Building a 21st Century Organization

The power and versatility of the human visual system derive in large part from its remarkable ability to find structure and organization in the images encoded by the retinas. To discover and describe structure, the visual system uses a wide array of perceptual organization mechanisms ranging from the relatively low-level mechanisms that underlie the simplest principles of grouping and segregation, to relatively high-level mechanisms in which complex learned associations guide the discovery of structure.The Gestalt psychologists were the first to fully appreciate the fundamental importance of perceptual organization (e. g. , see Kohler, 1947; Pomerantz & Kubovy, 1986). Objects often appear in different contexts and are almost never imaged from the same viewpoint; thus, the retinal images associated with physical objects are generally complex and varied. To have any hope of obtaining a useful interpretation of the retinal images, such as recognizing objects that have been encountered p reviously, there must be initial processes that organize the image data into those groups most likely to form meaningful objects.Perceptual organization is also important because it generally results in highly compact representations of the images, facilitating later processing, storage, and retrieval. (See Witkin & Tenenbaum, 1983, for a discussion of the importance of perceptual organization from the viewpoint of computational vision. ) Although much has been learned about the mechanisms of perceptual organization (see, e. g. , Beck, 1982; Bergen, 1991; Palmer & Rock, 1994; Pomerantz & Kubovy, 1986), progress in developing testable quantitative theories has been slow.One area where substantial progress has been made is in models of texture grouping and segregation. These models have begun to put the study of perceptual organization on a firm theoretical footing that is consistent with the psychophysics and physiology of low-level vision. Two general types of model for texture segr egation have been proposed. In the feature-based models, retinal images are initially processed by mechanisms that find specific features, such as edge segments, line segments, blobs, and terminators.Grouping and segregation are then accomplished by finding the image regions that contain the same feature or cluster of features (see, e. g. , Julesz, 1984, 1986; Marr, 1982; Treisman, 1985). These models are relatively simple, are consistent with some aspects of low-level vision, and have been able to account for a range of experimental results. In the filter-based models, retinal images are initially processed by tuned channels, for example, â€Å"contrast-energy† channels selective for size and orientation.Grouping and segregation are then accomplished by finding those image regions with approximately constant output from one or more channels (Beck, Sutter, & Ivry, 1987; Bergen & Landy, 1991; Bovik, Clark, & Geisler, 1990; Caelli, 1988; Chubb & Sperling, 1988; Clark, Bovik, & Geisler, 1987; Fogel & Sagi, 1989; Graham, Sutter, & Venkatesan, 1993; Victor, 1988; Victor & Conte, 1991; Wilson & Richards, 1992).These models have some advantages over the existing feature-based models: They can be applied to arbitrary images, they are generally more consistent with known low-level mechanisms in the visual system, and they have proven capable of accounting for a wider range of experimental results. However, the current models do not make accurate predictions for certain important classes of stimuli. One class of stimuli are those that contain regions of texture that can be segregated only on the basis of local structure (i. e. , shape).Another broad class of stimuli for which most current perceptual organization models do not make adequate predictions are those containing nonstationary structures; specifically, structures that change smoothly and systematically across space. Nonstationary structures are the general rule in natural images because of perspective pr ojection, and because many natural objects are the result of some irregular growth or erosion process. A simple example of a nonstationary structure would be a contour formed by a sequence of line segments (a dashed contour) embedded in a background of randomly oriented line segments.Such contours are usually easily picked out by human observers. However, the elements of the contours cannot be grouped by the mechanisms contained in current filter-based or feature-based models, because no single orientation channel or feature is activated across the whole contour. Grouping the elements of such contours requires some kind of contour integration process that binds the successive contour elements together on the basis of local similarity. A more complex example of a nonstationary structure would be an image of wood grain.Such a texture contains many contours whose spacing, orientation, and curvature vary smoothly across the image. Again, such textures are easily grouped by human observe rs but cannot be grouped by the mechanisms contained in the current models. Grouping the contour elements of such textures requires some form of texture integration (the two-dimensional analogue of contour integration). The heart of the problem for existing quantitative models of grouping and segregation is that they do not represent the structure of the image data with the richness achieved by the human visual system.The human visual system apparently represents image information in an elaborate hierarchical fashion that captures many of the spatial, temporal, and chromatic relationships among the entities grouped at each level of the hierarchy. Grouping and segregation based on simple feature distinctions or channel responses may well be an important initial component of perceptual organization, but the final organization that emerges must depend on more sophisticated processes.The major theoretical aim of this study was to develop a framework for constructing and testing models o f perceptual organization that capture some of the richness and complexity of the representations extracted by the human visual system, and yet are computationally well defined and biologically possible. Within this framework, we have developed a model of perceptual organization for two-dimensional (2D) line images and evaluated it on a number of â€Å"textbook† perceptual organization demonstrations.In this article we refer to this model as the extended model when it is necessary to distinguish it from a simplified version, the restricted model, described later. Perceptual organization must depend in some way on detected similarities and differences between image elements. Furthermore, it is obvious that similarities and differences along many different stimulus dimensions can contribute to the organization that is perceived. Although there have been many studies of individual stimulus dimensions, there have been few systematic attempts to study how multiple dimensions inter act (Beck et al., 1987; Fahle & Abele, 1996; Li & Lennie, 1996). The major experimental aim of this study was to measure how multiple stimulus dimensions are combined to determine grouping strength between image elements. To this end, we conducted a series of three-pattern grouping experiments to directly measure the tradeoffs among two, three, or four stimulus dimensions at a time. Predictions for these experiments were generated by a restricted version of the model appropriate for the experimental task. The experimental results provided both a test for the restricted model and a means of estimating the model's parameters.The estimated parameter values were used to generate the predictions of the extended model for complex patterns. The next four sections describe, respectively, the theoretical framework, the restricted model, the experiments and results, and the extended model and demonstrations. Theoretical Framework for Perceptual Organization In this section we discuss four imp ortant components of perceptual organization: hierarchical representation, detection of primitives, detection of similarities and differences among image parts, and mechanisms for grouping image parts.These components taken together form the theoretical framework on which the restricted and extended quantitative models are based. Hierarchical Representation It is evident that the mechanisms of perceptual organization yield a rich hierarchical representation that describes the relationship of â€Å"parts† to â€Å"wholes† at a number of levels; that is, the wholes at one level often become the parts at the next level. However, there is evidence that the process by which the hierarchical representation is constructed does not proceed strictly either from local to global or from global to local.The global structure of a large letter composed of small letters can be discovered before the structure of the individual small letters is discovered (Navon, 1977), and there exist ambiguous figures, such as R. C. James's classic Dalmatian dog, that can be solved locally only after at least some of the global structure is discovered. On the other hand, the discovery of structure must sometimes proceed from local to global; for example, it would be hard to extract the symmetry of a complex object without first extracting some of the structure of its subobjects.Any well-specified theory of perceptual organization must define what is meant by parts, wholes, and relationships between parts and wholes. Given the current state of knowledge, all definitions, including the ones we have adopted, must be tentative. Nonetheless, some basic definitions must be made in order to form working models. In our framework, the most primitive objects are defined on the basis of the current understanding of image encoding in the primary visual cortex of the primate visual system.Higher order objects are defined to be collections of lower order objects (which may include primitive objects), together with information about the relationships between the lower order objects. The range of relationships that the visual system can discover, the order and speed with which they are discovered, and the mechanisms used to find them are unsettled issues. As a starting point the relationships we consider are quantitative similarities and differences in size, position, orientation, color, and shape.These dimensions were picked for historical and intuitive reasons: They are major categories in human language and therefore are likely to correspond to perceptually important categories. The precise definitions of these dimensions of similarity between objects are given later. Detection of Primitives: Receptive-Field Matching One of the simplest mechanisms for detecting structure within an image is receptive-field matching, in which relatively hard-wired circuits are used to detect the different spatial patterns of interest.For example, simple cells in the primary visual corte x of monkeys behave approximately like hard-wired templates: A strong response from a simple cell indicates the presence of a local image pattern with a position, orientation, size (spatial frequency), and phase (e. g. , even or odd symmetry) similar to that of the receptive-field profile (Hubel & Wiesel, 1968; for a review, see DeValois & DeValois, 1988). The complex cells in the primary visual cortex are another example.A strong response from a typical complex cell indicates a particular position, orientation, and spatial frequency independent of the spatial phase (Hubel & Wiesel, 1968; DeValois & DeValois, 1988). Receptive field matching may occur in areas other than the primary visual cortex, and may involve detection of image structures other than local luminance or chromatic contours, for example, structures such as phase discontinuities (von der Heydt & Peterhans, 1989) and simple radially symmetric patterns (Gallant, Braun, & Van Essen, 1993).An important aspect of receptive -field matching in the visual cortex is that the information at each spatial location is encoded by a large number of neurons, each selective to a particular size or scale. The population as a whole spans a wide range of scales and hence provides a â€Å"multiresolution† or â€Å"multiscale† representation of the retinal images (see, e. g. , DeValois & DeValois, 1988). This multiresolution representation may play an important role in perceptual organization.For example, grouping of low-resolution information may be used to constrain grouping of high-resolution information, and vice versa. The quantitative models described here assume that receptive-field matching provides the primitives for the subsequent perceptual organization mechanisms. However, to hold down the complexity of the models, the receptive-field matching stage is restricted to include only units similar to those of cortical simple cells with small receptive fields. These units proved sufficient for the line pattern stimuli used in the experiments and demonstrations.Receptive-field matching is practical only for a few classes of simple image structure, such as contour segments; it is unreasonable to suppose that there are hard-wired receptive fields for every image structure that the visual system is able to detect, because of the combinatorial explosion in the number of receptive-field shapes that would be required. Thus, there must be additional, more flexible, mechanisms for detecting similarities and differences among image regions. These are discussed next. Similarity/Difference Detection MechanismsStructure exists within an image if and only if some systematic similarities and differences exist between regions in the image. Thus, at the heart of any perceptual organization system there must be mechanisms that match or compare image regions to detect similarities and differences. (For this discussion, the reader may think of image regions as either parts of an image or as grou ps of detected primitives. ) Transformational matching A well-known general method of comparing image regions is to find out how well the regions can be mapped onto each other, given certain allowable transformations (see, e.g. , Neisser, 1967; Pitts & McCulloch, 1947; Rosenfeld & Kak, 1982; Shepard & Cooper, 1982; Ullman, 1996). The idea is, in effect, to use one image region as a transformable template for comparison with another image region. If the regions closely match, following application of one of the allowable transformations, then a certain similarity between the image regions has been detected. Furthermore, the specific transformation that produces the closest match provides information about the differences between the image regions.For example, consider an image that contains two groups of small line segment primitives detected by receptive-field matching, such that each group of primitives forms a triangle. If some particular translation, rotation, and scaling of one of the groups brings it into perfect alignment with the other group then we would know that the two groups are identical in shape, and from the aligning transformation itself we would know how much the two groups differ in position, orientation, and size. There are many possible versions of transformational matching, and thus it represents a broad class of similarity-detection mechanisms.Transformational matching is also very powerful—there is no relationship between two image regions that cannot be described given an appropriately general set of allowable transformations. Thus, although there are other plausible mechanisms for detecting similarities and differences between image regions (see section on attribute matching), transformational matching is general enough to serve as a useful starting point for developing and evaluating quantitative models of perceptual organization. Use of both spatial position and colorThe most obvious form of transformational matching is based on standard template matching; that is, maximizing the correlation between the two image regions under the family of allowable transformations. However, template matching has a well-known limitation that often produces undesirable results. To understand the problem, note that each point in the two image regions is described by a position and a color. The most general form of matching would consist of comparing both the positions and colors of the points. However, standard template matching compares only the colors (e. g. , gray levels 2 ) at like positions.If the points cannot be lined up in space then large match errors may occur even though the positional errors may be small. A more useful and plausible form of matching mechanism would treat spatial and color information more equivalently by comparing both the spatial positions and the colors of the points or parts making up the objects. For such mechanisms, if the colors of the objects are identical then similarity is determined solely by how well the spatial coordinates of the points or parts making up the objects can be aligned and on the values of the spatial transformations that bring them into the best possible alignment.In other words, when the colors are the same, then the matching error is described by differences in spatial position. For such mechanisms, B matches A better than B matches C, in agreement with intuition. Later we describe a simple matching mechanism that simultaneously compares both the spatial positions and the colors of object points. We show that this mechanism produces matching results that are generally more perceptually sensible than those of template matching. Attribute matchingAnother well-known method of comparing groups is to measure various attributes or properties of the groups, and then represent the differences in the groups by differences in the measured attributes (see, e. g. , Neisser, 1967; Rosenfeld & Kak, 1982; Selfridge, 1956; Sutherland, 1957). These attributes might be simple measures, such as the mean and variance of the color, position, orientation, or size of the primitives in a group, or they might be more complex measures, such as the invariant shape moments. It is likely that perceptual organization in the human visual system involves both transformational matching and attribute matching.However, the specific models considered here involve transformational matching exclusively. The primary reason is that perceptual organization models based on transformational matching have relatively few free parameters, yet they are sensitive to differences in image structure—an essential requirement for moving beyond existing filter- and feature-based models. For example, a simple transformational matching mechanism (described later) can detect small differences in arbitrary 2D shapes without requiring an explicit description of the shapes.On the other hand, specifying an attribute-matching model that can detect small differences in arbitr ary shapes requires specifying a set of attributes that can describe all the relevant details of arbitrary shapes. This type of model would require many assumptions and/or free parameters. Our current view is that transformational matching (or something like it) may be the central mechanism for similarity/difference detection and that it is supplemented by certain forms of attribute matching. Matching groups to categoriesThe discussion so far has assumed implicitly that transformational and attribute matching occur between different groups extracted from the image. However, it is obvious that the brain is also able to compare groups with stored information because this is essential for memory. Thus, the visual system may also measure similarities and differences between groups and stored categories, and perform subsequent grouping using these similarities and differences. These stored categories might be represented by prototypes or sets of attributes.Rather than use stored categori es, the visual system could also measure similarities and differences to categories that emerge during the perceptual processing of the image. For example, the visual system could extract categories corresponding to prevalent colors within the image, and then perform subsequent grouping on the basis of similarities between the colors of image primitives and these emergent color categories. Grouping Mechanisms Once similarities and differences among image parts are discovered, then the parts may be grouped into wholes.These wholes may then be grouped to form larger wholes, resegregated into a different collection of parts, or both. However, it is important to keep in mind that some grouping can occur before all of the relevant relationships between the parts have been discovered. For example, it is possible to group together all image regions that have a similar color, before discovering the geometrical relationships among the regions. As further relationships are discovered, the rep resentations of wholes may be enriched, new wholes may be formed, or wholes may be broken into new parts and reformed.Thus, the discovery of structure is likely to be an asynchronous process that operates simultaneously at multiple levels, often involving an elaborate interleaving of similarity/difference detection and grouping. Within the theoretical framework proposed here we consider one grouping constraint—the generalized uniqueness principle—and three grouping mechanisms: transitive grouping, nontransitive grouping, and multilevel grouping. The uniqueness principle and the grouping mechanisms can be applied at multiple levels and can be interleaved with similarity/difference detection.Generalized uniqueness principle The uniqueness principle proposed here is more general: it enforces the constraint that at any time, and at any level in the hierarchy, a given object (part) can be assigned to only one superordinate object (whole). An object at the lowest level (a pr imitive) in the hierarchy can be assigned to only one object at the next level, which in turn can be assigned to only one object at the next level, and so on. The sequence of nested objects in the hierarchy containing a given object is called the part–whole path of the object.The generalized uniqueness principle, if valid, constrains the possible perceptual organizations that can be found by the visual system. Nontransitive grouping Our working hypothesis is that similarity in spatial position (proximity) contributes weakly to nontransitive grouping. If proximity were making a dominant contribution, then separated objects could not bind together separately from the background objects. Proximity contributes powerfully to a different grouping mechanism, transitive grouping, which is described next.We propose that transitive and nontransitive grouping are in some competition with each other and that the visual system uses both mechanisms in the search for image structure. Refere nces Beck, J. (Ed. ). (1982). Organization and representation in perception. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Beck, J. , Sutter, A. , & Ivry, R. (1987). Spatial frequency channels and perceptual grouping in texture segregation. Computer Vision, Graphics and Image Processing, 37, 299–325. Bergen, J. R. (1991). Theories of visual texture perception. In D. Regan (Ed. ), Spatial vision (pp. 114–134). New York: Macmillan. Bergen, J. R., & Landy, M. S. (1991). Computational modeling of visual texture segregation. In M. S. Landy & J. A. Movshon (Eds. ), Computational models of visual processing (pp. 253–271). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Bovik, A. C. , Clark, M. , & Geisler, W. S. (1990). Multichannel texture analysis using localized spatial filters. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 12, 55–73. Caelli, T. M. (1988). An adaptive computational model for texture segmentation. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics, 18, 9–17. Chub b, C. , & Sperling, G. (1988). Processing stages in non-Fourier motion perception.Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 29Suppl. 266. Clark, M. , Bovik, A. C. , & Geisler, W. S. (1987). Texture segmentation using a class of narrowband filters. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (pp. 571–574). New York: IEEE. Fahle, M. , & Abele, M. (1996). Sub-threshold summation of orientation, color, and luminance cues in figure–ground discrimination. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 37Suppl. S1147. Fogel, I. , & Sagi, D. (1989). Gabor filters as texture discriminator. Biological Cybernetics, 61, 103–113.Gallant, J. L. , Braun, J. , & Van Essen, D. C. (1993, January). Selectivity for polar, hyperbolic, and Cartesian gratings in macaque visual cortex. Science, 259, 100–103. Geisler, W. S. , & Albrecht, D. G. (1995). Bayesian analysis of identification in monkey visual cortex: Nonlinear m echanisms and stimulus certainty. Vision Research, 35, 2723–2730. Geisler, W. S. , & Albrecht, D. G. (1997). Visual cortex neurons in monkeys and cats: Detection, discrimination and identification. Visual Neuroscience, 14, 897–919. Geisler, W. S. , & Chou, K. (1995). Separation of low-level and high-level fac

