-offà ¢â‚¬  situation like this in the movie leaves space for less inhibition for conflicts. Moreover, specific factors like the size, the external-internal environment and the definition of the process play a crucial role in the structure of the group.Obviously, the size of this group is 12, but the question is: why so many? The reason is that by having a greater number of juries the system of justice achieves higher levels of democracy with less possibilities of getting unfair decisions combining the memory, the knowledge and the experience of each member and eliminates any prejudiced behaviors. On the other hand as Social Impact Theory mentions the more members there are, the less responsibility they feel (Latane and Nida, 1980).In the external environment we could enclose the time of the procedure, which is unlimited at first but with a deadline coming up afterwards, and the conditions of the place of action, which is characterized by the humidity and the high summer temperatures, th e broken air-conditioning, the unavailability of space. Such details could become the cause of stress, aggressiveness and as it was shown desire for fast result (just finish the procedure). In the internal environment issues like experience of previous similar situations, cultures, personalities, knowledge, mood, health, personal schedule and specialization could affect the result.Ending, a matter of significant importance is the definition of the procedure. In this case, we observe that after the release of the 2 alternatives there are 12 juries left. The juries have to decide if the boy is guilty or not guilty but there must be a full agreement (12 to 0) in each case; A democratic method which proves the importance of the situation. Alternatively, if they cannot reach an agreement they can decide a hung jury and then another trial will take place with different juries this time.The role of the foreman is usually for the most experienced person in this field or the first jury or fo r anyone who claims the desire and gets accepted by all. In the movie, juror1 supports this role setting the basic norms of the procedure. It is worth mentioning that nowadays, in the selection of the juries there is a specific procedure that is called â€Å"Voir Dire† procedure that clarifies the capability of the juries (Michael T. Nietzelt and Ronald C. Dillehayt 1982). Undoubtedly, the conviction of the biases of any kind is one of the main objects of this film. Primarily, in the first scheme, the judge seems really ninterested about the outcome and he seems to be sure about the result. The Halo Effect is â€Å"a judgment based on a single striking characteristic† and is being remarked in many cases during the film (Edward Thorndike, 1920). Moving to the main part of the film and the central procedure we can emphasize on the juror3 and juror10 who are the main representatives of such prejudiced behaviors. Both of them were trying to fill the gaps of their knowledge using selective attention in certain facts and their personal experience (â€Å"Principle of closure† by Max Wertheimer 1880-1943).Everyone has his stereotypes and if we imagine stereotypes as pictures in our head, jurors 3 and 10 have the image of a dangerous criminal for the defendant, raised to act in certain ways (Lippmann, 1922). More specifically, juror3 expresses, from his first lines in the film, his perception against the young boy (â€Å"I ‘d slap those kids before†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). But as the movie goes on, he expresses again and again his personal beliefs connecting them with his personal disappointment from his own son (â€Å" it’s these kids they are these day†, â€Å"I used to call my father Sir†).Even more he presents his cultural stereotype against the elderly (â€Å"How could he be positive about anything? †) Eventually, juror3 stands alone with his perceptions, believing in the boy’s guiltiness and through a psycholo gical outburst admits that all his statements were based on biases. Similarly, juror10 uses his own belief to create his racial prejudice against the defendant (â€Å"I‘ve expected that†, â€Å"You know what we are dealing with†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) as well as his past experiences (â€Å"I’ve lived with them†¦ they are born liars†).Adding to this, juror10 weights the value of the young boy less than the cost of a trial. Finally, his â€Å"explosion† made the apocalypse of his real personality and the group’s mechanism accused his behavior through a visual isolation and oral prohibition. The existence of biases in each group can create an unpleasant internal environment for each member and be the reason of conflicts. The productivity or the effectiveness of the group is in danger if such behaviors are being tolerated. Apart from the complexity which is created there is also a matter of fairness of the group’s function.As the movie flows, the influence of the group to each individual separately is obvious but a vice versa phenomenon is noticed as well. In this part, the different roles of the jurors and their influence on each other through the communication style of all-channel are being presented, as well as with some strategies followed by the leader-juror8. One thing that is common for most of the jurors is that they have common BATNA(Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) and this is the hung jury.However, this is not the case for jury8 claims that his only purpose is the delivery of the justice (Fisher and Uri, 1981). Starting with juror1 we can notice signs of leadership in the early beginning but he ends up being more like a manager, organizing the procedure. Excluding the moment he reaches his breaking point and suggests if anyone would like to take his place, juror1is the one who sets up the norms, accepts propositions, guides the conversation and the voting procedure, avoids conflicts and respects pr ivileges keeping a democratic way of thinking.Being the foreman can be characterized as the â€Å"co-ordinator† (Beldin’s Team Role Theory 1996, 2007). Many of the jurors (2, 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12) seem to have low self-esteem not only because of their character but also because of the number of the team that forces them to get lost in the crowd or just finish the procedure and leave (â€Å"I just think he is guilty†, â€Å"Can I pass? †, etc) This is obvious from the first vote where only 5 of the 11 votes come directly and the rest are raised slowly just to avoid being pointed out.They are becoming followers(2, 5, 6 and 11) or entertainers (7) or just dreamers (12). Of course most of them are open to hear more and accept different opinions (2, 5, and 7). The rest just do not care so much about the result and these â€Å"free riders†, as Frohlich and Oppenheimer called them in 1970, are the proof that social loafing (or Ringelmann Effect) is a commo n phenomenon in big teams. The role of juror9 has a vital meaning for the outcome because he takes part in all the breaking points of the process.Firstly, he is the first supporter of juror8, secondly it is him who explains the old witness’s psychology (â€Å"Attention†) and lastly he is the fire starter for the fall of the woman’s testimony. The main opponents to the boy’s exoneration are jurors 3, 4 and 10. As was mentioned previously jurors 3 and 10 are mostly based on biases and stereotypes for children from slums. They are all concentrated on general facts and obvious details. The extensive use of loud voice is frequently the main argument of jurors 3 and 10, which could never strengthen their position.Alternatively, juror4 is using his logic and cleverness to support his facts and admits his fault proving his maturity, once he is convinced. Focusing on juror8 we can claim that he owns the position of the leader as his bargaining power is unique. Max Weber (1947) claimed that â€Å"bargaining power is the ability someone has to achieve his goals no matter of the resistance he faces†. Juror8 follows a series of strategies in order to be flexible and adapt to the needs of each occasion. In the beginning, as it is shown from Jo-Hari’s Window, everyone has a bigger unknown-black side, so juror8 wants to get information as an input.Eventually, he adopts the strategy of a listener in order to get knowledge from the others without revealing himself. Afterwards, in the first vote he stays neutral mentioning his points aiming to make some of the rest see the facts from a different angle avoiding any conflict. The brainstorming procedure just began. In order to wake up their consciousness he uses specific words like â€Å"maybe†, â€Å"supposing†, â€Å"possible† and â€Å"assume†. In the main part he listens carefully and argues with all the elements one by one. There is also an extensive use of rhetorical questions and irony just to make his point clear.The first action scheme is when he places the similar knife on the table. The leader breaks the law in order to prove his point. He becomes more active for the first time and gets the whole team upset. Eventually, he creates the first doubts. At this specific time he calls for a new vote. Apparently, the timing is not random. Probably he recognizes some voices like his and decides that it is time to set up a coalition strategy. He needs just one vote which will strengthen amazingly his arguments and he gets it.The fact that he uses his emotional intelligence to point out his views, while he realizes that some other jurors are playing, proves once again his leading abilities. The next step is to create personal relations with some of the jurors. So, he finds the weakest of the group who are about to change side and ask for their opinions. It is not by accident that these jurors were mainly followers until this time. Having established these connections, he uses logic and science as well as the experience and the knowledge of the group in order to persuade the others.As soon as he realizes that one of his main opponents (juror3) loses his self-control, juror8 becomes aggressive and pushes him to the limits using the technique of the irony to apocalypse the existence of his personal prejudice against the defendant. After completing his task, he shows his sympathetic character and supports the worried opponent. Based on Moscovici (1976) and his 5 Aspects juror8 is loyal to his beliefs(Consistency), responsible for his acts(Autonomy), flexible whenever it is appropriate(Rigidity), risky in the first secret vote(Investment) and willing to bring justice(Fairness).The impact of this movie in our modern times is initially proved by the fact that after so many years it is still being taught in courses not only in Law schools but also in Business and Psychology schools. Definitions like brainstorming, social lo afing, diversity, team-working, biases and preconceptions, attribution, personality, leader’s abilities, democratic voting and many others are part of any organization nowadays. This movie is the omen for the evolutionary development of a team structure, a team-worker’s behavior and a leader’s characteristics. References Atkinson G. 1990 â€Å"Negotiate the best deal† Director Books, Cambridge Barkan, Steven E. , & Steven Cohn, 1994, ‘‘Racial Prejudice and Support for the Death Penalty by Whites’’ in â€Å"Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency† pp. 202–209 Buchanan A. David & Huczynski A. Andrej, 2010, â€Å"Organizational Behaviour†, seventh edition, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow Cialdini R. B. , 1993 â€Å"The psychology of persuasion†, Quill William Morrow, New York Ellsworth C. Phoebe, 1989, â€Å"Are Twelve Heads Better Than One? † in â€Å"Law and Contemporary Problems†, Duke University School of Law Fisher R. & Ury W. 1981 â€Å"Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without gining in† Penguin, New York Flouri Eirini & Fitsakis Yiannis, Oct 2007, â€Å"Minority Matters: 12 Angry Men as a Case study of a successful Negotiation against the odds† in â€Å"Negotitation Journal† pp. 449-461 Hackley Susan, 2007 â€Å"One Reasonable and Inquiring Man:12 Angry Men as a Negotiation-Teaching Tool† in â€Å"Negotiation Journal† pp. 463-468 Hall & M. Eisenstein (Eds. ), 1980, â€Å"Voir Dire and jury selection†, Clark. B. M. , in â€Å"Criminal Defense Techniques†, New York: Mathew Bender Hay B. L. 2007 â€Å"Fiftieth anniversary 12 Angry Men† Kent-Law Review 82(3) Chicago Heuer L. Penrodt St. , Sep. 1988, â€Å"Increasing Jurors' Participation in Trials A Field Experiment with Jury Notetaking and Question Asking† in â€Å"Law and Human Behaviour† Vol. 12 No. 3 Janis I. , 1972 â€Å"Victims of groupthink† MA: Houghton Mifflin, Oxford Kaplan M. , Jones & Christopher S. , 2003 â€Å"The Effects of Racially Stereotypical Crimes on Juror Decision-Making and Information –Processing Strategies† in â€Å"Basic and Applied Social Psychology† pp. 1-13 Kew J. & Stredwick J. , 2010, â€Å"Human Resource Management in a business context†, CIPD, London Martin R. , 1992 â€Å"Bargaining Power† Clarendon Press, OxfordMoscovici S. , 1976 â€Å"Social influence and social change† Academic, London Nietzelt T. Michael & Dillehayt C. Ronald, 1982, â€Å"The Effects of Variations in Voir Dire Procedures in Capital Murder Trials†, in â€Å"Law and Human Behaviour† Vol. 6 No. 1 Rojot J. , 1991 â€Å"Negotiatation: From theory to practice† Macmillan, London Scheepers, Daan, et al, 2006, ‘‘Diversity in In-Group Bias: Structural Factors, Situational Features, and Social Functions,’’ in â€Å"Journal of Personality and Social Psychology† pp. 944–960 Weber M. , 1947 The theory of social and economic organization† Oxford University Press, New York

Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist

Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist Keisha Marselis SLS 1105-65 Strategies for Success March 20, 2010 Becoming a Medical Billing Specialist I love working with people and on computers. So I looked for a career where I can do both. Deciding to become a Medical Billing Specialist was the perfect choice for me. When I first entered into the medical field, I became a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). I love doing my job because I was able to help others in need. As time passed I knew I wanted to do more but I just didn’t know what that was. Then one day I went to the doctor’s office with a patient for a routine checkup and I started talking to one of the medical assistants. She asked me if I liked my job. I told her that I love what I did but I wanted something more. I also mentioned that I had went to school for basic computer training before I went to school for CNA. Then she said that I should think about going to school for Medical Billing and Coding. When I started looking into the field, I was astonished. I would be able to do the two things I love, working with people and on computers. I discover that a person interested in medical billing and coding should have excellent knowledge of the field, is willing to help those in need and have flexibility to obtain additional training for job advancement. â€Å"Medical coding is a key step in the medical billing process. Every time a patient receives professional health care in a physician’s office, hospital outpatient facility or ambulatory surgical center(ASC), the provider must code and create a claim to be paid, whether by a commercial payer, the patient or CMS(The Centers for Medicare Medicare Services)† (American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), 2010). A medical coder’s main job is to look over patient’s records and other information to code and classify a patient’s diagnosis or procedure. Then they must assign and input the correct diagnostic code to establish the amount of money a provider receives from the insurer. Coders are also responsible for making sure codes meet all federal, legal and insurance regulations. Jeffress (2003-2010) specifies that â€Å"the healthcare industry depends on skilled medical billing and coding specialists to accurately record and register patient information, verify their insurance policies, and keep track of patient accounts†. When a patient comes in to the doctor’s office, you are the first and last person they come in contact with. So it is important that you get all of the patient’s information to properly start off their file. You also have to make sure the patient has their proper health insurance and understand what their responsibilities are for co-payment, if needed. They would have to fill out different documentation about them and their family medical history. It is also important to help them understand how to fill out these forms so that everything can be properly documented in their file. When the patient sees the doctor, he/she will have a somewhat understanding of why the patient is visiting. While the patient is seeing a doctor, the doctor may tell them a few things that they might not understand. So the patient might come and ask you questions pertaining to what the doctor just told them. By being trained in the field you learn about medical terminology. This is when you breakdown what was told to them. You would be able to explain to them the medical diagnosis or procedure the doctor has told them about. Help them understand what the doctor wants them to do.

IT Security & Sarbanes-Oxley Act Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

IT Security & Sarbanes-Oxley Act - Term Paper Example Because of the original intention and the mandate of the Act, financial accuracy must be certified by the management concerned. Because of the provisions of the Same Act, the penalties for financial fraud have been made more severe. Similarly, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 strengthened the autonomy of external auditors who analyze and reexamine the accuracy of corporate statements of accounts and also bolstered the oversight function of the board of directors. Simon, Smalley, and Schultz (2009) divulge that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 comes against the backdrop of serious corporate and accounting scandals such as the Enron, Adelphia, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems Scandals. These scandals had cost investors billions of dollars, following the collapse of the affected companies share prices. These scandals, together with their serious effects weakened public confidence in Americas security markets. The Act comprises 11 sections which range from criminal penalties to additional corporate board responsibilities. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 demands that the Securities and Exchange Commission implements rulings on prerequisites to compliance with the law. One of the ways the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 effects and constraints IT security section 404 compliance is by emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of internal controls, as a set of an enterprise's internal procedures, providing reasonable assurances that the enterprise will meet its target in all the specified areas. This is the case since Section 404 Compliance extends emphasis on not just historical financial reporting, but on internal controls also. Together with the rules spelled out in the SEC, there is a requirement that public companies' management should assess and report periodically, on the effectiveness of internal controls on financial reporting.

Future of vessel traffic services (VTS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Future of vessel traffic services (VTS) - Essay Example Non-surveilled systems consist of one or more reporting points at which ships are required to report their identity, course, speed, and other data to the monitoring authority. They encompass a wide range of techniques and capabilities aimed at preventing vessel collisions, ramming, and groundings in the harbor, harbor approach and inland waterway phase of navigation. They are also designed to expedite ship movements, increase transportation system efficiency, and improve all-weather operating capability. The Automatic Identification and Data Management System AIMS 7100 - the product of a joint venture between Daimler-Benz Aerospace and Marine Data Systems - is the latest development of a highly sophisticated vessel traffic information system (VTS). Litton Marine Systems has introduced a new IMO-compliant vessel traffic system (VTS) for locks, bridges, ports and coastal waters. VTS-Master-W is a new system utilizing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and proprietary software running under Windows-98/NT. The Vessel Traffic Management will be able to get real-time remote display of raw video data from shore-based surveillance radars superimposed on geographical maps of the area. The Coast Guard Vessel Traffic System (VTS) is active in four major U. S. ports: New York, Puget Sound (Seattle), San Francisco and Houston/Galveston. They upgrade their software installed for VTS twice a year. Recent developments included a new Vessel Maintenance Form and improvements to radar tracking. A multiyear radar recapitalization project is in progress, replacing old, unsupportable radars with the new AN/SPS-73. Norcontrol IT has announced the introduction of C-Scope, a groundbreaking 3D VTS and AIS operator display, designed to increase flexibility of vessel and consignment tracking on sea and land areas. The sophisticated display is able to visualise data from any tracking system and provides unique flexibility in that a VTMIS operator may view the service area from literally anywhere, including onboard a vessel. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the first organisation to use the display and has already taken delivery as part of the UK AIS network program. same radar used for replacement on the cutters. Future Plans VTS already has most of the technology available for its implementation. some advances may change the way future systems are designed and operated. Technologies like range from advances in electronic charting to precise positioning techniques and automatic ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore identification are expected. A number of advances, in combination, may make the automatic plotting of vessel locations, identification, and movements' possible using a laptop device on board and being equipped with proper transponders. These automated systems could replace the costly radar surveillance of large port regions. The global positioning system (GPS) and differential GPS (DGPS) is already available in ports and waterways today. The DGPS system combined with an electronic chart is the

