To What Extent Can Logic, Math or Music Be Classified as a Language? Tok

To what extent can logic, math or music be classified as a language? â€Å"Mathematics  is the language with which God has written the universe. † Declares the Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher Galileo Galilei, when we think in modern sense language is a system of linguistic signs or symbols. In other words it’s the basis of communication. Some people communicate using sign language while others rely on gestures and facial expressions. Mathematics and music may also be used to communicate to some extent. On the other hand logic is only instrumental and it does not house any intention of communication.Mathematics is the systematic arrangement of numbers. These numbers could sometimes be used as a form of secretive code used for communication. Such codes are often used by agencies such as the NSA in exchanging valuable information. Many teenagers also use an alternative alphabet composed mostly of numbers and symbols, leetspeak (or 1337 ). Al though mathematics may be used as a language itself could be able to achieve true meaning while using such means of communication? Is it possible to use this nonverbal communication to express our feelings? We must be blind to truly understand the role of face to face communication in our lives.It would be impossible for you to use irony, connotation and metaphors. For example, if in our secret mathematical code 1446+ meant go away would there be any way to be sure if you said this in a friendly manner or not. This also makes everything vague and unclear. Raw information is put in front of you, you cannot have your own ideas you must accept what is given to you with no objection Music is an essential to most humans, it is a way of coping with life, and it sometimes may even be used to change the mood of the listener. Your mood shapes the music that you listen to.You would not listen to hard rock or metal after a recent breakup instead you will listen to romantic songs. You will also notice that some songs will make you feel happy. For example whenever I listen to a Beatles song let’s say ‘Love Me Do’ a fun/happy feeling forms inside of me. I do not believe that connotation of music is limited with its lyrics. Even when you listen to the tune of Bob Marley’s ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy ‘ you will find yourself feeling happier (positive connotation) businesses use this a lot in their advertisements in order to get the potential customers attention.Although music does have a sense of connotation and is able to shift your mood it cannot be classified as a language as the only knowledge acquired if any is acquired is one way thus there is no communication. For Aristotle, logic is the instrument by means of which we come to know anything. If logic is merely instrument of knowing can we say that it is a language? Could there be language without logic, logic without language? Since we use our own logic to understand the acquired knowledge and there is no intended communication except that of which is with ourselves.Therefore even though logic pays a major role in the apprehension of knowledge it cannot be classified as a language by itself. â€Å"Mathematics is, as it were, a sensuous logic, and relates to philosophy as do the arts, music, and plastic art to poetry. † Once said the German poet, Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel. Mathematics and music are frequently used to communicate, but without knowledge it would not be possible for us to express our ideas and communicate at all. Therefore we can conclude that mathematics music and language are used integrated with logic forming communication. 0nur Basman () l/l V 2