Dream Vacation

I have wanted to go for a vacation for very long. The country for my dream vacation is Australia. Australia is a part of continent, oceanic. It is a big country with many attractions. I am going to share with you, in this essay, what attracts me such that I want to go Australia. There are many physical factors in Australia. One of them is desserts. I would like to go to a desert in Australia as there are many plants and animals at the deserts. I can so experience a bit of desert life and know more about deserts after going to one myself. Another physical factor is the rock formation in Australia that are formed natural. These rock formations make a good place to watch sunrise and sunsets. I am sure we do not want to miss such spectacle as it would be such a pity. Examples of such rock formations are Uluru, otherwise called Ayers Rock, which is a world heritage Site, Kata tjuta, also known as mount olga, and devils marbles. The third physical factor is the ranges,which consists of mountains and hills. The ranges let us see a series of mountains together. Climbing one of the mountain is a good experience for me as I had not tired mountain climbing before. Since they are ranges,there must be nice scenery there too. I would like to go there to see the beautiful scenery. Examples are Brindabella ranges, visible to the west of Canberra, and Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia. The fourth physical factor is the reefs in Australia. The most well known reef in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s greatest gift from nature. It consists of a lot of marine life and consists of over 3000 individual reef system. I would not miss this chance to see the world’s largest reef if I were to go on a vacation to Australia. The fifth physical factor,which is the last, is the rivers.

