Real life research Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Real life research - Coursework Example 2. A major advantage of mail panel research is that the cost is low especially since bulk postage is cheap. There is also no interviewer bias and the respondents can answer at their convenience. Furthermore, mail surveys may be long so a large amount of information can be obtained. A major drawback of this kind of research is that the surveys can be returned after several months; thus, a cause of delay in the research. There is a low response rate with this kind of survey. This kind of research is not suitable if the issues in the survey need clarification such as very technical topics. I think NFO used a mail panel because it is less costly. Since NFO has a set of panelists already, they did not have to gather a new group for the research. This means less effort and expense on their part. Moreover, NFO can reach a larger population with this kind of survey because it does not require personal

Microcontroller in the ((( printer))) Research Paper

Microcontroller in the ((( printer))) - Research Paper Example This research paper will discuss the importance of microcontrollers through discussing its association to the various printers’ mechanisms. Introduction The invention of printer was important to the world especially at a time when there was pressing need to produce hardcopies. This need arose because of the invention of computers which required that an individual obtains a printout of the softcopy. Consequently, this led to the invention of the first printer, called a teletype machine but this were inefficient triggering the invention of dot matrix printers making use of microcontroller (Andrews, 45). Intuitively, it is true to say that microcontrollers saved the world in making the nowadays existing printers, inkjet and LaserJet printers. It is important to analyze of how the microcontroller leads to the efficiency of inkjet considering that this type of printer makes use of ink dots. Just like in other devices, like dishwasher, the microcontroller helps in providing motion t o the ink dots required to reach the paper and yield images. The action of microcontroller in controlling various processes such as electric current, performance and electric current makes it useful within the printers. This is like saying that the use of microcontroller reflects the quality of output from the printers. ... This always involves making use of thermal heat to initiate kinetic energy to the drop allowing it to move to the paper. The following is an image showing the impact of heat on the ink drop: As it is shown in the image, the required squirt of ink to the paper occurs after heating the ink which then starts to move in form of a bubble. However, the bubble bursts when it reaches out in the high pressure zone. This pressure causes the ink to burst causing it to hit the paper. The need for cooling effect sets in, at this point, where there is need for the bubble to collapse. The cooling effect triggers the elements in the bubble to cool thereby causing it to collapse. Consequently, the firing process forms a significant stage in delivering a desirable output from the printer. The whole idea of the heating and cooling relies on the need for operating in shorter and longer loops. In turn, the firing process depends on the presence of the microcontroller, which is an embedded system, allowin g the manufacturers to use it within the system. In this case, the microcontroller helps in controlling the temperature required for heating and cooling. The ability of the microcontroller to regulate the temperature of the system makes through its CPU allows it to be effective in the printer. The Random Access Memory allows the user to initiate the process of heating and cooling as a temporary process (Ibrahim, 26). Since it stores the data temporarily, it allows the whole process to stop once, the power goes off. This allows the printer to initiate the heating and cooling process, once the power is put on, while also stopping the process when the power goes off. The microcontroller allows the printer to work in longer and closer

Impact Of Dlf Ipl On Two Economies Tourism Essay

Impact Of Dlf Ipl On Two Economies Tourism Essay There exists no such event whose effects can be annulled in any way. No event takes place in an isolated way, defeating the very purpose of the event. The event has direct or indirect influence on every aspect of our lives and these include social, cultural, economic, environmental or political aspects (Allen et al., 2002). The payback from an event is enormous. A lot of constructive and encouraging associations are formed during the event. This is one of the most important reasons for the attractiveness and fame of an event (Bowdin et al., 2006). It is inevitable to measure the various impacts of an event, thus ensuring the proper monitoring, control and evaluation. Recent literatures have revealed an interesting fact, that the methods used to measure the event, and also the aspects measured differ significantly (Wood, E.H., 2005). Primarily, constructive social, cultural as well as economic impacts are normally recognized to be the probable advantage to event hosts (Veres et al., 2 008). It is obvious for the hosts to have an inclination towards giving more importance to the economic impact, highly influenced by the tourism research. Economic advantages of an event are very vital to the host. Hence it is very imperative to have good frameworks for the measurement of this aspect. However, an accepted fact is that economic benefits are not the only advantage which comes with an event. Various elusive benefits have to also be measured to know how successful an event has been (Bowdin et al., 2006); Jones (2001) suggests that even if the former unconstructive effects are included having a limelight merely on straight expenses payback will still give an unfinished image. However, it is also to keep in mind that events can sometimes have negative and unplanned consequences and these penalties can lead to the event having both media and public attention for the wrong reasons (Allen et al., 2002). This has to be kept in mind during the planning and execution of the eve nt. The power of media in deciding how an event is shown is formidable. The media can have a strong social and cultural  impact  upon society. Thus the media can influence how the event is professed, and also how it is shown to remote audiences (Getz, D., 2007). Events can basically have two kinds of outcomes i.e., positive and negative impact on the host communities and stakeholders (Allen et al., 2002). Event failures can be very devastating, bringing in negative publicity, humiliation and expensive lawsuits (Bowdin et al., 2006). Hence a lot of importance is placed on the financial impacts of an event. Factors leading to this are that both the employers and government need to meet budget goals, deadlines, and also be ready with explanations for the expenditures and an important factor is that financial impacts can be easily measured (Allen et al., 2002). Getz, D. (2002) suggests fours main costs and benefits that have to be evaluated: tangible benefits, tangible costs, intang ible benefits and intangible costs. Also the methods of measurement or assessment used vary with the impacts to be measured or assessed. To calculate the overall impact of the event, social and cultural benefits cannot be left out. However, rather than following a statistical approach calculating them may require a narrative approach (Bowdin et al., 2006). The impact of an event is sometimes calculated well before the event actually takes place. This is because in many scenarios, after the event policy focus shifts elsewhere (Jones, 2001). Long-term effects of an event are very crucial. No matter the event being attended or not by the local community, the effects will be felt by them (Ritchie and Smith, 1991). The host society can be provided with a policy for putting forward their knowledge, hosting probable shareholders and endorsing new business opening by the event (Bowdin et al., 2006). These events can create possible employment opportunities during the construction phase (All en et al., 2002). One of the most important impacts of a mega-event is on the tourism industry which would bring in lot of visitors to a particular place which has never been a tour destination before (Getz, D., 2006). This paper focuses on the various impacts of DLF IPL on the South African community and how it has contributed towards the Indian economy. It also discusses the various advantages and disadvantages that are involved with DLF IPL. OVERVIEW OF DLF IPL The DLF IPL is organised by the well established event management organisation IMG WORLD, LONDON. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been produced by the joint venture between IMG and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). For the IPL IMG explored the most favourable fair as well as mercantile model and a huge amount of $724m were raised by carrying out the notable authorization sale procedure (IMG World, 2009). In India, IPL is one of the most economically victorious sports idea ever initiated. The IPL is played according to the most up-to-date cricket layout which is Twenty20; this decreases match playing time to three hours, and thus makes it ideal for major time television as well as live in-stadia spectators. The television production and distribution rights, franchise rights, event and venue management and sponsorship sales for the IPL is handled by the IMG. The shifting of the venue to South Africa in the year 2009 was taken care by IMG. IMPACT ON INDIAN ECONOMY DUE TO IPL SWITCH TO SOUTH AFRICA All the businesses in India right from the road trader to the publicity organizations holding millions of dollars of shares are faced financial crisis because of the shift of IPL from India to South Africa due to security reasons as the IPL dates conflicted with the general election dates in India. The market analysts sensed that this sudden move from India to South Africa has grinded down from the Indian marker an ample amount, adding up to the already existing despair of global financial slump. Last year the IPL had contributed up to 1 billion rupees to the Indian economy, but due to the shift to South Africa which involved a lot of additional expenditure the BCCI did not incur a lot of income. The media houses in India did undergo a major income loss, which was estimated to be from 500 million to 700 million rupees. The estimated loss when it came to the gate receipts was 500 million rupees. The hospitality industry as well as tourism industry had a major impact. But there was an advantage tagged to this shift as well which was that IPL is now seen by people as a tournament with international value. OVERALL IMPACT OF DLF IPL ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNITY According to Getz (2007) all events have a direct social and cultural impact on their participants, and sometime on their wider host communities. But, some events leave a legacy of greater awareness and participation in sporting and cultural activities (Bowdin et al., 2006). The Indian Premier League (IPL) has contributed a lot towards the education in South Africa (The Hindustan Times, 2009). According to Getz (2007) the financial profits are gained when the particular event can pull in extra income for the community benefits which is either in the form of endowments or funding. As stated by Fakir Hassen (2009) Lalit Modi, who is the man behind IPL proclaimed a scholarship of over eight million and this was one of the best programme towards community development in South Africa by a sports oriented organisation. This money given towards education benefits (Torkildsen, G., 2005) has also helped in the initiation of Help Educate and Teach (HEAT) programme that was commenced at the Ale xander Sinton High School in the suburb of Athlone. The schools and individual learners will be benefited by this programme. Lalit Modi stated that any attempt towards development and strengthening of individuals as well as nation always remains as a soul of superior education. He also stated that India has emerged as a successful nation because of its strong education basis: This emphasis on education is now paying off many times over as India has grown into an economic powerhouse far better equipped to lift people out of poverty(The Hindustan Times, 2009). The investment of DLF IPL in the in the education of South African community targets towards a prospect return (Getz, D., 2007) and cautious analyses of this is vital. According to one of the strategies set out by Bowdin et al. (2006) i.e., Local area strategy; the DLF IPL created a carnival atmosphere by celebrating cultures of the South African community which in turn led to the enhancement of community unity. According to the report by the Hindustan Times 32 schools have benefited from the HEAT programme. For the learners who attended the DLF IPL matches, with the cooperation of the producers of the television five learners were recognized at individual matches and their faces were displayed on the monitors in the stadium. Each one of these received 15,000 rands as part of their school fee. Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief Gerald Majola stated that the IPL model could be used to make this game a global sport event and this in turn would help other set-ups take a great leap as well. The benefits gained economically were considerable. During this period of economic crisis the IPL has built a strong base for the South Africas tourist industry (Bowdin et al., 2006) and also proved to set out to the world that it is capable of hosting the FIFA 2010. According to Allen et al.(2002) other than the expenses of the event the people who came for the event put in their money on tour, lodgings, and other services in South Africa and there was a increase in hotel room bookings by 40,000 which otherwise is normally very low during winter season in South Africa. The South Africa government is majorly focusing on tourism sector as an upcoming industry that is competent of increasing the economic benefits and employment opportunities (Bowdin et al., 2006). In addition to the tourism pro duced throughout this event, IPL has also involved a lot of media reporting (Allen et al., 2002) and due to this the South African community profile has gained importance (Getz, D., 2006). The IPL has not only boosted the confidence of the youthful South African cricket players but has also provided with an opportunity to take part in a sporting event that is recognized worldwide (The Business Standard, 2009). It is still sometimes argued by event boosters that mega events generate benefit from the legacy of infrastructure and venues, but this assertion can easily be wrong (Getz, D., 2007), because the basic purpose of IPL is very fruitful considering the fact that it brings the cricket stars worldwide who are against each other on nationalized defences into single squad (The Business Standard, 2009). This event has created a long lasting bond between the two countries (India and South Africa). Hosting the IPL in South Africa has not only made IPL a global brand, but has also brough t billions of income to the South African economy. SWOT ANALYSIS OF DLF IPL Based on the details in Indian Premier League (2009) the following have been identified to be the: STRENGTHS OF IPL: The Indian Premier League (IPL) follows the Twenty20 format of cricket. This is the shortest version of the game, thereby finishing within two and half hours of game play. Unlike the One day format, which takes a full day to complete, or the Test format spanning five days of play, the Twenty20 is fast-paced and electrifying. Thus pulling in a large crowd to watch the game even on weekdays. Also the IPL has employed people who can really market goods well. These highly trained economists maximize the revenue with their very clean and methodological approaches. This makes IPL an integrated sport. Further each team has players from different countries. This causes a wide range of support of different communities to a single team, thus making cricket globally accepted. The supremacy of the BCCI in the control of ICC has a lot of benefits to DLF IPL. The financial backing from BCCI and also the power to manipulate the dates of international cricket matches favours the IPL. WEAKNESS OF IPL The pace at which people lead their lives now, they hardly have time to lavishly spend on watching a sport. Since IPL has satisfied this need of theirs, people are happier to watch the twenty20 format. Lots of talk has been going on about the status of other formats of the game and how to revive it. But the truth is, IPL has damaged the image of One day cricket and Test cricket. Further, a lot of money is involved in the IPL. Failure of a team can hurt the managements financial position a lot. Teams also spend a lot on advertisement, cost of players, brand promotion. Hence sponsorship is hard to find for their overpriced rates. A team doing well will fare well. If not tough times lie ahead. OPPORTUNITIES OF IPL IPL has a budding fan following. Since it is striking and very attractive, a lot of potential sponsors and advertisers are willing to invest a lot in this event. The IPL has eight leagues. Each being responsible for itself in every sense. Every franchise has to market its team well and get a large fan following behind their team. This in the long term will generate a lot of revenue for them. There is a nice opening for teams to sell their brand name in forms of shirts, accessories and other memorabilia. Another important and vital opportunity for IPL is to target the teenagers. The older people will naturally have a stronger inclination to the traditional form of cricket. But the youth today will like this thrilling and breathtaking format. Each franchise will continue to pay the same fees till 2017-2018. Hence the teams need not worry about inflation, which has been a drawback in India for the past few years. THREATS OF IPL If the top players in world cricket cant be brought into IPL teams, it will lose its popularity. Further, the domestic season in Australia runs concurrent with IPL. If the Australian players are not allowed to choose IPL instead of their local teams, a lot of fan following will be lost.

