Cognitive Training Tasks, Or Brain Games - 1706 Words

There is no conclusive evidence as to whether or not cognitive training tasks, or brain games, are effective. Companies like Lumosity offer their users different games that target specific cognitive functions: memory, spatial awareness, problem solving, attention, reasoning, and more. Over time, the continued use of the games are supposed to improve cognition, and there are studies that show the effectiveness of the training; however, there are also studies that show how the training is not effective at all. With brain games being a new field of study, there are not many studies available, so there are many discontinuities among results. The purpose of this paper is to explore the different findings from various studies of brain games and their efficacy, and offer insight as to why the discrepancies exist. Brain games are a form of cognitive training and are specifically designed to train the brain by taking advantage of a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is defined on MedicineNet as the â€Å"brain s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life,† and it â€Å"allows the neurons in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment† (Neuroplasticity). Cognitive training is anything the works out the muscles of the brain: reading is a form of cognitive training. For this reason, not all games should be considered brain games because mostShow MoreRelatedHow Can Society Assist Successful Aging?1586 Words   |  7 Pagesassist successful aging? This question or quest has been a topic of great interest within the last decade. Brain-training is an approach that has risen out of this interest in helping people age ‘well’. Brain training consists of specific activities and simulations that aim to maintain or improve a specific cognitive function. The following essay will address the question, how ca n brain training programs assist in successful aging? In particular, this essay will address this question with a specificRead MoreThe Effect Of Video Training On Brain Training Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesrecent years, brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking towards brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain is capableRead MoreAging Is Often Associated With Gradual Cognitive Decline1289 Words   |  6 PagesAging is often associated with gradual cognitive decline which can significantly affect an individual’s quality of life. In Australia, 110, 000 people identified as suffering from demen tia (ABS, 2012). A relatively new intervention that aims to combat this cognitive decline, involves the use of computerised brain training programs. Many studies have shown that cognitive training can improve cognitive function in older adults (Peretz, et al., 2011, p. 91). Having said that, there here have been mixedRead MoreThe Effects Of Training On Brain Training Essay1478 Words   |  6 Pagesrecent years brain training games have become a topic of interest among both researchers and common people alike. Researchers are interested in the healing properties of brain training while normal people are looking to brain training as a way to improve their performance and get a leg up on the competition in school, work, and life. Up until recently, it was believed that the brain was unchangeable in terms of memory capacity. Researchers were well aware of the fact that the brain can change andRead MoreVideo Games Enhance Cognitive Skills1372 Words   |  6 PagesDespite video games b eing known for promoting anger and becoming addictive, it is shown that in recent studies some video games enhance cognitive skills. It is seen that action games enhance cognitive skills and that â€Å"brain training† games do very little in improving these skills because of lack in critical features. In fairly recent studies about neuroplasticity in the brain, Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green stumbled upon a discovery that certain participants were scoring well above averageRead MoreVideo Games Encourage Violent Behavior1177 Words   |  5 Pagesvideo games in general provide something beneficial for the player, they will answer there isn’t any. If anything, they will comment video games encourage negative outcomes, such as obesity, aggressiveness, antisocial behavior and in extreme cases, addiction (Bavelier, Brain training: Games to do you good, 2013). Besides the fact that there is no correlational proof that video games encourage violent behavior, psychologists have proved that some good does come out of playing games. Video games, itRead MoreTraining Programs Essay1534 Words   |  7 PagesWith the advance of the internet, many brain training programs have emerged online, designing to use game and software to exercise its users’ brain. They often claim or imply that these kinds of exercises may improve human’s intelligence and generate benefits on many aspects of life. For example, Lumosity, supposedly having 70 million members, is a brain training program claiming to improve cognitive abilities such as memory and speech processing. However, in 2016, US Federal Trade Commission hadRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Video Games On The Brain1212 Words   |  5 PagesEffects of video games on the brain Video games are a enormous part in the world today. â€Å"More than 150 million people in the United States play video games regularly or for at least three hours per week. The number of sales has increased and in 2016, 24.5 billion games were sold, up from 23.2 billion in 2015.† â€Å"This Type of Video Game May Actually Harm Your Brain.† written by Mahita Gajanan is my positive article and â€Å"How Video Games Affect the Brain.† written by Hannah Nichols is my negative articleRead MoreHow Exercise Is Improved By Executing Aerobic Exercise1356 Words   |  6 Pagesidea is that exercise is associated with increased cognitive performance (Hogan, Mata, Carstensen, 2013). Different aspects of exercise and memory have been studied. One study showed that running had a positive effect on vocabulary learning (Griffin, Mullally, Foley, Warmington, O Mara, Kelly, 2011). Another illustrated how working memory is improved by executing aerobic exercise (Quelhas Martins , Kavussanu , Willoughby , Ring , 2013). Cognitive performance on the Stroop test was also increasedRead MoreComputerized Brain Training Programs Improve Cognitive Function1982 Words   |  8 Pages Do the brain games give the benefit they are said to provide? (Word Count: 1528) Yagna Patel 1001588524 BIO152, 9/27/2014 Prof. F. Rawle TA: Christy Simbeya Rough Essay: I. Introduction: There is a widely held belief that commercially available computerized brain-training programs improve cognitive function. 2 Although society has accepted this correlation of â€Å"brain games† and increased cognitive ability, it has yet to be proven.1 Regardless of this, there has

American Government Exit-polls Free Essays

As per exit polls in Texas are concerned, there were some interesting results that are worth noting regarding the trend of voting. The Democrat beat the Republicans by a substantial margin of close to one million votes with McCain garnering 4, 479, 328 or 55% and Obama 3, 528, 633 or 44%. The voting in terms of age Exit polls in Texas for President showed that of the 47% male voters, Obama got 39% while McCain had 59%, and of the 53% female voters Obama had 47% while McCain got 52%. We will write a custom essay sample on American Government Exit-polls or any similar topic only for you Order Now What was interesting in this exit poll result was the trend in voting by age. Texas exit poll revealed that among ages 18-29 comprising 16% of the total votes, Obama earned 54% votes and McCain 45%. Among ages 30-44 (31% of the total votes), Obama had 46% and McCain 52%. Of ages 45-64 (39% of the total votes), Obama got 41% While McCain earned 58%. Finally at 65 and older (14%) Obama had a lowest 32% votes while McCain got a high 66% of the total votes from this age group. The exit polls in Texas reveal important things. 1. That most men in general in this state favored and voted for McCain giving him 59% over Obama with only 39%. 2. That, women in general in this state only slightly favoring McCain giving him a slight edge over Obama at 52% compared to 47%. 3. Among voters ages 18-29 comprising 16% of the total votes, Obama gets the upper hand with 54% compared to McCain’s 45 % 4. But among ages 30-44 which comprised 54%, McCain was the stronger candidate. 5. The trend in the voting by age shows that McCain was the top choice among the older voters. Ages 45-64 comprising 39% shows McCain widening his lead over Obama at 58% to 41% 6. Exit poll among ages 65 and older shows Obama further down at 32% compared to McCain’s 66%. 7. That this voting trend favored McCain considering the age bracket of the voters getting older. 8. That obviously this voting trend in the age bracket point to the direction of racial prejudice. 9. The younger generation was more open to accept societal change through conventional leadership styles. 10. That voting by race reveals that voters in Texas votes based on racial preferences. II. A Letter to the President Dear Mr. President: In view of the exit polls in Texas, apparently younger generations voted for you in view of their being open mindedness on the issues affecting our society. However, the same exit poll reveals that Texas voters in general are partisan voters voting merely based on racial preference. I therefore urge that you give particular attention on this observation by showing considerable fairness among the people of Texas despite you loss by a margin of almost a million votes for future reference. I hope for your favorable response on the matter by paying a visit and extend the atmosphere of reconciliation. Sincerely: III. Question on the election trends I believed that the trends in the general election have changed dramatically from previous trends. The change that took place according to CREST (The Centre for Research into Elections and Social Trends) has to do with voters’ attitude that influenced their preferences for the kind of leaders they wanted for their country. In that report, voters chose the leader/s, who could deal with personal issues such as healthcare, economy, social security, gas prices, war in Iraq, political corruption lobbyist, terrorism, taxes, immigration, and environment (Hardy). The voting attitude was greatly influenced by the current issues that affected their country. The new trend I believe will pass on history and will be seen in future presidential elections especially if Obama proves himself as the right president who could correct the inaccuracies in the society. This period is very crucial in the history of the United States and while the new trend in USA election brings remedy to their crisis, the trend will become the basis in choosing government leaders. Reference Hardy, F. W. (9 Jan 2008). Election Issues Excel in America: National Issues Shine in New Hampshire Presidential Primaries. Suite101. com. http://us-elections. suite101. com/article. cfm/election_issues_excel_in_america President Texas. ElectionCenter2008. CNN Politics. com. http://edition. cnn. com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#TXP00 How to cite American Government Exit-polls, Papers