Culture Shock

University of Iceland Business and intercultural Communication (VI? 512G) Teacher: ? ora Christiansen 30. 11. 2010 Culture shock * my personal experience Eydis Brynjarsdottir kt:091085-3569 Table of Contents 1. 0 Introduction3 2. 0 Definition of culture shock3 3. 0 Culture shock lifecycle4 4. 0 Culture shock triangle6 5. 0 My personal experience8 6. 0 Ten steps to minimize culture shock8 7. 0 Conclusion9 1. 0 Introduction I chose culture shock for my discussion in this assignment. I will discuss the definition of Culture shock and how it affects people.I will also discuss some theories and in the end I will give a short story from my own experience. 2. 0 Definition of culture shock The definition of culture shock refers generally to the unpleasant experience that people get when they are coming in contact with other cultures than their own. Their experience of a new culture is seen as unpleasant surprise/shock that occurs when expectations do not match reality. Working in a new cultu re can lead a variety of reactions for an example: * Confusion about what to do * Anxiety * Frustration * Inappropriate behavior Depression All of these are possible reactions to culture shock, which is the shock that we experience when we are confronted with the unknown. Researches show that culture shock can be both short and sharp or long term and deep, and what appears to be the identifier is the degree of difference from one? s own and the host culture, the degree of preparation, social support networks and individual psychological characteristics. The longer time that the individual experiences the culture shock, the greater is the feeling of helplessness and performance deficit.There are several symptoms of cultural shock, but the most common are: * Feeling isolated * Anxiety and worries * Reduction in the job performance * High energy * Helplessness The inclusion of high energy is caused by changing the circumstances in the adaption process The longer that the manager experi enced the culture shock the greater where the feelings of helplessness and performance deficit. Hofstede differentiate three different states of adaptation comparing feelings and emotions of the residence to the situation in the home culture before the assignment.It may remain negative compared to home, for example, if the visitor continues feeling an monster and discriminated against. It may be just as good as before, in which the visitor can be considered to be adapt bicultural or it may be better. In the last case the visitor has â€Å"gone native† it has become more Roman than the Romans. 3. 0 Culture shock life cycle Kalervo Oberg (1901-1973) was an anthropologist, who explained the symptoms and process of adapting a different culture. Oberg listed six main aspects of culture shock: * Strain caused by the effort to adapt Sense of loss and feelings of deprivation in relation to friends, status, profession and possessions * Feeling rejected by or rejecting members of the n ew culture * Confusion in role, values and self-identity * Anxiety and anger about foreign practices * Feeling of helplessness The term cultural shock was first presented by Oberg in 1954, where he outlined the consequences of strain and anxiety resulting from contact with a new culture and the feelings of loss of accustomed cultural cues and social rules. That model puts you through a life cycle of four distinct phases on the way to the final adaption.Figure 1 Table 1Table 2 The first table shows us the four phases in the adaptation process. The honeymoon phase is the first phase of the process. There are all the encounters in the new place seen exciting, stimulating and positive. The new life is perceived as endless opportunities and happiness. There is curiosity and openness combined with readiness to accept what is to come. â€Å"Most importantly in this stage judgment is reserved and even minor irritations are suppressed in favor of concentrating on the nice things about the j ob, the country, the colleagues, the food, etc. †: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999).Culture shock is the second phase in the process, this is when the manager realizes that everything is not as it should be. The experience of foreigners can start uncomfortable feelings such as stress, irritability or negative view of the country, colleagues or the job. This phase is often characterized as uncomfortable situations, but the main reason for these symptoms is the uncertainty about surroundings, us and the future. â€Å"The usual signs of orientation and the belonging do not exist, we don’t quite know who we are without the familiar social context, and the way our foreign colleagues behave seems â€Å"all wrong†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999).How mangers deal with this phase, the emotions and expectations is essential for their adaption on the long run. The best way to come at is to use the symptoms and the unpleasantness as an indicator to change our approximation and form our self- development to understand us and deal with our emotions and sometimes other people. Recovery is the third phase in our first figure and that starts with accepting that we have a problem that needs to be worked on. Recovery and the final adjustment phase generally involve a compromise between feelings and thinking of the honeymoon phase and the culture shock phase. This compromise is between our exaggerate expectations and reality†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). The final phase, Final adjustment, managers have become able to work effectively after knowing their limitations of their skills. They can take on a new ways of doing things and what most that matters is being flexible. Elisabeth Marx made table 2 in figure one, we should examine it a little bit. There are many experts that have tried to specify the timing on the phases but the thing is that there is no rule for it. The timing of culture shock depends on how different the culture is from your own.It makes more sense to use a model of culture shock that is not that strictly linear but integrates a cycle that shows positive and negative phases until you break through the culture shock as in table 2. The thing is that international assignments tend to be more short term than long term and more executives working on the projects so we cannot use the same model, although the concept is the same. The thing is that short term international work does not allow for the same long term adaption process and therefore distinct honeymoon, culture shock and readjustment phases will not occur.Marx found it to be more realistic to use a model that is not strictly linear but integrates a dynamic and repetitive cycle of positive and negative phases until you break through Culture Shock. â€Å"Instead there will be more of a mixture of positive and negative emotions, of uncertainty and clarity, of enjoyment and frustration†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). Figure one shows us also the mood changes so we are able to use thes e phases in more ways than just a job, for example marriage. In a short description, phase one involves excitement, euphoria and optimism, like in a honeymoon.Second phase is confronting the unknown and negative aspects like confusion, anxiety and frustration. We will at some point recover from the moodiness and anxiety of the culture shock and in the final phase we head for a readjustment. 4. 0 Culture shock triangle Elisabeth Marx developed a model from Oberg’s idea to describe culture shock. According to Marx international managers experience culture shock psychically at three levels. She uses the â€Å"culture shock triangle† to describe these 3 levels which are: * Emotions – coping with mood swings Thinking – understanding foreign colleagues * Social skills and identity – developing a social and professional network and effective social skills. Figure 2 Questions those international mangers are supposed to ask feature: * Emotions – what am I likely to feel? How will I handle the stress of international work? * Thinking – what will I think? Have effective are my solutions? * Social skills and identity – how effectively will I communicate with foreign analogue? Managers that have adapted these levels lead to following: Handle stress of the transition. * Changing the perception and translation of events and behavior. * Developing effective social skills and an international identity. These aspects combine to form the culture shock triangle, accomplish the international effectiveness on culture shock. These three factors can influence each other in some way for example feeling frustrated can have negative effect on how we think and how we act. Another example is if we feel pessimistic and stressed out our solutions to the problems can be ineffective.Out of this can we clearly see that those factors do remain together, so positive mood and optimism produce better solutions. Social identity and skills are very important when we are going to work abroad. We need to know who we are and be confident and secure with ourselves so we can start to work in and with another culture. When we interact closely with the foreign culture we experience the conflicts between our own values and those of the foreign culture. When we get more concerned we develop alternative ways of behaving and that makes us able to view of ourselves from a different perspective.As we can see this is all part of self development that people passes through during international challenges. Marx insists on the fact that the culture shock phase is an integral part of the adaption phase and should have no negative connotations. These are normal reactions of people who confront the foreign but give no indication of future success. The success depends on the strategies and motives of the company as it wishes to co-operate with, or take over another. 5. 0 My personal experienceI have experienced a culture shock but just a mino r shock. When I was visiting my aunt in Stockholm we took the tube down town to Gamla stan. Like everybody knows there are many people in the city so it is kind of crowded and most people are on a hurry but I was on the other hand is in a vacation so there were no rush. When me and my aunt were going down the escalator I just stood in the middle like I always do in Kringlan and were nosy about my new surroundings. Suddenly I hear a man hawking himself behind me†¦ and I , what the hell is his problem!Then my aunt turns around and tells me to stand in the right in the escalator because people who are on a hurry should be able to run down on the left side in the escalator. This is a unwritten rule that people in Stockholm keep up with and I had no idea about that! 6. 0 Ten steps to minimize culture shock The book Breaking through culture shock by Elisabeth Marx gives examples of 10 steps to minimize culture shock. 1) â€Å"Do not let culture shock take you by surprise. Allow time to find out about it before you leave for your assignment.Learn to recognize the symptoms and the potential impact†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 2) â€Å"Expect culture shock to happen irrespective of location. It is as likely to occur in a country near to your home base as in posting further afield†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 3) â€Å"As soon as you arrive in your new location, identify all the opportunities for building support networks with other international managers and with local people†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 4) â€Å"As with any stressful situation, fight it, do not give in to it.So do not resort to escapist strategies such as drinking or eating too much and do not deny your symptoms†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 5) â€Å"Ask other international managers for guidance on the issue and problems too look out for. Learn from their experience†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 6) â€Å"Give yourself time to adapt and do not rush into too many work related proj ects at the start of the assignment. Make sure that the organization gives you this time too†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 7) â€Å"Do not hesitate to seek a professional help if symptoms persist despite your coping efforts.Help may be available within your company or externally through counselors or the medical profession†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 8) â€Å"Expect the same symptoms to reoccur when you come home. Reverse culture shock is normal†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 9) â€Å"Thinking about the positive aspect of culture shock – people who experience it adapt better to their new environment than those who do not†: (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 10) â€Å"Retain sense of humor! † : (Elisabeth Marx, 1999). 7. 0 Conclusion After all the reading for this project I should be able to define and handle myself if I go abroad.I did not imagine that culture shock can be that effective on people and their lives, just because of moving! The by word that we could obtain here is â€Å"better safe than sorry†.Bibliography Elisabeth Marx. (1999). Breaking through culture shock. London: Nicholas Brealey publishing. Hofstede, Geert H. (2001). Culture? s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks. Marie-Joelle Browaeys and Roger Price. (2008). Understanding cross-cultural management. Edinburgh: Prentice Hall. Culture Shock Abstract The factors of culture shock are various. Different values, beliefs and customs can create information overload. Besides, language barrier reduces the understanding of the new culture and makes people feel isolated. In addition, the difference in food is one of the main factors of culture shock. Original eating habit is not easy to change, so it becomes more difficult to fit in. Moreover, people from different social structures cause culture shock. Furthermore, the individual differences such as age, sex, socio-economic class and education also influence degree of culture shock.Culture shock typically occurs in a four-stage process that can unfold over varying lengths of time: the honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and mastery phases. In the honeymoon phase, people always feel excited and fascinated about the culture. After that is negotiation phase which is the real culture shock. In this stage, people are struggle in the differences between cultures. When people start to recover, they jump to the next stage, adjustment phase. In the last stage, people will start to embrace the new culture.Different people experience culture shock in different ways and to different degrees, but they all go through the same process of this model. People in this situation will have both positive and negative effects which influence people psychologically and physically. It causes depression, anxiety and hopelessness and, in turn, it will reduce problem solving skill, inefficiency of work and negative interpersonal relationships. Besides, it also causes physical symptoms like colds and headaches. However, it also brings positive effects such as self-confidence, self-motivation, culture sensitivity and language skills.Culture shock is a temporary phase. There are various ways to reduce these emotions. Keep in touch with family and friends by making phone calls, using web chat or sharing photos and experience on social networks. Get involved in local activities and make n ew friends can reduce the negative emotions. Explore is another good ways to maintain the excitement stage longer. Be open mindedness and have positive attitude is the key to overcome this. Keywords: culture shock; Oberg; phases of Culture Shock; causes, effects and solutions 1. Introduction – Culture ShockIn the last decade, an increasing number of people have opted to study, work or live in a foreign country which is totally different in culture and environment. When people visit an unfamiliar culture for the first time, it results in culture shock. The term Culture Shock was coined by a world renowned anthropologist Kalervo Oberg in a 1954 speech in Rio de Janeiro. He introduced his model for  Culture Shock, four phases when people encounter a new culture. The first time when people visit or move to another country, they are often astonished by the differences between other cultures and their own.These differences sometimes make people feel uncomfortable, frustrated, fea rful or insecure. In Oberg’s speech, he defined Culture Shock as follows: â€Å"Culture Shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. These signs or cues include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situations of daily life. † Culture shock is a psychological stress which happens in the beginning when visiting another country which causes not only negative but also positive effects.This paper aims to investigate the causes, the effects and the solutions as a practical guide to those who are about to start this adventure. 