Technology Law :: Law College Admissions Essays

After a few quick gulps of coffee, I departed from my apartment in Florida. It was six in the morning and still dark outside. Seventeen hours later, I made it to the District of Columbia. I drove to Washington to attend a conference hosted by Ralph Nader on the state of competition in the computer industry. At some point during that drive, I realized I had become a "computer nerd." Before that, I had never really fancied myself a "computer nerd." To be quit honest, computers used to intimidate me in a certain respect. I did not even own one until I enrolled in college. My primary interest in college was philosophy, a discipline which, at first glance at least, does not seem particularly connected to the computer world. I was drawn to philosophy because of its emphasis on analytical thinking. By "analytical thinking," I mean the use of logical analysis and creative speculation to sort out different aspects of an argument. I instantly felt at home in my first philosophy class when my professor remarked that people looking for "the answers" in his classes would be disappointed. What interested me in philosophy was the sustained and rigorous attempt to think through intellectual questions not necessarily to "the answers," but towards more sophisticated formulations of alternative viewpoints and arguments. In contrast to my intuitive attraction to philosophy, I stumbled upon the world of computers in my junior year of college. Tired of working unrewarding jobs during the summer, I figured that I should develop some practical, marketable skills (especially since graduation was nearing and I knew my philosophy degree, while invaluable to me, was not a hot commodity on the job market). In that context, I took a few computer programming classes. I soon discovered that I actually liked designing programs. Whereas I assumed that "the answers" would be taken for granted in computer science, I found that computer science, especially when practically applied, requires both logical and imaginative problem solving. The skills refined in my philosophy classes, the application of logical thinking and attention to various ways of looking at a problem, proved helpful in computer programming. Later, I sensed other links between my interest in philosophy and the technical world of computers. I first began making those realizations while working for Stand For Children, a small Washington DC based nonprofit. Stand's mission is to develop a national network of child activists.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 44

Elena was wakened by shouting. She'd already once awakened to unbelievable bliss. Now she was awake again – but surely that was Damon's voice. Shouting? Damon didn't shout! Throwing on a robe, she went dashing out the door and downstairs. Raised voices – confusion. Damon was kneeling on the floor. His face was blue-white. There wasn't a plant in the room that could be strangling him. Poisoned, was the next thing Elena thought and immediately her eyes darted around the room to see a spilled drink, a dropped plate, any sign that poison had done this. There was nothing. Sage was clapping Damon on the back. Oh, God, could he have choked? But that was idiocy. Vampires didn't breathe, except for talking and building Power. But then what was happening? â€Å"You have to breathe,† Sage was shouting in Damon's ear. â€Å"Take a breath, as if you were going to speak, but then hold on to it, as if for raising your Power. Think about your insides. Get those lungs working!† The words only confused Elena. â€Å"There!† cried Sage. â€Å"You see?† â€Å"But it only lasts an instant. Then I need to do it again.† â€Å"But, yes, that is the point!† â€Å"I tell you I'm dying and you laugh at me?† a disheveled Damon shouted. â€Å"I'm blind, deaf, my senses are haywire – and you laugh!† Disheveled, thought Elena, bothered by something. â€Å"Well.† Sage seemed to be at least trying not to laugh. â€Å"Perhaps, mon petit chou, you should not have opened something that was not addressed to you?† â€Å"I put wards all around me before I did it. The house was safe.† â€Å"But you were not – breathe! Breathe, Damon!† â€Å"It looked completely harmless – and admit it – we were all going – to open it last night – when we got too tired – !† â€Å"But to do it alone, to open a present from a kitsune†¦that was foolish, yes?† A choking Damon snapped, â€Å"Don't lecture me. Help me. Why am I muffled in cotton wool? Why can't I see? Or hear? Or smell – anything? I'm telling you I can't smell a thing!† â€Å"You are fit and sharp as any human could be. You could probably defeat most vampires if you fought with one right now. But human senses are very few and very dull.† Words were swimming in Elena's head†¦opening things not addressed to you†¦bouquet from a kitsune†¦human†¦ Oh, my God! Apparently, the same words were going through the mind of someone else, because suddenly a figure dashed in from the kitchen area. Stefan. â€Å"You stole my bouquet? From the kitsune?† â€Å"I was very careful – â€Å" â€Å"Do you realize what you've done?† Stefan shook Damon. â€Å"Ow. That hurts! Do you want to break my neck?† â€Å"That hurts? Damon, you're in for a world of hurt! Do you understand? I talked to that kitsune. Told him the whole story of my life. Elena came to visit and he saw her practically†¦well, never mind – he saw her crying over me! Do†¦you†¦realize†¦what†¦you†¦have†¦ done?† It was as if Stefan had started climbing a series of steps, and that each one lifted him to a higher level of fury than the last. And here, at the top†¦ â€Å"I'll KILL YOU!† Stefan shouted. â€Å"You took it – my humanity! He gave it to me – and you took it!† â€Å"You'll kill me? I'll kill you, you – you bastard! There was one flower in the middle. A black rose, bigger than I have ever seen. And it smelled†¦heavenly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's gone!† Matt reported, producing the bouquet. He displayed it. There was a gaping hole in the center of the mixed flower arrangement. Despite the hole, Stefan ran to it, and stuck his face into the bouquet, sucking in great heaving breaths of air. He kept coming up and snapping his fingers and each time lightning flared between his fingertips. â€Å"Sorry, bud,† Matt said. â€Å"I think it's gone.† Elena could see it all now. That kitsune†¦he was one of the good ones, like the stories Meredith had told them about. Or at least good enough to sympathize with Stefan's plight. And so, when he had gotten free, he had made up a bouquet – kitsune could do anything with plants, although surely this was a great feat, something like finding the secret of eternal youth†¦to turn vampires into humans. And after Stefan had endured and endured and endured and should have finally gotten his reward†¦right now†¦ â€Å"I'm going back,† Stefan shouted. â€Å"I'm going to find him!† Meredith said quietly, â€Å"With or without Elena?† Stefan stopped. He looked up at the stairway, and his eyes met Elena's. Elena†¦ We'll go together. â€Å"No,† Stefan shouted. â€Å"I would never put you through that. I'm not going after all. I'm just going to murder you!† He swung back on his brother. â€Å"Been there, done that. Besides, I'm the one that's going to kill you, you bastard! You took my world away from me! I am a vampire! I'm not a† – some creative cursing – â€Å"human!† â€Å"Well you are now,† Matt said. He was just barely not laughing out loud. â€Å"So I'd say you'd better get used to it.† Damon leaped at Stefan. Stefan didn't step aside. In an instant there was a ball of thrashing, kicking, and punching, and cursing in Italian that made it sound as if there were at least four vampires fighting five or six humans. Elena sat down helplessly. Damon†¦a human? How were they going to deal with this? Elena looked up to see that Bonnie had carefully made up a tray of all sorts of things that tasted good to humans, and that she'd undoubtedly done it for Damon before he had worked his way into hysteria. â€Å"Bonnie,† Elena said quietly, â€Å"don't give it to him yet. He'll just throw it at you. But perhaps later†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Later he won't throw it?† Elena winced. â€Å"How is Damon going to deal with being human?† she asked herself aloud. Bonnie looked at the cursing, spitting ball of vampire/human fury. â€Å"I'd say†¦kicking and screaming the whole way.† Just then Mrs. Flowers came out of the kitchen. She had a huge mound of fluffy waffles stacked on several plates on a tray. She saw the rolling, swearing, snarling ball that was Stefan and Damon. â€Å"Oh, my,† she said. â€Å"Did something go wrong?† Elena looked at Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Meredith. Meredith looked at Elena. â€Å"You†¦could say so,† gasped Elena. And then the three of them gave way to it. Gales and gales of helpless laughter. You've lost a powerful ally, said a voice in Elena's mind. Do you know that? Can you foresee the consequences? Today, when you have just come back from a world of Shinichis? We'll win, Elena thought. We have to.