Social Trends In Art Essay Example For Students

Social Trends In Art Essay Art is something which can be analyzed to give deeper insight as to the common values and beliefs shared by the members of a certain society. Regardless of the place of origin or the time period of a form of art, it will always be a reflection of the social structure in which its creator/s lived. However, the way the artist perceives the culture common to his time period is very relative. People pertaining to a higher social class had different values and ideologies than members of a lower class. This different view of life can be seen very clearly in individual forms of art such as painting and music. These specific forms of artistic expression required very little money, thus could be exercised by anyone including members of a lower class. Other forms of art such as architecture and sculpture required more money and in most cases wealthy patrons such as kings or queens. Architecture also required large numbers of workers which often made it hard to see any individual influence in the design, however showed the collective ideology of all of the people involved. The cost of labor and materials was also so great that very affluent members of society were needed to financially support the whole process. Sculpture was also an artistry that required great amounts of material and labor. This resulted in a more normative form of art which portrayed societal aspects in a way that was of interest to the financial backers. By studying both popular and normative art together it is possible to obtain a greater perspective on a specific culture. Outside influences from other countries can also affect the art and the artists of a certain society. As a country sees more and more immigrants from a certain area, the art will begin to reflect the ideologies these outsiders bring in with them. This same change can be seen more drastically in the case of an invasion. The architecture would change drastically, since it is normative art and the new rulers would enforce their own norms and rules. The painting would also change, however less drastically than more official forms of art. This more gradual change could be attributed to the individuals of the country who still retained the old values and customs. These same influences on art would take place if nobility of another country married into the royal family, and was then given heir to the throne. The change would be just as drastic, but departure from old ideologies would be encouraged instead of enforced. In the case of Arab influence in Spain during the eighth century, it was not an invasion rather a gradual settling of this other culture in Spains borders. The change was brought about by the affect this outside influence had on the people of Spain. The new ideas and forms of artistic expression were exciting and intriguing to Spaniards, and eventually they adopted these ideas as their own. The change was seen in all forms of art, especially in the new arches and vivid colors used in Arabic architecture. Any time a new way of life makes itself present in a society, it has an affect on the art. Usually this change is seen mostly in architecture and sculpture, while painting follows behind. The two cultures can also mix together and give rise to a new form of hybrid artistic expression. This mixing of ideas and beliefs is usually most evident in places were the people are trying to choose between the new popular culture, and the old beliefs and values of the country. The Art Of Delegation EssayWhen people see a certain building they know what that building is used for and what that style of architecture signifies. It is also possible to examine architecture and find out more about the society from which it originated. The institutions hailed as important by that society are often built in the official style while other buildings are not. Also, these institutions are often housed in the biggest, most elaborate buildings. Much like painting, the social trends of the time period are often portrayed in architecture. The period of Enlightenment where reason governed most actions, the buildings were built rationally and ever structure served a purpose. The baroque period gave rise to buildings which closely resembled the attitude of the people: the more adornments, the better. Sculpture is a form of art which was often found on buildings as a decoration, or as part of the architecture. Most of the time it was used to portray religious figures in a narrative on the front of a church. The altars inside the church were also made up of mostly small sculptures of religious figures and people. Official sculpture can be found of kings and queens and other important people of the society. Sculpture is helpful in analyzing society partly because it shows a cultures view of the human body. A culture with an interest in the human body is more likely to show the person nude, and use great detail in the artwork. Sculpture also shows what symbols or figures were representative of a society, and how that society used this symbolism in their art. Music is a form of art that is very individual in nature, and because of this is very diverse. There can be many types of music in a certain society, however, the most popular songs will be those that embody the ideas and beliefs of the common people. Musics availability to almost everyone makes it a very popular art form. Someone could make an instrument out of just about anything they could lay their hands on. Singing doesnt even require an instrument, just a voice and some artistic talent. Courtly forms of music show the lifestyles of the rich, affluent members of society, while popular music illustrated that of the common man. Since all of these forms of art are products of society, the driving force behind them are the normative and popular views of life at the time. Although individual expression is always important for any artist, his art wont appeal to the people if it isnt representative of society. This makes art a constant reflection of social trends, whether they be those of common man or those of the king and queen. Studying art can prove helpful in analyzing a specific culture or society because embodies the ideology of the nation.

Rhetorical Essay on the Gettysburg Adress and the Pearl Harbor Adress Essay Example

Rhetorical Essay on the Gettysburg Adress and the Pearl Harbor Adress Essay Gigi R. English 102 6 oct. 2013 Rhetorical Essay Speeches often correlate, especially when they are written for a similar audience in a similar situation. For example, President Franklin Delano Roosevelts Pearl Harbor Address appeals to Americans fear during the time of war. President Roosevelt states what has happened and how it will in turn affect the citizens of America. President Roosevelt also appeals to logic, stating that because America has been attacked, they must engage in World War II. In addition, President Roosevelt ives confidence to American citizens saying that, once they enter into World War II, they will win. Similarly, President Abraham Lincoln empathizes with American citizens. At this time, President Lincoln addresses Americans who have come together to commemorate the lives that America has lost during the Civil War. He encourages Americans to Join together to remember that these men have consecrated this ground. He encourages Americans to take courage and remember that they are together in a great country, Just as President Roosevelt encouraged Americans to continue to take pride in their country and not to be discouraged. Both President Lincoln and Roosevelt use pathos, or emotion, to empathize with American citizens as well as ethos, or credibility, to be able to point out issues because of their positions as presidents. In the Pearl Harbor Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt uses pathos more than logos or ethos to get to the American citizens emotions. He says, Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave anger, letting the American people know that this is a serious matter and we should be cautious. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Essay on the Gettysburg Adress and the Pearl Harbor Adress specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Essay on the Gettysburg Adress and the Pearl Harbor Adress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rhetorical Essay on the Gettysburg Adress and the Pearl Harbor Adress specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He ends the speech by saying, With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph so help us God, bringing the peoples hopes back up again that this attack will not go unpunished. He uses a little bit of ethos by stating who he is when he says, As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navvy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the haracter of the onslaught against us. With this statement he lets the people know how important of a roll he has in the situation, that he knows what he is doing, and that he will take care of things. The first example of pathos that he uses scares the citizens about the situation but it also makes them feel as though something should be done about it. The second example brings their confidence back in that they will win this battle. He appeals to their emotions by making them fear awful things will happen if they do not tight back witn the Japanese. He then gives them selt-assurance that it they do go to war, they will be successful. Although ethos is the weakest of the appeals that he uses, he still states his title by establishing that he is the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navvy. This is good because he did not provide any examples of his moral character so his position as president and as commander and chief is what really gives him credibility in this speech. In the Gettysburg Address that Abraham Lincoln gives during the civil war he also uses pathos the most, since its a war and everyones emotions are scattered. He says The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. He speaks about how the soldiers fought and died to create unity in the country. He then says, It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work, which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. By saying this he is trying to motivate the Americans that the country will become unified. In the first example of pathos, Lincoln tugs at American citizens emotions by explaining how the men fought for what they each believed in to try and create a onnected country. In the second example he is trying to motivate the United States to continue to work on the soldiers goal to unify the country. He says, These dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. He doesnt want these soldiers death to go to waste, and the American citizens need to finish what has been started and become a whole again. In both the Pearl Harbor Address and the Gettysburg Address, pathos is the main hetorical point that is used. Since both speeches were by a president during the time of a war, they have several similarities. For instance, because both speeches occur at the height of an American military tragedy, the respective presidents utilize passionate appeals so that the American people feel the heartfelt sorrow and comfort of the Commander and Chief. In addition, these speeches that emphasize pathos have the ability to voice and appeal. They call out for the hearer to respond with greater patriotism. Also, the Gettysburg Address is a turning point for President Lincoln to unite the war torn country. His use of pathos gives him a way to communicate how the county needs healing. President Roosevelts address on Pearl Harbor has the power to move the emotions of Americans into war. Roosevelt pushes the buttons of the citizens on an emotional level to move a county into action. Both speeches encouraging that the county needs to build its self back together and heal. In that way these speeches are timeless examples of the emotional power of the use of pathos in speeches in American history.