Human freedom and the ten commandments Essay

When Jesus was asked, â€Å"What must I do to inherit eternal life? â€Å", he replied: â€Å"You know the Commandments, keep these and you will live. † It has been said, that the Ten Commandments are not simple rules mandated by God, but rather, this set of rules is considered as a gift given to men in order for them to live the life that God has promised. Although the word â€Å"commandment†, by itself, imports something mandatory and obligatory, it must be understood that God has granted each one of his people freedom and independence to choose how he or she will act, and hence, human freedom is an important topic to be discussed alongside the Ten Commandments. It will be seen, that the kind of life that men live is simply a reflection of how he uses the freedom that he has been gifted with. A person can either live a life full of one spent as a good follower of God. Although some would say that it is a question of fate, destiny, or maybe even luck, the truth is that, a person lives a life based on his own choices and decisions. As have been stated, men have been gifted with freedom, and it is up to him how he will utilize this gift. Every person has different forms of needs and wants that have to be dealt with in everyday life. This is where freedom sets in. In allowing absence of restriction, God permits every individual the opportunity to shape his life. It has been stated that this is one risk that God chose to take. â€Å"God risked much in creating us humans with the freedom, now, to unleash horrendous nuclear disaster or to love our fellows across all boundaries. † (Grider, 1994). It is the freedom that each one has been blessed with that enables him to understand and appreciate the life that he has and all the beauty that comes with it. On the other hand, if this freedom is abused, then the consequences that go with it, would also have to be dealt with by the individual concerned. Being free entails a lot of responsibility. It is believed that God granted every individual the gift of freedom, not for the sole reason that he be boundless or limitless. Man is given freedom for him to be responsible for all the things that he says, does or even thinks of. True enough, some philosophers believe that the things that happen to each individual can be traced to the actions and decisions that he chooses to take. Most of the times, it is not up to the heavens if a good or bad thing happens to one person. More of than not, everything that happens to a person can be traced to the course of action that he chose to take. The scriptures that God instructed to be drafted, in essence, are mere forms of guidance for men; but in the end, it is human freedom which will eventually dictate whether or not an individual will live his life by these guidelines. The concept of human freedom is more often discussed by mentioning the story of what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. As has been aptly stated, â€Å"these questions as to the nature of human freedom arise especially when we turn our attention to the question of the origin of sin. Only consider how many times the origin of sin has been ascribed to this human freedom of choice, implying this twofold power of man’s nature and of his creaturely existence: to sin or not to sin; a good part and an evil part of his nature. † (Berkouwer, 1962). True enough, God could have stopped the serpent from interacting with Adam and Eve, but due to the freedom that he bestowed the two, they had the choice as to whether or not to take the apple that the serpent offered them. Ultimately then, it is this choice that they made which is the root cause of why they were banished from the garden of Eden. It would appear then that despite the Ten Commandments being set down by God to be sent to his people, the same is not precisely a set of obligatory rules imposed upon men. Rather, the Ten Commandments are considered as a guide as to how each person should live if he wants to experience the kind of life that God promised. This is a kind of life full of happiness, peace, beauty and love. A person’s freedom can lead to this if a person, in choosing paths to take, keeps in mind what the Ten Commandments speak of. Ultimately, it would depend upon the person if he will live the kind of life promised by God ever since the olden times, or if he will use his freedom to lead him to a kind of unspeakable and despicable kind of living. REFERENCE â€Å"The Ten Commandments†, J. Kenneth Grider , â€Å"Human Freedom†, 1994, G. C. Berkouwer, â€Å"Human Freedom†, 1962,

Detail the severity of unemployment in the United States, the Research Paper

Detail the severity of unemployment in the United States, the Administration's response, and one major economic objection to the - Research Paper Example The unemployment statistics have never been as poor as they are today, at least not in decades. In fact, there is a possibility that is far worse than we have been led to believe. The United States unemployment issues is a huge topic be tossed back and forth, by both candidates, in the presidential election. In order to understand the overall unemployment issue it is necessary to grasp what does â€Å"unemployment† actually mean to the government? What do the statistics truly reveal about the current unemployment crisis and what has the current administration done to improve or prevent it? Generally speaking one would define â€Å"unemployment† as anyone who is not employed. It seems rather self explanatory, and yet the government has a different way of perceiving the concept, as well as, a number of categorizations that make up the statistics. In the eyes of the government an unemployed person is someone who is able to work and has been seeking work within the given mo nth. All of these individuals, 16 years of age and older, will fall into this category and therefore become part the current statistical assessment. It is upon these people that we receive the current, official unemployment rate. That rate, as of August 2012, is stated to be 8.1 percent.("Labor force statistics," 2012) The problem with this percentage is the restrictions on whom they are judging their assessments. They do not include the long-time unemployed who, due the nature of the job market, have given up the search for the, nearly, impossible. They do not include, previously, stay at home mothers or fathers that have, due to the economic crisis, found it necessary to find work but are unable to do so. For this reason, there are many Americans whose unemployment is not being immediately reflected in the above percentage. The government, also, has specific groupings to justify the different categories within unemployment. Natural unemployment reflects literally, the natural acce ptance and level of unemployment which is typical. Frictional unemployment allows for those employees that become unemployed intentionally, transitionally, but have yet to find new employment. Structural unemployment is when the skills of job seekers are not the skills employers are needing. Cyclical unemployment, is not considered a direct part of natural unemployment, it occurs with the success and failures within the business industry. Seasonal employees and â€Å"classically† unemployed are, also, included is separate categories. The Bureau of Labor Statistics assures that all people, in all forms of unemployment are ultimately assessed, but are statistically not included in the official unemployment rate. The unfortunate problem with this system is that it is not providing the overall data all together; if it did then the United States at this moment is closer to 25 percent, â€Å"†¦the same as during the Great Depression.†( Amadeo, 2012) According to the Bur eau of Labor Statistics unemployment was at the lowest it had been in many year in 2007, and the a sudden rise, followed by a continual rise over the last four years, until a sudden, subtle drop in the present year; as seen in the chart below-right.(â€Å"Labor force statistics,† 2012) In comparison to other countries it has been It is shocking. In 2002 the United States has the lowest unemployment rate worldwide. By 2010 we were the highest, as seen in the chart above-right, higher than the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy.(Ydstie, 2012) There

Court Report Criminal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Court Report Criminal - Essay Example Paul’s Cathedral. The Old Bailey street would be on your left if you walk from Waterloo after crossing the Waterloo Bridge, turn right and keep going. It has two public gallery networks. Daily lists are in the notice board on the outside wall. Security is very strict so read the warning I have set out below. In Old Bailey Court you can wander in and out of dozens of courtrooms and see the most important judges like the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls at work. Daily lists and lots of information are in the main hall (Anonymous, 2012). My Visit to the Central Criminal Court (â€Å"Old Bailey†) I went to visit a murder case at the Old Bailey criminal court on 3rd, October 2012 and followed the case again on 10th, October 2012. I went to court number 14 and sat in the public gallery where I was allowed to take notes about this case. In my first visit to the court on 3rd of October 2012, there was the cross examination of the Manzar Juma who was charged with m urder of Ruby Love. The prosecution was giving cell site evidence to the jury, and showing all the text messaging that was exchanged between Juma and deceased women Ruby Love. Prosecution gave copies of all relevant material such as text messages, mobile coverage and addresses to the jury as well as to the QC and counsel of the Mr Juma, both the judge and Mr Juma see all the copies and read them out one by one. Cell site evidence contained all the information regarding where Mr Juma was a day before the death of Ruby and all the text messaging that came along with all recorded times and the time of their conversation. It was heard that there were changing of unpleasant words you could say, that they were having an argument as such (Kelly and Camber, 2011). The judge seemed to have matters well under control in his courtroom and went on the legal proceeding moving forward expeditiously. The jury heard that on the day of Ruby’s death, where Juma was located and how he had two m obile phones that he communicated with Ruby and in one of the text messages he had arranged to pick her up (Darbyshire, 2011). On 29th of December 2011, police rang the phone number that they had found on the mobile of Ruby love and that number belonged to Mr Juma. Shortly after the cell site evidence the prosecution gave an indication and evidence of both Juma’s blood examination of any indication of drugs, and also Ruby’s blood evidence was read out (Hardiman, 2012). The forensic toxicologists’ examination showed that the blood of Ruby Love had traces of Methadone, heroin, Cocaine, Ecstasy pills, cannabis and alcohol. The blood of Mr. Juma was also examined and tested for alcohol and drugs and indicated that he had traces of basic drugs such as cannabis and alcohol in his blood. In addition to this, experts also gave evidence of Ruby’s body fluid. As the prosecution was finished giving his evidence, the QC of Mr Juma called Mr Juma to the stand and he w as asked many questions from his counsel (Kirk, 2012). The prosecutor provided a big contrast to the defence attorney. Mr Juma said that he did not have a very good relationship with his father, and only saw him up until he was 15 years old. He denies murder. His QC asked him whether he had any trouble at school whilst growing up, and he replied, yes he did, from the moment he found out that his mother had tumour and he became very angry and upset, therefore he did not do very well at

