Essential Questions of Hinduism

Hinduism Hinduism sees to put an origin for all things in the natural world. Everything must be treated with respect and seen as a part of ones self. It is observed that everything in the universe was created by Brahmas, including himself. At the time of creation, Brahmas emanated outward Into the world and became the world. He became every rock, animal, river, and anything else we see. Stories of the creation and all the gods and events that follow, are passed down In the Purina's and the Veda, through the scripture or crust and smart.Crust is the scripture while smart is the tradition. These are passed down with great precision as the Veda. Furthermore, Purina is all the myths and legends of Hinduism that are widespread unlike the crust and smart. In the Hindu religion, there are three main gods, Brahmas, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahmas Is the creator, Vishnu Is the sustainer, and Shiva is the destroyer and regenerator. Abraham's doings are done and world has already been created so he Is not as worshipped, while Vishnu and Shiva are often seen with their consorts as there many avatars in the Purina's.These 3 main gods spread out to millions of efferent avatars while at the same time being all one. Since Brahmas created the universe and is the universe at the same time, he is all of the gods together. Whom one chooses to worship whether Is be Brahmas or an avatar of any of the other gods, is completely up to the follower. Brahmas, Shiva, and Vishnu are seen as their avatars that further represent a different more specific aspect of their greater being. These avatars are then worshipped in ceremonies called pups where blessing are received. This includes prayer, offerings, and meditation to become in harmony with the gods.What does It mean to be human? In the Hindu religion every living being has a soul and a position on the circle of life. After death the soul is reincarnated in another life in accordance to how well dharma was followed in the past life. The perso n may be reborn in the caste system or even lower amongst the insects or untouchables. Where one is reborn is determined by how well dharma was followed and if they lived their life positively with good karma. The caste system is broken Into 4 sections; the Brahmins, the starkly, the valleys, and the sutras.There Is as well a 5th group, the untouchables which are outside of the caste system unworthy of it. The Brahmins are the highest in society and are the priests and teachers of the others. Brahmins study the Veda and perform the sacred rituals. Next are asterisk, which tend to be the royals of the society and the Visa whom are the back bone of society as business people, farmers and merchants. Then there are sutras who are the laborers and servants. Lastly, there are the untouchables that are left to the worst conditions of life often Each caste is expected to follow dharma closely to achieve atman.Atman is the true self, when one realizes that everything is one in the same. When atman is achieved, the soul becomes at peace with Brahmins and is removed from the cycle of rebirth. Actions are Judged by the extrasensory karma. Karma cannot be perceived but is a universal tally on the good and bad someone performs. Karma then dictates reincarnation and how close one is with atman. The higher up one goes through the caste system the closer they get to peace within themselves. How do humans interact with the sacred? The human interacts with the sacred amongst all levels in the Hindu religion.This can be achieved in many different ways; firstly, through sacrifice, purity, and ritual. As previously mentioned, many Hindus practice pups but as well there are festivals and celebrations. The pups allows the individual to connect to the gods and goddesses but then there are holidays that are celebrated among the community on a daily basis to show that everyone is on the same path. As well, the high priests perform sacrifices to the gods, procuring blessings and happines s. Each individual attempts to keep a ritual purity. A cleanness, which will help them, become closer to the gods.This is sometimes similar to hygienic cleanliness but goes beyond that as to avoid anything that may stain their karma, such as change since Brahmas means permanence. Secondly, there is the path of devotion where the devotee focuses his energies towards a specific god or deity. This can be observed when temples are built in the names of an avatar of one of the gods and many of the rituals performed. A devotee may draw strength from Just being with the statue of his deity. In addition, mantras may be performed to the gods bringing the performer closer to the gods.Finally, there is yoga. This is the path of knowledge where through meditation and understanding, one can strive to achieve atman and connection with the gods. Yoga is the development of the physical and spiritual connection towards the goal of chivalry. Chivalry is the experience of ultimate timelessness and pea ce. How does the sacred become a community? Sacred becomes the community through the many rituals and festivals performed by the people. As Hindus go through life there are many rituals that are performed at different points in life.In these rituals, the sacred becomes part of the life and community of the people. After birth at around the age of 8-12, a second birth is performed where a boys head is shaved only leaving a topknot at the top of the head. At this point, the child has entered the time of learning. From here on the child will learn of the Hindu life and ways. This is when he gains many responsibilities and is now looked at differently by the community then he was before the ritual. Marriage is another important ritual faced in the life of a Hindu.Typically, the parents arrange the marriage. Marriages occur within caste systems and mixing of castes is seen as a at both the husband's and wife's house. Upon death, loved ones clean the body and it is then wrapped. Very few Hindus are buried as most are cremated. A â€Å"death priest† leads a ceremony at the foot of a ever where the body is released adrift while burning. Any ashes that are left are collected and then released at a later time amongst the waters. Anyone who has encountered the dead must later purify oneself and cleanse of the dead.The death priests who were once Brahmas can be moved to untouchables because they are always around death. Part 2: Religion and geography: Briefly describe how Hinduism interacts with geography. Hinduism believes that all things originated from the same source; Brahmas. Brahmas then became the rocks, the rivers, and the mountains. These places are all part of Brahmas and all holy. The rivers are often used for rituals. Upon death the dead is burned and set adrift in the river. Further, their ashes are also dispersed into a river at a later time.Some rivers hold even higher recognition such as the Ganges, which is thought to bring life, rejuvenation, and blessing. Many people come down to the river to bathe and wash themselves of their sins, to be cleansed. It is also deemed the best place to be cremated at death. Part 3: Religion and Internal Conflict: Briefly discuss how Hinduism interacts with outside forces such as science, technology or religion. Hinduism does not interact well with outside forces. This is so, because the meaning of life in the Hindu religion is becoming at peace with the world, and realizing that everything is one.This is very difficult to do in an ever-changing world where technology pushes boundaries where nothing stays the same; this is a direct contradiction to Brahmas that is eternal permanence. On the other hand, Hinduism will openly accept other religions as other paths of devotions. Since the three main gods have so many different avatars the many other gods of the other religions are seen as different avatars of the same gods. Buddha is just another avatar or Vishnu and has his own devotee in Buddhism .

Certification In Education And Training Essay

Task 1 1, Explain what your main role & responsibilities are as a teacher/trainer in Education and Training (1.1) My role as a Teacher  As a teacher, one of my main roles is to motivate my learners, to develop their ability to learn also to develop my learner’s aspiration to learn. When you train to teach you read about delivering training and how to facilitating learning, but in reality you do much more than that, your role as a teacher is not just about teaching your subject or preparing learners for assessment. The focus of your role as a teacher I feel relates very much to inspiring your learners to change and develop their personal, social and professional skills to the best of their ability. My ultimate aim is to enable my learners to understand how to take responsibility for their own development. I would do this by planning and preparing teaching and learning activities that take account of the needs and well-being of individual learners as well as groups of learners. Some key aspects of my role as a teacher may be: Carrying out initial and/or diagnostic assessments. Clear communication with learners, other professionals. Promoting appropriate behaviour and respect for others. Identifying and meeting individual learner’s needs. Being aware of the support available. Being organised. Being reflective, (which means learning from successes as well as mistakes). My responsibilities as a teacher?  As a teacher, my responsibility is to ensure that learners are enrolled onto the correct course that is suited for them and to make sure of meeting their needs and abilities, also i need to ensure that my learner is on the appropriate course in terms of meeting their award and organizational requirements. To do this you I will probably have to be responsible for the following: Promoting a safe and supportive learning environment. Promoting equality and diversity. Adhering to legislation and codes of practice. Modelling professional behaviour at all times to inspire my learners. Ensuring my own professional development.  Working with a team of professionals in order to improve the experience and achievement of my learners. Designing or contributing to a design of the course curriculum. Negotiating appropriate learning targets for groups and individuals and make sure their appropriate to their needs and aspirations as well as the course aims. Planning learning activities based on the needs of your group and specific individual needs within the group. Amending or designing learning resources that are varied or appropriate to the award aims, to intellectually challenge my learners. Keeping accurate records to contribute to your organisations quality improvement strategy. This will include keeping accurate records of recruitment, retention, achievement and progression of your group, as well as evaluation of how these can be improved; Keeping accurate records of individual learners’ progress and future needs. (This is often recorded in the form of an individual learning plan). Providing learners with appropriate points of referral as required. (Word count 467) 2, Explain how your role involves working with other professionals and what the boundaries are between your teaching role and other professional roles. (3.1, 3.2) â€Å"Professionalism requires us to maintain appropriate standards and fulfil our responsibilities to learners, institutions and colleagues† (Francis and Gould, 2009). This can be achieved by setting professional and personal boundaries which will enable us to be clear about what our limits are and what our professional role involves. It is our responsibility to identify areas outside of the professional boundaries of a teacher, either because of lack of necessary skills or expertise or because it is inappropriate for the teacher to deal with it. This is when external support from other professionals will be required and it is important to identify the appropriate colleague to which to refer the matter. For example a student who is having financial problems should be referred to the appropriate colleague within the institution. With personal matters it is important not to given preferential treatment to one or a group of learners and to treat  everyone equally. Teachers should not give out personal information or get personally involved with a student e.g. not join social networking sites etc. You should avoid touching students inappropriately or give preferential treatment to some students and not others. These boundaries could have a negative effect on us as teachers as well as other professionals within the organisation. We therefore need to deal with these boundaries by referring to the Institute for Learning’s Code of Practice (2008) which outlines the behaviours expected of teachers. (Word count 234) 3, Summarise the key aspics of legislation, regulatory requirements and codes of practice relating to your role and responsibilities as a teacher/trainer. (1.2) . Teachers always have to protect themselves and the best way to do it is to follow the rules of the code of practice. Being a teacher makes me automatically an example for my students so therefore I must not discriminate, abuse (physically or verbally), dress inappropriate, and be late or turn up for teaching intoxicated. The Code of Professional Practice comes in support of all teachers as guidance to how to be a good teacher. In a continually changing society the profession of teaching is becoming more complex and important and in order to keep up with the changes, I need to ensure that I meet the highest possible standards. Following this, I must be committed to my own professional learning, seeking to expand my skills and to deepen my knowledge as a teacher. Confidentiality and Data protection Act (1998) are very important legislations for a teacher, learners expect us to respect and protect confidentiality, this duty extends to any information relating to a learner which we acquire in the course of our work. Confidential information includes personal details. â€Å"Confidentiality can be defined as when one person receives personal or sensitive information from another person, then that person who receives the information has a duty not to pass it on to any other person without the consent of the person who confided in them.† As a professional teacher, I won’t share any information regarding my students unless the situation requires it. I’ll do my best to keep safe the information they are sharing with me and to gain their trust, if they will trust me then they’ll feel safe in my classroom. (Word count  272) 4, Explain how to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment. (2.1) â€Å"Good classroom management depends a lot on how you establish the ground rules at the beginning of a course. Students need to know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you during the course. They need to know where the boundaries lie and what will happen if they step over the boundaries.† (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/language-assistant/teaching-tips/establishing-ground-rules) I feel that ground rules are useful strategy to help set the expectations of how a group can achieve a organized and pleasant approach when working together in the class room. When the ground rules have been established and agreed with the group you are working with, this then provides a frame of reference for the future. It can be useful at times for the ground rules to mainly be suggested by the students to give a sense of ownership, however teachers, might at times, wish to include suggestions in the ground rules if not thought of by the group. This is particularly important for teachers of adults, as it is an accepted way of looking at how students will agree appropriate behaviour, and be respectful during the learning process. When there arises some difficulties in the classroom related to behaviour and respect, the teacher can use the ground rules as one way of opening a dialogue or indeed to bring order back to the learning environment. A way of promoting appropriate behaviour and respect is to keep the established ground rules as an existing agreement, so it may be added too during the duration of learning with the group and learn from it and adapt it to other groups for future learning. (Word count 270) 5, explain why it’s important to promote behaviour and respect for others. (2.2) One of the most effective ways to promote appropriate behaviour and repect for others is to model the behaviour yourself. Create a learning environment where people feel comfortable in expressing their interpretation of what they believe appropriate behaviour to be. This may vary slightly or considerably depending on who is involved  within my case. An open discussion at the beginning of proceedings allows an opportunity for everyone to contribute. This may bring up cultural or behavioural differences which can be expressed and may raise issues not previously considered by some. It is important to do this to promote equality and diversity within the learning environment and not to raise issues and complicate learning for my students. (Word count 116) 6, Explain why it’s important to identify and meet individual learner needs and describe the points of referral to meet these needs. (1.4, 3.3) It is important that you identify the needs of your learners so you can design the course to reflect individual differences. Although this is usually described as the first stage in the teaching/training cycle it is a process that may have to be deferred until you meet your learners for the first time and usually should be a continuing requirement throughout the learning journey. However, some organisations interview their learners before the course, or there may be an application process where learner needs can be identified. The range of learner needs can be described by a variety of acronyms – one of which is used is; SPICE: Although inclusion is about supporting learner’s needs, it is not always possible for teachers to do this without support themselves. You should be aware of the limits of your responsibility and know when and where to access support both for yourself and your learners. If you have a line manager, he or she should be your first point of contact for referral. If you have team meetings or contact with other teachers, your colleagues may also be able to help through their own previous experiences. Support may be available in your own organisation, through a learning support department or from Skills for Life specialists. Some organisations have specialist resources for supporting disabled learners or may be able to provide a learning support assistant. It may be appropriate to refer a learner for an Information, Advice and Guidance session either within your own organisation or to an external organisation. Many of the voluntary and charitable organisations have websites with advice about teaching strategies to support people with sensory or physical disabilities or may be able to supply resources. Points of referral will differ according to the type of organisation you work in; it is your responsibility to find out what support is available locally. (Word count 433)

Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Transportation - Essay Example This paper seeks to explore general aviation and its influence on flight training as its sub-topic (Williams, 2011). Flight training uses Fits Approach, which focuses to modify safety. The program emphasizes on pilot decision making, flight simulation, flying skills learned in a cockpit, and self evaluation. It uses bad pun to counter challenges presented by the current, diverse environment hindering learning to fly. Virtual aviator also uses Fits approach in virtual flying-acting as a scoring system used to gauge series of adventures that help hone basic flying skills. The core concepts of Fits program entail situational awareness, risk management, single management of resource pilot, and decisions of aeronautical nature. This approach works as an ultimate goal that decreases aviation accidents, and address perennial crashes caused by pilot errors. It helps in measuring certain goals, missions to fly, address challenging situations prompting routine flights like changes in weather, passenger pressures, and equipment malfunctions (Williams, 2011). Modern aircrafts are tested to limit the load, wings and airframes that an aircraft carries. The airframe structure is mounted on a test fixture where it flexes for hours. The FAA profile controls loads in an airplane, especially, during flight. The tests take years because they have divisions of safety factor. The FAA also has an intensive aging aircraft program for inspecting the airplane. The program is thorough than for younger airplanes. A pilot receives training to acquire a certain rating administered by an examiner with authority. A pilot goes through certain raining and checks to pass certain types ratings (Williams, 2011). Online delivery of training expands the aviation business prospects. It brings engineers and aviation maintenance experts from all over the world. There are online classes where students learn, track their performance and get certified. The students are diverse in their

The lawyer profession Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The lawyer profession - Essay Example Thus, countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have taken this issue seriously and have made amendments to lawyer’s regulations. More accurately, they have taken challenges related to new technology seriously in order to stay shoulder to shoulder with these new developments . The Task Force on the Future of the legal Profession in The United State recommends, "NYSBA’s Committee on Standards of Attorney Conduct should study and make recommendations concerning the ethical and risk management considerations associated with new technologies such as social networking, third party hosted solutions, and virtual law firms." This recommendation leads us to the same conclusion. It confirms the impact of globalization on the local legal market and private practice. More importantly, it shows the importance of updating the law with these new progresses. However, law practice management is centered around four key elements which are Law Firm Structure and Billing, Educating a nd Training New Lawyers, Work-life Integration, and Technology. On this paper, I will be focusing on one of the key element, which is law firm structure. Saudi Arabia has many problems relating to these four key elements of law practice management stated above. However, I have chosen to talk about the problem of law firm structure where an amendment to the law discussing law firm structure, particularly, partnership between lawyers, will have a significant impact on the other three elements. Additionally, it will be of benefit to the legal market in general. The Saudi Code of Law Practice is only ten years old.4 The legal profession prior to the issuance of the Code of Law practice was known as Agent profession â€Å"Mehnat Alwakalah.† The laws used to govern lawyers were grouped into eleven articles, eight of which are mentioned in the Organization of Administrative Functions in the Shari’ah Court System (from Article 59 until 66).5 Three of the articles were referred to in the Law for Centralizing Responsibilities in the Shari’ah Court System. 6 One of the most important rules embodied in those articles was the rule that allows those who do not hold law or Shari’ah degree to become lawyers.7 This continued until the enactment of the Law of Procedure before Shari’ah Courts, under the Royal Decree No. M/21, in 19 August 2000. Article 265 of the Law of Procedure Before Shari’ah Courts statues, â€Å"This Law shall supersede the Organization of Administrative Functions in the Shari’ah Court System, sanctioned by Royal Approval No. 109, dated 24 Muharram 1371 [14 October 1952], as well as Articles (52, 66, 82, 83, 85) and (84 regarding civil cases), and 85 of the Law for Centralizing Responsibilities in the Shari’ah Court System, sanctioned by Royal Approval No. 109, dated 24 Muharram 1372 [14 October 1952], and whatever provisions that are inconsistent therewith.† The lawyer profession that exists today in Saudi Arabia existed hundreds of years ago in the Islamic empires Ottoman and Abbasid. More notably, there is evidence to suggest that lawyers exis ted before that.8 Before 1932, Saudi Arabia was known as the Arab Peninsula. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by the King Abdul-Aziz bin Saud in 1932.9 Before that time, Islamic law was the main source of law that governed lawyers in the Arab Peninsula. In Islamic law, lawyers used to be called Litigation Agents (Wakel Blkosomah). Many Islamic books discuss the rights and obligations of Litigation Agents and other issues related to their profession.10 The United States is the world’s largest service market and was the worlds’ largest cross border exporter and importer of services in 2009.11 Thus, it

Water pollution here in wisconsin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Water pollution here in wisconsin - Essay Example It is also to be noted that higher efforts and commitments to treating waste water by the authorities and industries responsible, the ever increasing volumes of wastes from the industries and settlements overwhelm the efforts of treatment (By Amy and,Christi, para 1-6). On the other hand, weaknesses in enforcing the legal framework to curb such pollutions coupled with the compromises that result from negligence in the individual industries complicates the process and thus resulting to the ever increasing problem of contamination of water sources. In general, water protection efforts within the city suffer a myriad of issues which includes deep rooted corruption, political pressures, lack of and compromise in health standards, poor inspection and monitoring processes, ineffective riles as well as problems of increased sedimentation. The outcome of such mass pollution of the water sources within the city can be attributed to so many problems basic to which is the health complication to the residents. The discharge of contaminated water into the water sources that serve the city and the suburbs around pose a great risk to the welfare of the people within Wisconsin. Besides the aquatic life in the rivers, streams, and the lakes within the city are exposed to great risk. Fish in particular would be exposed to such risks of death from the contaminated water and this would have adverse effects not only to the populations which rely on the fish for food but also towards the economy at large (Weigel and Dale 691-708). However, the main question that remains critical is on what role the government should play in fight against water pollution within the state and the associated effects? Besides, what are exact effects of water pollution in the city with special regard to aquatic life? Finally, how does fish from contaminated water pose a health risk to the populations living

How global warming affects animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How global warming affects animals - Essay Example The current literature blames the inability of policy makers and politicians to design measures that can help curb further destructions on climate. In fact, most nations lack political will to mitigate the impacts global warming poses on animals. The current literal works of researchers underscore on the need for the world to focus its activities towards protection of the environment but does not say about the future and uncertainty surrounding animals as global warming gets to its extreme. This paper takes the assumption that the situation of global warming is typical fight between cases of survival for the fittest against the selection of the fittest by Global Warming. This means that with time, every animal species in the globe will adapt to global warming in varying ways. For example some animals will undergo genetic regeneration whereas others will simply die. I plan to organize my paper by discussing the main points as earlier stated while giving a detailed analysis concerning the impact of global warming on animals on such matters as habitat displacement, breeding, hibernation and migration behaviours. in this regard, the points will be arranged chronologically. Melting ice in the polar region has caused flow of water disturbing natural habitats of polar bears in the arctic regions. In addition, the breeding environments for waterfowl in the prairie pothole region of north Iowa and central Alberta has been adversely affected due to rising temperatures in the springs. Animals often move into new habitats whenever their current habitats become elusive to their survival. However, the current human population limits this movement since land that would otherwise have been suitable in accommodation Global warming raises temperatures within the arctic regions of the world which is the main habitat of polar bears. In addition, raised temperatures in the springs destroy breeding conditions of waterfowl