Module title Construction of race in polotics Essay

Module title Construction of race in polotics - Essay Example because all the really big questions had been settled."1 Fukuyama concludes that this does not "mean that the natural cycle of birth, life, death would end, that important events would no longer happen," but rather, "that there would be no further progress in the development of underlying principles and institutions, because all the really big questions had been settled."2 Samuel B Huntington responded that the really biggest question had yet to be debated. â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations† is the issue that will be the big question in the future. Huntington asserts that,â€Å"the great. divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural.† He acknowledges that â€Å"nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs,† but in future their conflicts will â€Å"occur between nations and groups of civilizations†. Following from these assumptions he concludes that â€Å"the fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.†3 Fukuyama took the very narrow view that the end of the struggle between between capitalism/liberal-democracy and communism/command economy was over with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and that that was the defining conflict of the evolution of human society. It is either a hyperbolic or a foolish suggestion. Huntington proposes that the epic struggle of the twentieth century has imply been displaced by this centurys theme, the clash and conflict between rival cultures. â€Å"A civilization is a cultural entity, â€Å" Huntington writes.4 It is a meta-entity, â€Å"the highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest level of cultural identity people have short of that which distinguishes humans from other species.†5 The taxonomy of civilizations takes into consideration history, language, culture, tradition and, most important, religion. Huntington also points out that there is an objective and a subjective aspect to civilizations. The objective elements of society are the five

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION AND GOVERNANCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION AND GOVERNANCE - Essay Example Food retailing is a subcategory of the retail industries. The business sector of food retailing is experiencing a dramatic change over these few years. The main driving forces of the retailing industry specifically the food industry are the consumers. They are creating the demand for the products that is increasing the scope for the expansion of this sector of the retail industry. The population growth of the developing countries and the increasing wealth in the hands of the consumers are influencing the rapid growth of these retail industries thus they are attracting more and more investments. (Retail, 2011) However these foreign investments in the food retailing sectors of other countries have certain influence on the economy of the country in which the investment is ultimately being made. The influence may to a certain extent impose a positive driven force for the country’s economy however it may have some adverse consequences. This is the scope of study of this paper. Impa ct of foreign direct investment on food retailing on receiver country’s economy The retail sectors of the modern economy had its base in the traditional retail supermarkets. Then with its emergence in the period of the last eight decades, it spreads slowly in the western region of the European continent and in the United States of America. During the period of their expansion in the Western Europe and United States there was hardly any foreign direct investment made in retails sectors of the economy. The spread of the retail sectors in the developing countries of the world were over five times faster than that in the developed countries in the past. The main reason behind this sudden significant transformation from traditional shops to retail was the huge amount of the foreign direct investment that the retail sector of these developing countries could attract. The expansion of retailing that had been achieved in the United States over the last eight decades had been achieved by the developing economy of Brazil within a period of just two decades only because of the huge rate of foreign investment that were made in the expanding sectors of the emerging economy. Moreover the sub sector of the food supply in the total retailing took more time of adjustments in the retail transformation in the developed economies. However this was an advantage for the sector as food retailing became much better equipped with capital and the support they received from the public sectors of the economies. The scenario of food sector in the developing economies of the world was a bit different. Small firms constitute majority of the food suppliers in the developing countries, which have a relatively low capital base, and lack of support from the public sectors of the countries. The growth of this sub sector of retailing in the developing economies of the world had been mainly due to the increased Foreign Direct Investments in these sectors. The Foreign Direct Investments poss ess the potential of improving the performance of the food retailing in the developing economies. The international expansion of the food retail sector had been substantially due to the investments made in the new emerging markets from the period of the nineties. (Reardon & Hopkins, 2006, p 522-524: McKinsey & Company, n.d, p. 7) The overall impact of the Foreign Direct investment in the food retail sector of the countries especially the developing ones are considered to be positive.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Case Study Example One such penetration was the historic September 11 attacks, which led to formation of 9/11 Commission. One of the commission’s recommendations was that the government of the US is not positioned to meet all its own obligations towards the Americans in prevention of terrorists’ entry without collaborating with other governments. In this, the US was supposed to exchange information on terrorism with other trusted allies as well as raise the American and global standards of border security for border crossing and travel via extensive international cooperation (Howard, 2006, p. 459). This recommendation forms the basis of this paper’s case study. The paper wishes to assess the progress of this recommendation for DHS’s view. September 11 attacks marked a great change in the world. This day cannot be considered as a mere media hype as many historians are referring to this date as the real start of the 21st century. It is a bit early to establish whether such assessment will bear out though it cannot be dismissed in simple terms. In fact, 11 September attacks ended the notion that the US could float above all the other nations across the globe and thus have incorporated their contribution in the war against crime (Belasco, 2011, p. 1). US cannot foster the false impression that what takes place in the other parts of the world affects them in no way. Thus, it is more important than ever before for nations to understand the kind of world they are living in as well as what the US has and/or is doing to make the world what it is (Rollins, 2010, p. 21). Collaboration has been a big lesson in combating terrorism and remarkable achievements have been noted. Many nations are getting out to the others as well as asking the Homeland Security, emergency management and law enforcement, health department etc. to ensure more cohesion on what appears as common threats irrespective of the nation under such threat (Laurent,

Introduction to counselling- module 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introduction to counselling- module 3 - Essay Example Needs which could be found at the higher levels of the hierarchy are not strongly geared towards physical survival, instead their focus are more on the psychological well-being and growth. These needs have lesser power in motivating individuals and they are more influenced by the individual’s life experiences and even formal education. The ensuing hierarchy of needs is frequently portrayed as a pyramid, with physical survival needs situated at the bottom of at the foundation of the pyramid whereas the needs for self-actualization are situated at the top. During the time the hierarchy of needs was developed, psychology in the early 1960s was dominated by two views of human behavior. These views are the behaviorist as well as the psychoanalytic. The psychoanalytic view places its emphasis on the unconscious conflicts and makes, drawing a lot of of its conceptions from case studies of neurotic people. On the other hand, the behaviorist view places more attention on the function of learning and generated a lot of its principles from observations of animal behavior. Maslow put forward the observation that the psychoanalysts fell short to take into account the behavior of healthy human beings, at the same time as the behaviorists were very mechanistic and basically took notice of the subjective experience. Maslow possessed the conception that that no theory of human personality would be absolute without a systematic investigation of healthy functioning, in this case he ventured out to inspect the conscious motivations as well as experiences of individuals who are healthy. One essential result was that psychologically healthy people have more tendencies to put into account what Maslow referred to as "peak experiences." Maslow described a peak experience as one in which the individual loses a sense of place and time and goes through a fleeting feeling of harmony

Law for Non-Lawyers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Law for Non-Lawyers - Essay Example one hundred individuals are present on land for exclusively social purposes during the occurrence of which alcohol consumption is likely to be expected. In accordance with Section 1 (2) of the Act, the organizer of such a gathering must obtain permission from a local magistrate to host the event unless he/she is an exempt person for in this case the authorization of a local magistrate would not be required. Section 1 (3) states that an exempt person can be categorized as an individual who is the occupier of the land, a member of the occupier’s family and his/her agent or employee. The scenario which led to Tom’s arrest under the Prohibition of Unsolicited Parties (Fictitious) Act 2010 is described as follows: the defendant, Tom who is employed as a sales assistant at an electrical superstore was requested by Sally who is a manageress at the same store to keep an eye on her property, a 5-acre smallholding during the time frame that she was in Spain on a holiday. Accordingly, Tom arranged to invite some of his friends to celebrate his 21st birthday celebrations on Sally’s property that housed a small barn. However, an error led to the email being sent to all contacts on Tom’s address book as a consequence of which more than 600 people attended the party. The presence of hundreds of guests on the land prompted the owner of the neighboring farm led to inform the police about excessive noise that subsequently led to Tom’s arrest under the Prohibition of Unsolicited Parties (Fictitious) Act 2010. Referring to the question of statutory interpretation that is conducted by judges to declare whether the defendant has committed an offence or not, Tom’s case poses certain questions that need to be addressed and analyzed in the light the principles and rules of statutory interpretation. These aspects of concern and their significance to the case is as follows: 1) How many people did Tom intend to invite to this particular social gathering? Section 1 (1) of the