Famous people

The reason I'm writing Is to give you some Information about famous people and to express my thoughts about It. To begin with, I know many famous people In our world. They try to do their best to become such. My favorite personality Is the British actress Kerri Knightly. I think that Kerri Is the best combination of beauty and talent. Her acting amazes me, her actions make me speechless, her voice can attract anybody attention. She worked very hard and collaborated with the most ammos actors and became one of them very quickly.She played and is still playing in very popular movies with the most known directors and that's why she is very famous. The most popular her roles are in the films â€Å"Pirates of the Caribbean†, â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, â€Å"Ana Karen†. So, I want to say that Kerri is very famous and popular nowadays. I usually get information about this person from the Internet, TV, some magazines and newspapers. Also, my friends are fond of her tale nt, so we often tell each other deferent facts about her life and exchange different Information.We know everything about her work and private life. As far as I'm concerned, I would not Like to be famous. There are many reasons why I think so. Firstly, I think, It Is very hard to be famous. Every time you must know that you are an example to follow by many. So, you should avoid some situations In which you can attract your fans and abandon the usual look. Secondly, every time you can be pursued by paparazzi, hat's why you won't be able to feel good in your daily life and work.Also, your fans will spy on you in every possible way. You will feel tired giving them your autographs. And lastly and most importantly, everyone will know everything about your life. Your private life will be public and you won't be able to hide some facts, which are very dear to you. In addition, I think that to be a famous person is not an easy task. So, people who work hard, must be successful in their life , but they must also remember that to be a famous person Is hard too.

British Columbia Geography and Facts

British Columbia Geography and Facts British Columbia is the province located the farthest west in Canada and is bounded by the Alaska Panhandle, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, Alberta and the U.S. states of Montana, Idaho and Washington. It is a part of the Pacific Northwest and is Canadas third most populated province behind Ontario and Quebec.British Columbia has a long history that still shows throughout much of the province today. It is believed that its native peoples moved into the province nearly 10,000 years ago after crossing the Bering Land Bridge from Asia. It is also likely that British Columbias coast became one of the most densely populated areas in North America prior to European arrival.Today, British Columbia features urban areas like Vancouver as well as rural areas with mountain, ocean and valley landscapes. These varied landscapes have led to British Columbia becoming a popular tourist destination in Canada and activities such as hiking, skiing and golf are common. In addition, most recently, British Columbia played host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. British Columbias Population and Ethnicities British Columbias First Nations people may have numbered around 300,000 prior to European contact. Their population remained largely undisturbed until 1778 when the British explorer James Cook landed on Vancouver Island. The native population then began to decline in the late 1700s as more Europeans arrived. In the late 1800s, British Columbias population grew further when gold was discovered in the Fraser River and on the Caribou coast, leading to the establishment of several mining towns. Today, British Columbia is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in Canada. Over 40 aboriginal groups are still represented and different Asian, German, Italian and Russian communities thrive in the area as well. British Columbias current population is around 4.1 million, with the largest concentrations being in Vancouver and Victoria. Facts About Region and Topography The province of British Columbia is often divided into six different regions beginning with Northern British Columbia, followed by the Caribou Chilcotin Coast, Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Coast and Mountains, the Thompson Okanagan and the Kootenay Rockies. British Columbia has a varied topography throughout its different regions and mountains, valleys and scenic waterways are common. To protect its natural landscapes from development and over tourism, British Columbia has a diverse system of parks and 12.5% of its land is protected. British Columbias highest point is Fairweather Mountain at 15,299 feet (4,663 m) and the province has an area of 364,764 square miles (944,735 sq km). British Columbias Climate Like its topography, British Columbia has a varied climate that is highly influenced by its mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Overall, the coast is temperate and wet. The interior valley regions such as Kamloops are generally hot in the summer and cold in the winter. British Columbias mountains also have cold winters and mild summers. Economy Historically, British Columbias economy has focused on natural resource extraction such as fishing and timber. Recently however, industries such as ecotourism, technology and film have grown in the province. Main Cities The largest cities are Vancouver and Victoria. Other big cities in British Columbia include Kelowna, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Prince George, and Vernon. Whistler, though not large is one of British Columbias most popular cities for outdoor activities- particularly winter sports. Resources and Further Reading Tourism British Columbia. (n.d.). About BC - British Columbia - Tourism BC, Official Site. Retrieved from: hellobc.com/en-CA/AboutBC/BritishColumbia.htm

Microsoft Debate Essay

Microsoft Debate Essay Microsoft Debate Essay Name Bibles Microeconomics 10 February 2014 Microsoft Debate There was a debate over the status of Microsoft Corporation from a business standpoint. They supply the operating system to about ninety percent of computers but they do not have a clear-cut competitor when it comes to prices. Does this make them a monopoly? Do they purposefully keep prices low to discourage other computer companies from being able to compete with them? The question for lawmakers became: â€Å"Does Microsoft’s business strategy break any anti-trust laws?† Many different computer programs are automatically designed to be compatible with the Microsoft operating system. Personally, I don’t think that you can blame Microsoft for the actions of other computer programming companies. The inadvertent effect of the programming companies’ actions is that computer users are being encouraged to purchase Microsoft computers to ensure that their programs will be compatible. I don’t think this implication is enough to claim that Microsoft is a monopoly but the courts felt as if it was. Also, they are a good business where they do not totally take all of the business of the market and act as a total monopoly. Microsoft do almost have a complete control of the Operating System Market where almost 93% of computers are programmed with Windows instead of Mac OSX or a Linux Distro. Microsoft was charged with â€Å"1. Monopolizing the computer operating system market, 2. Integrating the Internet Explorer web browser into the operating system in an attempt to eliminate competition from Netscape, and 3. Using its market power to form anticompetitive agreements with producers of related goods,† (South-western College). Microsoft was said in court to be a monopoly and the decision of the judge and punishment was for Microsoft’s corporation to be split into two different corporations. One corporation would handle the operating system and the other corporation would handle the software and program development. This did not happen. Microsoft went through a series of appeals and their appeal even made it to the Supreme Court. Their appeal was denied by the Supreme Court and the Federal

Role and Duties of the Governor General of Canada

Role and Duties of the Governor General of Canada The Queen or sovereign is the head of state in Canada. The Governor General of Canada represents the sovereign, and most of the powers and authority of the sovereign have been delegated to the Governor General. The role of the Canadian Governor General is mostly symbolic and ceremonial. The head of government in Canada is the Prime Minister, an elected political leader. Appointment of the Governor General The Canadian Governor General is selected by the Prime Minister of Canada, although the formal appointment is made by the Queen. The term of office of the Governor General is usually five years, but it is sometimes extended up to seven years. There is a tradition of alternating between anglophone and francophone Governors-General in Canada. Official Duties of the Governor General of Canada The official duties of the Governor General of Canada include: giving Royal Assent to bills passed in the Canadian House of Commons and Senatereading the Speech from the Throne which outlines the Canadian federal government agenda for a new session of Parliamentexecuting orders-in-council or cabinet decisionsappointing superior court judges, on the advice of ​the  cabinetsummoning, closing and dissolving Parliament, on the advice of the Prime Ministerinviting the leader of the party with the most support in the House of Commons to form the government. That party leader becomes Prime Minister.in times of emergency or special circumstances, exercising the special personal authority of the Governor General to appoint or dismiss a prime minister or dissolve Parliament. This authority is rarely used.receiving and sending ambassadors. The Canadian Governor General plays a strong role in encouraging excellence in Canada through a system of honors and awards such as the Order of Canada and promotes national identity and national unity. The Governor General of Canada is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Company Law - Essay Example   Explanations of the options available to John with reference to relevant statutory provisions and case law On the initiative undertaken by John with regards to changing the legal formality of the business, there are a number of options available; I would advise him to incorporate his business since it will offer him a number of advantages relating to returns and management of the business. Incorporation entails the aspect of registering a business entity under the companies’ Act where it runs its activities as a separate legal entity in which the owner is free from the liabilities of the business. The following are the benefits attached to incorporation of a business: a. The business once registered as a separate entity i.e. as a company, it acquires independent corporate existence features, upon these features, the owner is distinct from the company and therefore cannot bear any liability of the company or be compelled to pay any debt owed by the entity.1 b. The business once registered will start living its own legal life upon which all the liabilities which John in his earlier sole proprietorship, would to bear as an entrepreneur. He will be protected by having limited liabilities in that only the charges for shares and capital he will incur after which his personal property, is safeguarded from any liability the company may suffer. c. A company has a characteristic of perpetual existence and under this feature cannot end unless under the provided legal mechanisms. Once he registers his business as a company, it has ability to never die as the death of the owner cannot affect the existence of the company.2 d. The company once registered, is required to be run by professionals and proper management will be achieved unlike other modes of running business activities. e. Unlike in his current business organisation, a company once registered under the Act t acquires the ability to own separate property in that, it can hold the property in its own name and this deters any other persons even its directors, from claiming the company’s assets. f. Also, with the ability to transfer the shares of the company, there is a room to raise more capital further facilitating the aspect of increasing production by expanding business activities. g. The aspect of incorporation also attracts numerous merits of taxations. This achievement of saving taxes is done through for instance, leasing company’s property from which one reduce the amount of tax paid since the holders of such leases are to pay property taxes. This advantage has been well developed in our jurisprudence such as in the case of Macaura V Northern Assurance ltd, whereby in this case the claimant who had the majority shareholding of the company had gone to court to claim for compensation from an insurance company upon the fire tragedy which burnt all the company properties, their honourable justices were of the opinion that the companies properties belong to the company and not the holder of the large number shares and only the company through its agents can claim this compensation. This position clearly outlines the fact that the properties of the company are safeguarded as those of the company and in case of any damage on them still the members of the company cannot be held liable of the same. h. By creation of an independent corporate existence, the owner will be able to keep a private and confidential identity away from that of business.3 i. Also when he