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Auditing - Essay Example The Big 4 dominate the auditing industry to such an extent that policy makers are worried about the effects of a possible reduction in their number. Questions such as pricing power, bargaining power, quality of audits, the independence of audited financial reports and other matters that usually attend to an oligopoly has bedevilled government regulators and industry experts alike. This paper looks at some of the outstanding issues facing an industry with few market players, especially on the possible scenarios when any of the Big 4 exits the market altogether for whatever reason. The Big 4 auditing and accounting firms, together with professional and accountancy organizations, are actively promoting positive reforms in both their accounting and reporting standards to improve credibility and confidence in audited financial reports. At present, these big four comprise an oligopoly that dictated prices for their services. In classical economic theory, this is an imperfect competition where a few sellers can manipulate prices if they want to. Economists call it as the concentration ratio or C4 in which the four biggest firms control more than 60% of an industry similar to aircraft manufacturing and telecommunications. In fact, a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) of the US (renamed now to General Accountability Office in 2004) indicated concentration to be higher, approximately 78% of all the publicly-listed companies that constituted 99% of all public company sales (Bloom & Schrim 2005) and has serious implications with regards to the risks for collusion. The GAO report was commissioned in response to the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act the previous year and also due to concerns about the effects of audit mergers and consolidation on competition, cost, quality, pricing and the cherished principles of auditor independence. Due to the few market players in an oligopoly, the action of one market participant tends to be known by

Persuasive Email Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persuasive Email - Essay Example Currently, they are working with one on one programs’ to assist adults in training and are providing basic courses for both children and adults that want to learn how to read. The implementation of the several initiatives by the Read for Life network has grown in demand so much that it now doesn’t have enough tutors for those that are illiterate in the community. As you may know, El Paso, Texas has the highest illiteracy rate in the nation, and three other Texas cities are in the top 10 with the highest illiteracy rate. You may also know that the literacy centers in the area are not available to those who have strenuous jobs, one parent families, odd working hours or to those who are in need financially1. By joining this venture, you will be giving back in one of the most needed areas of the community, while assisting a non – profit organization that is growing in demand. If you are interested in volunteering for Read for Life, please speak with me or contact Read for Life through the library, where they hold tutoring classes daily. I am willing to give volunteers 2 hours of paid time from work to volunteer and assist two adults per week. You will be able to take this time from work to help illiterate adults with one on one interaction while assisting a continuous need in the community. If you are interested in volunteering during hours that are outside of work, you can also speak with me about finding a representative for Read for

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future Essay

What does a geomatic engineer do in his career and what are the future prospectus of this career - Essay Example Most of the tasks and activities of the geomatic engineers are integrally linked with civil engineering. Such tasks include but are not limited to mapping for the construction projects, control surveys, and preparation of design and layout of the urban subdivisions and public infrastructure. The graduates of geomatics engineering make use of a diverse array of technologically advanced tools such as the equipment of Global Positioning System (GPS), digital total stations, computer-based geographic information systems (GIS), and digital aerial imagery done with the help of satellites. The level of education required to serve as a geomatic engineer varies from one organization and country to another. However, in general, highly qualified and educated geomatic engineers get more and better opportunities of employment like positions in academic and research organizations. Generally, a four year degree is required to be able to survey the oil and gas sites. Geomatic engineers design system s in order to gather locational data. Design and use of these systems is critical for a wide range of applications including scientific surveys and navigation systems in cars. In the field of geomatic engineering, advanced degrees are also available as geomatic engineering integrates a variety of disciplines like mathematics, geology, and surveying. Locational data includes physical maps’ underpinning so that navigational information and different types of data based on map can be obtained. These maps provide the details of geology, meteorology, and demography of different areas. Using this information, geomatic engineers design systems to obtain and record the information. Many of these systems interact with the systems of GPS as well as other points of reference that are used for accurate recording of the data. Utilization of these systems is often part of the job of a geomatic engineer. Employment opportunities for the geomatic engineers exist in the private companies, gov ernment agencies, and other non-profit organizations which are involved in such activities as spatial design and surveying. A geomatic engineer may be required to work as a team member in the operation of exploration of oil and gas. In such tasks, the geomatic engineer is asked to collect the location information, mark the data that is relevant, and make sure that he prepares a map recording all information, materials, and features of interest required to prepared the background on the survey location. These survey teams often get the help and participation of other engineers in the tasks of preparation of the home sites, collection of data for research, and involvement in research and development based on location. In order to achieve this, geomatic engineers require an in-depth understanding of the location data and spatial relations as well as the discipline in which the data would be utilized so that reliable and useful knowledge can be created. As a geomatic engineer, an indivi dual can serve in different sorts of technical positions that include but are not limited to photographic image processing, global positioning, satellite image processing, remote sensing, three-dimensional computer visualization, management of land and natural resources, spatial data infrastructure, surveying, and mapping. There is a variety of career pathways for a geomatic engineer to select from. They can choose to specialize in cadastral or land surveying, engineering surveying, positioning, mining, remote sensing, and topography. In addition to them, a variety of other areas of specialization are available. A cadastral or land

Psychology Journal Article Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Psychology Journal Article Summary - Essay Example They facilitated the research by getting 88 clients or respondents (66 women and 22 men) who are seeking counseling services from the US. They were given questionnaires wherein respondents are expected to give their answers. Out of their answers, the data collected will provide sufficient information regarding clients’ expectation to counseling in connection to factors like, personal commitment, facilitative conditions, counselor expertise, and nurturance. The result shows the relation between the four stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, action, and maintenance) to the clients’ four expectation factors (personal commitment, facilitative conditions, counselor expertise, and nurturance.) The implication is that stage of change and expectations of clients are vital factors to assess whether the client is ready to engage in therapeutic process or not. Knowing the client’s expectations is favorable to the counselor and will be much helpful for him in order to make anticipations of any future or potential problems and difficulties that he might encounter during counseling. By then he will be able to find out where he is going to situate himself in dealing with different clients and at the end categorize, whether who of his clients would need corresponding counseling strategies. The procedural analysis applied by the university is really designed to help both those who seek for counseling and the counselors themselves. Their intention is to provide sufficient information that will be helpful in handling counseling clients. This article will educate those who are looking for an effective approach in the field of counseling. The responsibility of the counselor is to maintain a continuous communication with the people, and interaction with them will start an atmosphere that the clients will adapt. The therapeutic process is such a tough job and an overall understanding of the approaches that will be applied is