Alice Munro the Found Boat Essay Example for Free

Alice Munro the Found Boat Essay At the end of Bell Street, McKay Street, Mayo Street, there was the Flood. It was the Wawanash River, which every spring overflowed its banks. Some springs, say one in every five, it covered the roads on that side of town and washed over the fields, creating a shallow choppy take. Light reflected off the water made every- thing bright and cold, as it is in a lakeside town, and woke or revived in people certain vague hopes of disaster. Mostly during the late afternoon and early evening, there were people straggling out to took at it, and discuss whether it was still rising, and whether this time it might invade the town. In general, those under fifteen and over sixty-five were most certain that it would. Eva and Carol rode out on their bicycles. They left the road-it was the end of Mayo Street, past any houses- and rode right into a field, over a wire fence entirely flattened by the weight of the winters snow. They coasted a little way before the long grass stopped them, then left their bicycles lying down and went to the water. We have to find a log and ride on it, Eva said. Jesus, well freeze our legs off. Jesus, well freeze our legs off said one of the boys who were there too at the waters edge. He spoke in a sour whine, the way boys imitated girls although it was nothing like the way girls talked. These boys-there were three of them- were all in the same class as Eva and Carol at school and were known to them by name (their names being Frank, Bud and Clayton), but Eva and Carol, who had seen and recognized them from the road, had not spoken to them or looked at them or, even yet, given any sign o f knowing they were there. The boys seemed to be trying to make a raft, from lumber they had salvaged from the water. Eva and Carol took off their shoes and socks and waded in. The water was so cold it sent pain up their legs, like blue electric sparks shooting through their veins, but they went on, putting their skirts high, tight behind and bunched so they could hold them in front. Look at the fat-assed ducks in wading. Fat-assed f****. Eva and Carol, of course, gave no sign of hearing this. They laid hold of a log and climbed on, taking a couple of boards floating in the water for addles. There were always things floating around in the Flood-branches, fence-rails, logs, road signs, old lumber; sometimes boilers, washtubs, pots and pans, or even a car seat or stuffed chair, as if somewhere the Flood had got into a dump. They paddled away from shore, heading out into the cold take. The water was perfectly clear, they could see the brown grass swimming along the bottom. Suppose it was the sea, thought Eva. S he thought of drowned cities and countries. Atlantis. Suppose they were riding in a Viking boat-Viking boats on the Atlantic were more frail and narrow than this log on the Flood-and they had miles of clear sea beneath them, then a spired city, intact as a jewel irretrievable on the ocean floor. This is a Viking boat, she said. I am the carving on the front. She stuck her chest out and stretched her neck, trying to make a curve, and she made a face, putting out her tongue. Then she turned and for the first time took notice of the boys. Hey, you sucks! she yelled at them. You’d be scared to come out here, this water is ten feet deep! Liar, they answered without interest, and she was. They steered the log around a row of trees, avoiding floating barbed wire, and got into a little bay created by a natural hollow of the land. Where the bay was now, there would be a pond full of frogs later in the spring, and by the middle of summer there would be no water visible at all, just a low tangle of reeds and bushes, green, to show that mu d was still wet around their roots. Larger bushes, willows, grew around the steep bank of this pond and were still partly out of the water. Eva and Carol let the log ride in. They saw a place where something was caught. It was a boat, or part of one. An old rowboat with most of one side ripped out, the board that had been the seat just dangling. It was pushed up among the branches, lying on what would have been its side, if it had a side, the prow caught high. Their idea came to them without consultation, at the same time: You guys! Hey, you guys! We found you a boat! Stop building your stupid raft and come and took at the boat! What surprised them in the first place was that the boys really did come, scrambling overland, half running, half sliding down the bank, wanting to see. Hey, where? Where is it, I dont see no boat. What surprised them in the second place was that when the boys did actually see what boat was meant, this old flood-smashed wreck held up in the branches, they did not understand that they had been footed, that a joke had been played on them. They did not show a moments disappointment, but seemed as pleased at the discovery as if the boat had been whole and new. They were already barefoot, because they had been wading in the water to get lumber, and they waded in here without a stop, surrounding the boat and appraising it and paying no attention even of an insulting kind to Eva and Carol who bobbed up and down on their log. Eva and Carol had to call to them. How do you think you’re going to get it off.? It wont float anyway. What makes you think it will float? Itll sink. Glub-blub-blub, you’ll all be drownded. The boys did not answer, because they were too busy walking around the boat, pulling at it in a testing way to see how it could be got off with the least possible damage. Frank, who was the most literate, talkative and inept of the three, began referring to the boat as she, an affectation which Eva and Carol acknowledged with fish-mouths of contempt. Shes caught two places. You got to be careful not to tear a hole in her bottom. Shes heavier than youd think. It was Clayton who climbed up and freed the boat, and Bud, a tall fat boy, who got the weight of it on his back to turn it into the water so that they could half float, half carry it to shore. All this took some time. Eva and Carol abandoned their log and waded out of the water. They walked overland to get their shoes and socks and bicycles. They did not need to come back this way but they came. They stood at the top of the hill, leaning on their bicycles. They did not go on home, but they did not sit down and frankly watch, either. They stood more or less facing each other, but glancing down at the water and at the boys struggling with the boat, as if they had just halted for a moment out of curiosity, and staying longer than they intended, to see what came of this unpromising project. About nine oclock, or when it was nearly dark-dark to people inside the houses, but not quite dark outside-they all returned to town, going along Mayo Street in a sort of procession. Frank and Bud and Clayton came carrying the boat, upside-down, and Eva and Carol walked behind, wheeling their bicycles. The boys’ heads were almost hidden in the darkness of the overturned boat, with its smell of soaked wood, cold swampy water. The girls could took ahead and see the street lights in their tin reflectors, a necklace of lights climbing Mayo Street, reaching all the way up to the standpipe. They turned onto Burns Street heading for Clayton’s house, the nearest house belonging to any of them. nis was not the way home for Eva or for Carol either, but they followed along. The boys were perhaps too busy carrying the boat to tell them to go away. Some younger children were still out playing, playing hopscotch on the sidewalk though they could hardly see. At this time of year the bare sidewalk was still such a novelty and delight. These children cleared out of the way and watched the boat 90 by with unwilling respect; they shouted questions after it, wanting to know where it came from and what was going to be done with it. No one answered them. Eva and Carol as well as the boys refused to answer or even took at them. The five of them entered Clayton’s yard. Me boys shifted weight, as if they were going to put the boat down. You better take it round to the back where nobody can see it, Carol said. That was the first thing any of them had said since they came into town. The boys said nothing but went on, following a mud path between Clayton’s house and a leaning board fence. They let the boat down in the back yard. Its a stolen boat, you know, said Eva, mainly for the effect. It mustve belonged to somebody. You stole it. You was the ones who stole it then, Bud said, short of breath. It was you seen it first. -It was you took it. It was all of us then. If one of us gets in trouble then all of us does. Are you going to tell anybody on them? said Carol as she and Eva rode home, along the streets which were dark between the lights now and potholed from winter. â€Å"It’s up to you. I won’t if you won’t. † â€Å"I won’t if you won’t† They rode in silence, relinquishing something, but not discontented. The board fence in Clayton’s back yard had every so often a post which sup, ported it, or tried to, and it was on these posts that Eva and Carol spent several evenings sitting, jauntily but not very comfortably. Or else they just leaned against the fence while the boys worked on the boat. During the first couple of evenings neighborhood children attracted by the sound of hammering tried to get into the yard to see what was going on, but Eva and Carol blocked their way. Who said you could come in here? Just us can come in this yard. These evenings were getting longer, the air milder. Skipping was starting on the sidewalks. Further along the street there was a row of hard maples that had been tapped. Children drank the sap as fast as it could drip into the buckets. The old man and woman who owned the trees, and who hoped to make syrup, came running out of the house making noises as if they were trying to scare away crows. Finally, every spring, the old man would come out on his porch and fire his shot- gun into the air, and then the thieving would stop. None of those working on the boat bothered about stealing sap, though all had done so last year. The lumber to repair the boat was picked up here and there, along back lanes. At this time of year things were lying around-old boards and branches, sodden mitts, spoons Hung out with the dishwater, lids of pudding pots that had been set in the snow to cool, all the debris that can sift through and survive winter. The tools came from Clayton’s cellar-left over, presumably, from the time when his father was alive- and though they had nobody to advise them the boys seemed to figure out more or less the manner in which boats are built, or rebuilt. Frank was the one who showed up with diagrams from books and Popular Mechanics magazines. Clayton looked at these diagrams and listened to Frank read the instructions and then went ahead and decided in his own way what was to be done. Bud was best at sawing. Eva and Carol watched everything from the fence and offered criticism and thought up names. Me names for the boat that they thought of were: Water Lily, Sea Horse, Flood Queen, and Caro-Eve, after them because they had found it. The boys did not say which, if any, of these names they found satisfactory. The boat had to be tarred. Clayton heated up a pot of tar on the kitchen stove and brought it out and painted slowly, his thorough way, sitting astride the overturned boat. The other boys were sawing a board to make a new seat. As Clayton worked, the tar cooled and thickened so that finally he could not move the brush any more. He turned to Eva and held out the pot and said, You ran go in and heat this on the stove. Eva took the pot and went up the back steps. The kitchen seemed black after outside, but it must be light enough to see in, because there was Claytons mother standing at the ironing board, ironing. She did that for a living, took in wash and ironing. Please may I put the tar pot on the stove? said Eva, who had been brought up to talk politely to parents, even wash-and-iron ladies, and who for some reason especially wanted to make a good impression on Claytons mother. You’ll have to poke up the fire then, said Clayton’s mother, as if she doubted whether Eva would know how to do that. But Eva could see now, and she picked up the lid with the stove-lifter, and took the poker and poked up a flame. She stirred the tar as it softened. She felt privileged. Then and later. Before she went to sleep a picture of Clayton came to her mind; she saw him sitting astride the boat, tar painting, with such concentration, delicacy, absorption. She thought of him speaking to her, out of his isolation, in such an ordinary peaceful taking-for- granted voice. On the twenty-fourth of May, a school holiday in the middle of the week, the boat was carried out of town, a long way now, off the road over fields and fences that had been repaired, to where the river flowed between its normal banks. Eva and Carol, as well as the boys, took turns carrying it. It was launched in the water from a cow-trampled spot between willow bushes that were fresh out in leaf. The boys went first. They yelled with triumph when the boat did float, when it rode amazingly down the river current. The boat was painted black, and green inside, with yellow seats, and a strip of yellow all the way around the outside. There was no name on it, after all. The boys could not imagine that it needed any name to keep it separate from the other boats in the world. Eva and Carol ran along the bank, carrying bags full of peanut butter-and- jam sandwiches, pickles, bananas, chocolate cake, potato chips, graham crackers stuck together with corn syrup and five bottles of pop to be cooled in the river water. The bottles bumped against their legs. They yelled for a turn. If they dont let us theyre bastards, Carol said, and they yelled together, We found it! We found it! The boys did not answer, but after a while they brought the boat in, and Carol and Eva came crashing, panting down the bank. Does it leak? It dont leak yet. We forgot a bailing can, waited Carol, but nevertheless she got in, with Eva, and Frank pushed them off, crying, Heres to a Watery Grave! And the thing about being in a boat was that it was not solidly bobbing, like a log, but was cupped in the water, so that riding in it was not like being on some- thing in the water, but like being in the water itself. Soon they were ll going out in the boat in mixed-up turns, two boys and a girt, two girls and a boy, a girl and a boy, until things were so confused it was impossible to tell whose turn came next, and nobody cared anyway. They went down the river-those who werent riding, running along the bank to keep up. They passed under two bridges, one iron, one ceme nt. Once they saw a big carp just resting, it seemed to smile at them, in the bridge-shaded water. They did not know how far they had gone on the river, but things had changed- the water had got shallower, and the land flatter. Across an open field they saw a building that looked like a house, abandoned. They dragged the boat up on the bank and tied it and set out across the field. Thats the old station, Frank said. Thats Pedder Station. The others had heard this name but he was the one who knew, because his father was the station agent in town. He said that this was a station on a branch line that had been tom up, and that there had been a sawmill here, but a long time ago. Inside the station it was dark, cool. All the windows were broken. Glass lay in shards and in fairly big pieces on the door. They walked around finding the larger pieces of glass and tramping on them, smashing them, it was like cracking ice on puddles. Some partitions were still in place, you could see where the ticket window had been. There was a bench lying on its side. People had been here, it looked as if people came here all the time, though it was so far from anywhere. Beer bottles and pop bottles were lying around, also cigarette packages, gum and candy wrappers, the paper from a loaf of bread. The walls were covered with dim and fresh pencil and chalk writings and carved with knives.