Reflections on the Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflections on the Environment - Research Paper Example And, its impacts have far-reaching consequences and possess a possibility to exterminate the biological existence from the planet earth. The author maintains that the global climate change is and will be impacting on the water resources and environment both at the local and regional level, and at the global level as well. This will affect the entire population as well as the magnitude of the droughts, floods will be highly increased; in addition to that, the aggregate sea levels will not remain the same but will rise posing an imminent threat to the coastal cities and areas of world; and, it will require relocation of people living nearby seas. In this regard, I support the view that we need to take certain steps reducing the carbon footprint and other activities spreading pollution and damaging the ecological system. I personally believe that my contribution will not be enough however, that does not mean I should not be doing anything about the ecological system and climate change; but, the steps such as the implementation of going green, meaning encouraging forestation, plantation, responsible living, and maximum efforts must be put in practice towards minimizing the causes that are generating the pollution and exacerbate the problem of the climate change. Entry 3: News Article Source: Mark, Kinver. 2012. â€Å"Accumulating ‘micro-plastic’ threat to shores.† BBC News Science & Environment, January 27. Accessed January 27 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16709045 Word count: 221 Microscopic plastic debris from the process of washing clothes is amassing in the marine environment and it could be entering into the food chain (Kinver, 2012). The British Broad Casting... The researcher of this essay aims to analyze a lot of environmental challenges. The climate change has become a major issue affecting each and everything living or existing on this planet earth. And, its impacts have far-reaching consequences and possess a possibility to exterminate the biological existence from the planet earth. Microscopic plastic debris from the process of washing clothes is amassing in the marine environment and it could be entering into the food chain. The number of species of animals, microorganisms, plants and the substantial diversity of genes in these species and a variety of ecosystems on this planet such as rainforests, deserts, coral reefs; are aggregately identified as the components of the biologically diverse earth. The biodiversity supplements ecosystem productivity where each species, regardless of its size and structure and role for the diversity, have to play its part in maintaining the smooth functioning of the ecosystems on this planet. Tam Hunt speaks in the favor of the electric vehicles in responding to the article by John Peterson arguing that electric vehicles will take us backward in our efforts reducing the greenhouse gas emissions. In order to support his point of view, Hunt indicates that the mentioned figure in the blog posit ‘low carbon scenario’ of 200 g/CO2 in the aggregate electricity sector; in addition to that, electric vehicles would diminish about half the emissions of hybrid cards.

Hip-hop and the link between industry, media, fans Essay

Hip-hop and the link between industry, media, fans - Essay Example Cultural theory is a branch of knowledge that applies experience based techniques, in a quest to develop theories that give an explanation of different elements of human expression. Human beings use communication techniques to express, emotions, feelings and different states of mind acquired in their daily activities in respect to the environmental set up they are in. The term expressions denote forms of communication that human beings use to pass certain information from one person to another. The existence of these forms of communication forms the base for cultural theory. The need to explain how human beings relate with their environment, adapt to it and communicate their experiences to successful generations’ forms the relevance of cultural theory.Human beings use different forms of expression to communicate formation from one person to another. These forms include language, signs, art, music and dance, and observation. Language is used to communicate information either or ally or through written work. Signs and dances, on the other hand, are used to transmit information through the use of visible sense, where ideas are encoded in gestures, body movements and other forms of physical signs. Art involves the use of carefully developed carvings and drawings to communicate ideas (Giddens 1997). Music is a complex form of communication that carries cultural information usually expressed in a coherent mix of the other forms of communication. Music involves combined use of language, dance, musical instruments, signs and art in a good proportion to communicate information from one person to another. All those music elements determine its variation. Music is a cultural phenomenon and can only be understood from a well organised study of cultural elements that build it. Music is also made of key components which include industry, genre formation, media, and fans. The interrelationship between the components can be understood through the cultural theory (Negus 1 996). The theory also analyzes the interrelationship that exists between different people to establish the ideologies that govern their interactions. Cultural theory has a number of elements that outlines several ideologies that govern the interrelationship of different parties in the music. Racism is one of the elements of cultural theory that analysis music with the aim of understanding how music industry, genre formation, media, and fans interrelate. Racism refers to prejudice and discrimination of people based on physical differences that exist between them. Members of a community can discriminate other people based on some physical variations such as the skin colour (Longhurst 2007). This discrimination is seen in the behaviour of a particular group toward another. For instance, in United State the white people may disqualify the black people from access public swimming pools for entertainments. For instance, as revealed by the photo below. Such swimming pools may be linked wit h a particular music genre where fans come to swim while enjoying the entertainment from that music genre. Since the black fans may be limited from participating in those entertainments, then it determines the kind of funs to get involved in the music genre. This kind of racism also influences genre formation, for instance, the black people may find that they are being discriminate by the white people, and decide to form music genre that fit their race. Racism creates an ideology that some people are superior to others based on physical differences. The instincts of superiority felt by a tribe create an environment where one tribe is abusive to the other. This result into one tribe exhibiting behaviours that directly disqualifies others in different areas of life. Mase says that racism is evident in music and society in three interdependent dimensions. The first one is the structural where there is social and economic discrimination against

Middle Eastern Politics Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Middle Eastern Politics Political Science - Essay Example Initially the area was broken into three Mandates: Palestine under Britain, Mesopotamia under Britain, Syria under France. But in the 1920s Syria and Palestine were subdivided, Syria into the countries of Syria and Lebanon, Palestine into the countries of Jordan and Palestine. Also, Kuwait was kept separate from Mesopotamia. These incidences left the new Arab states weak and divided and further were the cause for subsequent conflict. â€Å"Under the Mandate system, conquered lands were placed into one of three categories (A, B, C) and were assigned to a victorious power to govern. The countries of the Arab world were declared to be Level A Mandates, meaning that they were at a very advanced stage of development and would have only a short period of British or French control. Level A Mandates were to be autonomous (self-governing) within a short time and were to choose their own leaders and shape their own destiny. (Mandates of the B and C levels were declared to be less advanced. Most of Africa was in the B category, some small islands in the Pacific were C, meaning that independence was unlikely in the foreseeable future). In 1922 Palestine (west of the Jordan River) became a Level A Mandate under British control† (umich.edu, 1993). â€Å"The period from the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to the granting of France's mandate over Syria by the League of Nations in 1922 was marked by a complicated sequence of events and power politics during which Syrians achieved a brief moment of independence† (Library of Congress Country Studies, 1987).

The Inca Empire and their Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Inca Empire and their Agriculture - Essay Example Almost 1800 years after their selection of agriculture as a profession, there was a session for which warm weather prevailed, thus enabling the civilization to flourish. The Incase used Llamas to transport their goods. Llamas were also a potential source of wool and meat for the Incas. As the Llamas carried goods from the jungle to the mountains, they occasionally stopped at ponds to quench their thirst and that was where they defecated communally. â€Å"This provided fertiliser which was easily collectable as today by the local people for the surrounding field systems† (Chepstow-Lusty cited in Anning, 2011). Despite the fact that the Andes are included among the tallest mountains across the world, the Incas managed to coax harvests from the sharp slopes of the Andes. Crops whose resilient breeds were developed by the Incas included but were not limited to quinoa, potatoes and corn. The Incas managed achieved this by building cisterns and irrigation and canals that wiggled all around and down the Andes. They cut terraces inside the hills that became steeper and steeper from the valley towards the slopes of the mountains. In the 1400s, the area covered by the terraces was about a million hectares. â€Å"In this way the whole hill was gradually brought under cultivation, the platforms being flattened out like stairs in a staircase, and all the cultivable and irrigable land being put to use† (Vega cited in Graber, 2011). ... The Incas compared the quality of plants including kantu flowers, grain, wheat, panti, and quinoa grown at different light intensities and altitudes. As a result of their experimentation, the Incas found that the deeper planted crops were exposed to cooler temperatures as compared to the ones planted at more heights. Also, different plants were found to react in a different way to the quantity of sunlight and water provided. The difference of temperature between the lower and higher levels was considerable. At certain places, the difference of temperature was as much as 15 ?C, which is what the difference of temperature is between a point at the sea level and another point at a height of 1000m from the sea level (Rediscover Machu Picchu, n.d.a). The agricultural cultivation done by the Incas and the irrigation systems they developed were so strong that they have continued to work to date. The Incas created stepped agricultural fields. Owing to the height of mountains surrounding the Sacred Valley region, path of the sunrays reaching down the valley is blocked while the sides of the mountain receive sunlight for a significant portion of the day. There are certain regions in the valleys where the limited space justified the use of steps to enlarge the area for cultivation of crops. The steps also enabled the Incas to achieve more control over the supply of water required for irrigating the crops. The steps provided the Incas with protection against floods and landslides as the water did not find vast horizontal regions to accumulate. â€Å"The rocks used for creating the steps strengthen the sides of the mountains, thus protecting what is in the valleys