Last two hundred years Essay Example for Free

Last two hundred years Essay The 19th and 20th centuries are very rich about inventions that changed our lives. The automobile is one of those inventions changed peoples lives. Short after its invention automobile became a necessity in daily life more than being luxury or a symbol of nobility. Today the numbers of cars are close to half of earths population. Almost every family in developed countries owns a car. The automobile has had the greatest effects on our lives in last two hundred years because it is a necessity, it has an important effect on the world economy and it affects our lives directly. There are some reasons why automobiles become a necessity in todays life which of those reasons are being the cheapest, fastest and easiest way to travel when compared against other inventions like planes, ships or trains. Before the invention of automobiles humanity used to travel with domestic animals, which cause more expanses than, cars do in todays conditions. A traveler has to pay great amounts of money to travel from one town to another to the animals owner also if someone owns his own animal it will probably costs much more because he has to feed and look after that animal. Even today when compared against planes, ships or trains; the automobile is still the cheapest way to travel. The automobile is also the fastest way to travel when compared to old traveling methods. For example horse back riding from France to Germany will take months while driving the same distance with a car will take a day or less. The last important thing that made automobile a necessity is its being the easiest way of traveling and transportation. Traveling with automobiles gives people freedom of going wherever they want; only thing they have to do is to have wish of going and the money to afford an automobiles expanses. The automobile gives a freedom of traveling which other traveling methods do not offer. Trains are limited with the rails whereas planes are also limited with aerostations but cars can reach everywhere roads reach and even far. Today automobile is a necessity like sleeping or eating. The busses people go their work with, the lorries that people transport their goods, the ambulances that saves peoples lives and lots uncountable more examples there are which shows us how necessary automobiles are. As a result a necessity is something that affects peoples lives deeply. Without cars it will be impossible to the things we do in daily life like traveling, transporting and reaching. Another important point that makes the automobile effect on peoples life is its effect on world economy with the automobile industry and its subsidiary industries like car accessories. Today almost every developed countrys economy is based on the automobile industry while developing countries depend on the automobile industry also. A large rate of world trade is about automobiles. For instance there are big car companies in both Europe and USA that has big factories in which millions of people work. This causes a great income for the world economy and keeps it running. Because economies depend on and based on the automobile, peoples lives are depended on automobile and this is why this invention affects humans lives too much. Peoples are depended on the automobile economically because lots of peoples job involves cars, lorries, trucks or buses and also lot of peoples job is to produce vehicle. For those reasons the automobile affects peoples lives too much as an economic support, it is what people earn their lives from. The last and the most important reason why the automobile affect peoples lives are because it affects their lives with its side effects like; pollution, accidents, transportation and automobile based lifestyles. All kinds of automobiles are based on the same principle, which is the creation of energy by using petrol and its side products. As a result automobiles produce harmful gases and release them through the air people breathe. Automobiles pollute the air and are a danger for all living creatures with the air pollution it causes. In addition to air pollution automobile also causes sound pollution with the sound of horns and motors, which depress people and create negative social effects on them. Because automobile is the fastest way to achieve somewhere, the wrong use of it causes accidents resulting with injuries or even deaths. As a result deaths and injuries cause incorrigible social effects like depression and suicide because it affects people negatively. With the automobile, transportation becomes easier and more common. That created an enormous effect on trade, which also means an enormous effect on peoples lives because it affects economy with this way, which means an affect on the way people, earns their lives. The last direct effect the automobile created on peoples lives is that some lives are based on the automobile passion. For example car and motor racers,  Harley Davidson cycles collectors, Chevrolet fans and lots more. Because of those reasons the automobile is a piece of peoples lives that affects them directly with a lot of reasons. In conclusion the automobile has had the greatest effect on peoples lives because it become a piece of their life with its usage and effects. It is the invention that gave man freedom of traveling wherever he wants, it changed his life and it is a necessity of life for him. In todays world cars save peoples time, power and even lives. The automobiles allow people to reach places quickly, lorries, trucks carry their goods and finally ambulances save lives. All those create enormous effects on peoples lives.

Analysis Of Mere Christianity By CS Lewis Religion Essay

Analysis Of Mere Christianity By CS Lewis Religion Essay The book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis was a very interesting. As I first started reading the book from the preface I found out that before C.S. Lewis published the book he read them or gave them to someone to read aloud over the radio it was said to have been published into three separate parts the first one being named Broadcast talks which was aired in the year 1942. The second one that was given on the air was Christian Behavior which aired one year after in 1943.The last part to the three part series was called Beyond Personality which aired in 1944. The first chapter in the book was mainly about the Universal Law of Nature and what certain cultures find wrong and what certain right and how some cultures differ in beliefs. One of the many examples used in this chapter was that about marriage and how certain cultures allow men to have more than one wife to that of those who only allow only one wife. Another thing the Lewis mentions in this chapter is that of how a culture wou ld be strange if it didnt follow its own laws. In book one chapter 3 he explains how the only way we know our laws is our reactions to it and how we understand it. In chapter 4 Lewis discusses how greediness and spirits are too conflicting habits to interpret life which have been talked about and conflicted over eternally in view of the fact that thoughts natives begin thinking how the world came upon to be. The authors explain greediness in the books typical common sense, the world as we know it have until the end of time be, and numerical main beliefs of possibility, as well as well-known as chance, bring on the subject of humanity. Lying on the additional put forward, and dovetail with the authors principle about the commandment of the natural world, the spiritual world maintain that a awareness bring the creation interested in survival by means of a understandable principle of create additional love comparable on the road to its own. Anywhere covetousness does not take for grant ed awareness on top of the life, everything spiritual does. Lewis uses a small number of additional analogy to construct his casing. The mass of human suppose in the life of one or more gods. Lewis admit to at on its own moment human being an nonbeliever, other than subsequent to accommodating the being of God, he exposed a outward appearance of open-mindedness which permitted each and every one religion to have a quantity of fact to themselves, to a certain extent than irritating to display with the intention of all religion are incorrect in their encouragement of belief. In chapter 2 Lewis discusses the pressure group to generalize Christianity interested in a faith that worships a high-quality as well as presently God. He argue not anything in the world is easy, as a result God cant survive undemanding also. A preside over possibly will appear to be a straightforward control the discussion, but at what time intimately look at turn elsewhere to exist complete of multifaceted stuff , complete of atom, good thing still bearing in mind the preside over involve reflect brightness finished of things. His peak is with the intention of God, even though high-quality bent great that curved awful. In chapter 5 the starting place of restlessness is, as said by Lewis is, to be bring into being in the whole story he claim to have well-known that the ruling of natural world exists, is that human beings have a hard time following the laws, and that Jesus himself is behind the laws of our world and the human ways are useless unless more things are applied to bring humans more intact with the laws. The things that must be accomplished are to understand and live with the laws and to see, and to see that God himself is very unyielding against it, and we are making it more difficult for us in the future if we think theres an easier way. This part explains the importance of the 3 most important religions in the modern age. These three concepts are Jewish, catholic and Islamic rel igions which express the concept of Pantheism which is short abbreviation meaning God is the Universe which is understood by Catholics, Jews, and Islamic people as God creating the universe and by atheist God was never real or existed. From Lewiss point of view the greatest problem and obstacle about Gods issue is that people believing if God actually existed or if he never did exist. More than half of the humans in the world believe one more than one demonic figure or Gods as said by Lewis. Lewis has also mentioned within the book that at one point of time he was Atheist but after thinking and thinking he came to the conclusion that all religions had some sort of truth to them thus allowing him to have an open mind about all religions including and especially Christianity. He later explains and moves on in this chapter saying that God may have taken sides to people in his decisions. Chapter three starts out talking and explaining the free will of man kind. This part of the story is thought to have given Jesus Christ the power and equal ness to God himself. The part that has come to shock me and many readers within the book is the idea that God came down to us in human being form as Jesus Christ to regain the love and happiness within the world. There was a point within the book where he (Lewis) argues that that all of the humans within his world has their own freedom Because God himself decided that is was mandatory in a way so that all of his followers meaning us would love him with eternal love and compassion. With all that said Lewis latter explains that evil would have developed over time which it has and would lead to the destruction of many of Gods creations. Now to Part 3, in chapter 1 of part 3 it explains the significance of morality, Lewis explains these 3 parts in many different and various ways. The first sort of morality has to do with human to human and the relationships we have together as humans. The second point of morality is within the huma n himself and how he or she sets them self out. The third and last part of the morality concept is that of the human himself and the creator being God in this case and the relationship they both share as one. Lewis s problem with this concept is he has set in his mind that the only part of the morality that the humans meaning us is we only pay attention to the first part and look at nothing more than just a human to human relationship. Chapter 6 which is a brief but interesting chapter which has to do with the Christian marriages within the church. One of the very first thing Lewis speaks about and relates to is that Catholic marriage is the putting together of two people at the same level of spirituality and love. He also explains that divorce is very bad for the community thus cause its the taking away of the two peoples love for one anther thus breaking and tearing apart their spiritual bon with each other. Chapter 9 is based on Lewis views on how the charity can benefit how God forgives us and how the term charity does not basically mean to give or donate to the needy and or poor. Another bright point Lewis makes with in this chapter is that being charitable simply does not mean having feelings for others such as love and compassion but is said to be more than just that and is looked at basically a concern for the well being of others he later gives the example of a mother spoiling and loving her daughter or son as a way of being charitable and making herself and him happy this is considered by Lewis to be the wrong way of being charitable. Lewis also includes in this passage saying that even though charity is not the showing of love for another it is the start in showing love and compassion for people and is much more looked upon than having hate against someone or something. Chapter 1 of book 4 explains the well stated differences between the making of and the begetting of one another. It starts off explaining the begetting by saying begetting is the sam e thing as being born the same with no differences at all, and the making is closely similar to creation of something or someone after the birth is done. The last chapter I am explaining and summarizing is book 4 chapter 3 because I believe it states a very important part of everyday life to all of us. In this chapter it is briefly explained that time is a part of our everyday life and is a concept of our world as we know it, but as said by Lewis Gods world does not revolve around time and does not exist within Heaven Which means that it is virtually meaningless to God but it is most certainly is important to us. This book was very well written even though I have only read half of this fantastic book iv actually started to find this book to be a very interesting and great story as I was writing my essay and going through the book the reason I find it to be interesting is because I love how it explains and takes you through the many places such as the universe as a whole and into God s dimension which is considered to be Heaven to me and how it takes us to the physical reality of life, this concludes my essay and I hope that this book is used next year because I found it to be very fascinating.