Gangnam Style Is a Part of Pop Culture Essay Example for Free

Gangnam Style Is a Part of Pop Culture Essay In the baby boomer generation, That Thing You Do, a single released by The Wonders, fascinated people for a long time. Today, majority of people are interested in Harlem Shake, the very short clips that were uploaded on YouTube by some undefined performers. Last year, 2012 was the year of excitement and entertainment. In every part of the world, Gangnan Style, a single released by a Korean singer called PSY, has turned people to share the common interest in the funny dance moves with the catchy beats. Gangnam Style is a recent popular culture that turns people on in the world. This essay will first illustrate the background of this world phenomenon and then extent to explain why it becomes popular culture. To begin with, Gangnam Style is combination of the fancy dance move and a song that is sung in Korean language. It is sung and danced by Park Jae-sang, who is better known by his stage name, PSY. PSY is a 35-year-old Korean artist, who has been working in music industry since 1999. In July 2012, PSY released his sixth album called PSY 6 (Six Rules) Part 1, which Gangnam Style was included inside this album. No later than a month, Gangnam Style became the most viewed video on YouTube due to the unique dance move that has been entertaining people around the world. The reputation of this pop culture did not stop increasing. In December 2012, it became the first ever video that reached 1 billion views on YouTube. Even though it is sung in Korean, but nobody cares about the meaning of it. In other words, people have been into the dance moves with the catchy beats and careless about the lyrics. In addition, Gangnam Style has influenced on many aspects worldwide such as television; sports; parodies; flash mobs, famous people and technology. For instance, there have been more many flash mobs of ethnic groups over the world. In fact, the first flash mob took place in one of the shopping mall in Pasadena, California. Gangnam Style also gained very positive feeling from noticeable people such as Barak Obama, the President of the US and Jim Yong Kim, the President of the World Bank. However, many people wondered why is the part of popular culture. It is important to note that one thing can become popular culture unless it has 4 characteristics: association with commercial products, development from a local to a global level, accessibility and constantly changing or volving. For one thing, Gangnam Style is considered as a treasure for the businesspeople all over the world due to its popularity. For instance, the famous Korean music company, YG entertainment has sold about 100 thousands of the Gangnam Style records nationally. After it became the most viewed video, PSY earned around $1 million from his YouTube revenue share. Moreover, Apple made Gangnam Style to be available in Itune for the Apple ‘s users to download for a fee of $1. 29. Most important thing is that businesspeople have made a lot of money from selling the concert admission fee that they arranged in many parts of the world. Beside the music industry, some associated companies have made plenty of money from selling Gangnam Style clothes, cups, bags and cartoons. It is not a surprise that there are many dancing schools in the world that teach Gangnam Style dance move. Today, some companies have produced photo editor application that allows users to edit photo of PSY dancing Gangnam Style by replacing his head with their friends’ heads. After put things into consideration, Gangnam Style does have association with many global enterprises. In fact, PSY aimed to release Gangnam Style just to compete with other Kpop artists such as Girls Generation and BigBang. He did not expect this record could become what it is today. Miracle happened! Gangnam Style only took about 5 months to reach the global level. This is not just a record that entertains teenagers and adults but also fascinates middle aged and old aged people around the world. All kind of people cannot stand still when they hear the Gangnam Style music; in other words, they just feel like dancing along the music playback. People seem to feel the same type of enjoyment even if they belong to different cultures. In addition, Gangnam Style appeared on many famous TV shows such as Ellen Show in the US, Strictly Come Dancing Show in the UK and Who Will Become A Millionaire Show in India. There are many Gangnam Style dancing videoes or flash mobs that were uploaded onto YouTube by some ethnic groups in different countries. In December 2012, Gangnam Style made its way to become the number one hit in both Billboard and Itune chart passing over As Long As You Love Me by Justin Bieber. Surprisingly, Gangnam Style also became an international phrase. There are 90% of the world population know what this phrase means. Hence, Gangnam Style is known worldwide. Furthermore, Gangnam Style is extremely accessible compared to other popular culture in the 21st Century. YouTube, a world community that allows people to watch and upload the videos for free of charge, plays an important role in promoting Gangnam Style to be the world phenomenon. There are 1,507,623,962 people who have watched this video on YouTube. In fact, many teenagers and adults watched this video in order to learn the dancing moves of PSY. Additionally, Gangnam Style CD can be found in almost all music stores in the world except North Korea. They can also be bought online. Not onl6 does CD can be shopped online but also other Gangnam Style commercial products such as toys, shirts and bags. PSY has appeared on many world tours with his Gangnam Style single release in many countries such as the United State, the United Kingdom, Korea and French. For instance, to celebrate New Year Eve 2012, PSY was invited to sing and dance at Time Square in New York, The US. Well, it is the fact that people can find Gangnam Style everywhere. Finally, Gangnam Style has been developing to entertain people for all over the world. After Gangnam Style became a success in YouTube, many people started to turn Gangnam Style into an acoustic in order to delight the audiences. In February 2013, a group of the twin sisters called Jayesslee, uploaded their Gangnam Style acoustic version on YouTube. That video became the most viewed acoustic version of Gangnam Style. Until now, this video has 22,847,341 views. Equally important, PSY remixed his Gangnam Style release with many popular songs during his concerts last year. Many people translated and sang the Gangnam Style in their own languages; however, they kept the parts, which said â€Å"Oppa Gangnam Style† and â€Å"Hey Sexy Ladies† to remain original. Most of the time, people are not able to follow every dancing move in Gangnam Style video; therefore, they change some moves beside the equine dancing move to make it more easier to dance. In a consequence, people change the original Gangnam Style into something more interesting and exciting. In conclusion, Gangnam Style taught people an amazing today popular culture. Due to its unique dancing moves with the beats, it became the world phenomenon that fascinates almost every kind of people in the world. People cannot curl themselves from dancing along the music while it plays. After all considerations, we can be surely that Gangnam Style has 4 characteristics of pop culture. In other words, it is a real part of popular culture.