How technology has affected history Research Paper

How technology has affected history - Research Paper Example Lives have been saved, businesses grow, environment is taken care of and everything seems to progress with the aide of technology. In particular, the recent breakthroughs in computers and internet have allowed people to connect to anybody anytime and anywhere despite of the distance geographically. Barriers have been overcome by the technology and people are able to enjoy the benefits. Despite of the benefits from technology, some downfalls are seen by scientists and other professionals throughout history. Those may pose hazard to the environment, human health, education, morals and many more. There are many factors involved in those negative consequences of using technology but those are not signs of the end of the world. They may signal the need for change, innovation and further studies to create new solutions to the spurring problems and challenges for the betterment of the world towards sustainability. As technology has been noted in the preceding paragraphs, reflecting upon the changes as it passes through the history may give a clear picture and understanding to the readers regarding the importance and impact of technology to human existence. History has been divided into different eras and for the study, three eras would be mentioned and discussed: Renaissance Era, Industrial Revolution Era, and Atomic Era. Each era would be provided with introductions and the technologies used for each. Afterwards, the advantages and disadvantages of the technology for each era would be analyzed and compared and contrasted to other technology from other eras. Renaissance started since the time of the High Middle Ages wherein various improvements happened in terms of the economy, society, politics and intellects. Its roots came from the Renaissance of the 12th century which was considered to be the developments to sprout at the latter part of the Middle Ages. It became the avenue for the advancement in arts, literature and science although scientific developments occurr ed at the latter part of Renaissance.1 Renaissance originally means rebirth and it was a cultural movement that spanned from the 14th century to 17th century and became a wide-scale movement throughout Europe. It had produced the paper and type sped that allowed quicker dissemination of knowledge but still some nations in Europe had not experienced its boom equally. In terms of literature, it developed the Latin literature across the Western continent and the popularity was attributed to Petrarch. In particular, he had made linear perspective and other artistic techniques together with the reformation of education.2 The developments had given way to the practices in the Modern Era such as the conventions in politics through diplomacy and the importance of observation that became the primary tool for science. Renaissance had also catered to the developments of the polymaths who were considered to be geniuses in various fields of knowledge and abilities like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. They were known as Renaissance man as being such is attributed to the name of the era. Various issues had been laid down with the concept of the polymaths and even with the name Renaissance and its very existence.3 Some viewed Renaissance as just a part of the former eras with high respect for classical ages as culture and arts flourished. Nostalgia

The Inca Empire and their Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Inca Empire and their Agriculture - Essay Example Almost 1800 years after their selection of agriculture as a profession, there was a session for which warm weather prevailed, thus enabling the civilization to flourish. The Incase used Llamas to transport their goods. Llamas were also a potential source of wool and meat for the Incas. As the Llamas carried goods from the jungle to the mountains, they occasionally stopped at ponds to quench their thirst and that was where they defecated communally. â€Å"This provided fertiliser which was easily collectable as today by the local people for the surrounding field systems† (Chepstow-Lusty cited in Anning, 2011). Despite the fact that the Andes are included among the tallest mountains across the world, the Incas managed to coax harvests from the sharp slopes of the Andes. Crops whose resilient breeds were developed by the Incas included but were not limited to quinoa, potatoes and corn. The Incas managed achieved this by building cisterns and irrigation and canals that wiggled all around and down the Andes. They cut terraces inside the hills that became steeper and steeper from the valley towards the slopes of the mountains. In the 1400s, the area covered by the terraces was about a million hectares. â€Å"In this way the whole hill was gradually brought under cultivation, the platforms being flattened out like stairs in a staircase, and all the cultivable and irrigable land being put to use† (Vega cited in Graber, 2011). ... The Incas compared the quality of plants including kantu flowers, grain, wheat, panti, and quinoa grown at different light intensities and altitudes. As a result of their experimentation, the Incas found that the deeper planted crops were exposed to cooler temperatures as compared to the ones planted at more heights. Also, different plants were found to react in a different way to the quantity of sunlight and water provided. The difference of temperature between the lower and higher levels was considerable. At certain places, the difference of temperature was as much as 15 ?C, which is what the difference of temperature is between a point at the sea level and another point at a height of 1000m from the sea level (Rediscover Machu Picchu, n.d.a). The agricultural cultivation done by the Incas and the irrigation systems they developed were so strong that they have continued to work to date. The Incas created stepped agricultural fields. Owing to the height of mountains surrounding the Sacred Valley region, path of the sunrays reaching down the valley is blocked while the sides of the mountain receive sunlight for a significant portion of the day. There are certain regions in the valleys where the limited space justified the use of steps to enlarge the area for cultivation of crops. The steps also enabled the Incas to achieve more control over the supply of water required for irrigating the crops. The steps provided the Incas with protection against floods and landslides as the water did not find vast horizontal regions to accumulate. â€Å"The rocks used for creating the steps strengthen the sides of the mountains, thus protecting what is in the valleys

POV’s and Traffic Tickets Essay Example for Free

POV’s and Traffic Tickets Essay There are quite a few soldiers in Oahu, Hawaii that own POV’s (Personally Owned Vehicles), but many do not know the risk behind owning such dangerous tools. Yes, a POV is typically used as a form of transportation, but more reckless behavior tends to be the trend among younger soldiers. Reckless behavior such as texting and driving, drinking and driving, eating and driving, sleeping and driving, not wearing seatbelts, but the most dangerous of these behaviors is racing or speeding. As described previously young soldiers tend to show many signs of reckless driving one of which was racing or speeding, but you may ask yourself why racing and speeding? What reason might soldiers, especially younger ones, have for racing or speeding? Well it is quite simple. Many young soldiers have not fully POV’s and Traffic Tickets

Is Morality Relative To Culture?

Is Morality Relative To Culture? Its has been charged that truth or justification of moral judgement is not relative to some group of persons, but absolute. After having defined both objectivism and cultural relativism views about morality well try to argue the relativity of moral by 3 different ways. First at all metaethical relativism tries to challenge the existence of objective fact, then thinks about what motivate people to act in order to see if motivations are relative or a priori and, last but not least emphasises the existence of moral disagreement s which cause an objection to objectivist theories. Cultural relativism is primarily based on empirical thesis that emphasises deep and widespread moral disagreement across different societies. This descriptive claim is not controversial but leads to metaethical thesis which can be contested. According to it, the truth-value of a claim is relative to the tradition, conviction or practice of a group (such as a society). There is no universal moral authority or normative force over (for ?) moral judgement but a relative one. Truth-values depend upon what people happen to be right or wrong within a particular ethical framework. Relativism has to face objectivism about the status of morality. The latter holds that moral judgement are truth or false in an absolute or universal sense. People are justified in accepting true moral judgement because they are based on objective facts. So moral judgement is an evidence to any reasonable and well informed person. The first issue raised between both theories is about the existence or not of objective fact. Harman disagree with the idea of objective morality which would rely on objective facts. Objective facts are indispensable in explaining what we observe, no putative moral facts are thus indispensable, therefore, there are not moral facts (Harman, 1997). If we tried to explain what we think or to judge an act as right or wrong its because we have moral thoughts. However moral thoughts are nothing else than socially inculcated view of the right and the wrong. In other words, we reflect about the worlds through our perception of it. Perception is not a neutral physical process but something determined by our upbringing (beliefs, concepts, expectation). Cultural relativists ensure that a persons culture strongly influenced her mode of perceptions. Culture shape human being. No man ever looks at the worlds with pristine eyes, he sees it edited by a definite set of custom and institution and ways of thinking (R.Benedict, 1934, pp. 2-3). Its not simply that our perception of thing is relat ive but facts themselves are relative to culture. Then polygamy is wrong may be justified in one culture but not another. Thus what is right or wrong depends on what moral standards of a culture warrant. Kantian ethic separates the agent from is social context, our perception of the world have nothing to do with cultural upbringing Indeed the world exists independently of how we know it. An agent cannot have any coherent experiences and knowledge without being aware of an objective world. We think the world in term of central concepts. Viewing the world objectively, I detached myself from my present concern, interests, goals Beliefs are not embedded in practice but framed in term of these concepts called categories, given a priori by our reason. Thoughts are regulated, not by culture but by the principle associated with these categories. The human being is a rationally free agent, independent of contingent and particular desire. Beliefs are determined by the speculative reason, and the same faculty frames what we have to do. Then, if you are not a rational agent, how could you know the right thing to do? Since morality seems to be viewed as a practical guide for action, conflicts between objectivism and cultural relativism leads us to explain what motivate people to act and in which way these motivations are relative to culture or not . Harman felt that we judge action right or wrong relative to a moral standard that we have agreed with others to accept. Moral judgement makes reference to an agreement. An agreement is reached when someone has reason to do something and this reason is shared by who Harman called the speaker and the audience. We need to look at how and why people act. If Y says that X ought to do something, that means that X has reason to do it, has motivation for doing so, and this reason is shared by Y (its what Harman called an inner judgement). Reasons have their source in desire, goals. To possess rationality is not enough, desires and goals are necessary to act. In other words, pure practical reason is not an explanation of why I intend to do something. Motivating reasons are not universals. People act to serve their ends and peoples ends differs from a person to another one. There is agreement if and only if a number of people have an intention on the assumption that others have the same intent ion (id). Then moral understanding is the result of a bargaining. People keep agreements because they provide us reasons to intend to do something: to do its own part of the agreement on the condition that others do their part. As we have seen above, culture shape human being in his way of thinking, that follows that desires, goals, needs that lead to agreement are influenced by culture. To conclude, moral agreements vary across different cultures. Thus Harman disagree with Kant for who what motivate people to act is never based on whats people desire or peoples ends. People act in order to realize the summum bonum, which is the object of our will. (summum bonum understood as the highest freedom and happiness) To promote it we need the accordance of the will with the moral law. Here also we need to look at how and why people act. People have different inclination that is to say, a feeling of various attractive ends. Among different type of inclinations one is overridden, its the a priori feeling, feeling of a respect for the moral law, based on pure reason. Inclinations must be incorporated into a maxim. We decide what to do because we have some beliefs, determine by the reason alone. Maxim provide us reason to action, I adopt an end according to these maxim and commit myself to some means for achieving that end (I will something then I do it). We can think that people would choose different maxims relative to their own culture, but actually maxims are chosen a priori through pure practical reason regardless empirical or contingents factors. Since I have deprived the will of every impulse that could arise for it from obeying some law nothing is left but conformity of action as such with universal law (kant, 1785.) Some actions are necessary and correspond to Categorical Imperatives. They are inescapable law, applicable to everyone and do not appeal to non-moral consideration. To conclude people act in accordance to CI (existing a priori in an objective world), whose 2 formulations are the universal law and the law of nature. These laws, being universal apply to everyone and are not relative. We can notice that even the word nature is often opposed to the word culture. The last issue here to face both theories concerns moral disagreement. They disagree on the possibility to rationally resolve moral disagreement. Cultural relativism often described itself as an interpretation of this disagreement. If they could be resolved, relativism would be undermined. Each society has its own conceptual schemes and they are incommensurable with one another. Cultures do not have enough in common in term of shared concepts or standard to rationally resolve their differences. Wittgenstein claims that there is an autonomy and a rationality to each culture. There is no way to understand rules except from inside the rule governed practice themselves. People are minded in a certain ways and its why they find justification to their true-value. This point is controverted by objectivism for which moral disagreement can be rationally resolved. Disagreements only reveal that people can be mistaken. People could be influenced by ideology, prejudice, interest etc. Then if people are well informed, moral difference are resolved. Following Kant some specific moral framework are rationally superior to others, such as Categorical Imperatives provide by pure practical reason. For example to say that polygamy is true relative to X, only means that polygamy has been accepted by people living in x. But people can be mistaken and the true remain undiscovered. Relativism must reply that there is no way to think that some people are much more well informed that another, this could not be a rational explanation to moral difference between societies. Furthermore the fact itself that objectivists disagree among themselves proves that there is no moral objective fact. To conclude, we agree that morality is located within the world rather than outside. If relativism can be challenged in many ways, a weaker form of relativism must be held for at least 2 reasons. To agree with relativism imply that there is no superior moral value among the diversity of culture. And in other hand there is no way to interfere with the action of a society whose moral agreement differs from ours. However we can underline that a mixt position will be better to handle relativisms problem. Indeed some rules seem to govern the entire world (ex: promoting welfare is the goal of a society, or do unto others as you would have them unto you). But there are different ways to promote welfare. Then we could accept that moral concept must have enough content to prevent from moral imperialism or moralizing view.