2. Causes of Culture Shock There are several factors that cause culture shock. 2. 1 Information overload People who face a different culture or environment for the first time will inadequately use their own culture as a standard to interpret, judge and behave in the new culture. This is â€Å"information overload†. There are various things that wil l hit people immediately when they arrive in a new country, like traffic signs, sounds, table manners and other customs in daily life.In addition, people from different countries have a different cultural value which is built on deeply-embedded sets of values, norms and beliefs. This cannot easily be changed in a short time. People try to interpret new language meanings, new nonverbal, behavioral, contextual and social communication which is unfamiliar with their immanent knowledge and originate systems. This generates emotional and mental burnout. 2. 2 Language Language can create even greater barriers between cultures. Knowledge about the culture and language are essential to understand the host culture.Thus, the misunderstood cross cultural communication becomes one factor. People who come to a new country at an adult age can have particular difficulties overcoming the language barrier. People will fail to communicate, misunderstand each other, and have different intonation and p ronunciation. It makes people feel frustrated when communicating. For example, when people order food in restaurants, use bank services or have classes at school, they will face various obstacles in communicating. Besides, it is impossible to become proficiency very fast especially for students who study abroad.Although people try very hard to improve their language, they still have some difficulties which cannot be solved in a short time. Thus, the language barriers can influence the isolation which causes a lot of stress and strain. 2. 3 Food It is fact that food is different from country to country. It tastes different, or is cooked differently. The eating habit is a difficult factor to change. Thus, it is one of the important factors which cause culture shock. Although food is imported and exported very frequently, it is harder and more expensive to buy the food you like.For instance, people cannot find ingredients which they are used to eat or cannot find restaurants which are similar to their home country. People need a lot of time to recreate recipes by using the local food and spices to suit their original eating habits. Therefore, people will face lots of difficulties in getting used to this. This doesn’t take only a few months, but sometimes years. 2. 4 Social structure Another important example is the extent of individualism or collectivism exhibited.Collectivism is mostly seen in the cultures of  Asia, Africa, parts of Europe and Latin America which have stronger values promoted in groups and interdependently, whereas individualism is mostly seen in the cultures of Western Europe and North America which endorse independence and individual goals. Ergo, people form collectivist societies who move to individualist societies and vice versa feel like a fish out of water. 2. 5 Individual differences The factors vary according to personality and the ability to cope with new environments. It includes age, sex, socio-economic class, and education.K nowledge about a culture and previous experience abroad are commonly considered in relation to cross-cultural adaptation. Some personality factors are generally believed to influence this process. For example, children do not have much culture shock. But when people grow to a certain age, the degree of culture shock starts to increase. Males are more malleable than females, thus they can adapt to a new culture faster. 3. The phases of Culture Shock Kalervo Oberg (1954) classified culture shock into four stages—Honeymoon, Negotiation, Adjustment and Mastery which is known as U-Curve model.Different people experience culture shock in different ways and to different degrees but they all follow Oberg’s four stages model. 3. 1 The honeymoon phase In this period, everything about the foreign culture is so new and intriguing. People feel enthusiastic, excited and fascinated about the new culture, particularly about food, drink, pace of life and locals’ habits. Figure 1 displays that they experience a level of 5. 5 in adjusting to the new culture. It is always combined with openness, curiosity, and a readiness to accept the situation.It is similar as honeymoon period that everything about it seems perfect. However, this stage lasts only for the first few weeks. Figure 1The degree of adjustment to culture shock in honeymoon phase is just over 5. 5. After this short period, the figure plunges to around 2. 5, the lowest point which is the negotiation phase and this is the real culture shock stage. When people overcome it, they will be in the adjustment phase. The figure from this stage proliferate over 4. 0, followed by the mastery phase which increases to 6. 0 and over. | 3. 2 The negotiation phaseAfter the excitement drifts away, the actual culture shock emerges. The differences between new and old cultures stand out which cause unpleasant feelings of anxiety and frustration. The degree of adjustment plummets to around 2. 5 (figure1). Generally, it is caused by language barriers, culture values, public hygiene, traffic safety or food accessibility. These differences will provoke uncertainty about oneself and the surroundings because of the lack of belonging and the unfamiliarity and disconnection with the old culture. This results in feeling lonely and homesick. Communication is the main factor.Language barrier become the catalyst of these negative emotions. It often lasts at least three months, depending on individuals. 3. 3 The adjustment phase During this stage, things become normal. This is also known as a recovery stage. People start to understand and get accustomed to and feel more comfortable with the new culture, and then they will develop their own routines. People will try overcoming their problems. The negative reactions are reduced. Thus, the language barrier and the relationship to the host nation start to improve. People are able to be more flexible and can work effectively.Figure 1 shows that the degree of adju stment is cover to that of the Honeymoon phase and even exceeds it. 3. 4 The mastery phase In the final stage, people fully and comfortably participate in the host culture and embrace the new environment, but still maintain their home culture. It is often regarded as the  biculturalism  stage. The level of acceptance often reaches 6. 5 according to Figure 1. Not every person in every situation goes through the same process of Oberg’s model. These stages often blend and overlap. It differs for individuals, and varies in length. 4. Effects of Culture Shock 4. 1 Negative effects . 1. 1 Psychological effects Change may cause stress. The symptoms of culture shock are essentially psychological. The major symptoms may be described as depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness. If depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness accumulate, the degree and extent of psychological disorientation may be deeper and deeper so that people may have difficulties in paying attention to the learning of new cultures. Moreover, psychological disorientation may influence people’s abilities to solve problems and to make decisions. This decreases the motivation for adapting to the new conditions.Most important is that when people fail to defeat the symptoms of culture shock, they are likely to become hostile to the host nationals, which may lead to negative interpersonal relationships. Therefore, dealing with psychological stress caused by culture shock such as depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness is significant for those people who come into contact with a new culture. 4. 1. 2 Physical effects However, there are also physical symptoms that may manifest themselves in the form of an increased incidence of minor illnesses (e. g. colds and headaches) or more serious psychosomatic illnesses brought on by depression. . 2 Positive effects On the contrary, not all the effects are negative. With time and patience, people can experience positive effects of culture shock, such as increased self-confidence, improved self-motivation and cultural sensitivity. Besides, people can improve their language fast. Moreover, we can learn to adapt to different people from different countries, different religious or different social values, and also learn to respect their customs and beliefs. Furthermore, it can challenge us in solving problems in daily life and finding positive effects in the difficulties.It makes people more self-confident and provokes self-motivation in the future. 5. Solutions Culture shock is normally a temporary phase. There are various ways to reduce the effects of culture shock. Everyone has to find their own balance between the values of their home country and those of the host country. 5. 1 Keep in touch Staying in touch with your family and friends at home will help you reduce and help overcome the effects of culture shock. The Internet makes it very easy to maintain regular contact, for example by using web chat or voi ce calls, or by sharing news, information and photos of your life on social networks.It is wise to set a regular time to call people back home or share photos and experiences on Facebook. 5. 2 Explore Exploring is one of the nice ways to overcome the negative emotions from culture shock. Everyone should get a copy of a travel guidebook like Lonely Planet, read it, actually study it and become familiar with it. This will help to understand the people and their history. 5. 3 Involvement Joining local activities like festivals, sport clubs or learning to cook local dishes, are ways to be proactive in making new friends. Making friends with other nonnative people can help you understand your emotions.Most importantly, making friends with local people is essential as you can learn more about their culture faster. 5. 4 Open mindedness The key to reduce negative effects of culture shock is in a positive attitude. Open mindedness is an important factor to understand and accept the new cultu re and environment. People who restrict themselves in their culture and habits find it impossible to overcome the unpleasant feeling of the new culture. Therefore, having a positive attitude and being open minded are indispensible in reducing the negative effects of culture shock. 6. ConclusionFrom one culture to another, the differences among them cause feelings of unfamiliarity. This results in a large amount of psychological stress such as depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness. However, there are various solutions for different people to deal with these symptoms. Before entering a new cultural environment, it is very important for all people to make full preparation. Understanding the process of culture shock and features of a new culture may be useful for all. Most people will experience culture shock in one form or another. It is not a sign that they have made a mistake, or that they are not coping.Learning to embrace the uncertainty and initial discomfort and findin g all of the positive things around them are essential. The symptoms will pass before too long and they will probably find that it has been a useful learning experience, whether they intend to return to their home country or not. Bibliography [1] Ashim C. Uwaje, â€Å"Culture shock, Re-Integration and Re-Entry culture shock – Managing Cultural Differences† 2009 [2] Furnham, A. and S. Bochner, â€Å"Culture Shock: Psychological Reactions to Unfamiliar Environments† London and New York: Methuen & Co Limited, 1986 [3] Grant G.Frost, â€Å"A Consideration of How Non-aboriginal Educators Working Among First Nations Populations May Be Particularity Susceptible To the Effects of Culture Shock† Mount Saint Vincent University, September 2007 [4] Manz Sonja, â€Å"Culture Shock – Causes, Consequences and Solutions: The International Experience† 2003 [5] Oberg Kalvero, â€Å"Cultural Shock: adjustment to new cultural environments† Practical Anthropology, 7, 1960: 177-182 [6] Rachel Irwin, â€Å"Culture shock: negotiating feelings in the field† Anthropology Matters Journal, University of Oxford, 2007, Vol 9 (1) [7] Sheila M.Fabrizio, â€Å"Cultural adaptation in outdoor programming† Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, 9(2), 2005: 44-56 [8] Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Culture_shock#Reverse_culture_shock Culture Shock Hadi Islais, SALP 501AB (21044/21045) Developmental Composition. 4/11/13 What is culture shock? Some people would say it is only just a few new things you may find in another countries that is not that hard to get used to it, but I don’t think so because culture shock is a huge things and that is why it is been called shock and you have to learn how to live with in the new place that you going to be live at. There are many new things that person should know before moving to another culture such as the new language, the country’s rules, and the new weather.Learning the new language of the new country consider one of the important things to do to communicate with the people. First of all, you should know about the new language that you are going to use in the new culture. It is too hard to live in a community without knowing how to talk with the people because in this way you will not be able to move from your place to wherever you want you to go. Also you are going to wa ste a lot of time trying to explain to the people the things you are trying to say and you will be using the sign language until you be able to learn the new language.Knowing the rules of the new country you are going to live in will always help you to be in the safe side and never have a problems. First of all, you have to learn about the driving rules if you are planning to drive a car or any other vehicles. Some country like the US they are very serious about it and consider it an important thing to learn all the rules and take both the writing and the driving test. On the other hand, other countries like Saudi Arabia doesn’t really care that much about driving rules and that is why it is one of the countries that have a high records of cars accidents every day.Second, you have to know the school’s rules if you are planning to study in a new countries. Some countries like the US consider attending all the classes a very important rule and student should not miss any class unless the student have an emergence reason for example like a medical appointment. In the end, knowing all the rules about the country you are going to will always keep you in the safe side. Knowing about the weather is an important thing to know, so you don’t get sick because of the weather changing between you previous and new culture.First of all, many countries may have too many different change in the weather. For example the weather in Los Angeles, Ca is beautiful most of the time. It is not that hot in the summer, also not the cold in the winter. Weather doesn’t really change a lot like in other countries. In the summer the weather is very nice, so the people can spend their holidays or the weekends on the beach and enjoying their time with their family or their friend. The can swim, play with sand, or lie on the beach. In The winter, they can go camping. Many people like to do it in the winter.These are some of the things that make the weather different than other countries like Middle East countries. In conclusion, moving from your culture to another culture is a difficult thing and you should know as much as you can about the new culture you are moving to. You have to learn their language so, you will be able to communicate with the people in there. Also you should know the rules about this country, so you don’t get in trouble. Finally you have to know about the weather in this new place and cooperate with the other weather in your country.