Happiness in Love Relationships

Happiness in Love Relationships Introduction Happiness refers to the state of being contented, satisfied, joyful, delighted, well-being and being in good spirits (Martin 3). Considerable support has been found that people need some form of close relationship, coupled with a network of other relationships, to be happy and avoid loneliness. A close relationship allows for a certain level of self-disclosure, or willingness to share ones feelings or personal issues. Without relationships, people would feel lonely in the other friendships, as there is a tendency to focus on impersonal talk (Jackson, Soderlind, Weiss 469). According to Ruesch et al., maintaining low marital distress and a real close social network play a crucial role in one`s happiness and life satisfaction (690). However, happiness is not just gained from the social support but from providing it as well. People tend to lose a sense of meaning of their lives when they are isolated socially. Loneliness creates a degree of depression in people. This research looks at happiness in relationships between couples, and the different factors that affect the happiness of dating or married people. Are People Happier in Long-term Relationships? There are expectations and underpinnings that if one has a steady partner or gets married, then they are automatically granted happiness. The notion of â€Å"living happily ever after† only exists in fairy tales as most romantic relationships have sad endings. For such unions, individuals will be happier if they find the right partner at the right time in their lives. Happiness comes from an underlying reason for the personal outlook on life, meaning that happiness comes more from an internal feeling (Martin 9). According a study carried out by the Michigan State University, marriage makes people happier. Happiness, in the study, was measured by survey responses and every respondent considered happiness in their terms, in terms of individual satisfaction with one`s life. This study looked at the married and cohabiting couples. The study found that people are happier married than they would have been if they chose to stay single, as marriage protects them from age-related decli nes in happiness (Burton). The study of over 30,000 people used a control group for comparison. The control group consisted of a sample of people who stayed single throughout the study and were similar to the married people in terms of their education, gender, age, and income. It is, however, incorrect to say all single people encounter a decline in happiness levels with time though the control group showed a decline in happiness levels. Even in marriage, there is a prime time for the happiness, which revealed an increase in the first year of marriage, but it gradually tapers off. After which, the happiness levels go back to their baselines before marriage though they are better off than if those people had not got married (Burton). What makes this study more significant than the previous ones, is that while previously research checked on marriage causing long-term gains in happiness, this study added a control group to compare the happiness levels of the different groups. This study examined people ten years prior and after marriage, unlike other studies that use already married people without considering their happiness levels before marriage. The study also had a vast number of participants compared to previous studies. What comes out clearly is that marriage plays a role in people`s happiness in the long-run in comparison to people who stay single. It is difficult to take these studies at face value as there are other variables that could contribute to one`s individual sense of happiness, such as a resilient nature that is separate from their personal relationship and positive outlook on life. If one is enjoying being single, then marriage is not the way to move forward. What came out clearly is that marriage only has a temporary effect on one`s happiness as people generally tend to adapt to their circumstances. Getting married does not solve one`s quest to be happy. Healthy relationships provide feelings of fulfillment and happiness, but if one is not happy within themselves, then the allure of marriage will not change that. Attributes of Happiness in Marriage Sexual Orientation A study revealed that the non-heterosexual respondents were happier and more positive in relationships with their partners. They have higher scores in relationship quality in three measures; relationship maintenance, relationship with a partner, and happiness with the relationship or the partner. However, there is no significant difference between the heterosexual and non-heterosexual respondents when it comes to happiness in life (Blanchflower Andrew 410). Heterosexual partners are less happy as they are less likely to make time for each other, communicate well, or pursue similar interests. Parenting Status A study revealed that childless couples of all ages in long-term relationships, married or cohabiting, are happiest. Heterosexual couples with children score lowest in happiness, followed by non-heterosexual parents, then heterosexual couples without children. Non-heterosexual participants without children score highest on happiness (Gabb et al. 23). In all these circumstances, mothers come out as the most negative on relationship quality, relationship maintenance, and relationship with a partner than childless women, yet they are the happiest with life than any other group. Age Younger and older men are happier than the men in the middle are, when placed in the following categories; up to 34 years, between 35 to 55 years, and above 55 years. For women, however, the youngest group scored highest in relationship quality and relationship with a partner while the oldest ca tegory scored the highest in happiness in life (Gabb et al. 27). This is because for the older women marriage encourages healthy behavior, increased material well-being through pooling resources together, and spouse support and care during sickness. Money Those who clearly outline each other`s role in the relationship and agree to share household chores are happier in their relationship according to a study carried out by Gabb and others. 14 percent of mothers have been found to contribute to financial support while 50 percent of the men contribute financially (Gabb et al. 28). This is due to the fact that it is harder for women to combine household duties of taking care of children with income-generating activities. Most spouses agree financial resources are not equitably distributed, but they share that they both tend not to argue about that. Money is an issue but not one of the primary ones. Sexual Intimacy Research shows that an increase in sexual activity from monthly to weekly increases happiness in couples. Many men and about 42 percent of women are unhappy with their sex lives due to lack of it. Sexual activities are measured in terms of health concerns and general sexual satisfaction. Couples satisfied with their sex lives are happier (Gabb et al. 30).However sexual results have to be treated with caution as women downplay their sexual activities in sexual surveys while men tend to `big up` their conquests. Sex is an important part of relationships. Mothers felt their partners wanted more sex while the fathers felt their partners wanted less sex (31). This means that previously there is a high correlation between relationship happiness and sexual frequency, but after childbirth, that changes. Mothers and fathers understand sexual fluctuations in sexual activity and desire as part of parenthood, but it does not per se lead to relationship satisfaction. Both mothers and childless women agreed that their men wanted more sex, but for childless women it is less marked (31). Stressors There are certain changes in a relationship that increase the chances of separation due to reduced happiness. These can be childbirth, a new job, bereavement, moving house, job loss, among others. Relationship happiness positively correlates with the addition or the increase in stressors. The number of stressors correlates positively with relationship satisfaction but correlates negatively to general happiness with life. Education There is a link between college education and the risk of divorce, which reveals that college –educated people with degrees are less likely to divorce that the less educated counterparts (Ruesch et al 692). Intelligence and a good education are an attractive trait to suitable partners. The more educated respondents did not have significant differences in the quality of relationship as those with lower educational qualifications; howev er, they are happier in life (Gabb et al. 18). Religion and Previous Long-term Relationships There is no significant difference in levels of relationship quality between those couples who listed a particular religion and those who listed `no religion`. However, those couples who identified a religion are happier in life than those who did not. Respondents who had previously been in long-term relationships scored higher in relationship maintenance than those who had not been in a long-term relationship (Gabb et al. 20). Conclusion Above are the major variables to happiness in relationships between couples, married or cohabiting. Given that a high number of romantic relationships fail at different points of its development, it is important for people intending to commit themselves in long-term relationships to find the right partner. Happiness can only be achieved when people commit themseilves in relationships for the right reasons. Works Cited Blanchflower, David G., and Andrew J. Oswald. Money, sex and happiness: An empirical study.The Scandinavian Journal of Economics106.3 (2004): 393-415. Web. 19 April 2015 Burton, Natasha. â€Å"Marriage And Happiness: Does Marriage Make People Happier?† Huffington Post. 2 June. 2012. Web. 19 April 2015. Gabb, Jacqui, et al. Enduring love? Couple relationships in the 21st century.Survey Findings Report. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Retrieved January1 (2013): 2014. Web. 18 April 2015 Jackson, Todd, Adam Soderlind, and Karen E. Weiss. Personality traits and quality of relationships as predictors of future loneliness among American college students.Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal28.5 (2000): 463-470. Web. 17 April 2015 Martin, Mike W.Happiness and the good life. Oxford University Press, 2012. Print Rà ¼esch, P., et al. Occupation, social support and quality of life in persons with schizophrenic or affective disorders.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology39.9 (2004): 686-694. Web. 19 April 2015