Comparing Conrads The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Similarities in Conrad's The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad's books, The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness, both deal with each of our "dark selves". These books also have similarities which are overwhelming. In describing the true inner self of humans, Conrad used many symbols which have become apparent in many of his novels. Conrad uses the same or very similar objects in many of his works. Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness in 1899 to recount his voyages in the Congo. Conrad hid most of his meaning in his words using a form of writing known as "stream of consciousness". This made it difficult for people to find the true meaning of his work. After about ten years, Conrad realized that he would have to get his point across in an easier to understand book. This book was The Secret Sharer. Both of these books include the hero wanting to meet or developing a fascination for a truly evil character. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow is very eager to meet Kurtz. Marlow is so eager, in fact, that he eventually starts to panic when he thinks he will never meet him. Marlow realizes that Kurtz is a very evil person, but this does not stop him from wanting to meet this incredibly remarkable person. In The Secret Sharer the Captain saves a murderer from almost certain death without knowing what the man has done. Later, The Captain has a discussion with the man and finds out his name is Leggatt. Leggatt tells his story and the Captain becomes more enthralled with Leggatt ever so more. When Leggatt tells the Captain he has committed a murder, the Captain does not throw him overboard. Instead, the Captain harbors this criminal because he feels a connection with Leggatt that he has never felt before. In both stories the hero identifies with his evil counterpart to the point that they actually become one in their own minds. Conrad wanted to show the evil that exists within all of us. The bulk of Conrad's stories deal with sea voyages because of his extensive sailing as a young man. The ship in his writing can be thought of as symbolizing the journey through life, a vessel of sorts.

Dogmatism Character of Religion Essay -- Religion

â€Å"Plato’s Dream† is a short story written in 1756 by the French philosopher and satirist Franà §ois-Marie Arouet who published under the name of Voltaire. In this story, He explained the doctrine taught by Plato to his disciples. The scene is about Demiurgos, the creator of the infinite space, who wanted to test the geniuses of his supreme creatures. He gave each one a planet to organize. One of his creatures, Demogorgon, received the earth. He worked on it and arranged it as well as we have it today. Because of the magnificent job he did, he believed he would receive the utmost praise from his brothers; instead, he was ridiculed and criticized because of his imperfections that they noted supposedly. The brothers not only criticized Demogorgons’ work, but also seem to have a critique towards each other’s work. Since they were not able to agree with each other’s work, they kept going back and forth in their disputes. To put an end to it, the cre ator Demiurgos called for peace amongst his supreme creatures and decided to be the ultimate judge. Through his examination of their work he found both great discoveries as well as flaws, which was not a surprise to him since his creatures had a lot of knowledge and imperfections as well. Demiurgos concluded and stated that he is the only one who could create perfection and had the power to give immortality. This fable written by Voltaire is a sharp philosophical criticism of religious doctrine. He is known as a deist, which is a belief or doctrine that declares the existence of a god and its influence in the creation of the universe without relying on sacred scripts or being a member of a formal religion. â€Å"Plato’s Dream† portrays the dogmatic character of religion, and argues for principles ba... ...not sponsor a blind belief in God in the darkness of its mysteries. Works Cited Englander, Alex. â€Å"Kant’s Aesthetic Theology: Revelation as Symbolisation in the Critical Philosophy.† NeueZeitschriftfà ¼rSystematischeTheologie und Religionsphilosophie.53.3 (2011). 304. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 April 2012. Rist, John.† Morality and Religion: Some Questions about First Principles.† Philosophical Investigations.34.2. (2011). 215. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 April 2012. Voltaire. â€Å"Plato’s Dream.† Trans. Literature a World of Writing: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays. Ed. David L. Pike and Ana M. Acosta. Boston: Pearson 2011. 429-430. Print. Wittgenstein, Ludwig Josef Johann. â€Å"Wittgenstein and religiousdogma.†International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Ed. Hoyt, Christopher.61.1 (2007). 42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 April 2012.

Reaction Paper Information Security Essay

Right now we are living in a world where information is very abundant and mostly open to everyone because of the internet. Security and privacy are big issues nowadays and someone has to do some actions regarding these issues. People dealing with the security and privacy of information belong to the field of Information Security, and we are lucky to meet someone knowledgeable about this field of work. Last February 27 at BA Multimedia Room of Saint Therese Building, we held a seminar about Information Technology and our speaker was Mr. Ferdinand Samaniego and together with him is a Computer Engineering graduate of Adamson University, Mr. Tet Aguila. Mr. Samaniego is the Lead Penetration Tester of Bitshield. His task is to find possible threats on applications and provide remedy to these threats. The seminar was delayed for about an hour because Mr. Samaniego and Mr. Aguila were caught in traffic. Most of us lost their enthusiasm about the seminar because of the delay. But when Mr. Samaniego and Mr. Aguila arrived and started the seminar, everyone became very excited and the eagerness to learn came back to us because Mr. Samaniego told that he will tackle issues about hacking. I think it is normal for us Computer Engineering students to get excited whenever the topic is hacking. We had already attended several seminars and whenever the topic is hacking it usually get all our attention throughout the seminar. So as expected, the seminar was very lively and interactive. Students raised their questions and Mr. Samaniego and Mr. Aguila willingly addressed these questions. At the beginning of the seminar, Mr. Samaniego asked us which operating system we are using in our computers. All of us answered Microsoft Windows  Operating System. He laughed and then challenged us that if we are using Linux Operation System just raised our hand and he will give some freebies to us. But no one raised his/her hand. He again laughed and told us that we must try and explore Linux Operating System because it is more flexible and more secure than Windows Operating System. Mr. Samaniego advised us that when we arrived at our home that day, we try to install Linux OS in our computers or download a Virtual Machine and run Linux OS in that VM. After he discussed Linux OS and Virtual Machines, Mr. Samaniego asked us how many programming languages we learned here in Adamson University. We answered 5 programming languages namely, C++, Assembly, C#, Java and C. He advised us to study more programming languages because it is our key to enter the industry world if we want to venture on Programming or Information Security. Mr. Samaniego told us that if we want to enter the field of InfoSec we must equipped ourselves with scripting languages like Ruby and Python because it is the most common language use to analyze threats on applications. He said that based on what programming languages we knew it will be very easy for us to study other programming languages because most of the programming languages are based from C Language. The last part of the seminar was the most interactive part of the seminar, when we are allowed to raise any question we had in our minds. As expected most of the questions were about hacking and some were about Linux Operating System. Mr. Samaniego and Mr. Aguila answered all of our questions and even shared some of their experiences in the industry. Mr. Samaniego shared to us that he once worked with Globe Telecoms as an Information Security officer. There was a time when hackers found a hole in their network and used it to have a free internet connection as long as they have one peso load. It took them weeks to found out that issue and a couple of days to provide a solution regarding the issue. Mr. Samaniego was the one who provided the solution. He told us that the problem was very simple and the hackers were too clever to use it to have an internet connection. The hackers route the DNS of a website to a different IP address, and that IP address gives them internet connection. The solution Mr. Samaniegp provided was also simple, but it was a secret he joked us. He also gave us a list of websites where we  can study Information Security, websites like easycouncil.com, gsn3.org, ic2.org, securityfocus.com, cisecurity.org and other more websites where we can start studying InfoSec. At the end of the day, I was very thankful for this seminar about Information Security. This seminar opened a new career path for me and taught me new things. Mr. Samaniego and Mr. Aguila were truly knowledgeable people from the field of InfoSec and I was lucky to meet them and listened to all their advices and lessons. I realized that Information Technology offers a broad career path and we must not stop learning because IT world is continuously developing and we must cope to these developments. A seminar like this is necessary for us to learn new things and get inspired by IT professionals.