History of Malaysia Airlines

History of Malaysia Airlines Basically, Malaysia Airlines was established from a joint initiative and venture of Imperial Airways and the Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, the Straits Steamship of Singapore. This collaboration had piloted to a proposal towards the government of the Colonial Straits Settlement (CSS) to operate an air services between Penang and Singapore as these states are very well-known during that very era. On 12 October 1937, the agreement had result the incorporation of Malayan Airways Limited (MAL) which is also the pioneer company for airlines industry in Malaysia during that particular time. Moreover, MAL had been brought to the skies with its initial commercial flight as the national airline of Malaya on April 1947. Equipped by a well-defined and vibrant team of visionaries, MAL had successfully become a major player in international airlines industry in less than a decade. In addition, after the formation of Malaysia back in the year of 1963, the airline company had altered its name to Malaysian Airlines Limited (MAL) and directly became the first national carrier of the country. Just within 2 decades, MAL had consistently grew from a single aircraft company into a company with more than 2,400 employees and engaged the then newest 6 F27s, Comet IV jet aircraft , 2 Pioneers, 8 DCs and so forth. However, the whole aviation platform in the industry had changed with the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in the year of 1965. With this unfavorable situation, MAL became a bi-national airline and was further renamed as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). Furthermore, a new business mission was introduced and the airline developed significantly with new routes to Perth, Taipei, Rome and London. Moreover, in 1973, the partners went separate ways and this had directly led to the formation of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) which served the country till today. Nowadays , Malaysia Airlines flies almost 50,000 passengers daily and cover more than 95 destinations, cover across six continents while operating from its primary hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur. On top of that, Malaysia Airlines holds an excellence record of service as the company has prouldy received more than 120 for the past 10 years since its establishment. Specifically, the most notable recognitions is the Worlds Best Cabin Crew by Skytrax UK consecutively from 2001 until 2004, Number one for Economy Class Onboard Excellence 2006 and 5-star Airline in 2005 and 2006 as well. This credit will only applied to the other three airlines in the world and Malaysia Airlines was also ranked second among 88 contenders in Aviation Weeks Top Performing Companies, which measures the financial viability of an airline. Type of Business of Organization Initially, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have it own humble beginning since its incorporation until today. MAS have been well- perceived as the services company due to its nature core of business. Loads of achievements have been experienced by MAS due to its outstanding and remarkable services in the airline Industry. From a small private-owned company since its establishment, MAS had consistently growth to become one of the multinational companies in Airline Industry. This had shown that the services provided to its prospects had been well-accepted and recognized. Moreover, MAS is a public listed company that listed on the stock exchange of Bursa Malaysia under the name Malaysian Airline System Berhad. With the well projected business mission and goals, MAS had owned numbers of subsidiaries namely such as MASkargo, MAS Aerospace Engineering, MAS Academy Sdn. Bhd., MAS Golden Holidays Sdn. Bhd., FlyFirefly Sdn. Bhd., and newly created company MASwings. Malaysia Airlines business environment Basically, MAS is operated on the service-based entity that accommodates its customers with the excellence flying experiences. The services provided are always being reviewed from time to time as to stay relevant to the requirement from the customers. Moreover, the target market for MAS are consists of all the customers from the high-end till the low. This approach had been executed with the introduction of sales promotion via media and the establishment of subsidiaries within its business. Therefore, all customers can enjoy the five star services at the low price whenever they fly with MAS. On top of that, the main competitors for MAS are consisting of low-cost carrier such as Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines and so forth. Therefore, due to the high numbers of competitors, MAS has continuously introduced its turnaround plan and its marketing strategy as to stay competitive in the Industry. Hence, with the well projected plan and initiatives, MAS has shown a great reputati on and successfully captured the market in South East Asia countries. Company Mission and Objectives Malaysia Airlines Mission To champion the meaning of fly code (Malaysian Hospitality, MH) and provide air travel and transport service that rank among the best in terms of safety, comfort and punctuality. To generate sustainable value for its stakeholders and offer the highest quality of care and services to its customers. To continuously explore innovative ways of doing business and stay relevance to its core and inspiring motto; Go Beyond Expectation. To provide a growth-oriented workplace that recognizes the interests, rights and ideas of its employees as well providing a corporate environment that encourages high integrity and ethical standards; and ensures compliance with all regulations and laws. Malaysia Airlines Objectives The primary objectives of the company were to furnish the people of Malaysia with a proficient and profitable air transport system which would enhance the placing of the country in the world. Moreover, as the Malaysia flag carrier, Malaysia Airlines had played a vital role in contributing to the economic and social integration of the country as a whole. Malaysia Airlines will consistently commit to its planning as to maximize market penetration with a reasonable number of aircraft type and fleet resources. Business Strategies and Success factors

Hemingway :: essays papers

Hemingway Ernest Hemingway once said, "As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." Hemingway knew this because he actually invented his famous code hero. The Hemingway code hero was a macho man that indulged in liquor, women, and food, and usually did not fear God. While reading The Old Man and the Sea, the reader is not exposed to the usual Hemingway code hero. Hemingway creates an aging hero that proves to be the opposite of the normal code hero by his disinterest in physical pleasures, the presence of religion, and the presence of a companion. Santiago, the main character in the story, does not divulge in any pleasures what so ever. It almost seems as though he is trying to make himself suffer. Everyday, Santiago hardly eats anything but a little fish or coffee. He does not have any relationships with women in the story, as many Hemingway novels have included. While Santiago is out on the boat, he does not let himself stray from the task at hand even though it is very uncomfortable. The Hemingway code hero would be the exact opposite of Santiago. He would eat large meals every day, make love to many women, and never put himself in a position that he did not like. The code hero would do everything as though it was the last time he was doing it because he did not believe strongly in the presence of God. Santiago was different because he believed in God, and prayed to him for help throughout the story. While he was at sea, he often prayed that he would get the fish or that he would live to see the fish brought to the village. Santiago did not fear death and the reader senses that Santiago believes that if he dies, he will go to heaven. The story is also filled with many biblical references and the whole book has a religious theme. Hemingway does not usually have his code heroes be religious, and most of them feel that they only have this time on earth and they had better make the best out of it. Finally , Hemingway's code hero differs in The Old Man and the Sea because of the presence of the boy that is Santiago's companion.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail :: essays research papers

Monty Python and the Holy Grail In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, logic is used in an unfamiliar way. This logic does not deal with the nature of life, but deals with the more complex forms of logic that require the filling of blanks to make things work out. Although, for the most part certain things did not make sense, but yet they did express logic. They used environmental attributes to make sense of the complexities they had. The first application of logic found in the movie was in the first scene with the use of coconuts. They argued about how King Arthur had coconuts here in a moderate climate while coconuts only grow in tropical climates. King Arthur’s explanation for this was that a swallow brought it back when migrating. The peasant said that is impossible because a little bird cannot carry a coconut while it migrates. Hence with no other possibilities the peasant had concluded that it is impossible to have a coconut in England, which had been brought back, from a tropical area from a small migrating bird. This is a perfect example of how the movie breaks down logic and uses the settings environmental attributes and resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of this uncouth logic is seen with the town’s people’s belief of the woman being a witch. The town’s people said that she shall be burned for being a witch, but the knight, in his use of logic says that if she is a witch, and must be burned then she is made of wood. The knight goes on to say that if she is made of wood then she must float, and that if she floats she must be the same weight as a duck. So they weigh her and from the magic of movies she weighs the same as the duck, concluding that she is a witch. This shows the irrational logic that is being used in the movie, as well as the use of environment to draw a basis for conclusion. From this they arrive at the same conclusion they had in the beginning, that being that the women was a witch.