Implementation of solution :: Computer Science

Implementation of solution Resources The hardware and the software are the main resource which I have used, in which is essential because one can’t work without the other working. Hardware is the actual pieces of equipment in an information processing system that we can touch and see. Examples are: - Keyboard - Mouse - Printer Software are the programs which are written to assist computer users, they cannot be touched. Examples are: - Data - Memory - Programmes The hardware that I used Pentium three was the system I have used, which has the speed of 1 Giga hertz 512 mega bytes ram (random access memory), 39 Giga bytes hard drive. It also has a sound card, graphic card and network card. A 17 inch monitor, standard floppy drive, a 52x speed CD-ROM and access to the internet. The printer I have used were the colour inkjet X7100 (Lexmark),The mouse and then keyboard input all the information. Here are the peripherals I used: - Keyboard- it is a device, which each and every computer has, which enables the input of data by pressing the precise keys on the keyboard. - Mouse- It is also an input device designed to fit under the palm of a hand while it is being moved around on a table or mat. It is around the size of a human palm and very easy to use. Moving the mouse produces movements of a cursor or a pointer on the monitor screen. It is provided with one, two or three buttons. - Monitor- it is in other words called a screen, in which allows us to see the processed data and it is an input device as well as an output device. For the use of a computer a monitor is needed, so the monitor is a vital part of a computer. - Printer- this is another peripheral device, which produces the hard copy of the document, which I chose on the screen. - Central processing unit (CPU) - of a computer is the main part of the computer. It contains the processor, the main store and various circuits needed to communicate with devices outside it. It is the part, which will process all my data and without this their would be no computer. - Disc drive- this is the part of the computer that allowed me to read the data, which I stored and saved on the floppy disc. - Floppy discs- it is a light, flexible magnetic disc held in a protective jacket, which is easily transportable unlike the hard drive that cannot be moved from one place to another. This is a form of backing up data and allows me to save data, which I find very

Outsourcing Software Jobs Overseas Essay -- Employment Work Technology

Outsourcing Software Jobs Overseas Information Technology (IT) Outsourcing overseas in which a company hires another company abroad to take over some of its software related tasks like managing data center, handling technical support and software maintenance has become a growing trend today. American technological corporations desperate to cut costs are outsourcing jobs to the developing countries with large talented human resource pool for significantly lesser wages. IT market research firm Gartner Dataquest 1 says that companies outsourcing their software jobs see lower cost foreign labor as a key to growth in 2003 because of large pool of highly educated English speaking workers in countries like India and Philippines who get relatively low wages. As of year-end 2002, there were at least 14 mega deals worth a total of $28.4 billion compared with nine mega deals in 2001 worth a total of $15.1 billion. Companies are lured towards the savings obtained by hiring a programmer in India who would be paid $2500 per year whereas the same job would require a wage of at least $45000 in US. According to Forrester Research2, the percentage of offshore outsourcing for U.S. IT budgets took a leap from 12 percent in 2000 to 28 percent in 2003. It also says that around 3.3 million U.S. services jobs will move offshore during the next 15 years, led by the IT industry and also estimates that companies can save up to 50% by outsourcing abroad. Coca-Cola, for example, already outsources about 15 percent of its information technology work and plans to do even more to cut costs. The migration began in the early 1990s when some of the technology sector's heavyweights like Oracle Corp., IBM, Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems Inc., and... ...pursue offshore outsourcing if it means U.S. jobs ?" InformationWeek.com , 2003, June 6 2003, < http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=8700190&pgno=1 > 8 Rayen,Ranjeet "Indian outsourcing unscathed by US outcry" CIOL ,2003, May 28 2003, <http://www.ciol.com/content/news/trends/103030501.asp> 9,13Roberts,Paul Craig "Notes for free traders" Townhall.com , 2003, June 4 2003, < http://www.townhall.com/columnists/paulcraigroberts/pcr20030305.shtml> 10 Mill,John Stuart "Utilitarianism" Utilitarianism < http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill1.htm > 11 "John Locke" < http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Philosophy/Locke.htm > 12 THIBODEAU,PATRICK "Outsourcing growth predicted, but impact on workers may be uneven" IDG.Net , 2003, June 8 2003, < http://www.idg.net/ic_1273426_9735_1-5082.html >

Sexual and Spiritual Freedom :: essays research papers

Sexual and Spiritual Freedom The key to humanities freedom lies in its religious and sexual paradigms. Religion, as a social control mechanism, has sought to limit mans sexual freedom. The stigma associated with sexual promiscuity permeates every level of our society. I believe that in time people will demand freedom in the sexual and spiritual aspects of their lives. In order for this to occur a paradigm must be established that emphasizes wholism. Without this wholistic thought conflict can still exist and dogmatic religion is needed to band all the individuals into a splintered and confused mass. Within our current Newtonian paradigm, material realism, true wholistic thought is impossible. The scientific rules of strong objectivity, the notion that objects are independent from the mind and determinism prevent it. Strong objectivity was established when Descartes divided the world in to the objective and subjective spheres. This was done mostly as a compromise with the then all-powerful church, which would rule in matters of the subjective mind while science enjoyed freedom in the world of “reality';. Determinism is easiest under stood through analogy. Think of the universe as a bunch of billiard balls in a three dimensional pool table called space. If one were to know all the forces acting on these balls at any time it would be possible to extrapolate all future or past positions. This creates determinism and determinism destroys free will. The best example of this phenomenon in society would be the partisan political system and foreign policy. Sociologists and the public in general, see themselves and each other as one of these pool balls being kicked around. In this environment neither self-worth nor confidence is cultivated. These traits are vital in a society that increasingly asks its population to work unsupervised and off of the job site. In 1665 Isaac Newton drafted the theories which set us on the course that led to the materialism dominating our culture. The philosophy of materialism matches the paradigm of classical physics, material realism. Since this revolution our vision has been a mechanistic one. This vision was formed as a direct result of the changes in philosophical and political knowledge that came to light in the mid seventeenth century. The power and simplicity of Newton’s three laws of motion and the success of scientific empirical method caused nearly every influential thinker of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to use them as a model.

Reality TV shows Essay

Reality TV shows have become very popular on the small screen nowadays. There are many realities TV shows out there that can relate to anybody watching them. There are a lot of topics about how reality TV shows gives out different characteristics to the viewers. For example in the article â€Å"The Distorting Mirror of Reality TV† Sarah Coleman focuses on all the different characteristics that many reality TV shows provide for the people watching. In this paper I am going to talk about two characteristics that the reality show Hoarders provides to the viewers. The first characteristic is that it can promote stereotypes. The second is that it is informative. Finally I will decide whether or not Hoarders provides these characteristics or not. The first characteristic that I noticed on Reality TV is stereotypes. For example on â€Å"The Distorting Mirror of Reality TV† by Sarah Coleman, she states that reality TV perpetuates stereotypes. Her article also explains why stereotypes are constantly being used in many reality shows. â€Å"To make shows more dramatic† this is one of Coleman strongest reason why many reality TV perpetuates stereotypes. Another subject that Coleman mentions in the article is that Reality TV shows want to make real people interesting, so they give people characters to play. Reality TV shows are now more scripture than just showing people how â€Å"real† people actually act. In the Reality TV show Hoarders stereotypes is the first characteristic I noticed that was shown. This reality show, shows to the viewer how a hoarder lives and how their home looks like. The stereotype given towards the hoarder will always be someone that is depressed, sad, or hopeless. For example on Lisa’s episode, her hoarding problem started when she first lost her husband. Losing her marriage made Lisa depressed and hopeless. After her daughter left Lisa because of her hoarding problems, Lisa became worst. Lisa felt incomplete without anybody, but herself. She continued hoarding things because it made her feel like she had something and made her feel complete. The stereotype show that hoarders are always people that might has had a really bad lost in the family or has had a hard time in their lives. Showing this type of stereotypes to the viewers can show them that hoarding can be a problem that can happen to anybody in the world. Hoarders clearly want to show to the viewers some of the problems real people face in the real world  and what type to people are the ones facing this problems.