Memorandum to Canada's National Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Memorandum to Canada's National Leader - Essay Example It is recommended that mediation, negotiations and dialogue in addition to the application of the law be applied in the mitigation of the various security challenges which are facing the contemporary Nigerian society. National security challenge in Nigeria There is a lot of insecurity in Nigeria which manifests itself in different forms in various parts of the nation. In South West Nigeria there are many incidences of armed robbery (Eme and Anthony 172). The Northern part of the state on the other hand is characterized by operations of cross-border bandits. The south is full of kidnapping incidences which are reported on daily basis. It is notable that no citizen is spared. Children, the aged, government officials, professionals, titled men, professionals and women have not been spared at all from the security threats which are currently Nigeria’s talk of the day (Enu and Ude 254). The security challenge that the various parts of Nigeria are experiencing demonstrate how nation al insecurity in such a significant scare within the contemporary Nigerian society. Insecurity is so rampant in Nigeria that it is becoming a norm. The common wave of crime in Nigeria and the current use of explosives and other terrorist instruments further reveal how such crimes are a threat to the national security (Omede 90). The lawlessness which characterizes the modern Nigeria is attributed to the criminality which is ever becoming common within the state (Hills 92). It is notable that the response of the governing authorities to incidences of insecurity is very inadequate. Investigations are called after major security threats but they never lead to substantive mitigation of the security problem. On daily basis Nigerians face the fate of criminal activity which has led to many killings without the killers being arrested. As a result, there is little fear among the criminals within the country because they know that in one way or another they are likely to escape the long arm of the law. The social and economic insecurity in Nigeria which is perpetuated by the state of lawlessness in the country has led to misery within the society and threats to the well being of the citizens (Ayodele 301). The root causes of insecurity in Nigeria have been theorized. The armed robbery theory stipulates that the major cause of incidences of insecurity within the country is the increasing incidents of armed robbery. This theory recognizes that there exist groups in Nigeria with the intent for armed criminal activity. Moreover, the armed robbery theory explains the armed nature of Nigerian politics where elections are characterized by violence as the electoral tool (Omede 101). However what makes the insecurity problem in Nigeria worse is the fact that the modern armed groups within the country are more trained, sophisticated and armed than in the past which poses a challenge to the governing authorities and police departments. The wobble economic theory on the other hand describes the cause of the increasing insecurity within Nigeria as an adjunct of the ever growing number of youths who are scrambling for the labor market without success. Failure to acquire jobs makes the young people to indulge in criminal activities. The wobble economic theory further illustrates that the high level of poverty within the Nigerian society is the cause of people’s attraction to violence. The ruling opposition party theory has also been linked to the causes of Nigeria’

Should the Government Intervene in the labour market Essay

Should the Government Intervene in the labour market - Essay Example Various critics argue that the government involvement in the labor markets is significant since it promotes free and fair employment while other argue the exact opposite, citing that in hinders the willing employer, willing employee relationships, owing to the various policies implemented (Tisdell and Hartley, 2008 p.269). Government involvement in the labor market is critical since it acts in response to various challenges that emerge in employment. For instance, employers may opt to hire employees at extremely reduced rates, owing to their intended purpose of maximizing their profits. At such instances, some employees may be willing to work with such wages, owing to the unemployment rates resulting from economic recession globally while other suitable employees may be unwilling to work under such rates. This creates a challenge since the unemployed individuals may act in their fight for increased pay, which may lead to property and life destruction, and this call for government involvement, in a bid to provide a solution to such a predicament through the introduction of the minimum wage policies. In other instances, some unscrupulous employers may overwork their employees without increasing their minimum salaries, and even subject them to working under harsh and dangerous conditions without the implementation of the necessary safety measure policies, in their bid to reduce costs(Neugart, 2002, p.69). This places the employees’ welfare at risk, and cases of employee opposition have been rampant across the globe. As such, government intervention is critical in such institutions since the government is tasked with the provision of apt safety policies that safeguard the welfare of such employees. This serves to reduce the employer-employee conflicts hence promoting production and profit maximization of such firms. Additionally, cases of employment of minors are still in practice,

Exercise Plan for Football Players Essay Example for Free

Exercise Plan for Football Players Essay Football, being a very energetic sport, means the players should stay fit and healthy. To do this they have a specific exercise plan, this will ensure that the players will not get tired throughout the ninety minute game. In this assignment I am going to devise a possible exercise and fitness plan for this sport. In it I will include, gentle exercise, low level stretch, curl ups for abdominal muscles and mobilising exercises for shoulders and hips. I will include plans for exercises with and without the use of weights. I will add an exercise regime table. I will then evaluate my work. At first the players will have to do a Gentle exercise to warm up. This will help to try and prevent any injuries that may occur, whilst completing the rest of the exercise plan. At first the players will have to stretch their muscles, starting from the top of their bodies. Head and Neck Rotation. * Begin by tilting head back slightly. * Draw chin forwards and level the head. * Keeping head level, return to upright. * Tilt chin forwards, towards the chest. * Ease head backwards, leaving chin downwards * Finish by slowly raising the chin and head back to the upright position. The deep stretch Stand upright with feet hip width apart. Lock fingers together behind back. Gently ease the elbows up and away from the body, until the stretch is felt. Hold this for 20 to 30 seconds. Press-ups Start with your hands flat on the floor, underneath shoulders. Support body on toes, keeping legs straight. Pull in stomach; bend elbows out 90 and lower chest towards the floor. Inhaling at the same time. Press back up to the starting position whilst exhaling. Keep head level. Do not lift it too high as this places a strain on the neck and can result in injury. Repeat this for 2 sets of 10. Latissimus Dorsi Stretch Stand with feet hip width apart pulling in the abdomen muscles. Hold one arm straight over the head, lean sideways from the hip joint, ensuring you keep the hips level. Extend arm until a stretch is felt. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds breathing easily throughout. Repeat this stretch on the other side. Repeat for 2 sets of 10 on each side. Triceps Stretch With abdominal contracted and back straight, place the fingers of one hand in between the shoulder blades. Support this arm by placing the other hand on the elbow. Apply gentle pressure by pushing the elbow down the spine with the supporting hand. Feel the stretch in the back of the arm. Breathe evenly throughout. Hold this for 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Basic Crunch Lie on back with knees up. Feet hip width apart, abdominal sucked in and hands at side of head (Not at Back of head). Exhale, squeeze up raising shoulders a little way off the ground. Hold for a moment then slowly ease down inhaling. For a more advanced stretch, lift legs off the floor whilst raising shoulders. Repeat this for 2 sets of 10. Oblique curl Lie flat on back with knees up, feet hip width apart, keep right shoulder and lower back pressed tightly into the floor. Whilst exhaling contract the abdominal and with left arm reach over to the right knee, until a stretch is felt, in the midsection whilst lifting the left shoulder slightly off the floor. Hold for a moment, then whilst inhaling lower back to floor. For a more advances stretch raise feet off floor and reach for toes. Repeat this for 2 sets of 10. Calf Stretch Standing with feet facing forwards, hip width apart, take a step forward with the right leg, keeping the knee slightly bent. Press the heel of right leg into the floor until the stretch is felt in the rear calf muscle of this leg. Hold this for 20 to 30 seconds, keeping weight centred over the hips, step backwards with the right leg to return to start position. Repeat using the other leg. Squats (Quads, Hamstrings and Gluteals.) Stand with abdominal contracted and feet hip width apart, arms should be stretched in front. Bend at knees lowering the body and inhaling while doing so. Thighs should remain parallel to the floor and head should be kept in line with the spine. Do not lean too far forward as this places stress on the lower back and makes the exercise less effective. Hold momentarily at the bottom position then whilst exhaling return to the starting position. Repeat this 10 times. This completes the warm up exercise. For the aerobic workout, the players should jog for a minimum of thirty minutes. In this jog they should include side stepping and also skipping. After thirty minutes the pace should be reduced to a brisk walk, this should be done for five minutes. Following the brisk walk, the pace should again be reduced to a relaxed walk; this should also be done for five minutes. When the players have completed their aerobic work out a warm down should take place. In the warm down, some stretches that were used in the warm up, should be used again. Warming down is very important. If warming down does not take place, it will make the muscles feel sore and tender. It could also lead to injury. When using weight machines for exercise, you must always check that it is on the correct weight for you. Flat Dumbbell Press (Chest) This exercise can be performed on a flat of inclined bench, keep abdominal contracted and lower back flat onto the bench, take a 5kg dumbbell in each hand and hold tem in a 90 angle to your body. Lift the dumbbells in an arc above the chest until they almost touch. Return to start position. Repeat this 10 times. Seated Row (Back) Take an elastic band and sit on the floor with legs extended in front. Make sure back is straight and abdominal are contracted. Pull elastic with arms until there Is a slight tension in the band. Squeeze elbows slowly backwards increasing the tension in the band. Exhale as you do this. Return to start position, inhaling while doing so. Lateral Pull down (Back) Before starting this exercise; check the weights are at 5kgs and adjust the seat level. Sit with feet flat on the floor. Abdominal contracted and back straight. Lower body is stabilised by the leg pad which rests on your thighs. Use a wide over hand grip, pull down bar, to level with upper chest, exhaling. Squeeze back muscles at bottom position. Slowly return bar to the starting position, inhaling while doing so. Repeat this 10 to 20 times. Timing: 4 seconds up. 4 seconds down. Biceps Curl Take a 3kg Dumbbell, in your right hand, stand with feet, hip width apart and abdominal contracted. Straighten arm holding the dumbbell towards the floor. Squeeze the dumbbell upwards until level with the shoulder, exhaling while doing so. Momentarily squeeze your bicep at top position. In a slow controlled movement lower the arm to starting position. Repeat this 10 times and then swap arms. Leg Press Again check weights are at 5kgs and adjust the seat. Start with the hips and knees at 90 to your trunk with your feet flat on the foot support. Keep lower back and head in contact with the back support and grip the bars. Push your lower body up and away from the foot support slowly breathing out, make sure feet stay flat on the floor support and a stretch should be felt in the whole of the upper leg. Hold this momentarily in the top position before slowly returning to start position, inhaling as you do so. Repeat this 20 times. This completes the warm up exercise for the exercises using weights. For this aerobic Exercise, the players should spend 15 minutes jogging of Hill walking on a treadmill followed by 15 minutes on a cross trainer. After this they should then spend 10 minutes on a rowing machine, gently rowing to ease the pace. When the players have finished their aerobic workout, a warm down should take place. Again in this warm down some stretches from the warm up will be used, this will help prevent muscle soreness or any injuries.