This writing is attached with Logbook

(This writing is attached with Logbook) With the enormous improvements in the computers, software now pervades most facets of modern life. Software is now often the gating element in most branches of engineering and science. To formalize the developing of software and improving efficiency, the software engineering theory were rapidly developed in last decades years. Software process model is a framework, which defines a small number of activities applicable to all software projects, regardless of their size or complexity. This report describes one of software process model, Capability Maturity Model (CMM). CMM explains how to assess and improve software process maturity that based on 5-capability levels evolutionary path. It provides a framework for organizing these evolutionary steps into these maturity levels that lay successive foundations for continuous process improvement. These five maturity levels define an ordinal scale for measuring the maturity of an organization's software process and for evaluating its software process capability. The five levels in the improvement model for software are designed that the capabilities at the lower levels provide a progressively stronger foundation on which to build the upper levels. These five developmental stages are referred to as maturity levels, and at each level, the organization has a distinct process capability. By moving up these levels, the organization's capability is consistently improved. The maturity level is a well-defined evolutionary plateau toward achieving a mature software process. Each maturity level provides a layer in the foundation for continuous process improvement. Each level comprises a set of process goals that, when satisfied, stabilize an important component of the software process. Achieving each level of the maturity framework establishes a different component in the software process, resulting in an increase in the process capability of the organ...

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Modern Architects

Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Modern Architects Jacques Herzog (born April 19, 1950) and Pierre de Meuron (born May 8, 1950) are two Swiss architects known for innovative designs and construction using new materials and techniques. The two architects have nearly parallel careers. Both men were born the same year in Basel, Switzerland, attended the same school (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland), and in 1978 they formed the architectural partnership, Herzog de Meuron. In 2001, they were chosen to share the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron have designed projects in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, the United States, and of course, in their native Switzerland. They have built residences, several apartment buildings, libraries, schools, a sports complex, a photographic studio, museums, hotels, railway utility buildings, and office and factory buildings. Selected Projects: 1999-2000: Apartment buildings, Rue des Suisses, Paris, France1998-2000: Roche Pharma Research Institute Building 92 / Building 41, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland2000: Tate Modern, London Bankside, UK1998-1999: Central Signal Tower, Basel, Switzerland1998: Ricola Marketing Building, Laufen, Switzerland1996-1998: Dominus Winery, Yountville, California1993: Ricola-Euope SA Production and Storage Building, Mulhouse-Brunstatt, France1989-1991: Ricola Factory Addition and Glazed Canopy, Laufen, Switzerland2003: Prada Boutique Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan2004: IKMZ der BTU Cottbus, Library at Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany,2004: Edifici Fà ²rum, Barcelona, Spain2005: Allianz Arena, Mà ¼nchen-Frà ¶ttmaning, Germany2005: Walker Art Center expansion, Minneapolis. MN2008: Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China2010: 1111 Lincoln Road (parking garage), Miami Beach, Florida2012: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London, UK2012: Parrish Art Museum, Long Island, New York 2015: Grand Stade de Bordeaux, France2016: Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Hamburg, Germany2017: 56 Leonard Street (Jenga Tower), New York City2017: La tour Triangle, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France2017: M Visual Art Museum in Kowloon, Hong Kong Related People: Rem Koolhaas, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2000 I.M. Pei, 1983 Pritzker Laureate Robert Venturi, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 1991 Thom Mayne, 2005 Pritzker Laureate Zaha Hadid, Pritzker Prize Laureate, 2004 Commentary on Herzog and de Meuron from the Pritzker Prize Committee: Among their completed buildings, the Ricola cough lozenge factory and storage building in Mulhouse, France stands out for its unique printed translucent walls that provide the work areas with a pleasant filtered light. A railway utility building in Basel, Switzerland called Signal Box has an exterior cladding of copper strips that are twisted at certain places to admit daylight. A library for the Technical University in Eberswalde, Germany has 17 horizontal bands of iconographic images silk screen printed on glass and on concrete. An apartment building on Schà ¼tzenmattstrasse in Basel has a fully glazed street facade that is covered by a moveable curtain of perforated latticework. While these unusual construction solutions are certainly not the only reason for Herzog and de Meuron being selected as the 2001 Laureates, Pritzker Prize jury chairman, J. Carter Brown, commented, One is hard put to think of any architects in history that have addressed the integument of architecture with greater imagination and virtuosity. Ada Louise Huxtable, architecture critic and member of the jury, commented further about Herzog and de Meuron, They refine the traditions of modernism to elemental simplicity, while transforming materials and surfaces through the exploration of new treatments and techniques. Another juror, Carlos Jimenez from Houston who is professor of architecture at Rice University, said, One of the most compelling aspects of work by Herzog and de Meuron is their capacity to astonish. And from juror Jorge Silvetti, who chairs the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, ...all of their work maintains throughout, the stable qualities that have always been associated with the best Swiss architecture: conceptual precision, formal clarity, economy of means and pristine detailing and craftsmanship.

Understanding the Court System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Understanding the Court System - Essay Example This paper endeavors to help in understanding the United States of America court system. To achieve this, the paper will discuss the case of Riley v. California heard in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court determination in this case considered two individual cases. Both cases involved cell phone searches during arrest without a warrant of search. One case involved David Leon Riley stopped in San Diego by a police officer in 2009 for having expired car registration tags (Harvard Law Review, 2014). The police towed the vehicle and searched it. During the search, they discovered two handguns hidden under the boot of his car. The police seized his phone without warrant and searched it. The phone records showed that Riley was part of a gang known as the Lincoln Park gang the evidence from the phone also placed him at a crime scene three weeks before and his made the prosecution used this evidence to build a case of assault and attempted murder against Riley (Harvard Law Review, 2014). During the trial, the judge upheld that the evidence from Riley’s Smartphone was admissible because it fell under the exceptions provided by search-incident-to-arrest provisions. The trial led to the conviction of Riley and the California court of appeal upheld this ruling (Harvard Law Review, 2014). The second case involved Brima Wurie arrested by a police officer who observed him participating in drug trade. During the arrest, the police officers confiscated two mobile phones from him (Harvard Law Review, 2014). After searching the call log, they determined the location of a caller and traced it to a location where they seized drugs, firearms and cash. The prosecution charged Wurie with drug and firearm possession. The district court declined to declare the evidence from the mobile phone as inadmissible since the police acquired it without a warrant. However, the first circuit court overturned the decision by the district court citing that mobile