Final Project: Personal Narrative

Over the past five years the purpose and meaning for my life has developed into an empathetic, caring, responsible person. I am in the process of fulfilling a mission to help others deal with life’s situations, circumstances, and issues without the use of alcohol and drugs. My life began as the 18th of 20 siblings, which was not an easy assignment for me. I had to hold the position as â€Å"the baby† for seven years before my baby sister was born. This was the beginning of the development of my personality that I possessed over time through experience and my environment. The infancy stage of my life was filled with glory and gloom as parents and siblings gave praises to me,† The Baby†. I was always catered to and showered with gifts of love and affection. Until one day, something happened. People was walking by me to get to the baby, this small â€Å"something† which my mother kept bundled up until the next visitor came by with oohs, ahhs, and compliments of praises for â€Å"it†. As Caldonia replaced my glory, I was determined to be doomed for life. In spite of others’ sympathy for me, I felt like something was wrong with me. I developed the sense that I did something wrong, and something was wrong ith me. I had lost confidence in myself and others and trust was broken. I became resentful and felt neglected as if no one loved me any longer. I developed personality traits of introversion/extroversion, friendly/ unfriendly, and became a loner. The fluctuation of my feelings towards the baby, my mother, my family, and t he world were internalized feelings of the pain I felt. Feelings of inferiority overwhelmed me. Upon entering first grade, in early childhood, I developed a different perspective with this interactionism with other children. I was taller than my peers and after being picked on by older iblings, I felt like this was my opportunity to stand up to someone. As anxious as I was to be aggressive, I just could not bully the friends that were so small and friendly. This humanistic view of motivation, influenced by my mother’s voice in Christian discipline statements such as, â€Å"don’t do her like that†, â€Å"that is not fair†, â€Å"play fair† and â€Å"be kind to each other† helped shape my personality at this life stage. I developed a personality of conscientiousness from my mother disciplining us on our behavior. As I matured to adolescence, I developed the personality traits of greeableness, and risk taking. By early adolescence I very much agreed with adults when I was told, â€Å"you are too big to play with little Sandra†, â€Å"you are too big to be in third grade† and constantly asked, â€Å"how old are you? † I decided to play with the b oys and play as the boys. Why not? I was just as big and tall as the boys and was too big to play with girls, as I was told. The schemas of my personality were shaped accordingly. My personal construct was the images of the behaviors that I felt was appropriate from the perspective of my self-image and from others’ perspective. My life was consistent to Erikson’s basic philosophy: â€Å"the world gets bigger as we go along and failure is cumulative. † During my early teens, I experienced physical changes, which was natural at this life stage, yet I was uncomfortable with. I had reached puberty. At puberty, I was developing faster than my friends and this fast maturity made me feel uncomfortable with myself again. My father made sexual advances towards me. I then developed a self-concept as worthiness to someone and became promiscuous. At this time other girls were courting and had â€Å"boyfriends† and I was rying so hard to be loved and accepted. By age 15, I became involved with a 20-year-old family friend, three months later we were married. We had a very beautiful wedding on my family home’s front porch. I was such a beautiful bride. This was the first time that I felt such beauty, since Caldonia was born. I felt the love and warmth of my husband and the wedding congregation. I was loved and accepted. My husband was considerate and kind the first six months, however became violent and abusive. He drank beer only on weekends, and eventually started drinking liquor and wine. By his time I was pregnant with our first child and become a high school drop-out. 18 months later I gave birth to our daughter. I was seeking my identity as a wife, mother, and young adult. I was only 18 years old married and had given birth to two children. I was very confused about my individuality and the role to play in my situation. It was easy for me to substitute ideals for experience. After seven years of abuse and three children, I could no longer cope. I covered up all of my problems with a new love. I became addicted to crack cocaine. After four years of chasing the igh, I was arrested and sent to jail. I underwent treatment and stayed clean and sober for almost six years and started using again. By this time I am mother of six and in another abusive relationship with the father of my later two child ren. I had relived my marriage with the same patterns of alcoholism and abuse. I turned; again, to the same method of dealing with the circumstances, I started using drugs again. This time my incarceration was longer and required extensive substance abuse treatment. I entered this program with an open-mind and willingness to change. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Currently, in middle adulthood I am more conscientious and have direction and goals for my life. I have developed personality traits of being a good mother/grandmother (generativity). I want to help others and I have a gift to give. I am no longer absorbed into the selfishness of myself. According to Harder (2009), based on Erikson’s Ego Development Outcome, â€Å"the significant task of this stage of life is to perpetuate culture and transmit values through the family (taming the kids) and working to establish a stable environment. † The development of my personality has the responsibility of many counterparts. Factors such as culture, religion, society, family, high and low life-points, and gender has played a role in the shaping of my personality. However, real acceptance of the self has been the most persuasive. My life has had its ups and downs. However, I would not change none of its episodes. I feel as if everything has happened exactly the way it was supposed to happen for me to be in the position I am in today. My mission is to become a Substance Abuse Counselor to help the next person who is struggling with ways to deal with and accept life on life’s terms, as I have.