Concert Orchestra experience Essay Example for Free

Concert Orchestra experience Essay The first piece was Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a (1894) by Anton Arensky (1861-1906). The piece was written in 1894, in tribute to Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). It was based on the theme from the poem Legend†, written by Richard Henry Stoddard (1825-1903). This poem portrays the crucifixion of Christ. Arensky admired Tchaikovsky so much that he used the theme of â€Å"Legend† for a set of variations in the second movement of his Second String Quartet. This piece’s style is a themes and variations. Its instrumentation includes Cello solo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets (A), 2 Bassoons + 2 Horns (F) + Violins I, Violins II, Violas, Cellos, and Double Basses. The second piece was Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, Op. 34 (1957) by Robert Kurka (1921-1957). This piece introduced the marimba, which proved to the musical world that it could contend with instruments that had been used in orchestras and also provide a unique sound to the traditional orchestras played in regular concerts. This piece’s style is solo concerto. Its instrumentation includes the marimba and the orchestra. The third piece was Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) by Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881). This piece was inspired by the paintings of the artist Viktor Hartmann (1834-1873). This piece’s style is an orchestral suite. Its instrumentation includes 3 Flutes (2nd and 3rd doubling Piccolos), 3 Oboes (3rd doubling Cor Anglais), 2 Clarinets in A and Bb, Bass Clarinet in A and Bb, Alto Saxophone, 2 Bassoons, Double Bassoon, 4 Horns in F, 3 Trumpet in C, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion (xylophone, triangle, rattle, whip, side drum, bass drum, cymbals, suspended cymbal), 2 Harps, Celesta, and Strings. I picked the pieces was Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky, Op. 35a (1894) by Anton Arensky and Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra, Op. 34 (1957) by Robert Kurka. Both of these pieces were distinctly different than one another. The piece by Arensky depicts a sense of deep sadness and despair as a whole. It starts out containing elements of intimacy and moves towards a slow moving harmony. The structure of the music matched the structure of the original poem. The variations of sounds expressed many shifting moods such as a dialogue between instruments. Mood changed quickly throughout the piece and showed different parts of the melody, from increments of joy, to sadness, to a deep sorrow. The rhythm seamlessly continued throughout the piece acting towards each of the different themes described in its construction. The piece by Kurka produced a new and different type of classical music that is unique to the orchestra. The use of the marimba stood out from the traditional orchestral instruments. The first movement begins with an alternation between the marimba and the orchestra. Its upbeat sound resonates in a catchy chiming sound whose rhythm is clear yet unexpected. It provides a playful side to a usually stern and focused orchestra. As the second movement begins, it as if the marimba is communicating to the orchestra itself. As if it is trying to fit in with these classic types of instruments through its unique dynamics and resounding tone. It seems to clash with its orchestral counterparts. By the third movement, it seems as if all the instruments reach an agreement on the legitimacy of the marimba through its colorful and exciting solo. Although both pieces are completely different than one another, they both exhibit emotion. Arensky exhibits cruel sounding music that discusses the importance of religion and a series of events that affects a wide variety of people. It evokes a sense of despair that expresses a deep sounding melody. Kurka exhibits a different type of music that discusses the marimba’s rise to becoming a part of classical orchestra. Its colorful timbre expresses a joyful and unique melody that pleases the human ear. Anton Arensky (12 July 1861 -25 February 1906), was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Pyotr Tchaikovsky was the greatest influence on Arenskys musical compositions. Indeed, Rimsky-Korsakov said, In his youth Arensky did not escape some influence from me; later the influence came from Tchaikovsky. He will quickly be forgotten. The perception that he lacked a distinctive personal style contributed to long-term neglect of his music, though in recent years a large number of his compositions have been recorded. Therefore, his values are seemingly non-existent because of the major influence of Tchaikovsky and absence of his own personal work. Throughout the performance I did perceive a strong sense of historical value and defines not who Arensky was, but his role model Tchaikovsky and how his music conveyed a strong sense of religious value. Kurka’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra was the first marimba work to enjoy both widespread public appeal and widespread recognition of having a high level of musical sophistication fit for the concert hall. It debuted during the modern style period. It provided important historical value by Kurka finally representing everything that early marimba composers set out to do in one piece: create a sophisticated and serious musical work that is both challenging to the performer and which has widespread public appeal. I perceived an ongoing struggle throughout the piece, but as the performance continued it conveyed the struggle the instrument had to do in order to become a prominent part of the classical orchestra. Citatation Keunning, G. (1999). Symphony of the canyons. Retrieved from http://lasr. cs. ucla. edu/geoff/prognotes/mussorgsky/pictures. html Strain, James. Vida Chenoweth. Percussive Notes 32. 6 (1994): 8-9. Print. Stevens, Leigh Howard. An Interview with Vida Chenoweth. Percussive Notes 15. 3 (2002): 22-25. PAS Online Archive . Weir, Martin. Catching up with Vida Chenoweth. Percussive Notes 32. 3 (1994): 53-55. Print.