Therapeutic Actions Of Gamma-Oryzanol As A Novel Food Supplement

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder in which the individual experiences episodes of symptoms arising from the large intestines, without the presence of any definite disorder. It is characterized by the presence of a number of symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, discomfort, defective bowel habits, diarrhoea constipation, production of gas, distended abdomen, sensation of having evacuated incompletely, presence of mucous in the stools, etc. The symptoms tend to decrease when the individual passes stools and worsens when the individual consumes food.Several other non-specific symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, chest pain, increased urination, incomplete bladder evacuation, tiredness, malaise, etc, are also experienced. The incidences range from 7% to 17%, and the mean prevalence including undetected cases is 2. 9 to 6. 5%. The incidence is higher in females than males (61-68%). The findings seem to be similar in Australia, US and Europe. The incid ence according to the sub-types includes constipation type is 16%, diarrhoea type is 21% and alternate type is 63%. In America, one out of every five adults develops IRB, but the incidences seem to be greater (Tack, J. 006, 701-709). The exact cause for IBS is still not understood. The intestinal wall consists of several layers of muscles that propel the digested food from the stomach to the rectum. This takes place in a co-ordinated fashion, such that the relaxation and contraction of the muscles propel the food in the right direction. However, in IBB, the contractions are more forceful and prolonged causing several symptoms such as abdominal pain, production of gas, diarrhoea, etc. Sometimes, the contractions may be weak and very short, leading to the stools becoming hard and dry.As the disease is seen with higher incidences in certain families, potential genetic factors are also being suggested. Several factors such as alternations in the nerve control to the muscles, changes in the control of sensations to the muscles, intestinal dysbiosis, hormonal problems (because the symptoms tend to worsen around the menstrual period in women), etc. The symptoms may tend to worsen especially on consumption of certain foods (such as caffeine products or alcohol), stress, or certain illness (Mayo Clinic, 2005, Introduction, Causes & Risk Factors).Studies have shown that eating certain food substances and avoiding others may in fact help to lower the symptoms of IBS. Patients seeking dietary advice benefit a lot from consumption of a specific diet and avoidance of certain substances. Some patients may benefit from elimination of certain food substances and slow reintroduction into the diet. The individual should avoid consuming large amounts of food at one time. Instead, smaller doses should be consumed more often (NDDIC, 2006). Individuals with the diarrhoea subtype may have symptoms especially when they consume lactose or dairy products, excessive amounts of fruits or sorbitol.Individuals with the constipation subtype may experience symptoms whenever they avoid fibre and water in their diet, as the stools become hard and dry. Some individuals may experience symptoms of excessive gas production, bloating and flatulence, whenever they consume beans, cabbage, cauliflower or uncooked broccoli. Consumption of low to moderate amounts of fat in the diet may help to reduce the symptoms of IBB, because fat stimulates the intestinal sensations and motor activities (Mertz, H. R. , 2003). Although fibres lack the experimental data, it has been recommended as a therapy for individuals suffering from IRB.Fibres are carbohydrates that are not digestible, but can be broken down by certain bacteria present in the intestines. Fibres are of 2 types, namely, soluble fibre and insoluble fibres. The soluble fibres are present in several fruits such as citrus fruits, apples and beans, and also in certain vegetable such as psyllium. These soluble fibres dissolve in the water and form a gel-like substance. It helps to evacuate the stools, and thus can be utilised in both the diarrhoea and constipation subtypes. Psyllium supplements are also available in supplements.Insoluble fibres on the other hand, add bulk to the stools, make them softer and help it to be evacuated easily. They are present in wheat bread, bran and several vegetables (AAFP, 2006). So far, three placebo controlled studies have been performed on psyllium, but only one comprehensive trial has been completed. Psyllium helped to reduce the stool transit time, and also improved the easy, frequency and consistency of the stools, compared to placebo. However, side-effects may also develop including allergy, defective absorption after administration of certain drugs and obstruction of the intestines.Peppermint oil also showed some amount of benefit in IBS, by reducing smooth muscle contraction, and had a more superior effect compared to a placebo (Sheisenger, M. H. , 2006, Gastrointestina l Disorders Addressed by CAM Therapies). Bran received a lot of enthusiasm for use in IBS in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was recommended routinely by the gastroenterologist. However, RCT’s show only limited benefits. When administered to 14 patients, the symptoms of pain, discomfort, elimination of mucous containing stools, had decreased, compared to those not being administered a high fibre diet.In another RCT, bran tablets and placebo tablets were being administered to patients belonging to 2 groups. Constipation had reduced in the case group. Some individual may not tolerate bran and may instead benefit from consuming whole wheat bread (Bouchier, A. , 1984, 872-873). Some individuals may give complaints of gas production and bloating whenever they consume a diet rich in fibres. This usually occurs when the fibre content is food is suddenly being increased. Such symptoms are usually temporary and slowly reduce, as the individual gets used to the higher fibre con tent in the diet.The individual should eat a high fibre diet by consuming a variety of foods. Fibre supplements including Metamucil or Citrucel should be consumed gradually, along with plenty of water (NDDIC, 2006). Studies have shown that individuals developing pain may also benefit from high fibre content as they tends to keep the intestines mildly distended. In this way, stools can be emitted painlessly. The fibre content should be increased by 2 to 3 grams a day. Besides, increasing the fibre content, the individual should also consume large quantities of water a day, as it helps to reduce both diarrhoea and constipation.Six to eight glasses of water should be consumed in a day. The individual should avoid sodas, as they increase the gas production and cause a lot of discomfort (NDDIC, 2006). Excessive amounts of fat and caffeine can cause the intestines to contract excessively resulting in development of severe abdominal cramps. Others foods such as alcohol, chewing gum, and co coa should also be avoided. Chewing gum may increase the intake of air into the digestive tract. The individual should have an idea of the foods that cause problem, and should hence avoid them after discussing with the physician (AAFP, 2006).Probiotics are food supplements that contain microorganisms which are potentially beneficial for health. These substances ensure that the gut is being colonised by friendly organisms. In the early part of the 20th century, Metchinkoff discovered that certain bacterium when consumed in the form of foods such as yoghurt could help improve the micro-flora present in the intestines. Studies conducted in individuals suffering from demonstrated that such patients generate large quantities of hydrogen gas and volatile short-chain fatty acids, suggesting a disturbance in the gut microflora (P&G Health Sciences Institute, 2005).RCT’s conducted on individuals with IBS consuming Lactobacillus plantarum showed that several symptoms such as abdominal discomfort and flatulence were relieved. Probiotics adjust the intestinal microflora to a more health state. Many researchers feel that IBS may be caused due to significant changes in the intestinal microflora. Another study showed that individuals with IBS having their intestinal microflora removed through colonic lavage and having microflora inserted from a healthy donor benefited with a reduction in the symptoms.Streptococcus faecium (brand name Pareghurt) contained in freeze-dried cultures help to improve the symptoms in about 81% of the patients. Studies may not show significant benefits of alternative therapies, but some amount of advantages can be obtained (Hasler, W. L. , 1999, 1900). Probiotics administered in the form of Bifidobacterium infantilis, Lactobacillus plantarum and VSL # (a combination of micoorganisms), seemed to produce prominent effects, although they seemed to vary from one individuals to another.This may be due to variations in the dose, presence of ineffec tive bacteria, or other factors (Tallej, N. J. , 2006). Probiotics are also effective in reducing diarrhoea. Previous meta-analysis conducted with Lactobacillus strains have demonstrated that probioitcs help to reduce diarrhoea following administration of antibiotics. Another trial conducted utilising a different bacteria (S. boulardii) showed that the bacteria contained an enzyme which helped to destroy a toxin secreted by another microorganism that caused diarrhoea (Sheisenger, M. H. 2006, Gastrointestinal Disorders Addressed by CAM Therapies).Some of the probiotics available in the market today contain different strains of lactobacillus bacteria. These strains colonise different areas of the intestinal mucosa, encourage synthesis of several vitamins required by the body, prevent the disease-causing microorganisms from colonising the gut and also helps in the digestion of food (as these bacteria contain beneficial enzymes). Some bacteria such as Bifidobaceria additionally help in metabolism of bile acids (P&G Health Sciences Institute, 2005).Probiotics do seem to be very useful when consumed often as a supplement in IBS as such individuals may have a disturbed intestinal microflora. However, further studies need to be conducted until more consistent results are being obtained. At present the results obtained from studies are inconsistent, because the factors that could be playing an important role in the manner in which these probiotics act are not clearly understood. Gamma-oryzanol is a steryl ferulates mixture obtained from brown rice bran oil.It has a number of beneficial activities in the body, and especially has very good antioxidant effect. The oil is also being utilised in sunscreen. The oil acts as an organic radical scavenger which was able to reduce oxidation of lipids. Several tests conducted in the laboratory using several scavenging systems such as scavenging DPHH radical, and OH or O2- scavenging radicals have demonstrated the antioxidant prope rties of gamma-oryzanol. Oxidation acceleration tests were being performed to compare the effect of gamma-oryzanol with other antioxidants such as BHA and BHT.The antioxidant properties of gamma-oryzanol may be attributed to the presence of large amounts of PUFA. Small quantities of gamma-oryzanol added to other oils helps to prevent lipid oxidation (Juliano C. , 2005, 146-154). Studies conducted on the on gamma-oryzanol demonstrate that it may beneficial to reduce any disturbance in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Stress-related ulcers were reduced to some extent in animal administered gamma-oryzanol (Itaya, K. et al, 1976, 474-481).Studies have also demonstrated that gamma-oryzanol produces a stimulating and as well as a inhibiting effect on the movements of the gastric and ileal mucosa. This is produced due to the effect of gamma-oryzanol on the central nervous system (Mizonishi, T. , 1980, 47-55). Due to the mucosa-protective function, anti-oxidant effect, and c ontrol over bowel movements, gamma-oryzanol, has shown some beneficial effect in helping to reduce the symptoms of IBS. However, detailed human studies need to be conducted in order to determine the precise effect that gamma-oryzanol can produce.