Computer Based Learning †The Vikings Essay

The paper analyzes the effectiveness of computer based learning, factors that influence the learning process and the means of enhancing the technology towards a better instructional model. The Vikings – a learning package designed for history students is the base for this study. An evaluation of the package, its level of interactivity, the development model, its learning impact, and shortcomings are discussed in this paper. The paper also elaborates the changes in the design that will improve the learning model adopted in the Vikings package. The purpose of this paper is to establish the parameters that affect the learning process and how the computer based learning system can be used to make this learning process an enriching experience for the students. Computer Based Learning – A Brief The conventional classroom is slowly giving way to the computer based training applications that is universally accessible via the Internet. The personalized learning environment that this method offers has great potentials and can influence the learning process to a considerable degree. A successful prototype of this form of learning needs a high level of interactive media in tandem with an effective presentation of content that is simple to use and easy to relate. The market for this medium of learning has witnessed tremendous growth in the recent years with a wide variety of multimedia based learning tools available for the users. The use of multimedia and flash has not only made learning fun but has also facilitated retention and easy understanding of concepts. Many web based learning environments use innovative technologies that have revolutionized the learning process considerably over the past few years. Joyce A. Overfield and Lesley Bryan Lluka(2003) in their research article on evaluation of factors affecting computer based learning observe that computer based learning can be a valuable learning and teaching resource providing consideration is given to the nature of the student group. Availability and accessibility of computers is essential and students are unhappy if the support is lacking. These are some of the views that can aptly explain the effectiveness of the computer based learning system. This learning tool has improved learning experiences to a considerable extent as it does away with tedious conventional system of learning. The emergence of new technologies in this sector has collaborated to create a unique learning model for the students. This has not only set a new trend in learning but has revolutionized the way a student looks at his classroom project. Vikings – The Package The Vikings package is meant for students of history. The objective of the package is to impart historical facts and milestones to the students in a fun filled learning environment that makes the learning process easy and memorable. History has been labeled as a boring subject for many students and it can be a little tricky remembering facts and figures that relate to the distant past. The package uses maps and graphics to instill interest in the learner. The use of grid lines to mark specific study points and provide relevant information to the learner is a key feature of this package. The user needs to click on the relevant grid line to get details of the particular artefact related to the Vikings era. Terms used in the section are highlighted in red – a click on the highlighted term gives the user an explanation of the same. The developers of â€Å"The Vikings† claim that the package is highly interactive and excellent learning tool for students of history. The presentation of historical facts in a manner that facilitates learning is of prime importance in this application. The tool applies the concept of learning through activity and context based learning that ensures the involvement of the student throughout the learning process. This is in sharp contrast to the classroom learning process that is mostly abstract. A review of the two scenario presented below will make the contrast in both the learning modes clearer: Scenario 1: A teacher giving a lecture on the Vikings era and stating the facts verbally where the student has to be very attentive to relate the facts presented before him. Scenario 2: A student going through the Vikings package where a click of the mouse will give him the relevant information – pictorial description and maps on the screen relate to his cognitive senses and learning happens faster. The application uses the interactive instruction model that is designed to elicit some response in the user in the form of a mouse click. The programmed instruction with the aid of well-designed stimuli in the form of graphics acts as the user interface. A few basic factors that set the scenario 2 apart from scenario 1 are learner control, interaction level, learner motivation, collaborative learning, and navigation system that are discussed below. Learner Control Vaughan (1998) has described Computer Based Learning interactivity as empowering the end user of the package by letting them have control of the content and flow of information. The learning tool, â€Å"The Vikings†, simulates an environment where the control over learning is not completely in the hands of the student. The student decides the pace of learning but the path of learning is guided. In scenario 1 the student has to attend classes at the pre-defined timings and the teacher decides the topic of learning. In contrast the application allows the student the liberty to choose his topic of study and the sequence that he wants to follow at his own pace. It has been observed that by handing over the control of learning to the students enhances the learning experience. The advantages of learner control include greater individualization of instruction, increased sense of personal responsibility for learning, and the potential to optimize learning efficiency. (Interactivity: What is it and What can it do for computer based instruction? Terry K Borsook and Nancy Higginbotham-Wheat – Hannafin and Colamaio, 1987). A student who is a quick learner will have no problem going through the package and grasp the contents in one or two sittings. However, a slow learner will need time to grasp the information handed out – but he has the advantage of taking things slow and pacing his learning to his comfort level. The control of the learner over the entire learning process is seen as a positive reinforcement. The application should allow the student to decide his path of learning. An ideal learning application provides regulated control to the learner with the scope of browsing through the modules, set his learning objectives and pace of learning. Any additional related information or links to these should be provided to enable the student to look up on these extra bits of information. This not only enriches the learning experience but also boosts the confidence level of the learner. A systematic approach and relevant content packaged with attractive and compelling presentation will result in a satisfying learning experience. One of the concerns that have been observed is that giving too much of control over the learning experience may not be good since the learner does not know what is best for him. Borsook and Higginbotham-Wheat (1991) state that too much of control in the hands of the learner can shift the locus of control from one party to another and that diminishes true interactivity. Regulated control with guided flow of information is a better option. The Vikings package gives very less control to the student – the flow of information is directed by the package but this is one of the shortcomings of the tool. Allowing more leverage to the learner will make the learning tool more effective as this results in positive attitude towards learning and motivates them towards their learning goals. Interaction level The most effective teaching method involves a high level of interaction between the teacher and the student. A dedicated teacher is one who understands the student’s learning capacity and his shortcomings and guides him through with effective feedback. A two-way communication between the teacher and the student is very effective in the learning process. Computer based learning applications are continually striving to achieve the human to human interactivity level and have been quite successful in this venture with the aid of multimedia based technologies. The level of interactivity in the learning application tool is of prime importance for it to be effective. The representation of information through graphics and on screen presentation is the required stimuli that elicit some sort of response from the user, such as a mouse click. The application tool then responds to the user with relevant data. This process of interactivity in the application makes the learning process effective. Feedback is an integral part of interactivity. Berlo (1960) states in his work â€Å"feedback provides the source with information concerning his success in accomplishing his objective. † A classroom lecture where the teacher gives lecture to the class without class participation is quite ineffective. It is difficult to gauge in such a situation if the learning process was successful. An understanding of the student’s perception of the contents is essential. This is one of the essential features that a learning application tool should incorporate for it to be a successful learning model. The instructional design should take care that the learning model has scope to interact closely with the learner and guide him through the process for effective learning experience. The level of interactivity and feedback element present in â€Å"The Vikings† application is not substantial. A student going through the package is only following instructions that are being presented to him. Statements like â€Å"Click here to begin† and â€Å"Choose your artefact and click on the square to travel back in time† – these are some of the instructions that are provided to the student. This generates response from the student in the mode of mouse-click and the application narrates the relevant contents on the screen. The student needs to go through this text but this does not ensure learning. The application has no way of evaluating if the student has perceived the information presented to him correctly. There is no feedback mechanism that is applied in this model. This leaves the learning model incomplete. Proper feedback and evaluation gives the student a sense of his learning objectives and how much he has succeeded in this direction. Constructive feedback gives the student a clear picture of how much he has learnt, where he went wrong and what he should do to correct his mistake. Modes of interaction between the learner and the learning application model can be identified at different levels. The basic form of interaction is one that presents the stimuli to the learner and elicits some kind of response in the form of a mouse click or key press. A higher level of interaction that ensures the effectiveness of the learning process involves evaluating activities presented to the learner at the end of a module to gauge his understanding and performance level. This form of interaction gives a clear picture of the learner’s progress as feedback. The inclusion of this parameter in the instructional design of the learning application model is vital. Directing the learner to key learning points and providing links to related concepts enhances the quality of learning and promotes better understanding of the subject matter. Instances of such interactivity are problem-solving modules, puzzles, quiz, and brain twisters that ensure active participation from the learner. Engaging the learner in different kinds of activities related to the context enhances the learning process. This not only ensures that the learner has successfully grasped the contents but also increases the effectiveness of the model. One of the benefits of such activities is the interest level that is created in this type of learning environment. Learning becomes a fun activity and not a dreaded cumbersome experience that one goes through reluctantly. Once the interest level is high the learner is ready for more. He is willing to explore the unknown territories in pursuit of an in-depth understanding of the context. The learning process in such cases is unintentional and not deliberate and hence more effective. The multimedia and other high-end technology available have the potential to achieve this dream-learning model. Another key feature that determines the effectiveness of the learning application model is the quality of content. An application may provide all the features of good interactivity and presentation in terms of graphics and display, but a poor quality of content will negate all the rest. A package rich relevant content with suitable links to additional related information will ensure learning effectiveness. This leaves the control of learning in the hands of the learner. An individual may wish to go beyond the realms of his subject matter and explore other related areas in this way. Simulated learning environment in computer-based interaction is another excellent tool for learning. Simulations use selected elements of some world, real or imaginary, which operate together according to rules (Greenblat 1988). In such cases the learner can experience an imaginary sequence in which he can interact and learn. This kind of learning experience is a gradual process where the learner is allowed to make mistakes and learn. Teaching the history of Vikings era using this mechanism is not only an interesting option but also a powerful learning tool. It might be adventurous to move into the Vikings era and view the events of the past unfold in front of the student. The narration of the events in the background in synchronization with suitable graphics and animation will surely captivate the student’s attention and allow for greater learning experience. But it must be kept in mind that simply viewing the events of the past as an audience is not enough – the active participation of the learner is equally important to hold his interest level and retain the subject matter. Learner Motivation Kruse (2007) states that the success of any computer based learning package depends on learner motivation and even the most sophisticated package will fail if it does not motivate the students to learn. Computer games have managed to captivate the user’s attention to such an extent that everything else is forgotten. This is a classic example of motivation and interest that this type of software generates in the user. Educational models too can apply this theory while designing the learning package. The essential ingredient that is required to hold the learner’s attention is the active role of the learner in the learning process. There are several ways of ensuring that the learner actively takes the control of learning in his own hands. The interactivity of the learning package is one of the deciding factors that motivate the learner to proceed. The system should allow the learner to steer the path of learning. Enabling the student to browse the information and guiding him through the learning process will hold the student’s interest and motivate him to learn more. Structuring the learning content into a story telling format with compelling dramatic sequence will keep the student highly engrossed. The absorption of the learning material will be faster and effective. The Vikings package does not include this feature and the presentation of facts is in form of text that the student needs to go through. The effect of presenting the same facts through narration in the background will hold the student’s attention and interest. The ARCS Model of Motivational Design by Keller provides the direction to successful instructional design in this context. The ARCS model identifies four strategic components for motivating instruction. One of the basic parameters for keeping the student interested and motivated in the subject matter is his attention. Computer based learning has an edge over other conventional tools of learning like books in this context. The visibility and presentation of information through attention grabbing graphics and multimedia tool make this a more effective learning platform. Once the attention of the student is on the learning tool the application needs to stimulate the learner’s curiosity that in turn leads to search for answers and in-depth study of the learning module. The relevance of the content is another aspect that is important in learner motivation. This is a more goal centric strategy that appeals to the objective needs of the student. The objectivity of the study needs to be defined so that the student is aware of the purpose behind this learning activity. This keeps the student focused on his goal and helps him in the learning process. The application needs to arrange the information in such a manner that the student finds it easy to approach and understand. The sequencing and relevance of the information presented to him is vital. Correlating the tasks and facts in the learning module need to be very precise. The next step in motivating students is confidence-building strategy. The goal of this mechanism is to instill confidence in the learner that he is on the right track and that his learning objectives are being met. There are various technologies available that can be effectively used to evaluate the student’s understanding level of the module and based on this evaluation effective feedback is given to the student regarding his progress. Tasks for evaluating should range from simple to challenging levels that test the student’s perception. This challenges the student to go from one level to the other and enhances the learning process. The satisfaction of the learning experience is critical for measuring the effectiveness of the overall package. The achievement of meeting the goals of learning forms the base for a satisfying learning experience. Positive reinforcement and constructive feedback mechanism are instrumental in achieving this strategy. The Vikings package will attract the attention of the user with its graphical and pictorial representation but that is not enough. It is difficult to hold the interest of the learner with only graphical presentation of information. The student will very easily get bored with the facts presented in this manner. The package needs to adopt novel strategies to hold the student’s attention for a longer period of time. Use of storytelling mechanism, simulations and activity based learning modules as discussed earlier will motivate the student and enrich the learning experience. Collaborative Learning When students are able to participate in active learning activities, they find the learning more pleasurable and satisfying than non participative events (Fry and Coe,1980). The principle of collaborative learning provides many learning opportunities and enriches the learning experience considerably. A learning environment that allows interaction between the learners is highly conducive. A classroom environment provides this kind of scope to the students where a group of students sharing the same learning goal coordinate with each other, communicate their ideas, and share their understanding of the subject matter. Jonassen (1988) has stated in his works that the effectiveness of any learning environment is based on the types and levels of cognitive and metacognitive activity engendered in the learners. It is widely accepted that learning is enhanced in instructional settings where students are engaged in processing personally relevant content and are reflective during the learning process. Another feature of this learning principle as suggested by Slavin (1997) is that the reward structures inherent in collaborative environments have been found to have a positive effect on student motivation. Computers provide a stimulus for learning by increasing social interactions and cooperation (eg. Hoyles, Healy & Pozzi, 1992). The application of this mode of learning can be effectively used in computer based learning with the aid of various multimedia and authoring technologies available. The Vikings uses one such strategy in its learning application – the principle of situated learning or situated cognition. This is defined as â€Å"the notion of learning knowledge and skills in contexts that reflect the way the knowledge will be useful in real life† (Brown, Collins and Dugiud, 1989). The application is meant for two or more students at a time with the same learning objectives. The discussion of the facts and information between the groups of learners ensures the understanding of the subject matter. The collaboration between the students and the package offer an effective learning environment. One of the discrepancies of this learning principle is that collaborative learning may not have the desired outcome if the learners do not share the learning goals. Exchange of views and ideas may not enrich the learning experience, as some of the learners may not be attentive to what is being discussed around him. History is a subject that explores the past and discovers the roots of civilization and the world. The Vikings application aims to present the facts from the Vikings era to enable the students an understanding of how things were in those times. As such the application should aim at providing facts from the past that enables a better understanding of the world today. The Vikings package can implement some more principles of collaborative learning to create and effective learning environment. Use of interactive multimedia packages that enable the application to converse with the student and provide scope for evaluating the student’s knowledge and understanding of the subject matter is one method. Other methods involve the use of audio and visual depictions that is bound to impact the learner’s cognitive senses.