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico

Food Safety Modernization Act and Puerto Rico Research Paper Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): An Assessment of Puerto Ricos Food Industry Readiness and Preparedness Abstract Preliminary Idea The successful development and implementation of compliance policies and activities in the food industry could be directly associated with the access to information and understanding of the law. Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. On this research study FDA Official Inspected Establishments in Puerto Rico were questioned about their readiness and preparedness for FSMA using an on-line survey tool. The purpose of this research is to obtain information that can allow to evaluated if the lack of access to FSMA information and language barriers have a direct effect that limits the readiness and preparedness of the FSMA implementation in Puerto Rico. In progress: include results and conclusion headings/sections Chapter I: Introduction Introduction FSMA implementation represents a big challenge that urges food manufacturers to revise their food safety systems and make decisions about resource allocation to reduce food safety risks in their operations. This new law had been building with several years of high-profile food recalls, foodborne illness outbreak, and consumers advisories (3). Discussions and information found in the literature about the impact of the implementation of FSMA has been mainly conducted within the United States. However, limited information is available about the impact of this new law on the food industry in other U.S. territories. On this research study the information collected allow to examine the readiness and preparedness on FSMA in one of the U.S. territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The island of Puerto Rico is part of the Greater Antilles and since 1898 has been part of the United States (1). This unique status requires that food manufacturers in Puerto Rico comply with all federal regulations that cover the food industry (2). It is important to understand that the challenges faced by food manufacturers in Puerto Rico are not different from their counterparts in the United States. FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg stated that FSMA calls for the strengthening of existing collaboration among all food safety agencies whether they are Federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, or foreign. Building and leveraging the capacity of these food safety partners is how we can have a well-integrated, national food safety system that is as effective and efficient as it can be (12) (13). In order to achieve these statements it is imperative to collect information, actually not available, about food manufactures readiness and preparedness in Puerto Rico for the implementation of the different requirements established on FSMA. This task represents a big challenge; specific topics about the requirements of the FSMA law are outside the scope of this research study. Taking this limitation in consideration, two research questions are intended to be covered by this study. Is the lack of access to FSMA information limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico? Is the lack of understanding due to language barriers among food manufacturers limiting FSMA preparedness? The participants were defined using the FDA Official Inventory Establishment (OIE) list of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico (Appendix 1). An online survey was used as the instrument to obtain information. The survey questionnaire was distributed among the participants by e-mail and descriptive statistics was used to summarize and analyze the data obtained from the survey. Findings, recommendations and future directions will be discussed to learn more about the food manufacturing industry in Puerto Rico. FSMA Rule Requirements The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most significant amendment of United States food law since passage of the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (3). It will impact all domestic and imported food products that are not under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). FSMA was signed into law on January 4, 2011 and since then food manufacturers have been called upon to start preparing their companies to be in compliance with the new law requirements. FDA identified five key elements where its authority was enhanced. The first element is focusing on preventing food borne illness by requiring mandatory preventive controls, Hazard Analysis Risk Preventive Controls (HARPC), for food facilities and mandatory produce safety standards, and also giving the authority to prevent intentional adulteration. The difference from the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach is that HARPC is slightly broader requiring identification and controls of hazards generally, not just critical control points (3). The second is by providing the ability to increase FDA inspection frequency based on risk; high-risk facilities will be identified. Third, ability to respond to problems when emerge including authority to conduct mandatory recall for all products, authority to detain products that are in violation, and by suspending facilitys registration. Before, FDA was required to have credible evidence or information than an article of foo d presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals with FSMA FDA have the authority to detain an article if the agency has reason to believe that the article of food is adulterated or misbranded (3). The fourth element identified is new requirements for imported products by requiring importers to verify their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls. The last element considered is the enhanced of partnerships between FDA by improving training of state, local, and tribal food safety officials (25). In addition, FDA will enhance the partnerships with other food agencies and private entities (24). The FDA is responsible for more than 50 regulations, guidelines, and studies under FSMA, this included seven foundational rules required to fully implement it (See table 1) (25). Among the 7 different rules included in FSMA the well-known part 110 that covers Current Good Manufacturing Practices was removed and replaced it. Now part 117 will covers Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk Controls for Human food and for Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holdings of Produce for Human Consumption. In addition, it is expected by law that all high-risk domestic firms after the law enactment be inspected in a period of five years and no less than every three years thereafter (3). The FSMA legislations purpose is to renovate the existing approach to food safety by enabling stakeholders to concentrate on preventive controls rather than simply reacting to food safety events (4). Legislative requirements of FSMA can be challenging, especially for small food facilities affected by the regulations immediately or in the near future (4). The new recordkeeping requirements will be science-based and based on the know safety risk of a particular food, including the history and severity of outbreak, and factors related with the likelihood on foodborne illnesses (3). Small and very small plants do not have robust programs in place when compared with larger plants. Historically, small businesses have not had extensive experience with prevalent food safety management systems and standards such as ISO 22000: 2005, SQF code (Safe Quality Food Institute), GFSI guidelines (Global Food Safety Initiative) or HACCP (4). Programs that in most cases larger plants are more familiariz ed (4). In addition, FDA has recognized that small food facilities will likely face financial concerns in the implementation of the preventive control requirements of FSMA because they lack experience with HACCP-based models (4). Nevertheless, the new food safety requirements are the same regardless of size, unless they are partially or fully exempted based on the operations conducted in the facility (5). Small plants and very small plants need to comply within a period of two to three years, respectively, after the publication of the final rule (see table 2) (5). Historical Background and Food Regulatory Structure in Puerto Rico The island of Puerto Rico is similar in size to Connecticut, encompassing 3,492 square miles. The population is about 3.4 million and the main language is Spanish. The island has 6 urban centers designated as Standard Metropolitan areas (SMAs) by the U.S. Census Bureau (6) (7). Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are under the jurisdiction of the FDA San Juan District office located in the capital area of Puerto Rico. This office is the smallest of the FDAs 20 districts, was established back in 1911 and was officially named in 1971. This office reports to the Regional Field Office, Southeast Region in Atlanta, GA (19). In 2013, FDA reported that they regulated 1,500 facilities, approximately half of them from the food industry (8). FDA in San Juan works closely with the local Health Department Environmental Health Food Division, which is in charge of the inspection of food manufacturing facilities. As other states in the U.S. (20), this agency establishes specific regulatory requirements and issues the mandatory sanitary license that covers food operations in the island. In 2016, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), under contract to the FDA, shared data on the progress of FDA Food Code adoptions by States, Territories, and Indian Health Se rvice. They reported that Puerto Rico adopted the Food Code version 2009 based in their population (21). Food Regulatory requirements in Puerto Rico are also promulgated by the Puerto Rico Health Department in Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico Reglamento General de Salud Ambiental No. 6090 4 de febrero de 2000 (18). On this regulations, the CFR tittle 21 is mentioned as the primary reference for compliance. However, in addition of the regulation established in the CFR title 21 there is specific requirements established in Puerto Rico for food products label language, annual license certificationXXXXâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ In addition, there are other agencies in the island that are or may be involve on food safety oversight. The State Department of Agriculture has regulations thru the program of Inspeccion de Mercado that covers produce, coffee and eggs (22). Also, the Departamento de Asuntos al Consumidor (DACO) protect consumers from being deceiving (23). They are involve on informing recalls of imported products marketed in the Island, inspect and removed expired products from shelves and have the authority to enforce civil penalties. Also, they are involving on the inspection of packaging of meat, fruits, vegetable and others food products by enforcing the Reglamento de Empaque (23). It is important to mention that the USDA-FSIS is responsible for ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products produced in Puerto Rico are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Puerto Rico establishments are under the jurisdiction of the FSISs Atlanta, Georgia District (14). Data obtained from the USDA-FSIS in Puerto Rico showed that eighty seven establishments are inspected by FSIS; thirty four of them under dual jurisdiction with FDA. This means that thirty nine percent of these establishments have to comply at some point based on their size with FSMA requirements (15) (appendix 2). Puerto Rico is highly dependent on importations ninety three percent of the food consumed in the island is imported. This is also extremely important to take in consideration since one of the part of FSMA cover importations and foreign supplier verification. Importers will need to institute risk-based foreign supplier verification programs to assure that imported foods are compliance with the new requirements of the law (3). Although much information can be found related to FSMA, information about the impact of this new law in Puerto Rico is limited. An in-depth literature review showed nothing specifically related to Puerto Rico. Recent U.S. Surveys Outcomes Several surveys in the U.S. have already been conducted, covering specific topics on FSMA readiness and preparedness. One of the recent surveys in 2016 was conducted by Sparta Systems Inc. They conduct an online survey about FSMA readiness and compliance strategy. About 153 food and beverage professionals in the U.S. participated in this survey. The results showed that 61% of the participants felt confident that their organizations are prepared for FSMA. Approximately 20% of the respondents from medium-sized companies disagreed that their organizations were ready for FSMA according to additional finding from the survey (9a) (9b). Safety Chain Software and The Acheson Group (TAG) also conducted a survey in 2016. They used an online survey that received more than 400 respondents, including food processors and manufacturers, produce growers/packagers/shippers, warehouse and distribution companies, animal food manufacturers, domestic suppliers, foodservice companies, retailers, import manufacturers, and import and domestic brokers (10b). More than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) said they were somewhat ready for FSMA. Only 25 percent of respondents indicated they were ready for FSMA, while 6 percent said they werent ready at all. (10a)(10b). These findings indicate that education and preparation for FSMA remain a challenge for some food manufacturers in the U.S. particularly for medium, small and very small processors. Why its important There are many reasons of the importance of complying with the implementation of this new law. But for to make this task achievable it is important to make sure that the information is accessible and understandable by the regulated firms that fall under the law. The ultimately responsible following the different steps that compose this chain is the food manufacturer. The decisions made by them in order to be in compliance will be critical more than ever. Traditional inspecting styles will change becoming more inspection -oriented and enforcement-minded (). Practices that were usually acceptable it maybe not enough to comply with these new inspections styles (). Firms that receive a Warning Letter following an FDA inspections, will be charged for the follow-up inspection (). In addition, if the firm is enforced by an injunction it will be required to close until corrective actions are completed and re-inspected by FDA, at the firm expense. It is important to note that even after being permitted to reopen, the firm remains under court supervision for the foreseeable future (). Moreover, FDA are resurrecting enforcement actions like criminal liability under the Park doctrine. The application of the doctrine establishes that corporate officials can be held criminally liable for violations of the FDC Act in areas of the company under the officials control, even if the official did not intend for the violations to occur (). If information on FSMA is not readily accessible it can limiting readiness of food manufacturers in Puerto Rico that can severely delay their compliance. Also, language may be a barrier on food manufacturers that can limiting FSMA preparedness. Considering that English is part of the educational curriculum of schools in Puerto Rico, contradictorily in 2000 the US Census showed that 45.1 percent of the total of the population of 481,410 people do not speak English (26). This number could have been changed thru the years but Spanish stills is the main language used by the governmental offices in Puerto Rico and the population. Survey Instrument Description The survey instrument used was similar to the ones already used to obtain information from food manufacturers in the U.S. Taking into consideration that the main spoken language is Spanish, questions were provided in both, Spanish and English. The survey begins with a 5-minutes educational video from FDA about FSMA implementation to help participants be introduced into the topic. After completing the video, the participants will complete 16 questions in Likert and multiple selection formats. The questionnaire is divided into the following three parts: Company and Respondent Profile, FSMA and Resources Preferences. (Appendix 3) Sample Selection The initial target population based on the OEI list submitted by FDA includes 786 firms (Appendix 2). Nevertheless, this number drastically changes because data include establishments reporting a last inspection dated in 1970. Furthermore, several firms appear duplicated on the list with exactly the same address information. Water and Ice Plants were also excluded for the purpose of the study. A further research, conducted me to a list NAME in the FDA webpage that seems to be more updated. This list included firms that were inspected for the period of 2008 2016. At the end, the sample used were considering firms that have their last inspection date from 2008. The only contact information of the firm provided in the list was the address and phone number. Industry groups in Puerto Rico, MIDA and PRIDCO, and the Food Industry Forum (FIF) were contacted and provide me with additional information by sharing their members list that include the e-mails information. Also, information found on the webpages PR Supply Chain On-Line and Hecho en Puerto Rico where extremely helpful to retrieve and validate food manufacturers contact information (16)(17). However some firms have been found that closed business at some point during 2008 2016; which was the period selected. At the end, the final revised number that their contact information can be validated roughly finished in 179 inspected firms. Data Collection The survey was classified as exempt by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) (appendix 2). It was open from February 14 to March 20, 2017 (proposed closing date). A total of 179 FDA food inspected firms were invited via e-mail to participate in the survey. From the 179 firms invited 23 e-mails bounced out and 1 opted out. Only 3 firms responded during the period of February 14 to February 27. A second invitation was sent on March 3, something that may affect the participation on the first invitation is that subject line and message were sent in English taking this premise in consideration second invitation subject line and message were sent in Spanish (on progress). In addition, some firms were contacted by phone to encourage them to participate in the survey. Data Analysis The analytical procedure used to evaluate the data collected was descriptive statistical methods. (Waiting for data) By been FSMA compliant food firms should be able to be better prepared to respond to situations that emerge in the day to day. They should switch from reactive and corrective minded to preventive minded by creating strong food safety plans and HARCP programs. Future directions may include a second project that can be used as a follow-up in conjunction with regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico to evaluate and compare the progress of the FSMA implementation among Food Manufacturers. Classification of the industry will be important to organize strategies by focusing on high-risk operations and offer a better guidance to food manufactures. Development of educational strategies such as guidelines, videos, workshops, and educational campaigns may be developed. Better allocating local and federal economical resources food manufacturers with limited resources can be better assisted. Regulatory agencies in Puerto Rico can unify efforts toward food safety compliance to create a strategy. Puerto Rico can used models from other states in U.S. that compiled information of food agencies in their area in a webpage creating a roadmap for food firms making the information easily accessible to food firms. Food regulatory agencies must enforce their partnership between agencies, identify and share available resources between the agencies. Also, it is needed the establishment of periodic revisions and analysis of recorded data to evaluate the progress of the firms. The use of new media tools such webpages and phone apps can expedite the delivering or retrieving of information from food manufacturers in the island. This will help to maintain open communication and keep information updated ensuring the availability of accurate data when it is needed. References (1) Ayala, C. J., Bernabe, R. (2007). Puerto Rico in the American century: A history since 1898. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. (2) Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Food and Drug: Pt 1403, App. A, page 282 Revised as of April 1, 2011 (3) Fortin, N. D. (2011). The United States FDA food safety modernization act: The key new requirements. European Food and Feed Law Review: EFFL, 6(5), 260-268. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/903529133?accountid=12598 (4) Grover, A. K., Chopra, S., Mosher, G. A. (2016). Food safety modernization act: A quality management approach to identify and prioritize factors affecting adoption of preventive controls among small food facilities. Food Control, 66, 241-249. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.02.001 (5) Food and Drug Administration, 2015 Food and Drug Administration FSMA proposed rule for preventive controls for human food(2015, February 21) Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm334115.htm (6) United States Council for Puerto Rico Statehood http://www.prstatehood.com/about-pr/index.asp (7) United States Census Bureau 2015 Puerto Rico Population Estimates http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk (8) FDA-Island Office Protects Consumers Near and Far http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm370079.htm (9a) Sparta Systems Survey Finds Food Beverage Companies Confident in FDA Regulation Preparedness-May 5, 2016 http://www.spartasystems.com/about-us/press-releases/press-archive/press-releases-2016/sparta-systems%E2%80%99-survey-finds-food-beverage-compa (9b) Sparta Systems Food Quality and Safety Survey 2016 http://marketo.spartasystems.com/rs/084-QBA-512/images/Food_Survey_Results_Report_2016.pdf (10a) Food Engineering Are you ready for the FSMA final rules? April 25, 2016 http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/95479-are-you-ready-for-the-fsma-final-rules (10b) 2016 FSMA Readiness Compliance Strategy http://marketing.safetychain.com/acton/attachment/2194/f-01d9/1/-/-/-/-/2016%20FSMA%20Readiness%20%26%20Compliance%20Strategy%20Survey%20Report%20Sponsored%20by%20SafetyChain%20and%20TAG.pdf?sid=TV2:K3Vrv8uFV (11) Kumar, R. (2014). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (4th ed.). London: SAGE. Chapter 12 (12) Strauss, D. M. (2011). An analysis of the FDA food safety modernization act: Protection for consumers and boon for business. Food and Drug Law Journal, 66(3), 353 (13) Margaret A. Hamburg. Food Safety Modernization Act: Putting the Focus on Prevention, Jan. 3. 2011, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/01/03/food-safety-modernization-act-putting-focus-prevention (14) The Food Safety and Inspection Service in Puerto Rico https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/8d8574dc-4d0a-4b36-8667-039d8f5f6aac/PR.pdf?MOD=AJPERES (15) Data enviada por OEIO Sepulveda -Evans, J.R. and Lindsay, W.M. (2011),Managing for Quality and Performance Excellence, 8th ed., South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH, pp. 554-555. -Cobb, C. (2000), Knowledge management and quality systems,The 54th Annual Quality Congress Proceedings, 2000, American Society for Quality, pp. 276-287. -Teskey, S., Nassar, M. and Buciarelli, R. (2010),Food Safety: Beyond the Standards How to Build a Culture of Food Safety to Protect Your Customers and Your Brand , Delloite and Touche LLP, available at: www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomCanada/Local%20Assets/Documents/Consulting/call%20for%20papers/ca_en_ers_FoodSafety_230910.pdf (accessed March 5,2012). (16) http://hechoenpr.com/directorio-de-servicios-y-productos/ (17) https://www.prsupplychainonline.com/PRSCO/search.jsf (18) http://cayey.upr.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/07/REGLAMENTO-GENERAL-SALUD-AMBIENTAL.pdf (19) ORA Regional Field Office, Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA Organizational Chart https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OrganizationCharts/ucm351289.htm (20) State Retail and Food Service Codes and Regulations by State https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/ucm122814.htm (21) FDA- Real Progress in Food Code Adoption 02/22/2016 (last visited 02/26/2017) https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/RetailFoodProtection/FoodCode/UCM476819.pdf (22) Departamento de Agricultura de Puerto Rico Inspeccià ³n de Mercados http://www2.pr.gov/agencias/Agricultura/SAIA/InspeccionMercados/Pages/Leyes-y-Reglamentos.aspx (23) Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor DACO http://daco.pr.gov/sobre-nosotros (24) Susan A. Schneider, Notes on Food Law: An Overview of the Food Safety Modernization Act, October 10, 2011  · 2011 Ark. L. Notes 650 (25) Renà ©e Johnson, Congressional Research Service, Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, P.L. 111-353) December 2016 (26) Fishman, J. A., Garcia, O. (2011). Handbook of language ethnic identity. 2 : The success-failure continuum in language and ethnic identity efforts. Chapter 9 Learning English in Puerto Rico: An Approach-Avoidance Conflict? Oxford: Oxford University Press. Table 1 Seven Foundational Rules Required to Fully Implement FSMA Congressional Research Service Implementation, December 16, 2016 (1) Preventive Controls for Human Food: Requires that food facilities have safety plans that set forth how they will identify and minimize hazards (FSMA  §103). (2) Preventive Controls for Animal Food: Establishes Current Good Manufacturing Practices and preventive controls for food for animals (FSMA  §103). (3) Produce Safety: Establishes science-based standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce on domestic and foreign farms (FSMA  §105(a)). (4) Foreign Supplier Verification Program: Importers will be required to verify that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as that required of U.S. food producers (FSMA  §301(a)). (5) Third Party Certification: Establishes a program for the accreditation of third-party auditors to conduct food safety audits and issue certifications of foreign facilities producing food for humans or animals (FSMA  §307). (6) Sanitary Transportation: Requires those who transport food to use sanitary practices to ensure the safety of food (FSMA  §111). (7) Intentional Adulteration: Requires domestic and foreign facilities to address vulnerable processes in their operations to prevent acts intended to cause large-scale public harm (FSMA  §106(b)) Table 2 Classification of food facilities as per the