How has the financial crisis of 2008 affected the real estate market Essay

How has the financial crisis of 2008 affected the real estate market in Dubai - Essay Example The recent global financial crisis affected nearly every major developed economy.   While there were numerous causes precipitating this near economic collapse, the reality is that it may take a decade of more for many sectors to recover.   One of the areas hardest hit globally is the housing sector.   In most locations, there was a tremendous drop in housing and property prices.   A glut of supply hit the market almost instantly; at the same time the access to credit became severely restricted.   In many respects, even though the economy is slowly recovering, the residual effects of economic downturn are still being felt, particularly in its impact on housing prices and the tightening of lending guidelines.   These topics form the basis for this study as we look at one of the areas in the Middle East, Dubai, which was particularly hard hit by the global financial crisis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and analyze the economic conditions, particularly in terms o f the real estate market, present in Dubai during and subsequent to the global economic crisis of 2008.   This focus was on an analysis of these economic conditions on the real estate market, how the market was affected by the crisis, and how it is expected to recover and perform in the future.   The following research question guided this process: How as the real estate market in Dubai affected by the financial crisis, and how did the market recover in subsequent years?

The Necessity of Art Essay Example for Free

The Necessity of Art Essay What is art? There are many definitions that can be given to art depending on the person talking about it and by these definitions; the following questions can be answered. Why is art necessary? What does it benefit us if art is applied in our lives? What can it do for us? What is its importance? These are the questions some people think of when they hear the word art. I have learned some things in my GREATWK class especially the definition of art and how to answer these questions. To give a heads up, I got a quote from Fischer, a writer and it says: Art is necessary in order that man should be able to recognize and change the world. But art is also necessary by virtue of the magic inherent in it. Art in capitalist society may appear as a discrete area of leisure or luxury, but this is wholly exceptional for human society. Art was humanity’s attempt to control the world. Art and magic were the same thing: ‘The newly acquired power to grasp and control objects, to prompt social activity and bring about events by means of signs, images, and words, led him to expect the magical power of language to be infinite. Fischer, 2012). In relation to Fischer’s idea of why is art necessary, it is because in today’s time, more and more people often use art as a form of communication, expression, imagination, exploration and many more. Art is important in viewing things differently, and the world where we live in, in general. People, specifically, young people or the youth use art for their own creativity and expression. People use art to express what they are feeling about things which other people tries to understand what it conveys to them especially in social reality or in society, rather. One of the things why art is important in our society is that art can show how change and improvement may be brought about with a mixture of creative imagination. It may be considered as a guide to our society as well but more of that later. We will be discussing what I learned through this subject in the course of this paper. Art and Its Importance What is Art? First of all, what is Art? This question had been and is still asked and at the same time answered by several human minds ever since ancient Greek philosophers had lived. Many may argue that art cannot be statically defined, in as much as that art is a very complex and dynamic term which can be proven by the drastic changes of the definition of the term over the years. To better understand its importance, we must first know its definition. Art stimulates different parts of our brains to make us laugh or incite us to riot, with a whole gamut of emotions in between. Art gives us a way to be creative and express ourselves. For some people, art is the entire reason they get out of bed in the morning. It is something that makes us more thoughtful and well-rounded humans. Art is such a large part of our everyday lives that we may hardly even stop to think about it. Art is something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing to our eyes. For some students Art is their motivation for coming to school and an area where they have success or excel, providing an important balance in their total educational experience. These are some of the definitions of art. Art has its own distinctive and indispensible features. It has the ability to convey messages and emotions; †¢It is a mere combination of man’s own cognitive and creative attitudes to reality recorded in words, colours, plastic forms, or melodically arranged sound; †¢It also has an ability of having profound communicative function; †¢It also contains the cognitive, moral and social substance; †¢It makes use of different styles like paintings and poems. There are many definitions of art but to simply put it, art is a diverse range of human acts and what it produces. Art is created by man and man alone. It has been characterized, specifically, in terms of expression, communication and emotion. There are other values that characterize art but these 3 specifically characterize it. Another main definition of art is that it is form and content, meaning all art consists of form and content. Form simply means the elements of art used, its design principles and the physical materials used. Content, on the other hand, is idea-based and it means that what the artist meant to portray, what the artist did portray and ow we, individuals, react to both the intended and the actual messages. Additionally, content includes ways in which a work was influenced by something like politics, religion, society or sometimes even the artist’s use of hallucinogenic substances at the time it was created. All of these factors, together, make up the content side of art. Why is Art Necessary? Art is born of necessity to a world of imperfection. In a sense, we all live within ourselves, within our own cons ciousness, within our perceptions. In this simple fact of human psychology art is born. Through the arts, we have the capacity to consciously shape our perception and the perception of others. The sensations created by an art form are called aesthetics. Beauty is a part of aesthetics, but only a small part. Often the reason an artist is compelled to create has nothing to do with capturing beauty or perfection. The need to create, the creative imperative, is more primal and infinitely more subtle than the cliche of beauty. (Gregson, 2005). There are many, different reasons why art is important. Some of those reasons were already mentioned. There are other reasons of why art is important and these are the following: †¢They are languages that all people speak that cut across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness. †¢They provide opportunities for self-expression, bringing the inner world into the outer world of concrete reality. †¢They develop both independence and collaboration. †¢They make it possible to use personal strengths in meaningful ways and to bridge into understanding sometimes difficult abstractions through these strengths. They improve academic achievement enhancing test scores, attitudes, social skills, critical and creative thinking. †¢They exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and problem-finding. †¢They provide the means for every student to learn. (DoSomething. org, 2012). Importance of Art as discussed in our GREATWK Course Our GREATWK course, pro vided us, students, a chance to develop cognitive skills and at the same time creative skills and helped us develop our imaginations through the discussions made by our professors. Individually, it also helped me grasp the definition of Art through the works of four, not alike famous Philosophers or Artists. The course defined art through the specific works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Aristotle, Leo Tolstoy, and Frida Kahlo. Nietzsche focused more on Tragic Art through the Birth of Tragedy, Aristotle on Tragedy and Mimesis through Poetics,, Tolstoy on â€Å"What is Art† and Frida Kahlo on Visual Art through her famous paintings. The four combined and created a quadrumvirate form of definition of what art is and helped me grasp a better and scholarly perspective on what art is to me. By the discussions made by our professors in our class, art was defined and was discussed thoroughly with the help of the specific works made by some of the greatest artists in history. It was also discussed why it is really significant in our lives. In the following sections, each of the four artists will be discussed, what is art for them and why art is necessary for us. Frida Kahlo defined Art mostly through her paintings which conveyed her biographical features to the audience. Through Visual Art, Frida freely expressed herself through the paintings, her experiences, ideas, and the significant happenings that happened in her life. One famous artist, Leo Tolstoy, who pretty much defined what art and beauty should be and composed of to be considered as real art and beauty. According to Tolstoy, art must form some kind of emotional link between the artist and his/her audience, one that emotionally affects the viewer. With respect to Kahlo, whose work represented a lot of experience and/or events within her life, it is quite very important for us viewers to know the story behind the art more than about the creator for us to understand the deeper meanings behind the figures. Tolstoy shows how the works of Frida can be considered as perfect examples of art and beauty. For Tolstoy, Art can only be considered as art only by the artist’s emotions through his/her creations, the form, and the intentions in creating such artwork. Art is considered beautiful only if the art portrays the sincerity of the artist, clearness or clarity of what the artist wants to express to his/her audience, and how the artist’s individuality is visibly shown to his/her audience. Freidrich Nietzsche In Nietzsche’s ideology, man is the main structure of this world. He believed that without man, life is useless and meaningless. In order to attain meaning in this world, man should live life dangerously, one of his famous lines, regardless of any consequences that may happen. He believed that there is no God and that it is through art that man may find path to becoming an ubermench. In Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche developed an idea of art and nature using the two ancient Greek gods Apollo and Dionysus as metaphors for these two fundamental principles. The Apollonian principle is most clearly expressed through the arts of painting and sculpture which, Nietzsche states are representations of the world. But these representations are fantastical in nature and, therefore, allow us to escape from the reality of the world, rather like a pleasant dream. The Dionysian principle, however, is more in touch with the cruel realities of nature and is most clearly expressed through ecstatic music and dance. It is also a form of forgetting or drunkenness. For Nietzsche, dreams represent the realm of beautiful forms and symbols, an orderly place of light and appearance. Drunkenness, on the other hand, is that state of wild passions where the boundaries between self and other dissolve. If we are to be truly human and experience any form of genuine understanding of ourselves and the world we live in. Ultimately, a person should strive to find a balance between the Apollonian and the Dionysian forces. In relation to art being a necessity in life, according to Nietzsche, Art sustains life. Art is what makes life endurable and thus possible. Art is what make life worth living. Nietzsche depicts this through a beautiful metaphor: Once again we may see the artistic buoyancy and creative joy as a luminous cloud shape reflected upon the dark surface of a lake of sorrow. Hence, this is another basic role of art: art as a metaphysical solace. Nietszsche, analyzing the Greek tragedy writes: The metaphysical solace (with which, I wish to say at once, all true tragedy sends us away) that despite every phenomenal change, life is at bottom indestructibly joyful and powerful. (Quesada, 2009). Leo Tolstoy and Aristotle In Poetics, Aristotle proposed that the origin of Art for the likings of Human existence was Imitation. Based from Aristotle himself, Poetry, which is a form of Art, imitates life through harmony, rhythm, and language. Tragedy is one form of poetry that deals with feelings of pity, fear and of Catharsis, or the purification of emotions. The poet is the one who serves as the writer and narrator of the tragedy who in a way in which imitates life through pity and fear. The poet is also the one who takes the recipient into a lampoon type of worldview within the tragedy. With that in mind, the recipient evokes in himself/herself the idea of criticizing the tragedy and thus recollects once again and tries to recall whether he/she really did felt pity and fear towards the tragic hero. For Tolstoy, on the other hand, he described art and explained why art is necessary in different ways in his work entitled â€Å"What is Art? †. First, he described and explained how art can be considered as a work of art. It is based on these three: †¢On the greater or lesser individuality of the feeling transmitted; †¢On the greater or lesser clearness with which the feeling is transmitted; †¢On the sincerity of the artist, i. e. , on the greater or lesser force with which the artist himself feels the emotion he transmits. (Tolstoy, 1986). Then he also explained why art is necessary. Art acts as a message for the viewers to see and feel. It is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another mans expression of feeling, is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it. Conclusion In conclusion, with all the definition of art given by the artists/philosophers aforementioned, I now know how complex and dynamic art as a subject is. Art is a diverse range of human acts and what it produces. It can be something that can be expressed through individual thoughts, emotions, feelings and senses. Art evolves in a way that when expressed properly with the correct criteria used in judging if it is a work of art or not, it is transformed into creative forms through creative and cognitive skills like novels, paintings, dramas, plays, etc. Every person has its own perspective and understanding of art. There are many definitions of art. We can define art based on our own understanding and our own experience. Art is really necessary for us because it can bring about change and improvement. We, as human beings, we are always subject to change no matter what because it is who we are and it is how we grow and improve to become better. By becoming better citizens, we can create a better society and by doing so, we can create a better world where we can live peacefully and in harmony. Art can be really important in our lives because it can be a form of communication, emotion, expression, creativity, imagination and many more. Through art, we have the capacity to consciously shape our perception and the perception of others. Art can be considered as way to connect tragedy with our lives (Nietzsche), a way to pour out our emotions and feelings through our paintings (Kahlo), or as an imitation of one’s life (Aristotle) and that it is in our own selves how we criticize and create a life perspective based on the decisions we make that could either lead to a misfortune or contentment in life.