Does Applying Early Decision Increase My Chances?

Students with their hearts set on attending a specific college often want to know how they can increase their odds of acceptance. Will attending summer programs give them a boost? How about contacting a local alumna? We hear these questions a lot, but there’s one we hear far more often than all the others—will applying early decision increase my chances? It was previously believed that applying early decision or early action offered no significant advantage to applying regular decision at most colleges. Is this still the case? Keep reading to find out how applying early decision can impact your odds of acceptance. It’s easy enough to look up acceptance rates, and anyone who does so will notice that most schools have higher acceptance rates for early decision applicants, sometimes significantly so. To the untrained eye, this might make it seem like early decision is an easier round of admissions, but this ignores a big piece of the puzzle. Students who apply early decision might be more qualified overall than those who apply regular decision. After all, they are the students who have decided months ahead of time where they want to attend college. Maybe this also means they are the same students who have been ahead of other curves throughout their high school years. While it’s hard to find statistics about the average SAT or GPA of early decision applicant pools, it’s safe to say that students who apply early are forward thinking planners who pay close attention to detail. Could this alone account for the sometimes very large discrepancy between acceptance rates? At , we have experience working with thousands of college hopefuls and we have access to thousands of other data points gathered through our own research. While we used to believe that the higher acceptance rates of early decision programs were accounted for by more highly qualified applicants, we now believe that the difference in acceptance rates between early and regular decision cannot entirely be accounted for by differences in the applicant pool. Our data shows that applicants across the board have a higher chance of gaining acceptance when they apply through early decision, even when differences in candidate strength are accounted for. This means that the average student is more likely to get in when he or she applies early decision than when the same student applies regular decision to the same school.    Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Early decision applicants are a sure thing for colleges, many of which want to accurately predict their yield. Yield is an important factor for colleges. Essentially, it is the percent of accepted students who end up enrolling. Not only is this an important factor to predict accurately for financial purposes (since a full class brings more tuition), but it is also weighed by many college rankings. Early decision applicants help a college to more accurately predict yield because they have committed to attending even before they are offered an acceptance. As Karen Richardson, the dean of undergraduate admissions and enrollment management at Tufts says, â€Å"The biggest difference between ED and students is that those who apply ED have already decided that Tufts is the place that they want to be. As the ED pool has grown and gotten stronger, it’s difficult to say ‘no’ to good students who are good fits and who have made the commitment to attend if accepted.† Richardson goes on to note that Tufts specifically does not offer Early Action, because its non-binding nature makes yield projections difficult. With so many qualified candidates now applying through early decision programs, it’s easy to see why colleges are apt to favor them. In fact, at many schools, early decision applicants are accepted at rates 10-12% higher than regular decision applicants. While it doesn’t offer as significant a boost as early decision, most early action programs still provide some admissions advantage. For Single-Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action programs, the admissions benefits can be around 6-8%, while for normal Early Action, the admissions benefits hover around 4-6%. While these might seem negligible, keep in mind that the overall acceptance rate at many top schools is now below 10%. A 6 point advantage can be significant when we’re talking about such low acceptance rates. Early action programs probably don’t offer as big of an advantage as early decision because they don’t offer as big of an advantage to colleges, either. Early action, even single-choice or restrictive early action, still leave room for accepted students to change their mind and attend another school. While the applicant’s demonstrated interest is still seen as an advantage to admissions committees, it isn’t as significant as the sure bet that early decision applicants represent. Of course, to every rule there is an exception, and this is no different. While most colleges do accept early decision and even early action students at higher rates, this isn’t true of all schools across the board. Most notably, the early action acceptance rate at MIT is just 6.9%, compared to the regular decision acceptance rate of 6.7%. So, while most colleges do favor early decision candidates, the degree to which this occurs varies from one school to another, and at some schools, it can even be insignificant. To learn more about optimizing your chances of getting into your top choice school, consider enlisting the help of ’s Applications Guidance service. Here, you will be paired with a personal admissions specialist from a top a college who can provide step-by-step guidance through the entire application process.

Cyber Security Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cyber Security - Coursework Example The paper tells that in the current age of union of communication and technology, one cannot resist or keep away from being affected by internet, cyber space, cell phones and computers. However as we marvel our lives due to these technologies and feel blessed, we can’t stop thinking about our own security and safety over the cyber space. Either it be physical security, personal information security or security of our computer’s hardware and soft ware, we are concerned about our safety. Then what basically is cyber security? It is guarding your physical and personal data from any vulnerability such as a digital asset accumulated in your computer, hard disk or any of the memory drives. Firstly, you need to search that what kinds of vulnerabilities you can meet on the internet and what should you do to counter them. There are many distinct types of vulnerabilities and each one of them is serious in its own sense and asks for solutions to overcome it. The higher the vulnera bility is, the more complicated or intricate measure would be taken to implement security measures to protect your own self. Beginning from plain malicious codes or malware to grave viruses which can erase all the data on your computers or gulp all the contents of your windows; hackers can utilize your personal data for their deceitful purposes. These are risks that if not properly addressed can create acute problems for you. Often these malicious codes or spyware get into your computer when you enter a new website or open an unknown mail. Every application has some loop holes which are identified by hackers and then it becomes easier for them to exploit your programs. They get access to these files and copy and harm computer applications by clinging themselves to either the junk mail you receive or through your local network provider. These deceitful codes are usually very intricate and tricky so that a normal person using Personal computer cannot access them. IT professionals spen d huge amount of their time to solve these codes. These codes are not only restricted to spyware and malware but also consist of bugs, worms and viruses which are a cause of a lot of damage. (Cyber Security (2010)) These malicious codes are very harmful indeed but there is a bigger imposter than them. These are the attackers or hackers. They are much hazardous and harmful then these mere codes. Codes and Viruses can only do what they are designed to do by the original programmer. However, these attackers and hackers are living people who can obtain the necessary information they require and then use it for their own malicious purposes. But sometimes hackers might just be having fun! They want to try their hacking skills and get into your computer just to know how to hack and learn it rather than for any sort of personal benefit. (Cyber Security (2010)) Top Cyber Security Vulnerabilities The Database of National Vulnerability Version 2.2 is vulnerability management data which is run by the United States government and is characterized by SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol). This data helps in computerization of management of vulnerability, all security measures you can take to avoid it, and obedience or agreement to these measures. National Vulnerability Database

Article the First Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article the First - Essay Example Nevertheless, the congress representative succeeded in 1791 when a three-quarters majority ratified the Bill of Rights to become the law guiding the nation (Publishing & Duignan, 2013). Although this was a major breakthrough in the US history as far as constitutional reforms are concerned, the congress failed to ratify Article the First, which became the center for debate owing to the varying reactions elicited by the divided Congress on the matter. Article the First was a proposed amendment to the constitution of the United Sates whereby it sought to determine both the minimum and the maximum number of representatives at the US hose of Congress (Vile, 2012). As a federalist, one would support Article the First of the Constitution of the US, owing to the democratic space that America enjoys today due to liberal laws besides the fact that this amendment would change history in that more American citizens would feel represented and participate fully in an all-inclusive government. In 1 789, the American representatives of the House of congress were involved in hectic constitutional amendment procedures that saw some articles incorporated into the bill of Rights that formed the constitution of the United States (Vile, 2012). However, some contentious articles did not make it to the constitution following the strong opposition to them by the antifederalists. In this regard, Article the First, which came to be the first proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States of America, did not pass the ratification test although its proponents particularly the federalists pushed hard for its ratification (Vile, 2010). Also known as the congressional Appointment Amendment, Article the First was the first, as the name suggests, of the twelve amendments that the first congress delivered on 25th September 1789 (Publishing & Duignan, 2013). In accordance to Article V of the constitution of the United Sates, the first congress submitted Article the First for ratificat ion. However, the state legislatures failed to ratify the article despite the fact that they ratifies many other articles that became the Bill or Rights that formed the constitution of the United States of America (Vile, 2012). Fundamentally, the major framework o Article the First entailed the setting of the size of representatives of the House of Congress whereby the maximum and the minimum number of Congress representatives was clearly determined by the article (Publishing & Duignan, 2013). In this case, the article contemplated a scenario whereby one Congress Representative would represent thirty thousand American citizens until the total number of representatives would reach one hundred. Thereafter, it would be the responsibility of the congress to regulate the number of representatives so as not to go below one hundred. In this regard, Wolverton (2013) reports that the Bill of Rights envisaged that: After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor

Transportation Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Transportation Excellence - Essay Example Another reason why transport costs are increasing is the increasing focus of companies to give total satisfaction to the customers who want to enjoy the good here and now, or at least, as soon as possible. Included among these customers are those who buy on impulse after seeing an ad on the television and who expect the product to be available at the nearest corner store. This is a perennial supply chain challenge to transportation services. Well, perhaps this is an exaggeration, but it brings home the point that the desire of consumers for instant gratification is one of the factors that drive up the share of transportation costs in the price of the final product. This also why companies are getting obsessed with transport speed, efficiency, and costs. It is therefore easy to understand why the excellence of the overall supply chain is linked to the excellence of the transportation system. Any breakdowns or snags in the latter (transport) would greatly affect the performance of the former (SCM). Transportation systems are but one component of SCM, but it is a major one that accounts for a big chunk of the total cost of implementing SCM. As the case material indicates, transportation costs can range between 3 and 7 percent of total sales, and this amounts to millions of dollars of expenses each year even for small- and mid-sized companies. This is why SCM practitioners call this the low-hanging fruit where improvements can raise profits considerably: every percentage point in transport cost savings go directly to the bottom line. Take as an example the simple solution of improving transport efficiency by doubling the capacity of a delivery van. For almost the same cost, you automatically halve the transport cost of the goods delivered because one trip allows you to deliver twice as much. Of course, improving transportation efficiency is not as simple as that, because most SCM solutions require goods to be delivered at the right amount, at the right time, and to the right place. This means that dumping twice the inventory to a buyer would not always be welcome. It may even lead to losses if the goods are not sold and returned. There are four ways for companies to take control of transportation processes and bring down transportation related costs: process improvement, shipment optimization (which is the example we cited above), continuous moves, and carrier management. Of these four, we will focus on the first: process improvement. Process improvement involves changing (for the better, hence, an improvement) the way that key transportation and logistics processes are carried out. There are several ways of doing this. The first is by automating key processes using advanced transportation management systems (TMS). Automation applied to manual tasks like shipment planning, carrier selection, tendering and acceptance can cut down errors and inefficiencies by

Tenn-Tech Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tenn-Tech Plc - Case Study Example The situation demands a prompt and a proactive action from the top management. Hence it is vital to bring in a new management accounting approach that is more in consonance with the prevalent developments and circumstances. Resorting to throughput accounting seems to be just the right approach for Tenn-Tech Plc in the existing scenario. However, this is easier said then done. This calls for a total paradigm shift on the part of the key players and the stakeholders at Tenn-Tech Plc. It is imperative for the top echelons of power at Tenn-Tech Plc to be cognizant of the marked shift in their perception that an adherence to a new management accounting system will call for. Throughput accounting will not be merely an another management accounting system, but will be in fact an entire new way in which the organization under consideration will be required to perceive itself and its role in the global market scenario ("Throughput Accounting" 67). The basic fault with the activity-based costing system that till now was being resorted to by Tenn-Tech Plc is that it believes that the efficiencies yielded by the changes wrought in the localized factors within the company, be it the marketing department, manufacturing or any other section, will automatically lead to enhanced over all efficiencies (Corbett 38). That is why the directors and the top management are wasting their strength, time and efforts in criticizing and finding faults with the individual local sections wi thin the company. While the Financial Director seems to be at loggerheads with the Marketing Director, the Chief Executive Boris Barker has already given way to a serious labour problem with the aid of the Management Accountant Huggenkis, both of them being guided by their obsession for covering the unreasonable overheads. No doubt such moves appear to be narrowly reactionary in their approach, rather then being all inclusive and visionary. The basic fault with the management accounting system at Tenn-Tech Plc is that it is based on the fundamental premise that for an organizational chain to be really strong, it is a must that all the links in it be really sturdy and tough (Corbett 41). This definitely sounds good, but is surely not true in a real life scenario.Throughput accounting is an alternative approach to management accounting that holds that the eventual strength of an organizational chain is determined by the strength of the weakest link in that chain (Corbett 41). This app roach towards management accounting is based on the theory of constraints proposed by E.M. Goldratt in his novel The Goal. This approach will conclusively address the dilemma being faced by Tenn-Tech Plc, which is how to design a more efficient management accounting system. According to throughput accounting, the notion of allocating costs to products, which was till now being adhered to by Tenn-Tech Plc is inherently faulty and invariably leads to wrong decisions. As interpreted and suggested by the theory of constraints, Tenn-Tech needs to be viewed as a system that consists of several individual and interdependent elements. Thus the primary task before Tenn-Tech is to be conversant with the constraints existing within this system. According

Assignment 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

5 - Assignment Example The graph shows that the percentages of the native speaker interlocutor were higher in all the categories above. The findings are that a native speaker interlocutor achieves greater accuracy and systematicity with the learner since the interviewers native language shares the same bound morphemes as those of the learner. The native speaker achieves higher percentage in plural and person singular over the non-native speaker. The percentages mean that a learner will learn to pronounce plural and singular words better when a native interlocutor teaches them to pronounce the words. The second graph depicts the effects of NNS and NS interlocutors on target language utterances of free morphemes on a learner in copula, the indefinite article and definite article categories. The NNS interlocutor achieves higher percentages in all categories as compared to NS speaker. An NNS interlocutor will enable a learner to link sentences accurately better using joining verbs or copula. The difference in learning the curve of indefinite articles between the NNS and NS is very minimal. An NNS interlocutor will enable a learner to use the definite article, the in a better way than an NS interlocutor. In conclusion, an NNS will effectively teach a learner to adopt a better sentence structure while an NS interlocutor will teach a learner to pronounce the sentences and achieve

To what extent do transnational media exert influence on Asian Essay

To what extent do transnational media exert influence on Asian countries ---outline - Essay Example The sweeping wave of globalization has greatly impacted the media industry. Today, national and regional boundaries have ceased to contain flaws and flows even as countries struggle to institute measures to control international communications a noted by Alterman (1998). There are several advantages and disadvantages that have been associated with international communication as presented by media. Some of its advantages include the easy flow of ideas, influencing such things as transnational movements of people, capital, and goods. New practices in media have greatly shaped media spaces leading to the establishment of contemporary cultures and doing away with age old orders. Asian countries previously were considered to be closed societies, almost geographically isolated from one another (TBS nd). This has however changed due to a myriad of reasons. This study will focus on the extent to which transnational media influences Asian countries. Main Objective 1. To establish the extent t o which transnational media has influenced Asian countries Specific Objectives 1. To establish the presence and operation of transnational media in Asian countries 2. To establish the extent to which transnational media operates in various Asian countries 3.

Political Disputes In Early Nineteenth Century Essay Example for Free

Political Disputes In Early Nineteenth Century Essay The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and morale as well as economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Because of this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reconciliation that just fell short. Among those were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Great Compromise of 1850. Other tempestuous attempts led to the Tariff/Nullification Controversy, anti slavery debates in congress, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Whether it was one side or the other, there was always someone to oppose and in some cases, defy the laws put in place, which eventually led to the succession of the southern states and the Civil War. The issue of slavery became an even greater concern when the Louisiana Purchase territories were to enter the Union as states. The question was, would new territories enter the Union as slave or free states? The South wanted a balance of power. They knew that if the North were to have more free states, then slavery in the south could be facing extinction through congress. In an attempt to conciliate with the South, the North agreed upon the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Through this, slavery was banned above the 36 degrees 30 minute line and Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine a free state. For a while, it retained the balance of power. However, tempers in the south rose again later in the 1820s over high tariffs. The tariffs benefitted the north but threatened southern cotton exports. In 1828, the tariff was around 50%. President Jackson modified it to around 33% in 1832 only to have South Carolina nullify it in the state. It raised the question of whether or not the federal government could legally impose protective tariffs and whether it was constitutional for a state to nullify a federal law. South Carolinaby a course of legislationcan defeat the execution of certain laws of the United States.it is utterly impracticable [Document A] Henry Clay believed it impractical for South Carolina to oppose the federal law and also believed that South Carolina had no intention of leaving the Union, which depicts just how blind people were to just how great the rift really was. In 1833, the Compromise Tariff was put into place and would reduce rates to 20% by 1842. At this time, most people considered compromise to still be possible. As time goes on, slavery becomes as much of a moral  issue as a political one. The American Anti-Slavery Society believed that the practice of slavery was against Gods teaching and that those who kept slaves were man stealers. [Document B] Slaves should be set free and slaveholders shouldnt be compensated a dime. we concede the Congresshas no right to interfere with any of the slave statesBut we maintain that Congress has a rightto suppress the domestic slave trade [Document B] As abolitionists started to make an even greater fuss over slavery, congress was backed into a corner. To release the slaves and prevent slavery in the new territories would incite the wrath of the South, however to allow more slave states to enter the Union would anger the abolitionists. Eventually, the gag rule was put into place. All petitions, memorials, [etc.]to the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery, shallbe laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon. [Document C] However, each time a territory wanted to become a state, whether slavery would be permitted or not was a forefront issue starting with the lands gained from the Mexican War. The Compromise of 1850 was put into place here. California was admitted as a free state and New Mexico and Utah entered under popular sovereignty (the citizens would decide whether they wanted slavery or not.) From this compromise also came a stronger Fugitive Slave Law (all escaped slaves were to be tu rned in and returned.) Northerners blatantly ignored this federal law which angered the Southerners, for when they had tried not to comply to a federal law, they had been punished. [Document D] The Southerners felt wronged, and rightly so. Compromise seemed less and less possible. In 1854, there were questions on whether there should be slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territories, even though it was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise. The South was unhappy about this however because the shaky balance of power would then decisively shift to the North. The South needed more slave states. Because of this, the Missouri Compromise was then repealed. Popular sovereignty was then ruled in the territories. At the sound of that, abolitionists and pro-slavery citizens began to rush Kansas in spades. Fighting broke out so horrifically it was given the name Bleeding Kansas. During this, a new political party arose: the Free-Soilers. They were against slavery and fought state constitutions such as the Lecompton Constitution. After this, slavery issues began to spin out of control. Things like the Dred Scott Decision and John  Browns Raid and other slave revolts kept slavery at the forefront of everyones minds. The Free-Soilers then turned into the Republicans who firmly believed in the end slavery. Compromise was now nearly impossible. The possibility of compromise was then nailed shut when a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, won the election of 1860. North Carolina then seceded from the Union and other southern states soon followed suit. Its possible that if the South had only picked one candidate, they could have won the election. [Document H] But because they hadnt, the South then felt threatened. And because they felt threatened, they seceded. The reasons and events stated led to the eventual conclusion of the impossibility of compromise by 1860.