clone wars :: essays research papers

Cloning man new friend or gods worst enemy Cloning can mean a couple of different things. In 1993, Dr. Jerry Hall and Dr. Robert Stillman, infertility researchers at George Washington University, successfully split a human zygote into two separate zygotes with the same genetic makeup, essentially the same process that occurs naturally with identical twins. They had created a clone, a second individual with the exact genetic blueprint of the first. Hall and Stillman didn't have the technology to allow their "twins" to survive full term. The birth of Dolly, though, changed all that. Dolly, the cloned lamb, was a very unique kind of twin. Her genetic double was an adult born years earlier. A team headed by Dr. Ian Wilmut, an embryologist at the Rosland Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, evacuated the genetic material from the ovum of a sheep. When the nucleus from a cell of an adult sheep was electrically fused to the egg, it developed normally into a fetus, and eventually into a lamb. What is remarkable about Dolly is that this is the first time an animal has been cloned from an adult. It is also the first mammal that has no biological father. Dolly is a time-delayed twin. Virtually all of the confusion about the morality of cloning can be clarified once we answer two very basic questions, one factual and one ethical. First, what manner of being does cloning produce? Is it human? Would it have a soul? Second, what are our moral obligations to a clone? Can we use clones to create a race of slaves or as a living warehouse of human parts? Rejuvenation, suggests that it may someday be possible to reverse the aging process because of what we learn from cloning. Human cloning technology could be used to reverse heart attacks. Many scientists believe that they may be able to treat heart attack victims by cloning their healthy heart cells and injecting them into the areas of the heart that have been damaged. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and several other industrialized countries. Another reason why cloning is important Is because Its a breakthrough with human stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can be grown to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones. Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, spinal cord cells for quadriplegics and paraplegics, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys could be produced. clone wars :: essays research papers Cloning man new friend or gods worst enemy Cloning can mean a couple of different things. In 1993, Dr. Jerry Hall and Dr. Robert Stillman, infertility researchers at George Washington University, successfully split a human zygote into two separate zygotes with the same genetic makeup, essentially the same process that occurs naturally with identical twins. They had created a clone, a second individual with the exact genetic blueprint of the first. Hall and Stillman didn't have the technology to allow their "twins" to survive full term. The birth of Dolly, though, changed all that. Dolly, the cloned lamb, was a very unique kind of twin. Her genetic double was an adult born years earlier. A team headed by Dr. Ian Wilmut, an embryologist at the Rosland Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, evacuated the genetic material from the ovum of a sheep. When the nucleus from a cell of an adult sheep was electrically fused to the egg, it developed normally into a fetus, and eventually into a lamb. What is remarkable about Dolly is that this is the first time an animal has been cloned from an adult. It is also the first mammal that has no biological father. Dolly is a time-delayed twin. Virtually all of the confusion about the morality of cloning can be clarified once we answer two very basic questions, one factual and one ethical. First, what manner of being does cloning produce? Is it human? Would it have a soul? Second, what are our moral obligations to a clone? Can we use clones to create a race of slaves or as a living warehouse of human parts? Rejuvenation, suggests that it may someday be possible to reverse the aging process because of what we learn from cloning. Human cloning technology could be used to reverse heart attacks. Many scientists believe that they may be able to treat heart attack victims by cloning their healthy heart cells and injecting them into the areas of the heart that have been damaged. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and several other industrialized countries. Another reason why cloning is important Is because Its a breakthrough with human stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can be grown to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones. Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, spinal cord cells for quadriplegics and paraplegics, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys could be produced.

Impact of Unemployment on the Family Essay -- Economics, Unemployment E

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to understand the effects that unemployment has on the family as a whole. In today’s society being unemployed impacts greatly on almost every aspect of an individual’s life and depending on their personal circumstances, it is likely to impact on other family members lives too. Today, the possibility of loosing your job looms on the horizon for many of us. Up until a few months ago I was among the millions of people that is unemployed. Dealing with the loss of job is very similar to the emotions one feels when they experience loss through a divorce or death of a loved one. Unemployment carries an array of emotions ranging from stress, fear, anxiety, and depression. Unemployment contributes to low self-esteem and to family instability, decreased family relations, and in some cases family violence. Lessons can emerge from those who cope well with unemployment, but the immediate goal is to survive emotionally and financially until you have a clear direction for you and your family. In my research paper I will explore not just the individual directly, but the economical and psychological affects unemployment have on the family as a whole. Current Picture: A substantial number of workers living in families have experienced some type of lay off. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed, leaving families to deal with the economical and psychological effects of unemployment. According to the Illinois Department of Unemployment the ILLINOIS JOBLESS RATE increased to 6.5% in February. CHICAGO -- The Illinois unemployment rate rose from 6.3% to 6.5% (seasonally adjusted) in February, as payroll jobs dropped slightly from a year ago, according to statistics released by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). â€Å"Employer payrolls, after adding jobs in January, posted a modest job decline in February, as businesses again postponed hiring due to uncertainties about the economy,† said IDES Director Brenda A. Russell. â€Å"While job gains were recorded in seven of the state’s 12 major industry groups, they were outweighed by continued losses in Manufacturing, and in the Transportation/Warehousing sec tor. These losses brought total payrolls down marginally from their year-ago count.† The total number of people working in the state fell 42,200 to 5,954,700 in February, a decline of 0.7%. The number of unemployed rose 9,700... ...ar greater than the cost of getting treatment. Consult your local mental health clinics, social services agencies or professional counselors for help for yourself and family members who are affected by your unemployment. Some assistance may be covered by your health insurance or, if you do not have insurance, counseling is often available on a "sliding scale" fee, based on income. Change is difficult: Denial: At this stage you will minimize or just deny what has happened. You may even pretend what happened is great! In which some cases this may be true, in order to give an individual a reason to go ahead and open a business, or switch careers that they have been wanting to do for a while. Resistance: Blaming others for what occurred. Experience: You’ll fully experience the change and the reality of it. You may feel a sadness that you can’t continue on in your old situation. (family and friends can help at this stage by creating a positive attitude during this stage). Acceptance: You start accepting the situation for what it is. This helps you to let go! And began to think about your next steps. Reference: http://64.239.109.64/advice/articles/layoff/default.htm