Is totemism a religion? Essay

Defining what constitutes a religion is a difficult, if not an impossible quest. However, before determining whether or not certain belief-systems and/or ritualized practices can be considered a religion, a definition is imperative. For our purposes, I am going to use the extremely elementary definition from Webster’s New Dictionary , â€Å"A system of faith and worship.† In The Elementary Forms of Religion, Emile Durkheim, a French Sociologist from the 19th Century, examines totemism in an effort to draw universals between all religions. Durkheim sets his focus on Australian totemism, because it is the most â€Å"primitive culture† with the most resources available. From Durkheim’s perspective, the basis of totemism is to create lasting societal bonds. Totemic tribes are assorted into clans whose unity results not from kinship, but from the religious relationship between the members. From Durkheim’s perspective, the totemism in this culture is based on the sacred relationships developed by the clan’s members in addition to some totemic unit, which is usually a plant or animals species common to the area. If an entire society is based around its sacred ritualized practices, it is only fair to consider those ritualized beliefs and practices as constituting a religion. Thus, the real question is, can a society whose spirituality is based on kinship, and whose idea of sacred lies only in the ties within the clan and not on a god or gods of some sort be considered a religion? The answer to this question is yes. Although totemic practices may not be familiar to many Westerners, when real speculation is given to various totemic religions, it is easy to see the complexity that underlies many forms of totemism. In addition, when looking at the religions that are common to us Westerners, can we really argue that our common religions are more logical than theirs? Through the totemic principles of the universe, and the worshiping of idols, even if these idols do not represent G-ds, it proves that totemism is most certainly a religion. Durkeim uses totemism as a basis from which answers to our lingering questions about modern religions can be drawn. â€Å"In our eyes, the question whether totemism has been more or less universal or not, is quite secondary. If it interests us, it does so before all because in studying it we hope to discover relations of a nature to make us understand better what religion is( Durkheim, 176).† Durkheim is using totemism as the platform from which  all other religions shall be compared to derive new and provoking ideas about religion. Durkheim believes totemism contains obvious religious qualities, even with the lack of a god or gods. † Finally, that which we propose to study in this work is the most primitive and simple religion which it is possible to find ( Durkheim 176).† Durkheim clearly considers totemism a valid although â€Å"simple† religion. Of course, this is only the opinion of one, we must delve into totemic rituals and beliefs before it can be proven that totemism is just as much of a religion as any other. Before arguing the attributes of totemism that allow it to be classified as a religion, a more thorough understanding of various totemic practices and the principle’s and beliefs behind those practices is necessary. The first and most prominent example that will be used to describe totemism, will be from the various Australian tribes described by Durkheim. The critical belief in Australian totemism, is the notion that the totemic entity, whatever it may be, is sacred. The entity is thought to bestow sacredness on whatever carries its mark. The totemic entity is used to mark various objects such as stones, sticks, wood, etc. in various rituals. â€Å"The totem is in fact a design which corresponds to the heraldic emblems of civilized nations, and each person is authorized to bear it as proof of the identity of the family to which it belongs ( Durkheim 180).† It is true that we have symbols and emblems that represent our society, which we deem sacred. Is that notion really so outlandish? Many patriotic Americans would be offended by the burning of the American flag, which is only an inanimate object to which we grant sacredness. This, however, is a nation and not a religion, but it is additionally quite common in many religions to revere objects. In Judeo-Christian religions, sacredness is assigned to a book, the Bible, among many other symbols from the Jewish Star to the Christian Cross. If the Bible is dropped or thrown down in many religions, it is seen as a direct offense to G-d, and one must kiss the book to compensate. Notice, also the dropping of the â€Å"o† in G-d. To many religious Jews even writing the name God is considered highly offensive. Assigning value to an object is a common trait across many religions, the difference is that the symbols used in totemism are not a representation for an actual god. Although the totemic emblem is not representative of a god that bears human-like qualities, it is deemed sacred and thus must be some sort of a representation of higher forces as opposed to higher beings. Totemic emblems are not only found on trees, in houses, on wood, etc, but also on the bodies of humans ( Durkheim 181). Whether they are marked on a body through mutilation, scarring, and tattooing, or whether the totems is represented on jewelry and on clothing, the adornment of totems on humans is yet another indication of its sacred value. â€Å"These totemic decorations enable us to see that the totem is not merely a name and an emblem. It is in the course of the religious ceremonies that they are employed; they are part of the liturgy; so while the totem is a collective label, it also has a religious character. In fact, it is in connection with it, that things are classified as sacred or profane. It is the very type of sacred thing (Durkheim 183).† â€Å"Sacred† is used to mean the things that are unworldly which cause humans to revere while â€Å"profane† is simply worldly matter. Once again, the assignment of so much value that one deems it sacred is evidence of religious qualities. Aside from the actual totemic emblem, there are other objects used in worship which are also considered sacred. The Arunta in particular, a tribe in Central Australia, uses an object called a churinga which is literally pieces of wood or polished stone, with the totemic entity marked upon it. Each group has a number of various churinga’s which sometimes bare a whole at one end where a thread made of human or opossum hair goes through. The thread allows the churinga to, when suspended, whirl into the air producing a humming noise which Durkheim compares to the toys of children ( Durkheim, 183, 119). These objects accompany rituals of any importance but also have a direct effect on the â€Å"sacred† and â€Å"profane.† The actual word churinga translates to mean sacred, and women, children, and young men who have not yet been initiated are not granted access to these instruments of piety. Having access to these instruments could be considered positive and negative. Certain churinga’s could not to be handled or viewed at by profane persons when not in use. Sometimes they were placed in secret hiding locations where the † sacred character of the churinga [was] so great that it communicates itself to the locality where they are stored ( Durkheim 184, 120).† Additionally they had powers such as they could create courage and  vigor in combat, heal sickness, and ensure fertility of the totemic animal or plant etc ( Durkheim 184, 120). In all, the sacredness the clan placed on these object is more than apparent and indicates the religious qualities of totemism. It is crucial to remember that the objects chosen to represent totemic symbols are in no way related to the actual symbol itself. The totem itself is not creating the religious feeling, but is solely a means to make tangible the spirituality that bonds a clan. In other words, totemism really has nothing to do with the totem. Instead it is the accumulated experiences of the various social units that creates those intense feelings of awe and reverence that has caused religion to last throughout the ages. Durkheim rationalizes this by saying that most individuals are vulnerable to authoritative figures in societies. In other words, people are inclined to follow individuals who have earned some sort of respect. Durkheim believes that in group environments, the authoritative individual has the capacity to make other individuals feel as though they are experiencing something that can not be experienced alone. People usually are incapable of distinguishing the cause of the intense feelings they are undergoing. Thus, the individuals in such a setting assume that it is some otherworldly force that is the cause of their newfound spiritual experience. The source of whatever is causing those feelings of intensity is what is deemed sacred. The sacred comes in different forms in all religions. In most religions sacredness is assigned to a god or gods. In totemism, it happens to be a totem which symbolizes the sacredness of the kinship in a clan. An interesting perspective that Durkheim holds is that in practice totemic religion in particular arose out of tribal life style. Individuals in tribal societies lived in groups too small to create the type of religious forces recognized by Durkheim. They usually lived spread across vast landscapes. On various occasions social meetings would be held that may be considered large enough to be called a mass of people. In Durkheim’s opinion, gatherings of this sort would effervesce, meaning that the spirituality that lies in the bonds of the group would build creating an even larger sense of religious awe. The group environment would cause the essential production of excited  behaviors and heightened emotions that propel belief in the sacred. A continuation off the previous belief, is Durkheim’s notion that sacredness is contagious. Through these group gatherings, Durkheim argues that the sacred is passed on by means of physical contact. This is proven through rituals that deem new things sacred when touched by previous instruments considered sacred. This is also common in Judaism where the Torah, the first five books in the Bible considered very sacred to the Jews, is touched by all those worshipping in the temple as a way of passing on the sacredness of the Torah to the members of the congregation. Catholics feel drinking wine that is blessed is equivalent to drinking the blood of Christ and thus feel they have attained a degree of sacredness through this ritual. Totemism is most certainly a religion, and bears all the qualities that many consider necessary before labeling something a religion. Durkheim used totemism to analyze the origins of religion in addition to the role religion plays in aiding people in understanding present society. It has been made evident that Durkheim considered religion essentially social viewing it from the eyes of a sociologist. In Durkheim’s mind, primal societies are where religion originated. He believed that although religion is only felt by individuals, it is an episode caused by a few factors. Due to the fact that religion is passed from generation to generation, the perspective that it is larger than any one person is created. The notion that it is larger than an individual allows individuals to become awe stricken by its seemingly evident power. In addition, in closed societies such as the ones which employ totemism, religion is universal, meaning that everyone has the same belief system. The collectiveness ensued through the belief system creates a unity and spiritual bonds among the members of the clans. Lastly, Durkheim believed that individuals in closed societies really have no other options but to believe in the religion taught to or experienced by them from an early age. Durkheim also touched on the fact that the forbidden and the unknown play considerable roles in understanding the essence of religion. Because totemism possesses and even exemplifies Durkheim’s opinions of religion, in addition to standard definitions of religion, it is only fair to label it as being one.