The Perseverance of Odysseus Essay -- The Odyssey, by Homer

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through many trials while trying to return home from the Trojan War. On his voyage home, he must visit the Land of the Dead, evade the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis and when he does arrive home, participate in a tricky reunion with his wife, Penelope. All of these examples show that Odysseus has extreme determination and perseverance. Perseverance is an excellent quality that few possess which can spark achievement. In the â€Å"Land of the Dead†, Odysseus has to make a complicated potion to bring out the profit Teiresias. While waiting for Teiresias to come, he has to hold back the ghosts of the dead. While holding them back, he sees his dead mother. Odysseus did not know she was dead, and grieved, but still held her off to accomplish his obligations. While in the land of the dead, he sees his fallen shipmate, Elpenor. Elpenor tells him that he must backtrack back to Aeaea Island to bury his body and give him an honorable funeral. Odysseus promises to do this and he later does. The strength that he has to hold back ... The Perseverance of Odysseus Essay -- The Odyssey, by Homer In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through many trials while trying to return home from the Trojan War. On his voyage home, he must visit the Land of the Dead, evade the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis and when he does arrive home, participate in a tricky reunion with his wife, Penelope. All of these examples show that Odysseus has extreme determination and perseverance. Perseverance is an excellent quality that few possess which can spark achievement. In the â€Å"Land of the Dead†, Odysseus has to make a complicated potion to bring out the profit Teiresias. While waiting for Teiresias to come, he has to hold back the ghosts of the dead. While holding them back, he sees his dead mother. Odysseus did not know she was dead, and grieved, but still held her off to accomplish his obligations. While in the land of the dead, he sees his fallen shipmate, Elpenor. Elpenor tells him that he must backtrack back to Aeaea Island to bury his body and give him an honorable funeral. Odysseus promises to do this and he later does. The strength that he has to hold back ...

How to succeed in the first semester: Guide for the freshman Essay

Succeeding in a freshman’s first semester is a challenging task as it presents a whole new level of academic inquiry, excitement, adventures, and challenges. The independence acquired in college is never an assurance that it would be a smooth sailing. Rather, it would give the student a topsy-turvy ride and the first semester is a whole big loop that is with more twirls than the rest of the journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are certain steps that a college student may take to ensure that the first semester will do well as this would determine how far a student could go in the next years and semesters to come. Though this would not bring magic but, at the very least, it would help in making the students see this experience as an exciting one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, one should be able to discipline oneself with regard to matters relating to academics. The act of attending to classes is important and strict adherence to such would contribute towards academic achievement. One should look at the classes similar to that of a favorite television series. Once the student misses one episode, he/she misses out on the opportunity to learn what was taught in the class, is unable to participate in the class discussion, losses the opportunity to interact with his/her fellow students, and does not have the chance to earn points on pop quizzes and recitations. In addition to all these, there would be some difficulties following the next lecture especially if the past and present lectures are related. Second, be familiar with the rules and guidelines maintained by the university or the college. These are the things which would serve as the general guide of the student in surviving through college. It is important to familiarize oneself with these and ensure that it is fully understood. These rules are to be seen simply as recommendations made by the university as they would want their students to become the best they could ever be. These are not punitive or a prison that should be followed strictly. Rather, these are things that would make life easier and would maintain peace and order and understanding between the faculty, the students, and the staff. Third, know the right time to study and know when is the right time to reward the self for a job well done. It is helpful to have good study habits because the regularity of events would make learning easier and recall of ideas a lot faster. Being prepared for anything, even without any quizzes, exams, or graded recitations, would facilitate the discussion of the future lessons and would even be helpful for long exams as it has already been read. In doing so, one would only have to scan the required readings and lecture notes and would also have the time to relax and rest the mind a day before the examination. Just as much as you would work hard in studying, it should be the same for the reward for doing all the hard work. It would also serve as a good motivation when the mind and the body could not keep up with the difficulty of the task or when boredom hits. For a short-term reward, it would be good to reward the self with a movie and a sumptuous dinner after an examination that was passed with flying colors. On the other hand, a long-term reward would have to be an expensive item that one longs to have when a certain average is met. However, one should also remember the expenses needed for such and this is where discipline would come in again for saving money for the rewards. Lastly, meeting people and making good friends would make the experience a lot better. This is because of the fact that friends who go through practically the same subjects as you do would make the burden lighter by having someone understand you and would lend a helping hand a listening ear.