Outliers the Story of Success Essay

Outliers: The story of success by Malcolm Gladwell is a very interesting book with realistic contents that I will be applying in my personal and professional life in years to come. I use the term interesting in a sense that not only it is a quick read but it actually provides a method behind the madness of success. The biggest point that the book makes and I don’t agree fully but to a certain degree that there is no such thing as a self made man. Right place, right time, right talent in my eyes are the powerful variables that influence as well as motivate the success of a human being. In order for the chemistry of these variables to work right one has to have a desire to capitalize on these variables in order to be successful. What I mean by desire is hard work and dedication, a relentless want to be perfect, to be successful, and to be an outlier. Like I mentioned above one has to be at the right place at the right time and a will to be successful. I have been in the financial industry for a little over fifteen years with the last seven years in a leadership position. The last few years have allowed me opportunities over time to acquire and develop talent. Over the years I have seen good talent go to waste because the individual would not capitalize on the time, place, and resources available to be successful. Majority of times these individuals would not put in the time to be successful. On the other side of the argument the talented individuals who are successful were the first ones in and last ones out. They were always willing to try new things, were flexible to support the business by embracing change, they were willing to work long hours, and had this enthusiastic drive to â€Å"GET BETTER† at all times and under all circumstances. I have to agree with the ten thousand hour rule that the author talks about especially when he uses the Beatles as an example. In my humble opinion the Beatles are a great example but they are one of many as the ten thousand hour rule is true for all the talent that is out there whether you look at entertainment, sports, corporate world, or entrepreneurship. In others words one has to pay their dues, they have to do their time, they have to stick it out and while doing so they have grow and get better but above all they have to learn from their mistakes and make adjustments as needed, the word strategy comes to mind. As per the National Federation of State High School Association one million high school kids participate in football, one out of seventeen play college football. As per the National Collegiate Athletic Association nine in ten housand high school senior football players eventually end up in the National Football League. In the 2012 National Football League Draft, out of the one million students who participated in high school football only two hundred and fifty three players were selected. As a kid they had dreams to play football and they achieve their dreams by working hard, sometimes studying hard as well, putting in the hours by practicing longer than anybody else around them, learning, understanding, and practicing new plays. As a teenager their lives revolve around football once the love for the game has been developed and it is deep enough for them to work hard at representing their high school with new dreams of playing for a good college or university. So essentially out of millions of kids in America who have a dream to play professional football, thousands make it to colleges and universities with football on their mind. They still have to put in the time, the hours, they have to pay their dues to be successful because the dreams just got bigger as in the National Football League. Out of these few thousand kids and their dreams only a few hundred will be selected to be a part of the National Football League. I can go on and on about any of the professional sports and the success stories behind them or the stories about the shattered dreams based on poor choices but I am not going to; instead I will agree with all the points the author makes in his book. If you don’t put in the time you are not going to be successful no matter what kind of talent you have. If you are than it has to be a pure stroke of luck. The one point that I will not agree with the author is his theory of the self made man. A self made man has the discipline and the drive to capitalize and maximize his potential, his opportunity, the time, the place, and the luck effectively and efficiently. This discipline and drive is what makes him a self made man. Case in point Troy Aikman versus Quincy Carter of the Dallas Cowboys. They both played for the same team at its peak, both of them were early draft picks; both of them had promising baseball careers before they chose football over baseball. One is a hall of famer worth millions and is still going strong in his post football career the other one is an independent coach with a long history of arrest records. Did Aikman put in more time than Carter or was Carter less talented than Aikman? I would agree with the later because Aikman capitalized on his natural ability to throw football with his drive to succeed and is still going on. Carter on the other hand did not capitalize to be successful by making poor choices and not learning from his mistakes or in words he did not embrace change or remember the word strategy mentioned above? Quincy Carter simply did not change his strategy in life. Finally I would rate the book as an eight on a scale of ten with ten being the best. In closing I would like to point out that you don’t have to be Jewish or an immigrant to be successful you have to have the drive, the desire, the need to be successful. In order to do so you have to maximize your potential and opportunity effectively and efficiently keeping in mind that it was your potential that granted you the opportunity. Be willing to change by embracing it and learning from it.

Strengths of the Event Essay

The group found the event informative. In the feedback forms, they showed that the groups did enjoy some activities more than others but they said that they will that for a Another strength of the event was that all members of the group turned up on time with enough time for us to set up and plan for the event. The meeting one hour before the event meant that the group was able to organise and iron out any flaws in the planning of the event. So we were able to look at any equipment problems and set up of any resources and tables etc, beforehand and make sure we were prepared for the learners to arrive. Everyone was assigned specific tasks and kept up to date with each other’s roles in the class. This meant that everyone was aware of what everyone else was doing, so just in case on the day, or during the planning of the event someone was absent, we could fill their shoes relatively easily by stepping in for them. Everyone wore uniform. Looked professional and the learners were able to see this as something that made our group stand out from the learners. I think this helped them see a level of professionalism and made them want to listen to us as a group and take us seriously. The event was planned but the timings hadn’t been specified in a way that would work well for all the groups. For example, we started off the event with the plan to move groups on every 10 minutes onto the next activity, however the needed more time than just the hour we had to be able to move through and do an activity in every group and then we also needed time to go through prizes and certificates at the end. Another weakness of the event was that the classrooms were quite far apart. This meant that groups were having to spend time walking around the building.