Consequence Global warming

Consequence Global warming Introduction Climate change and a consequence global warming can be seen all around us. It has already started shaping each and every aspect of our lives in more than one ways: from how we travel to what products we buy to where we live. Hence, there is a concern that the use of non-renewable fuels and other human activities are increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. To avoid this, enthusiasm is spreading for cap-and-trade systems to regulate the amount of CO2 emitted to Earths atmosphere. A new currency is emerging in world markets. Unlike the dollars, Euros and yen that trade for tangible goods and human services, this new money exchanges for pollutionparticularly emissions of carbon dioxide, which are caused by burning fossil fuels and are the leading cause of global climate change. Carbon credits, as they are called, are poised to transform the world energy system and thus the world economy. Carbon credits are used as a currency that allows companies and individuals to compensate their carbon emissions. This is done by either reducing carbon dioxide release directly or through offsetting their GHG outputs. Carbon Credits originated historically from The United Nations Clean Development Mechanism which was under the Kyoto Protocol. It allows a fixed quantity of carbon credits to be traded. It is important for people to limit their impact on the environment and buy carbon credits to offset what they cant reduce and work towards reducing their offsets. Carbon trading as per the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a big business in the open markets. Projects such as development of renewable energy, improving polluting industries, and planting carbon absorbing sinks are being funded by carbon credits. Companies and people are becoming carbon conscious by reducing their emissions. Many types of events and workings can generate carbon offsets. Renewable energy such as the wind farms, solar panels, geothermal energy, bio energy and small hydro turbines can create carbon offsets by replacing fossil fuels. Other varieties of offsets available for sale in the market include those including methane capturing from landfills or livestock, destruction of harmful greenhouse gases such as halocarbons, and carbon removal projects (such as reforestation) that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Emission levels are increasing around the world and this has resulted in a number of companies wishing to buy more carbon credits. This would result in an increase in its market price and this would encourage businesses to perform more eco-friendly activities which would create more carbon credits to sell. Developed countries spend nearly $400-450 for every ton of reduction in CO2, as compared to $10-$25 spent by developing countries. Indias GHG emission is below the target and therefore, it can sell surplus credits to other countries. India is considered to possess about 31% of the total world carbon trade. This implies a trade opportunity of $25bn by 2010.This makes trading in carbon credits such a major business opportunity. Indiahas emerged as the leading horse in this race. More than 300 Indian entities have proceeded with their application for registering their CDM Project to avail carbon credits. Currently,1 carbon credit is worth 14 Euros. Indian companies can pose higher incomes from carbon credits as compared to their core business. The global carbon credit market was estimated $30 billion last year andis it is growing at tremendous pace. There is a need and a consequent demand to reduce 1 billion ton of carbon emissions in the world, in order to deal with threats like global warming. Indian companies have realized that money can be earned by becoming eco-friendly. With new infrastructure sector like power and steel developing in India, the carbon credit market will gain stature. The 800 million farming community in India also has an opportunity to sell Carbon Credits to developed nations. Companies like Wal-Mart, Dell and GE are going GREEN and purchasing carbon credits. These companies are improving their brand name, consumer confidence in their products. Global Warming Some Facts Global Warming Phenomenon Global warming has brought about one of the biggest challenges for planet earth in the 21st century. There is a global concern about the adverse impact of the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) on the planet earths climate. Global warming is a phenomenon of gradual increase in earths temperature as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases. This is mainly due to two reasons: increase in human activities which have led to an increased production of Greenhouse Gases, and a reduction in the Earths natural Carbon Dioxide due to Deforestation. The green house effect has led to an increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the earths surface. Shortwave light comes from the sun to the earth, and it passes unimpeded through a cover of greenhouse gases composed mainly of water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Infrared radiation reflects off the planets surface toward space but does not easily pass through the thermal blanket. Some of it is trapped and reflected downward, keeping the planet at an average temperature suitable to life, about 60 °F (16 °C). Increase in the quantity of greenhouse gases is trapping more heat and increasing global temperatures, making a process that has been beneficial to life potentially disruptive and harmful. The major natural greenhouse gases on Earth are Greenhouse Gases % of Greenhouse Effect Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 70% Methane (CH4) 20% Nitrous Oxide 5% Fluorinated Gases 5% The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and methane have increased by 31% and 149% respectively above pre-industrial levels since 1750. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years. Effects of Global Warming Action must be taken against greenhouse effect, otherwise it could lead to an increase in average global temperature between 2 and 4 degrees and this could happen as early as the year 2030. This increase in temperature would be more towards the poles as compared to the tropics. This would also result in more winters becoming warmer. Such an increase will make the world hotter than it has ever been in the last 100,000 years. The rate of increase in temperature will also be faster than ever before. Just a comparison, a rise of approx 3 degrees Celsius after the ice age took many thousands of years. By the end of this century temperatures can reach those that were in the time of the dinosaurs making the survival of humans impossible. The effects can already be seen- the ten hottest years since the 18th century have been in the previous 15 years. Hurricanes will occur more frequently as oceans heat up resulting in increased water evaporation. Evidence is building at an dangerous rate. Droughts Continental areas will dry out in summer. Floods Sea levels are currently rising at a rate of around 1 mm each year due the top layer expansion of the oceans as they heat up and the polar ice caps melts. The predicted increase in the sea level by 2050 is between 20 and 50mm. This will cause greater flooding in coastal and low lying areas. Carbon Emission A major feature One of the major greenhouse gases is the carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Trees grow and they absorb CO2 from the air. Forest clearance and the burning of wood (tropical rain forests) are adding the CO2 to the atmosphere. Deforestation is getting out of control. The loss of the forests implies that there are lesser trees to absorb CO2. Despite deforestation making a large contribution towards global warming, it causes lesser contribution than half the yearly total CO2 released, the remaining and major part comes from burning coal, fossil fuels and oils. The fossil fuels are consumed in cars, power stations and factories. Nearly half of the CO2 which is released by burning fossil fuels is absorbed back by the oceans. It is taken up by sea life or it is dragged to the ocean depths by the circulation of water. Recent studies have suggested that as the earth heats up, the oceans will become less efficient in absorbing Carbon di-oxide, leaving more of CO2 in the atmosphere and hence adding further to global warming. The following Pie Chart shows the various countries globally responsible for increasing shares of carbon dioxide emission. Source: news.mongabay.com Efforts to contain Global warming It is imperative to slow down the global warming as much as possible. This would in effect happen by using less fossil fuel, eliminating the uses CFCs altogether, and stopping irregular deforestation. This can be done through energy conservation, better use of public transport, more efficient cars, and energy efficiency by greater use of alternative sources of power which produces less CO2 than conventional sources and through renewable energy such as solar power. We have to stop deforestation of rain forests and start afforestation. A United Nations research panel has estimated that we should reduce global fuel use by 60% immediately so that we can stabilize the climate changes. Current commitments by some governments participating in CO2 reduction will lower global CO2 by just 4 6%. The developed industrialized nations produce most of the CO2, the developing nations of South America and Asia are increasing their CO2 release at a much greater rate, and by 2012 they will overtake the Western countries as the major producers of CO2. KYOTO PROTOCOL OVERVIEW Kyoto Protocol A response to curtail Global Warming The Kyoto Protocol acts as an amendment to the international treaty of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (â€Å"UNFCCC†). It pledges mandatory emission norms to the nations who have signed the protocol for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It was established December 11, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. Countries that ratify this protocol pledge to reduce their CO2 and five other greenhouse gases emissions, and/or engage in emissions trading if they increase emissions of these gases. The Kyoto Protocol now encompasses more than 160 countries around the globe and more than 60% of countries in terms of global greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol works upon a collective reduction of 5% compared to 1990 levels by 2008-2012. This treaty expires in 2012 and international talks have already begun in May 2007 to chalk out a new future treaty to succeed the current one. Source: IPCC Third Assessment Report. 2001 Climate Change : The Scientific Basis. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Green house gases have a disastrous effect on global warming with varying proportions. This intensity is measured by the global warming potential of the gas. The GWP of carbon dioxide is one. One tonne of HFC-23 gas, for example, has 11,700 times more green house effect as compared to CO2. CERs are awarded on the basis of global warming potential of the gas. CER to a gas = Tonnes of green house gas reduced X Global Warming Potential of the Gas Features of Kyoto Protocol As per the Kyoto Protocol, Governments have been divided into two broad categories: Developed countries (they have accepted GHG emission reduction obligations and they are mandated to submit an annual greenhouse gas inventory report) Developing countries (they have no GHG emission reduction obligations but they can participate in Clean Development Mechanism) As per the rules, Any Annex I country which fails to meet the Kyoto obligation would be penalized by been mandated to submit 1.3 times its emission allowances in the second commitment period for every ton of GHG emissions cap they exceed in their first commitment period. The objective of the protocol is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.† It aims to Put a limit onclimate change and global warming Reduce arbitrary usage of fossil fuels and encourage development and use of renewable energy Encourage sustainable development Operation of Emission Trading System Mechanisms under Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol pioneered by defining three innovative and distinct â€Å"flexibility mechanisms† to reduce the overall costs of achieving the set emissions targets. These mechanisms enable countries and organizations to adopt cost-effective opportunities to reduce emissions and/or to remove carbon from the atmosphere. While the cost of putting a cap on emissions varies considerably from region to region, thebenefit for the atmosphere is the same, no matter where the action is taken. Joint Implementation (JI): The Kyoto Protocol provides clauses for developed countries to implement projects that reduce emissions, and/or remove carbon from the atmosphere as per the Emission Reduction Units (ERUs). These ERUs can be potentially used to meet the emission reduction targets. A JI project may involve, for example, replacing a coal-fired power plant with a more efficient combined heat and power plant. JI projects must have a prior approval of all the entities involved, and must lead to emissions reductions or removal that are additional to any that would have occurred without the project. International Emission Trading (IET): The Kyoto Protocol also provides that developed countries can get carbon units from other developing parties and use them for meeting their emissions target. This enables developed countries to use low cost opportunities to reduce emissions. Such countries must, consequently, be prepared to transfer units when they do not require them for compliance with their own emission targets.CER: Certified Emission Reduction Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): Developed countries can take up GHG reduction project activities in developing countries where the cost of greenhouse gas reduction project activities is lower. The developed country would get the credits for meeting its emission targets. The developing country would get the capital and technology to implement the project. This technique is called Clean Development Mechanism. CDM covers projects in countries without any set targets, i.e. developing countries. Credits would be issued only for reductions if a project provides real and long-term climate change benefits. The main advantages for countries hosting CDM or JI emission reduction projects are the transfer of technology, attraction of foreign investment, and the contribution to the countrys sustainable development. GLOBAL SCENARIO The international CDM market has entered a high