Historical Theology Essay

I. Introduction: As I said in my first Reflection Paper, my knowledge and exposure to Christianity has been somewhat limited. Throughout my life I have been a person who wanted to know â€Å"Why† and have factual proof to support my thoughts and ideas. I have chosen Historical Theology and Fulfilled Prophecy as my two topics. By reading about Historical Theology I am developing a better understanding of some of the essential points of Christian Doctrine. Fulfilled Prophesies provide definitive proof to give my beliefs in Christianity and the Bible a solid foundation. I plan on using both to develop as a knowledgeable and responsible Christian. Since my knowledge of these two topics is in its infancy and I must always keep in mind to crawl before walking and walk before running. II. Part One: Historical Theology a. Historical Theology is described as the study of the development and history of Christian doctrine. While closely related to Historical Theology, Church History should remain separate from Historical Theology. Historical Theology records changes in doctrine that led to divisions and movements within church and Church History is the record of the divisions and movements. b. Luke gives us the Biblical Foundation for Theological History. He began by recording his account of â€Å"all that Jesus began to do and to teach† (Acts 1:1). The book of Acts is the account of what Jesus continued to do and teach through his church. Acts 28:30-31 conclude with, â€Å"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!† c. While not one of my deepest thoughts, I’ve often wondered why there were so many different churches all claiming to be the one true path to the end goal of heaven. As I progress in my readings of Church History, I am awed by the impact relatively small revisions in doctrine have upon Church History and Historical Theology. A change in wording or different interpretation of a word, phrase or paragraph resulted in â€Å"A new and improved version.† I welcome and value the benefits of the church community, but since becoming a â€Å"Christian† the desire to belong to the right church doesn’t have the same strength as my desire need for salvation. III. Part Two: Fulfilled Prophecy a. The Bible is the Word of God and provides our path to salvation. Fulfilled prophecy provides positive and unerring proof of the validity and accuracy of the Bible. However, while I believe this, there are those who don’t. They use false arguments such as, man wrote the bible and since man is fallible how can the Bible be the Word of God? I have found references that agree there are about 2,500 prophecies of which nearly 2,000 have been fulfilled. That’s 2,000 prophecies fulfilled without error. Man can never achieve a perfect completion rate. A perfect completion rate is God’s territory. The prophecies that remain unfulfilled occur in the future. b. There are two examples of Biblical Foundation that apply to Fulfilled prophecy I’d like to use. First, Moses in Deuteronomy 18:21-22 sets the test for a true prophet. A true prophet’s predictions are 100 percent accurate. No errors. Second, in 700 B.C. Micah predicted the birthplace of the Messiah. (M icah 5:2). That’s an astounding feat. Of all the births that occurred in all the known cities, towns and lands in 700 years it is simply astounding that he predicted Bethlehem as Christ’s birthplace. c. Fulfilled Prophecy has been helpful to my Christian education and growth. People with greater Biblical knowledge and understanding than me have said the Bible is error free. I use internet the to find information about Biblical prophecies and am interested and intrigued by what I find. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other religious sects all may have written or oral guidance. None of them have, nor will they ever have, the fulfilled prophecies and promise of the Bible. Satan and his helpers have made prophecies. Unlike those in the bible, they are not detailed, but filled with generalities, may fit several situations and never 100 percent correct. Satan’s prophecies exclude a call for repentance, one of the key components in our path to salvation. IV. Conclusion: Inexperience and unfamiliarity with the Bible makes me avoid participating in discussions with the more skilled or better Biblically educated. Rather than participate verbally, I actively listen to identify points/events that I’m unfamiliar with or don’t understand. I research these points/events in order to try and better understand them. Studying Historical Theology helps me understand the history behind the doctrine. I believe the Bible is the Word of God and provides our path to salvation. A Biblical prophecy must contain evidence of divine inspiration. That is the prophecy must contain information the prophet could not have known or been aware of under normal circumstances in effect at the time of the prophecy. Fulfilled Prophecy is an essential element in the argument that the Bible is the Word of God. For me I believe God breathed the Word. That is it. No debate and no argument.

According To Criminal Justice Today Essay

â€Å"Modern sentencing practices are influenced by five goals, which weave their way through widely disseminated professional and legal models, continuing public calls for sentencing reform.† The five goals of contemporary sentencing are Retribution, Incapacitation, Deterrence, Rehabilitation and Restoration. We are going to discuss what each goal means for sentencing criminals. Retribution a demand for punishment based on a need for vengeance. This is the earliest known rationale for punishment. Early cultures would punish almost every offender almost immediately and without a hearing. Severe penalties like death and exile where common forms of punishment even for minor offenses in early societies. The term just deserts means the offenders sentencing holds that the offenders deserve the punishment they receive at the hands of the law and the punishment should be appropriate with the type of crime. Incapacitation is the second goal of criminal sentencing and seeks to protect the innocent members of society from offenders who might harm them. Unlike retribution, incapacitation requires only restraint and not punishment like sending the offender to a correctional institution without imprisonment. The third example is deterrence. When you think of deterrence, it uses the example or threat of punishment that will convince people that committing crimes is not worth the penalty. Rehabilitation is the fourth example and brings about fundamental changes in offenders and their overall behavior. The ultimate goal of rehabilitation is to reduce the overall number of criminal offenses. Rehabilitation means to return a person to their previous condition. The final example is restoration. Restoration is a sentencing goal that seeks to address what damage was called by the offender that will make those who suffered whole again. This can range from victim’s assistance and/or supporting the victims with some form of compensations.

Analysis book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner Essay

Did you know grievers come out within the maze every night after the walls close to the book called The Maze Runner by James Dashner? This book is about a group of teenage boys between the ages of 13 and 19. They are sent to the glade to see if they are smart enough to solve the maze that surrounds it. One day a boy named Thomas is sent to the maze. See the boys only get one newbie a month and the day right after Thomas was sent to the glade another person was sent. It was strange to get two newbies in one month but, what was more strange was that it was a girl. The first girl to be sent to the maze to help solve it and act as a trigger to tell the boys the maze was dying pretty much. In this novel, most of the boys want to keep order in the glade where they were safe from givers and they had food, water, shelter everything needed to survive. Until the supplies don’t come anymore and they have to ration out what they have left to survive on. The girl and Thomas are connected m entally throughout the book. The walls stop closing at night so they all sleep together in the homestead and the grievers come into the glade and take one glader a night. Until they find a way to get out and find out who the creators are. One thing goes wrong and order is nowhere to be found until the problem is taken care of. Everyone in the glade does their part to keep things in order and working and, when one person messes up or tries to go their own way and voice their opinion without permission it throws everything off balance. Like when Alby one of the oldest boys said â€Å"That’s not how it works around here, and our whole existence depends on things working† (Dashner 101). When someone badly messes up the order they have to get banished. Banishment is when you have to leave the glade and go out into the maze to live the rest of your days. It’s not a happy time for the person getting banished or the other boys in the glade. Most of the time the person is gone by morning because the grievers attack them. Banishment is the worst thing to happen in the glade. They also want things to be stable like when building a tower of blocks and one side is heavier so it starts to tip because it’s unstable. Well, Alby felt this way in the book so he tried to regain stability in the gl ade and hope things go back to normal as he states â€Å"I burned the Maps. I slammed my head into the table so you’d think it was someone else, I lied, burned it all. I did it† (Dashner 311) There are many jobs in the glade. There is Runner, Slopper, Med Jack, Gardener, Builder, Track Hoe, Bagger, Livestock Raiser, Cooks, and Blood Housers. I would be a Mad Jack because they help the people of the glade get better when they get sick, hurt, or stung. I have always had a wanting to help people and would love to do it in the glade. I would be important and needed. In the book you only here of two Med Jacks Clint and Jeff. The pair is always seen together and enjoying each others company. They are like best friends glued to each other’s hip. This is what I want my part in the glade to be. When things don’t go as planned order is lost and will not be found until things get back on track. Recap teenage boys and one girl are sent to this maze to see if they are capable to solve it. Two newbies are sent in one month which is not normal especially because one is a female. Then their supplies don’t come, so they have to ration all the food out. The walls stop closing at night so they sleep in the homestead for safety. Each and every night that they don’t solve the maze another kid is taken by the grievers and killed. Finally, Thomas and the girl find out how to get them out of the maze to freedom. This book is written very skillfully and keeps the readers on their toes throughout the whole book. The emotion from every character especially Thomas can be felt and visualized during and before it changes. The things that happen unexpectedly is the best part.

Financial Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Planning - Case Study Example The ethical standards also require the financial planners to get acknowledgement from their clients for deploying funds in the high risk investment avenues. In cases of conflict of interest, the financial planners are required to regard their professional duty of giving priority to the interest of their client. Finally, the high standards of practice require the financial planners to provide unbiased financial advises to their clients for protecting their interests. The financial planning done by the planners of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia falls under the FPA code of professional and ethical practice. However, the issues that led to the inquiry by the Senate against the scandal in the Commonwealth Bank’s financial planning activities exposed the activities of the financial planners of CBA. ... ivities of CBA financial planners that came to light after the global financial crisis included misallocation of superannuation funds in the investment areas that is considered to be highly risky as a result of which the retired employees lost a major part of their superannuation fund. This is a specific example of CBA breaching the FPA code of conduct and ethics as the investments in high risks avenues was done by CBA without the consent of the retired employees and the clients. Apart from deploying funds into high risk management avenues without the prior permission of the holder, several associated issues related to forgery of signatures, and mysterious missing of documents came to light. Thus, the financial planners of CBA resorted to unethical practices which are against the professional norms. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia concealed that information from their clients who were not even informed of the activities of the financial planners. Question 1 b The financial plannin g scandal of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia demonstrated the conflict of interest between the clients of the bank and the activities of the financial planners of the Commonwealth Bank and the management. The financial planners under the management of the Bank were engaged into unethical professional practices of undertaking high risks on investments with the funds of the investors who were their clients. Although a logical reasoning by the financial planners would explain the investments were risky, they were engaged into unfair practices by taking a chance to increase the return of the bank with the help of public money (McKeown, 2012, p.39). The interest of CBA was to maximize the return on investment made by them with the use of public funds. The interest of the bank never