Effective and Efficient Methods of Background Investigation and Reference Checking

A great business relies on talented, highly skilled, and hardworking employees that continue target goals and surpass them. Hiring the best employees for a business however, is not a simple task. It requires sifting through the vast workforce and getting only the best of the best for the production results one desires. Intelligent and effective human resources management involves two practices that guarantee the people hired fit their positions to a T: background investigation and reference checking.The three most effective ways of background investigation and reference checking are mail, by telephone, and in person. In the world of human resources management today, there is no universal agreement on what the terms â€Å"background investigation† and â€Å"reference checking† mean (Barada and McLaughlin 1). The term â€Å"background check† may mean the same thing as a â€Å"background investigation,† but there are also some people who interchange the terms with each other. It may be important to distinguish between â€Å"background investigation† and â€Å"reference checking† however, to clarify the following discussion.Background investigation involves verifying the accuracy of the information provided by a job applicant through his resume or cover letter. In a way, it serves as the company’s first defense against potential fraud from job candidates. The person or group assigned the task of background investigation makes sure that a particular job applicant has not deceived the company about the details of his cover letter or resume. As an initial screening device, a background check also serves the purpose of decreasing the number of resumes and cover letters on the prospective employer’s table.Through the careful elimination of job applicants who seem to provide doubtful information on their job applications, the prospective employer can arrive at a shorter list of candidates to consider. These candidat es’ job applications are theoretically more credible than the others that have been discarded. Background investigation though, strictly speaking, is very different from reference checking. The prospective employer doesn’t evaluate a candidate’s past job performance during a background investigation.However, background investigation does involve tasks such as verification of current and former job positions, dates of employment, educational information, and professional licenses claimed, if any (Barada and McLaughlin 4). There are many ways to conduct background investigations, including by phone, through the Internet, and by hiring a background investigation firm. The simplest way would be to phone institutions mentioned by the candidate in his resume. For example, if a candidate claims that he has an MA in business management from a particular university, the investigator could phone that university and verify the information.Background investigation by phone is very effective and efficient because the investigator consumes little time and effort in confirming the details on the resume. The people concerned can also answer any questions the investigator may have regarding the candidate’s background. Another way to conduct background investigation is to use Internet resources to verify the information on the candidate’s resume and cover letter. Many schools today provide information on their websites regarding their students and programs.Some may have downloadable newsletters that the investigator could sift through to confirm the candidate’s information. The investigator may also send an e-mail to people concerned, asking them to reply when it’s most convenient to them. There are companies today who hand over the task of background checking to specialized background investigation firms. These firms help their clients to hire better employees by steering them clear of candidates who lie on their resumes. Indust ry experts estimate that thirty percent of all resumes contain falsifications or misrepresentations.Most of these are located in the education section of a resume. A background investigation firm can help their clients enhance their workplace security, reduce turnover, minimize the risk of employee theft, and provide assurance to the prospective employer’s decision regarding hiring a candidate or not (Falcone 122). Reference checking, in contrast with background investigation, is an objective assessment of an applicant’s past job performance based on information collected from the applicant’s previous employers (Barada and McLauglin 2).Prospective employers usually do reference checks during the final stages of the hiring process to assess applicants on their list of job finalists (Kleiman 163). Among the many uses of reference checking is the collection of clear testimonials that support a prospective employer’s decision to hire an applicant, and the rev elation of factors that the employer and applicant may have not discussed during the interview (Andler and Herbst 157). Reference checking has many other benefits, which will be discussed later.The three most effective ways to conduct reference checks is in person, by telephone, and by mail. Among these, the most effective way to gather information is through a face-to-face discussion with a character reference. This method has several advantages over others. First, you can verify if such a person does exist and that the character didn’t deceivingly asked a friend of his to impersonate a boss for example who he claims to be extremely proud of his work. When conducting a reference check in person, it is a good strategy to talk to the character reference first through the telephone.It may be more appropriate to do this when considering a candidate for an executive position which may have a huge impact on the company’s overall performance. The reference should be asked if he is willing to meet the human resources representative at his office for a brief conversation about his previous employer. The representative could also ask the previous employer if he is willing to talk over lunch or a cup of coffee. The important thing is not to pressure the character reference into agreeing to the meeting. He should agree wholeheartedly about the proposition.It’s also not right to deceive the character reference about the meeting. He should be clearly informed of what the meeting will be all about. During the meeting, he should not be pressured to reveal information on the candidate. It is best to have a ready list of questions to ask the character reference, so the conversation will not venture off to unnecessary topics, consuming the reference’s precious time. While face-to-face reference checks are extremely informative about the job candidate, it is very obvious that it also consumes too much time, energy, and money to execute.A human resourc e representative would have to travel from one place to another just to secure interviews from the character references. He would also have to spend the company’s money during these short conversations. It is therefore not that efficient as a means of checking character references. The most efficient method of reference checking is by telephone. The human resources representative in this case doesn’t have to go anywhere and can remain in the office while checking character references. There are many ways by which a representative can do reference checking by phone.One effective method is called the â€Å"exact-time method† (Andler and Herbst 186). In this method, the representative first calls the character reference asking him what time would be convenient for him to talk a little bit about his previous employee, for example. The representative then establishes an exact-time by which he would call the person again, and then proceeds to call him exactly at the t ime specified. According to experiments done by Andler and Herbst, the exact-time method has an interesting effect on character references.Once the representative tells a person that he’ll be calling again at a particular time, the person somehow is induced to sit all day beside the telephone waiting for the call. In their experiments, some were even annoyed because they waited for the phone to ring at the time specified. This works to the prospective employer’s advantage because interviews with character references are then easier to secure. The possibility of missing them because they’ve just had lunch or went to another place is lessened, making the reference check more efficient.References may also be pleased by the professionalism of the representative through this method since he shows that he is willing to work with their schedules (Andler and Herbst 187). The oldest way of checking references is by mail. Although the method is still being used today by n ew and old companies, it is obvious that checking references by mail is both time-consuming and ineffective as a means of gathering information. There are many difficulties associated with reference checking, including choosing the right people to do the job, dealing with the references themselves, and making sure no law is transgressed in the process.While reference checking is an essential part of the hiring process, some companies that are more administrative than results-oriented avoid reference checks by telephone or in person to cut risks (Andler and Herbst 187). This is not advisable to prospective employers because investing in the most credible candidates is an important way to secure the future of any business. Reference checking through snail mail is virtually futile. Previous employers could be expected to be slow in answering questions that the prospective employer sent them. Many of them many not answer at all.Research shows that the return rate of reference checking b y mail can be