phase, having grown steadily after the Kyoto Protocol came into effect. The emission reduction targets during the first commitment phase of 2008 -12 for Annex II countries, are 713 Million tone CO2 eq. The initial national communication submitted by Annex I countries indicates a total demand of 846 Million tonne CO2 eq. per year based on the individual country commitment and action to reduce emissions. The Past highlights of the International carbon market are: In 2006, market traded an estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in all market segments compared to approximately 799 million tCO2e in 2005. Similarly, the financial value more than doubled from 2005 to 2006, with a total estimate of USD 22.5 billion for all market segments. In 2007, the market traded an estimated 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2e, at a total financial size of USD 23.6 billion. The projection for carbon market towards 2010 indicates With a high scenario, wherein the private sector predominates, the global carbon market can reach around USD 200 billion. With limited private sector participation and some speculations, it can be restricted to as low as USD 4.6 billion. It is estimated that the real market will be somewhere in between these two extremes with a forecasted carbon trade of USD 30 billion. INDIAN SCENARIO India is presently one of the world leaders in development of CDM projects. It is due to the Indian Designated National Authority that more than 297 project proposals with an emission reduction potential of over 297 million t CO2 have received the approval of the official host country. A wide range of project sizes and types in India help international buyers find the project of their choice or work upon a project portfolio to reduced risks. There is a huge evident potential for renewable energy generation from natural factors such as agriculture wastes, hydro and wind. Thermal electricity generation offers unlimited opportunities to improve energy efficiency. One example is the coal-fired power plants and the related transmission and distribution system. The chemical industry also allows reductions of industrial GHG which have large warming potentials The Carbon RUSH JSW Steel: The CDM has made environmental responsibility acceptable for India Industries. Recycle, reuse and reduce have become commercially viable as companies reprocess waste and heat, and cut down carbon emissions. Indias JSW Steel has been awarded about 5.4 million carbon credits, which includes 4 million carbon credits obtained from the single largest issuance of emissions permit by the U.N. to a Kyoto Protocol project. The 4 million credit issuance accounted for 6.5 % of the total 62 million CERs which were allocated by the UN. A total of around with 42 % of all issued credits have been assigned to ongoing projects in India. CERs were issued to two projects owned by JSW Steel for reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 2001 and 2006. Their CDM projects cut gases emitted through power generation from imported coal and waste gases from JSWs steel manufacturing operations. Current Problems with the Environment Integrity of CDM a practical perspective Unfortunately, despite pressure from the environmental community and other sectors, the CDM rules and the project design document still offer little guarantee of environmental integrity. The main weaknesses of CDM procedures in that regard include: The contribution to sustainable development including a transition away from ‘carbon dirty technologies and an emphasis on positive social and environmental impacts is often treated as an optional extra rather than a central project feature. Demand reform in CDM procedures so that there is transparency; accountability of different players (penalties on consultants and DOEs) Demand price negotiations have to be made public, otherwise will lead to corruption Demand simpler procedures (less convoluted methodologies for additionalityetc) so that meaningful projects can work Large public companies (GAIL, SAIL, IOCL, etc)are yet to take off with CDM business, due to lack of knowledge of CDM opportunities Potential in small and medium enterprises yet to be tapped Lack of transparency in CDM market Limited bilateral investment for project funding Governments role critical as a facilitator with different bilateral /multilateral organizations in organizing Carbon trade fairs or expos Number of Bilateral CDM projects need to be increased with more foreign investment for project funding Lack of awareness about CDM Tedious process High cost involved for documentation, validation and Monitoring Verification of emission reductions Inability of new promoters to bring in equity to be able to avail of financing As mentioned above, these problems stem in part from the weaknesses in the existing rules. At the same time, while it is possible that these flaws will be rectified by the CDM Executive Board in the near-future, the extreme pressure from investors to keep carbon prices at their lowest is forcing the project developers to cut corners. Business Implications The London financial marketplace has established itself as the center of the carbon finance market as a market for trading of the carbon emissions as per the Kyoto Protocol. This was estimated at $60 billion in 2007. The irony in the carbon trading endeavor could be noticed from the fact that it was the major multinational corporations who came together in the G8 Climate Change Roundtable, at the January 2005 World Economic Forum. This group was primarily a business group formed by 23 companies. Since, these corporations are the ones who have been chief proponents of ‘overconsumption, it seemed like a method by way of which they could clear their conscience of the damage that they were causing to the environment and planet earth. In June 2005 the Group published a statement stating that there was a need to act on climate change and the stress was on market-based solutions. The business in the UK and elsewhere have come out strongly in support of emissions trading as a key tool to limit the effects of climate change, and these efforts have been supported by Green NGOs. As per the Unites Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation FAO, approx 32 million acres of forests vanish each year, majority of them are in the tropics. The most important reason for forest clearing is the increasing need for agricultural land. The WWF has warned that if appropriate steps are not taken, more than 60 percent of the rain forests in the Amazon basin could disappear by 2030. Carbon trading was introduced by the Kyoto Protocol as a possible solution of the efforts to reduce GHG emissions to below 1990 levels by 2012. The mainstream idea was that the countries whose emissions are below the prescribed emissions could then sell those excess carbon credits to countries that do not meet their own caps. The caps are proposed to decrease over time and the price of carbon credits would rise due to scarcity. These signals towards a changing trend of carbon emission trading which would include a new global carbon emission based investment market, where companies and countries have incentives to invest in developing projects across the globe. All this is happening for the wrong reasons, as this is a method of obtaining the highly coveted carbon credits. This seems to be a sore point for those against carbon trading. As an example, Google has a market value of $200 billion, while all the worlds great forests are valued at nothing. The economic argument says that it makes it financially more appealing to countries not to allow their forests to be cut down. Moral tradeoff Some critiques of Carbon Emission Trading believe that there is a huge moral trade off in place. A study on child care centres in Israel showed that imposing monetary fines on late coming parents did not teach them a lesson in punctuality; in fact, this created an economic trade off as now the parents could voluntarily come late and get away by paying fines. Drawing an analogy from it, the carbon credit trading is on similar lines except that one firm can be willing to pay for extra emissions by compensating the other firm which reduces its carbon emissions. This increases a scarcity and hence the price of carbon pollution. Can the interests of both the rich the poor be served? The major concern about the entire carbon credit trading evolution is the belief that the carbon emission trading really serves rich nations only; the main stream issue being that carbon trading could put the vital resources of the developing world in the hands of developed nations who can then use carbon credits as a way to counter the reductions of their own GHG emissions at the same time. The World Bank recently launched the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), a fund which is financed by the leading countries such as UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Denmark and Finland. The $160 million fund would be used to support programs targeting the drivers of deforestation and develop concrete activities to reach out to poor people who depend on forests to improve their livelihoods. It will also help developing countries build the technical, regulatory, and sustainable forestry capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation. There has always been confusion over the exact role that the World Bank is trying to play in carbon trading market. The World Bank claims to be aiming at reducing global deforestation by 10 percent by 2010. But its critics claim the World Bank has traditionally been an exponent of deforestation. There has also been concern over the consequences of carbon trading scheme on local forest communities that earn their daily living from the forests. Substantiating with an example -In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the World Bank is facing opposition from Pygmy groups and local communities which rely on the Congo basin for their living. There have been reports that accuse the Bank of encouraging commercial logging practices while ignoring sustainable forestry and conservation. The report also claims that the financial benefits of logging have gone to foreign firms, not the local ones. This makes one wonder what the real intentions of the World Bank are. The Million Dollar Question!!! EMISSIONS TRADING COMMODIFIES Carbon. Does this Really Help Solve Climate Change problem? Exponents of carbon trading see markets as the best mechanism for reducing emissions. The critics, on the other hand, believe that carbon trading is a devils bargain that navigates the profits to polluters. You cant solve problems just by using money, the old saying goes. Capitalists have a monetary solution to problems and they believe that the markets are the solutions to everything. They reverse this equation by turning problems from money-hoarding pits to money-makers. Essentially, they try to seek the profit motive to ‘cure societys woes by transforming problems into commodities. This is the set strategy behind the emerging carbon trading markets. The Solution as per the Carbon Trading Proponents By trading the capped carbon emission rights, the rights become scarcer and hence more valuable. Cap-and-trade markets help solve climate change by lowering carbon emissions while generating wealth for the developing nations! If only it were so simple!!! The first contentious question is about how to distribute carbon emission rights: auction or allocation. In 2006, the experiment with carbon credit pricing came to a collapse when it became known that the EU was, either naively or corruptly, handing out too many emission rights to companies based on their estimates. Obviously, their emissions came out to be much lower which gave them a right to trade the left over unconsumed carbon credits. There seemed no real intention of reducing the carbon emissions. â€Å"The dirtier you are, the bigger your entitlement . . . the polluter was paid.† British journalist George Monbiot. The second problem with carbon trading is about mandatory versus voluntary markets. The US, the largest carbon emitter in the world has not signed onto the Kyoto Protocol. To fill this regulatory gap, voluntary carbon markets such as the Chicago Climate Exchange have sprouted up. With proper market design which implies no price cap and a financial penalty for non-compliance -carbon trading forces the movement to cleaner technology and consequent emissions reductions. Carbon trading critics charge and claim that the financial benefits overshadow environmental concerns. With the carbon price suppressed and lowered, polluters energy providers, utilities, oil companies etc have little incentive to curb the rising GHG emissions, thus making the current system undermine the environment and the planet. Also, critics see it as an extension of colonialist exploitation. The third problem relates to the monetary and economic aspect. In reality cap and trade carbon markets have done little to reduce emissions and are plagued by corruption and inefficiency. The worlds carbon trading markets are becoming increasingly complex and this threatens another sub-prime style financial crisis that could again destabilise the global economy. There is also a distinct smell of middlemen involvement. The majority of the trade is carried out not between polluting industries and factories covered by carbon trading schemes, but by banks and investors who profit from speculation on the carbon markets packaging carbon credits into increasingly complex financial products. Conclusion A rational reasoning Even as they gain popularity as a carbon mitigating solution, carbon offsets have often been dubbed under considerable criticism for diluting collective action against global warming. The truth, however, exists in between. Proponents exist on both sides of the debate. We all participate in the consumption of fossil-fuel energy. These emit large amounts of climate-changing CO2 and other GHG gases. The terms carbon offset and carbon neutral have been used as a misnomer it is actually the idea of erasing the negative impact of our daily carbon emissions which drives the carbon offset market and its related controversy. A rational reasoning says that â€Å"You cannot make up for the use of carbon buying the power of money to leverage yourself into a position of freedom from responsibility for emitting it once the damage is done, its done. Ultimately what it all boils down to is the question of choosing from the rich display of effective opportunities that can be adopted if necessary actions are taken while ignoring, at the same time, the capitalistic monetary solutions like offsets.

The History of Computers :: Technology Technological Computers Essays

The History of Computers In the year 2003, it is almost impossible for those of us who have been brought up with computer to imagine what the world was like before their coming. People use computers every day in their homes, using the Internet, specifically e-mails and Instant Messenger, to keep in touch with friends and relatives far away. People also use computers every day at work and school, planning projects and writing papers. For many of today’s children, computers are an integral part of their education, and some of them use computers in school every day. These children benefit from the ideas of many people many years ago, those who laid the foundation for today’s modern computer. An analytical engine first described by Charles Babbage in May 1835 was the first machine to possess the five essential functions of a computer (Hofemeister, 1-7). Even though the engine was never completed, its design included the five basic functions of input, programming, calculation, storage, and output (Hofmeister, 1-7). This machine was an essential part of the evolution of the first computer, but it was certainly not the beginning. In 1642, Blaise Pascal developed the â€Å"Pascaline† – a mechanical adding machine, and in 1673 Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz developed a mechanical calculator that could perform more complex functions, such as multiplication and division (Hofmeister, 1-8). The machines developed by Pascal and von Leibniz, along with the Analytic Engine designed by Babbage, led to the unveiling of Mark I, the first operational electro-mechanical computer, which was designed by Howard Aiken in 1944 (Hofmeister, 1-8). Aiken began work on this machine in 1937, using the principles first conceptualized by Babbage (Hofmeister, 1-10). Most of the Mark I was mechanical, which slowed it down, a problem that was fixed in the Colossus, a computer which â€Å"replaced the speed of the mechanical components with the speed of electricity (Hofmeister, 1-10).† This was a major advancement in computer technology. The Colossus Mark II, which was built at around the same time, is believed to have â€Å"contained all the elements of a modern computer except an internal program store (Hofmeister, 1-10).

Aliens Essay -- essays research papers

For over a thousand years people have reported seeing strange objects flying in the sky. Today the unknown flying objects -UFOs continue to visit us, on a regular basis. A large amount of recorded historical events of this issue have taken place to give the subject of UFOs recognition. Recently, many individuals have claimed to witness or be part of fantastic stories that attract some while are turned away. Videotapes, photographs and pieces of physical evidence do support some of these stories. Even more frightening, small objects called implants have been found in the bodies of some people that have reported strange sightings or encounters with strange objects. Once one begins to put it all together, the history, stories, claims, and evidence that science is to studying, the truth has come clear. We are not alone aliens do exist! Different cultures throughout the world have historical events, in their histories that are very much similar to what we call a UFO today. The oldest recorded sighting belongs to Thutmose, Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt around 1500 (BC) â€Å"†¦A circle of fire coming in the sky†¦ It had no head the breath of its mouth had a foul odor. Its body was one rod (16.5ft[5m]) long and one rod wide. It had no voice.† (Brookesmith, 13). Days after this, the number of objects increased it was said that, â€Å"these things became more numerous in the sky than ever. They shone more in the sky than the brightness of the sun, and extended to the limits of the four supports of the heavens†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Brookesmith, 13). What could shine in the sky more than the sun? These ancient events did occur thousands of years before today’s world of technology and modern aircraft. This supports the fact that these UFOs were that, Unknown Flying Objects. In the past they had to deal with th is any way they could, some cultures used religion and the Bible. There are certain passages in the Bible that could be translated as being sightings of UFOs. In Exodus Chapter 13, verses 21-22, â€Å"†¦the lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.† (Brookesmith,13). This can be translated to the following as I translate it, it seems like these people were being led by a craft that lit up the night for them. This is a very convincing UFO description. Such an event at that time could only be inter... ... be ignored proves that highly educated people are taking this seriously. That strange has now been seen in the sky for a very long time. Intelligent, honorable people have seen UFO’s and reported them. High-ranking intelligence officers of the military’s first atomic bomb squadron have recovered and examined what they believed to be a flying saucer and parts of it. After shipping it to higher headquarters their general tells them it’s not a flying saucer or UFO. Of all objects it is reported to be what seems like anyone could have identified a weather balloon! People who have observed UFO’s and reported missing time afterwards only to find out later that they became unwittingly extraterrestrial specimens. Surgeons are removing mysterious iron alloy metal objects from these people’s bodies. Some of these objects moving away from the surgeon’s scalpel! Doctors have tested alleged UFO crash material and claimed that it â€Å"†¦should be considered extraterrestrial in origin.† Rancher’s cattle are b eing mutilated with laser like tools before lasers were commercially available. All these reports add up to one a very disturbing conclusion, which worries me and should do so to everyone else.