as high as fifty-six percent and as low as eighteen percent. One reason for the very low return rate is that previous employers are afraid that their employees may sue them for revealing information in written form (Andler and Herbst 187-188). When checking references by mail, it is advisable that e-mail be used rather than snail mail. This would make the character reference more comfortable with writing the information that he knows because he doesn’t have to write it on a tangible piece of paper.He’ll just type all the necessary bits of information on the e-mail and then send it back. The questionnaire should be written as to assure the character reference that they’re violating no law in the activity and that records of the prospective employee will be competently guarded. Whether by phone, by mail or in person, there are many ways to conduct reference checks. Some companies hire other agencies to do reference checks and background investigation for them. Others though, use their own human resources departments to do the job.One good strategy though is for the manager for whom the job applicant will work to call the previous employers himself. Thus, reference checking is not done through the human resources department or any other agency but directly (Rosenberg 241). It is very advantageous to conduct a reference check through the manager than the human resources department because the candidate will eventually have to answer to the manager when he gets hired, not to the human resources department. The manager will know what questions about job performance to ask the character references.A human resources representative wouldn’t have this kind of knowledge and would likely only be concerned with the legal issues the company might face in conducting the reference check (Rosenberg 241). The manager can talk to character references by phone, mail or in person, but it is most recommended that he talks to them by phone f or efficiency and more results. One problem with any kind of reference check is that the character references may want to withhold or change information regarding a candidate.Former employers are usually reluctant to reveal information, sometimes only providing the candidate’s date of employment and job title. Some of them may also want to reveal only information that’s favorable to the candidate even if it’s not true (Kleiman 164). The reason why previous employers and other character references are usually reluctant to share information on a candidate is because they fear they could be sued for defamation by the candidate.Some candidates do sue their character references, blaming them for their failure to secure a job position. It’s easy to get around this problem though, by clearly explaining to the character reference that he can defend himself against any defamation suits by only revealing information that is factual and objective. He should also onl y share the information to interested parties and not anyone outside of the transaction. The interview must also completely revolve around topics that are job-related and nothing else (Kleiman 164).While there are companies today who skip reference checking because of legal concerns and the belief that references would only reveal information favorable to the candidate, reference checking is still essential as an investment for the company’s future. Reference checking is an effective strategy to predict the future job performance and behavior of a candidate based on the testimonials of other parties that have seen his work before (Kleiman 163). There’s always a risk in hiring people, and reference checking supports a prospective employer’s decision to hire a particular candidate.Conducting a reference check makes a prospective employer feel better about the decision he made regarding hiring a candidate. Reference checks may also reveal information that has not b een revealed before during the candidate’s interview. That information may be helpful or disadvantageous to the candidate’s application, but it is ultimately the prospective employer that benefits from the supplementary information. Information like the candidate is a very good mother, very health conscious, or that she’s pleasant to work with may be revealed during a reference check.The character reference may also give some advice on where the candidate excels best. You can then consider his advice and put him in a position where he’ll likely perform in the best way possible (Andler and Herbst 157). Whatever means you choose to conduct a reference check, it is absolutely necessary to keep the conversation about the job position the candidate is applying for. Common topics addressed during a reference check include the candidate’s dates of employment, job titles he held, rate of pay, attendance, and performance evaluations.The prospective employer may also ask the reference about the candidate’s behavior, what character traits he possesses or if he has any discipline problems. It’s also important to inquire about the candidate’s ability to get along with his colleagues and his general strengths and weaknesses. The prospective employer may also inquire about the candidate’s reason for leaving if the character reference knows anything about it and is willing to share that information. Finally, he could also ask him whether he’s willing to rehire the candidate or not.In our opinion, it is not only prospective and previous employers who should be conscious of the necessity of background investigations and reference checks. All employees and job applicants should also recognize that an efficient and successful company relies on credible, talented and hardworking people to accomplish goals and targets. Instead of being too wary of background investigation and reference checks, and thinking about suing their former employers for revealing information about them, they must accept the fact that both procedures are essential to ensure the health of their industry.They must act on their own and provide only truthful information on their job applications. Background investigation and reference checking will always be essential to the performance of a company. Both of these procedures can now be more efficiently and effectively done with the use of modern resources like the Internet. While employers, both prospective and previous, may continue to confront lawsuits from employees or job applicants, it is necessary to continue the practices of background investigation and reference checking for the benefit of any industry.Without these procedures, industries will perform poorly because of the increased chance of hiring the wrong people for important positions. Whether by phone, by mail, in person, through the Internet or through a private investigation firm, it is advisable for any company to conduct background investigations and reference checks for improved performance in the future. Works Cited Ades, Leslie J. Managing Mavericks: the Art of Sales Management. Dubuqe: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004. Adler, Lou. Hire with Your Head: Using Performance-Based Hiring to Build Great Teams. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2007.Andler, Edward C. and Herbst, Dara. The Complete Reference Checking Handbook: The Proven (and Legal) Way to Prevent Hiring Mistakes. Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2002. Barada, Paul William J. and McLaughlin, Michael. Reference Checking for Everyone: What You Need to Know to Protect yourself, your Business, and your Family. Dubuqe: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004. Berman, Evan M. , et al. Human Resource Management in Public Service: Paradoxes, Processes, and Problems. Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 2005. Branham, Leigh. Keeping the People who Keep you in Business: 24 Ways to Hang On to your Most Valuable Talent.Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt A ssn, 2001. Dinteman, Walter Anthony. Zero Defect Hiring: a Quick Guide to the Most Important Decisions Managers Have to Make. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2003. Enos, Darryl D. Performance Improvement: Making it Happen, Second Edition. New York: CRC Press, 2007. Falcone, Paul. The Hiring and Firing Question and Answer Book. Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2001. Fischer, Robert J. and Gion Green. Introduction to Society. Saint Louis: Elsevier, 1998. Herman, Susan J. Hiring right: a practical guide. Thousand Oaks: SAGE, 1993. Kleiman, Lawrence.Human Resource Management: A Managerial Tool for Competitive Advantage Third Edition. Daryaganj: Wiley-India, 2003. Loen, Raymond O. Superior Supervision: the 10% Solution. Lanham: Lexington Books, 1994. Marshall, Don R. The Four Elements of Successful Management: Select, Direct, Evaluate, Reward. Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 1998. Moran, Greg and Patrick Longo. Hire, Fire, and the Walking Dead: Recruiter's Guide to Hiring th e Best. El Monte: Academic Learning Company LLC, 2006. Pritchard, Christopher W. 101 Strategies for Recruiting Success: Where, When, and How to Find the Right People Every Time.Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2006. Rosenberg, DeAnne. A Manager’s Guide to Hiring the Best Person for Every Job. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2000. Stone, Florence M. The Manager's Question and Answer Book. Atlanta: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2003. Voros, Sharon and Philippe De Backer. The Road to Ceo: The World's Leading Executive Recruiters Identify the Traits You Need to Make It to the Top. Cincinnati: Adams Media, 2002. Widmann, Nancy C. , et al. I Didn't See It Coming: The Only Book You'll Ever Need to Avoid Being Blindsided in Business. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2007.

The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes of ESL Students

The 5 Most Common Writing Mistakes of ESL Students There are certain mistakes that tend to be made by almost all English learners - and some native speakers - at some time or another. Most of these mistakes can be easily avoided. It is my hope that this article will help you identify these mistakes, and provide the information you need to stop you from making these mistakes when writing online. 1. Use of Indefinite / Definite Articles (the, a, an) Knowing when to use definite or indefinite articles can be difficult. Here are some of the most important rules to remember when using definite and indefinite articles. Indefinite articles are used (a, an) the first time something is presented in a sentence.Use indefinite articles with anything that is not specifically known to BOTH the writer and the reader.Related to the first two: Use a definite article when referring to something that has already been mentioned.Conversely, Use a definite article (the) when referring to an object which is known to both the writer and the reader.Use no definite or indefinite article (nothing, in other words) when speaking in general using a plural with a countable noun, or the singular with a uncountable noun. Here are five examples of these mistakes, in order, for each type listed above. I live in the apartment, close to the supermarket.Id like to go to the good restaurant.I stayed in the hotel near the park. The hotel was very nice, and a park had some wonderful paths.Remember a presentation we went to last week?The apples are generally very tasty in season. Here are the sentences corrected: I live in an apartment, close to a supermarket. (Note that I know the apartment and supermarket, but you, the listener / reader, do not.)Id like to go to a good restaurant.I stayed in a hotel near a park. The hotel was very nice, and the park had some wonderful paths.Remember the presentation we went to last week?Apples are generally very tasty in season. 2. Capitalize I and National Adjectives / Nouns / Names of Languages and the First Word of a New Sentence The rules of capitalization in English are confusing. However, the most common capitalization mistakes that occur are with national adjectives, nouns and names of languages. Remember these rules to help you avoid this type of capitalization mistake. Capitalize ICapitalize nations, national nouns and adjectives - French, Russian, English, Italy, Canadian, etc.Capitalize the first letter of the first word in a new sentence or questionDo NOT capitalize common nouns, nouns are only capitalized if they are the name of somethingCapitalize proper names of people, institutions, festivals, etc. Here is an example that applies to the last two points. I go to university. (common noun - university)BUTI go to the University of Texas. (noun used as proper name) Here are five examples, in order, for each type of mistake listed above. Jack comes from Ireland, but i come from the US.I dont speak chinese, but I speak a little french.where do you come from?He bought a new Bicycle for his birthday.Lets visit maria this afternoon. Here are the sentences corrected: Jack comes from Ireland, but I come from the US.I dont speak Chinese, but I speak a little French.Where do you come from?He bought a new bicycle for his birthday.Lets visit Maria this afternoon. 3. Slang and Texting Language Many English learners, especially young English learners like to use slang and texting language online. The idea behind this is good: learners want to show that they understand and can use idiomatic language. However, using this sort of idiomatic language can lead to many mistakes. The easiest way to deal with this problem is to no use texting language or slang in a blog post, comment or other online written communication. Texting is fine if you are texting, otherwise it should not be used. Any type of longer written communication should not use slang. Slang is used in spoken English, not in written communication. 4. Use of Punctuation English learners sometimes have problems when placing punctuation marks. I often receive e-mails, and see posts in which there are no spaces before or after punctuation marks. The rule is simple: Place a punctuation mark (.,:;!?) immediately after the last letter of a word followed by a space. Here are some examples: They visited Paris,London,Berlin and New York. Id like to have some pasta , and a steak . Simple mistake, simple correction! They visited Paris, London, Berlin and New York. Id like to have some pasta, and a steak. 5. Common Mistakes in English I admit this is actually more than one mistake. However, there are a number of common mistakes made in English. Here are the top three common mistakes in English that are often found in writing. Its or Its - Its it is / Its possessive form. Remember when you see an apostrophe () there is a missing verb! Then or Than - Than is used in the comparative form (Its bigger than my house!) Then is used as a time expression (First you do this. Then you do that.)Good or Well - Good is the adjective form (Thats a good story!) Well is the adverb form (He plays tennis well.) Here are six examples, two for each in order, for each type of mistake listed above. He attributed his success to its appeal to children.I think its time to discuss this question in more detail.The government decided it would cost more money to change policy then to leave current law stand.She can first finish her homework, than go to practice.How good do you speak German?I think hes well public speaker. Here are the sentences corrected: He attributed his success to its appeal to children.I think its time to discuss this question in more detail.The government decided it would cost more money to change policy than to leave current law stand.She can first finish her homework, then go to practice.How well do you speak German?I think hes good public speaker.

English Spelling is Not Total Chaos

English Spelling is Not Total Chaos English Spelling is Not Total Chaos English Spelling is Not Total Chaos By Maeve Maddox Daniels recent fun spelling test got me thinking about English spelling. Google English spelling and youll get 23,300,000 hits. Visit a few of the sites and you will be told how ridiculous, crazy, outrageous, cruel, and in-need-of-reform is English orthography. English spelling is more complicated than that of some other languages, but its not total chaos. The strangest spellings are those of the commonest words, so practice soon familiarizes even young children with the most irregular forms. Overall, there are predictable patterns and rules to guide the spelling of most English words. It would be impossible to cover all the phonetic facts of English spelling in one article, so stand by for a sequence of articles (you can also check the spelling section on TeachingIdeas.co.uk, which sums up most of the rules). For starters, Id like to point out some aspects of the English alphabet that lead to misunderstandings about English orthography. The 26 letters of the English alphabet are insufficient to represent the 44 or so sounds used to speak the English language. Written English has compensated for this lack of letters by inventing extra letters to represent eight consonant sounds and seven vowel sounds that do not have letters of their own. For example, the combination sh does not represent the combined sounds of /s/ and /h/. The sound represented is /sh/, which is the sound heard at the beginning of the word ship. Written English has not just compensated, but overcompensated for its insufficient alphabet. Numerous alternate spellings exist to represent sounds already represented by letters or letter combinations. This overabundance of spellings is a result of Englishs unabashed habit of importing words from other languages. In many instances new words brought along the spelling conventions of the language of origin. Clearly English orthography requires more study than that of other modern languages. Keep in mind, however, that English grammar is simpler than most. You can use the time saved in studying the grammar to learn the spelling system! I hear a lot of people admit to being unable to spell as if it were a genetic defect. I suppose that in a tiny percentage of the population it may be. In general, however, poor spelling is the result of insufficient information. In sum: the English alphabet has 26 letters; spoken English uses 40+ speech sounds; written English makes use of 70 spelling symbols. English spelling is complex, but learning 70 phonograms (sound symbols) and a few rules is a small price to pay for the use of the enormous vocabulary of English. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†"Replacement for" and "replacement of"50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)

Question set 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Question set 5 - Assignment Example Contrast the expectations of transactional and transformational leaders. The four different factors associated with Bass’s theory of transformational leadership are individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspiration, and idealized influence. Individual consideration places an emphasis on what the group member needs, intellectual stimulation ensures that the leader seeks ideas from the group and encourages them to contribute, inspiration gives meaning to the task at hand, and idealized influence refers to the leader becoming a full-fledged role model. An example of a leader who exhibits all of these factors, and not just one or two of them was found in Steve Jobs, who worked to ensure that he and his employees transformed the business world. Transactional leaders, or managerial leaders focus instead on the role of supervision, organization, and group leadership, in which the leader works to promote compliance in their followers based on a reward/punishment system. 2. Team Leadership. Describe the role of leadership within teams. What are the primary reasons that teams fail? What can ensure team success? Give a personal example of team success. A team must always have a leader, and as such, there are certain characteristics that comprise the role of leadership within a team. The leader must keep the team to a specific purpose, they must have the knowledge to judge and act prudently, they must accept their authority over the team, use that power to make decisions, and at the same time recognize that those decisions affect all members of the team, and as such should only be used to further the shared purpose of the team itself, and finally, the leader must be trustworthy; the team must know, understand, and recognize that the decisions the leader makes are for the common goal. Teams may fail because they lack shared values, shared objectives, shared activities, a poor leader, or lack the ability to accurately gauge their progress. In order to en sure team success, the team must have a strong leader, all work must be divided equally, all members must be held accountable for their share of the work, and progress must be made in a timely fashion. One personal example of team success would be working with several other students to start and complete a group assignment for school and have it submitted before the due date. 3. Negative Leadership. This week there were two case studies: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Knight of the British Empire and Chuck MacKinnon. In reviewing the two cases, address the following questions: a. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Knight of the British Empire: What are the elements that lead to Giuliani’s miraculous transformation? What lessons could corporations with negative public reputations learn from this case? b. Chuck MacKinnon: Where might MacKinnon have gone wrong? What did he do well and what were his most significant mistakes? Was his management style to blame? What could be done to fix things now? What lessons can you take away from this case to become a better leader? The main elements that lead to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s transformation from a person who was not well liked or well respected into a true leader were not the decreased crime rate that he worked to bring about, nor the implementation of budget discipline, but were through the practical