Hcm Chapter 10 11 12

CHAPTER 1 Social Influence The effect that words, actions, or presence of people have on our attitudes, thoughts, feelings and behavior Construal The way people interpret the social environment. (How do you construe someone's behavior? Is it polite, rude etc? ) Individual differences aspects of personalities that makes people unique Social psych analyses the individual in the context of a social situation, and it aims to identify universal human nature traits that makes everyone susceptible to social influences, regardless of social class or culture Fundamental attribution error xplaining our own or other peoples' behavior based on personality characteristics alone. Underestimates social influence Behaviorism Approach to understanding behavior through only reinforcing properties of events. (Positive, negative, punishment, operant conditioning) Gestalt psych Studies subjective way in which an object appears in peoples' minds, rather than the objective, physical attributes of the subje ct. Like perceiving a painting as a whole instead of the sum of its parts. Self-esteem The degree to which one views oneself as good, competent and decentSocial cognition how people select, interpret, remember and use social information to make judgments and decisions. CHAPTER 2 Hindsight Bias Exaggeration of how much one could predict an outcome after knowing that it already happened Observational method No random assignment, not experimental, view and record measurements of natural behavior Difficult to analyse certain behavior which occur rarely or in private (peoples' willingness to help a rape victim Ethnography Study of cultures by observing from the inside ie being a part of it Interrater reliability eliability of an experiment based on level of agreement from 2 or more independent judges Archival analysis Secondary source information based on historical records like newspapers, diaries etc. But information is limited and may be incomplete or inaccurate, and there is no way t o prove it Correlational method 2 variables that are measured and linear relationship observed Correlation coefficient degree to which 2 variables are directly related to one another Surveys Asked questions about attitudes or behaviorCan judge relationship between variables that are difficult to observe and are capable of sampling representative segments of the population Random selection To ensure good representation. Experimental method random assignment to different conditions, ensuring that there is no bias Each respondent has equal chance of being picked with no bias. Ensures conditions are identical except for the independent variable Independent variable Variable that is changed to see if it has an effect on some other variable Dependent variable Variable that is influenced by the independent variable.Dependent variable depends on the level of independent variable. p-value Significant if the value is less than 5% that the results might be due to chance factors. Internal valid ity Degree to which items within the test measure the construct. Nothing besides the independent variable can affect the dependent variable. By controlling for all extraneous variables and random assignment External validity Extent to which experiment can be generalised to other situations Psychological realism extent to which psychological process in an experiment are similar to those that occur in everyday lifeCover story disguised version of a study's true purpose. This increases psych realism as the story makes people feel they are in a real event. Field research Increases external validity by studying behavior outside the lab in natural settings Replications Ultimate test of external validity. Generalised to different settings, people etc. Meta-analysis Averages results of 2 or more studies to see if the effect of an independent variable is reliable. Basic research Done purely out of curiosity to find answers Applied research Intends to solve particular problems Cross-cultural researchResearch done with other cultures to see if psychological processes are present or if unique to certain cultures Informed consent Agreement to participate, full awareness of the nature of experiment that is explained in advance Deception Misleading participants about true purpose of study Institutional review board reviews reasearch and its ethicality before allowing it to be conducted. must include at least 1 scientist, nonscientist and person nonaffiliated with institution. Debriefing Explaining to participants the true purpose of study and what transpired at the end of the experiment. CHAPTER 3 Automatic thinkingUnconscious, involuntary, effortless Controlled thinking is more effortful and deliberate Schemas mental structures that organise our knowledge about the social world, which influence the information we notice, think and remember. Applied to race or sex, schemas are stereotypes. We have schemas because they help us figure out whats going on. Accessibility extent t o which schemas and concepts are at the forefront of peoples' minds and therefore likely to be used when making judgments about the social world. Priming Automatic thinking. Process by which recent experiences increase accessibility of a schema, trait or concept. ome chronically accessible due to past experience – constantly active and ready to use to interpret ambiguous situations accessible because it is related to a current goal accessible because of recent experiences Self-fulfilling Prophecy Prediction that causes an event to come true based on positive reinforcements between belief and behavior Peoples expectations of what another is like -> influences how they act to the person -> causes a reaction consistent with peoples' original expectations -; makes expectations come true Often occurs but in some occasions, peoples' true nature will win out in social interactionJudgmental heuristic mental strategy and shortcut to make quick and effective judgments. Using schemas. A vailability heuristic Basing a judgment on self or others on the ease with which you bring something to mind. Linked to accessibility. But sometimes what is easily recalled is not typical of overall picture, leading to wrong conclusions Representativeness heuristic Classifying something according to how similar it is to a typical case. Like how similar Wang Nan is to all China people. Or scoring well in tests because asian Base Rate Information Information about relative frequency of members of different categories in the populationContents of our Schemas is influenced by our culture Differences in Western and Eastern Culture Western: Analytic Thinking – focusing on properties of objects without considering surrounding context (individualistic culture influence) Eastern: Holistic Thinking – focus on the overall context, in ways that objects relate to each other (collective culture) Controlled thinking thinking that is conscious, intentional, voluntary and effortful. Ca n switch on and off at will. Counterfactual thinking mentally changing some aspect of the past as a way of imagining what might have been. Aiyah why never get gold but i got silverThought suppression Attempt to avoid thinking about something we would prefer to forget. Like ex gf, stomachache etc. Monitoring process – automatic part, searches for evidence that the unwanted thought is about to intrude the consciousness. Then the operating process – controlled part comes into play. The effortful attempt to distract oneself by finding something else to think of. When one is lacking in energy or preoccupied (under cognitive load), the operating process lets the intruding thought go unchecked leading to hyperaccessibility – the unwanted thought occurs with high frequency The ore you try not to think of something, the more it intrudes. Overconfidence barrier People usually have too much confidence in the accuracy of judgments (sure pass! sure this sure that) break this barrier by addressing overconfidence directly, giving possibility of them being wrong teach people directly some basic statistical and methodological principles to learn how to reason correctly, and hoping they will apply these principles CHAPTER 4 Social Perception study of how we form impressions of and make inferences about others Nonverbal communication how people communicate intentionally or unintentionally without words. ody language, touch etc. Mirror neurons brain cell that respond when we perform an action and when we see someone else perform the same action. When people yawn, we yawn. automatically and involuntarily. Encode Express nonverbal behavior like smiling Decode To interpret the meaning of nonverbal behavior. was the smile genuine or sarcastic 6 major emotions that can be recognised cross-culturally happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust. Maybe contempt and pride. Affect blends one part of the face registers one emotion while another part registers a i fferent emotion. blend of anger and disgust. This makes decoding sometimes inaccurate Display rules particular to each culture, and dictate the type of emotions people should show. Emblems gestures with clear, well understood definitions – middle finger, gangsta Implicit personality theory Type of schema used to group various personality traits together. Someone who is kind is also generous Relying on schemas might lead us to make wrong assumptions, might even resort to sterotype One culture's implicit personality theory might be different from another.America has â€Å"Artistic personality† but Chinese have no schema for that. Attribution theory how we infer causes of people's behavior Internal attribution Attribute a behavior to someone's personal traits didn't give money cos selfish External attribution Attribute behavior to a situation outside of person's traits didn't give money cos train was coming Covariation model To form a rational and logical attribution abou t what caused a behavior, we note the pattern between the presence or absence of possible causal factors and whether or not the behavior occurs. why she dont lend me? did she use to lend me? does she lend to others? † Consensus information extent to which others behave the same way towards the same stimulus as me (low consensus: boss only yells at me) Distinctiveness info how the actor responds to other stimuli (low distinctiveness: boss yells at others too) Consistency information frequency with which the observed behavior between same actor and same stimulus occur over time and circumstance (high consistency: boss yells at me everytime he sees me) When the above info combine into a pattern, attribution is made.Internal attribution – consensus and distinctiveness low, consistency high External attribution – consensus, distinctiveness, consistency high Situational attribution – assumes something unusual because consistency low. People rely more on consiste ncy and distinctiveness info and less on consensus info. Correspondence bias Tendency to infer that peoples' behavior corresponds to their dispositions and personality. I sit on reserved seat because i am disrespectful Perceptual salience seeming importance of information that is the focus of people's attention. If we can't see the situation, we ignore its importance. e pay attention to people instead (easier to see than the situation) and tend to think that they cause their own behavior. Two step process of making attributions 1. Internally attribute. (quickly and spontaneously) 2. Then adjust this attribution by considering the situation the person was in. But often, we don't adjust enough, and when we are distracted or preoccupied, we skip this step, making an extreme internal attribution. (requires effort and conscious attention) if we consciously slow down and think carefully, and if we're motivated to reach an accurate judgment, we will go the 2nd step.Actor/observer differenc e tendency to see other people's behavior as caused by personality but to see one's own behavior as caused by situations Because of perceptual salience – notice other's behavior more than the situation. notice our own situation more than our behavior. What is most salient to me? i don't always look inward. I look outward and therefore my situation more than myself. Because of information availability. I know more about myself so have more consistency and distinctiveness information about myself. and therefore EXTERNALLY ATTRIBUTE. Self-serving attribution endency to take credit for my success by internal attribution, but blame others or situation for failure. Really just want to maintain self-esteem by doing so. We also just want others to think well of us. Due to the type of information available to people, I know i didn't score well for the test because it is unfair. I know i am smart. but my teacher thinks i am stupid. Different info. Defensive attributions explanations fo r behavior that defend us from vulnerability and mortality feelings believing that bad things only happen to bad people. or terminal diseases happen to us and we take steps to deny the fact. Belief in a just world) In countries with extreme rich and poor, just world beliefs are more common, compared with countries with more evenly distributed wealth. Self-serving bias prevalent in many western societies but less in Asian cultures where values of modesty and harmony is valued (china, japan etc) Individualistic cultures – look outside themselves to explain failure Collectivistic cultures – look inward to explain failure, garnering sympathy and compassion which strengthens harmony between people CHAPTER 5 Self-concept knowledge about who we are Self-awareness act of thinking about ourselvesCocktail party effect – in a crowded room yu catch someone say ur name with selective attention. after hearing own name in irrelevant stream, percentage of errors for the relevan t stream increased spotlight effect – mistaken impressino that ppl are noticing u actually only 23% Self-awareness and self-concept combine to create identity. As children, we have concrete self-concepts, referencing clear-cut observable characteristics like age, sex, hobbies. As adults, we emphasise psychological states and considerations of how others judge us Independent view of self Defining oneself in terms of one's own internal thoughts, feelings, and actions.Interdependent view of self Defining oneself in terms of relationships with others and recognising that behavior is often determined by thought, feelings, and actions of others. Westerns take more to independent sense of self than Asian culture. Women have more relational interdependence – focusing more on relationships. More likely to discuss emotions than men Men have collective interdependence – focusing on memberships in larger groups. Like sports teams Self-awareness theory when people focus atte ntion on themselves, they evaluate and compare behavior to internal standards and values. hen people are self-aware, it reminds them of a sense of right and wrong and are less likely to err. East asians likely to have outside perspective of self (how others see them). Western have insider perspective (individualistic) Causal theories Theories about what influences feelings and behavior like â€Å"absence makes the heart grow fonder† Reason-generated attitude change attitude change resulting from thinking about the reasons for your attitudes. you assume your attitude matches the reasons that are plausible and easy to verbalise. break up because she chews gum loudly.Self-perception theory when our feelings and attitudes are uncertain, we infer the feelings by observing our behavior and the situation which it occurs. We infer only when we are not sure how we feel. And we judge whether our behavior really reflects how we feel or because it is the situation that made us act that w ay. not sure if i like classical music. but i listen to 92. 4 willingly. therefore i must love classical music. if gf listens to korean song and not me who tuned in, then i am unlikely to conclude that i listen because i like it Intrinsic motivation esire to engage in an activity because i enjoy it Extrinsic motivation desire to engage because of the rewards that come with it According to self-perception theory, If i were initially intrinsically motivated, but was instead paid to do it, the motivation will slowly change to extrinsic and i'll eventually lose pure interest for it. Over-justification effect results when i view my behavior as caused by extrinsic reasons, making me underestimate the extent to which the behavior is caused by intrinsic reasons Task-contingent rewards rewards for doing a task regardless of resultsPerformance-contingent rewards rewards from how well i perform a task 2 factor theory of emotion idea that emotional experience is a result of a 2-step self-percep tion process in which i first experience physiological arousal then seek an appropriate explanation for it. Misattribution of arousal making mistaken inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do standing on a swaying bridge and receiving a request to do a survey from a chiobu. your initial heightened heart rate due to the scary bridge is misattributed to u liking the girl Appraisal theories of emotionYour emotion depends on the way you interpret or explain the event, in the absense of psychological arousal. You want to go med sch. your friend gets in instead. you feel threatened and therefore moody. Fixed mindset we have a set amount of an ability that cannot change. fixed intelligence, athletic ability etc. likely to give up after setbacks. less likely to hone skills Growth mindset abilities are malleable qualities that can cultivate and grow. view setbacks as opportunities to improve Social comparison theory learn about own abilities and attitudes by comparing wit h othersDownward social comparison compare with someone lousier to feel better about myself Upward social comparison compare with someone better to have a goal to strive towards Social tuning groups of friends or people adopting similar attitudes through social influence Self-regulatory resource model stats that we must have plenty of energy when we are trying to control our actions. Suggests that the level of glucose in the bloodstream is spent when we exert self-control Impression management attempt to get others to see me the way i want to be seen. FacebookIngratiation using flattery or praise to make myself likeable to another, often a higher-status person (ANGKAT) self-handicapping people create obstacles and excuses for themselves so if they do poorly on a task, people avoid blaming themselves. Self-handicap by creating obstacles that reduce the likelihood they will succeed on a task. So if they fail, they blame on these obstacles rather than lack of ability. Includes drugs, a lcohol, failure to prepare Also by devising ready-made excuses in case they fail. Test anxiety, moods, symptoms, events from the past.We may evntually believe the excuses and exert less effort in future. People dislike others who self-handicap so they run the risk of informal sanctions. Eastern cultures like to save face more than western cultures, and have a more independent view of themselves than ang moh. CHAPTER 6 Cognitive dissonance the feeling of discomfort when you hold 2 or more inconsistent cognitions. caused by an action that is usually against one's usual, typically positive self-conception reduce dissonance by: changing behavior (stop smoking) changing dissonant cognitions (nah.. igs don't cause cancer) adding new cognitions (my grandpa smoke so much also never kena) people experiencing dissonance deny or distort reality to reduce it. Impact bias when people think of how they will react to future negative events, they overestimate the intensity of duration of their nega tive emotional reactions. Like overestimate emo-time when u break up The need to maintain self-esteem leads us to rationalise our behavior, which may not be rational thinking. Post-decisional dissonance when after making a decision you believe more in your choice and devaluate the rejected choice. he more important and more difficult to revoke the decision, the greater the dissonance. eg which car to by vs which cup irrevocability of a decision always increases dissonance and the motivation to reduce it. lowballing technique – initially quote low price, after customer decides to buy, say it was an error, actual price is higher. frequently customer will still buy. Because there is already a commitment of sorts. Decision to behave immorally Cheating – if u didnt see the chem paper you wouldn't have gotten into SMU Dissonance theory says i'll justify the action by minimising the negative aspects of the action i chose. . e. changing my attitude about cheating that it is no t so bad and everyone does it. In terms of personal values: the cheat and non-cheat initially starts at the same attitude. after one decides their path, the attitude towards cheating diverges sharply as a consequence of actions, moving towards one extreme (from its not bad vs it's not good diverge to cheating is no big deal. vs expel cheaters! ) Justification of effort tendency for individuals to increase their liking for something they worked hard to attain. the tougher the initiation, the more we like the group (go OCS i like it so much)External justification reason for dissonant personal behavior that resides outside the individual, in order to receive a large reward or avoid severe punishment friend altered an ugly dress so now cannot return. since she already changed it, just tell her u like it. you don't want to hurt her by saying it sucks. Internal justification reduction of dissonance by changing something about oneself like attitude. when cannot find external justification, will attempt to find internal. if the same friend is very rich and buying another dress isn't a problem, your external justifying reasons for lying to her is minimal. o you experience internal justification, by noticing some good things about the dress. eventually, you will like the fugly dress. This is counterattitudinal advocacy – occurs when we claim to have an opinion that differs from our true beliefs. when we do this with little external justification, and more internal justific, we will believe it's more and more like the lie we told. Hypocrisy induction arousal of dissonance by making statements that counter peoples' behaviors and then reminding them of the inconsistency between what they advocated and their behavor.This purpose is to lead individuals to more responsible behavior counterattitudinal advocacy example. people who are made mindful of their hypocrisy between the statements they make and their initial beliefs begin to practice what they preach. Insufficien t punishment dissonance when individuals lack sufficient external justification for having resisted a desired activity or object, usually resulting in devaluing the forbidden activity or object. insufficient punishment causes insufficient external justification, which makes one internally justify. eg. child bully. f punishment is harsh – sufficient external justification (i dont beat him cos teacher will cane). if punishment is mild, (why am i not beating him up? ) the bully will refrain from beating, even though he wants to. but he lacks complete justification for not beating, so he will reduce dissonance by convincing himself that he does not really want to beat up the guy. Small reward or mild punishment leads to internal justification -; self-persuasion -; lasting change. Self-persuasion long-lasting form of attitude change that results from attempts at self-justification. ore permanent that direct attempts at persuasion by others because persuasion takes place internally . Ben franklin effect when we do a favour for a person we do not like, we will end up liking the person more. How do u hate your victims? convince yourself that the ppl u killed are less than human convince yourself they deserved to be hurt similar to nazis convincing themselves jews are subhuman Dissonance-reducing behavior less prevalent in collectivist cultures on the surface. Also may be that self-justification occurs in collectivistic societies in more communal ways. In japan, dissonance reduced after saying a boring task is interesting.In addition, if a jap observes a person he knows and likes saying the that the boring task is interesting, he himself will experience dissonance and change attitudes. CHAPTER 8 Conformity Changing one's behavior due to real or imagined influences of others Informational social influence influence of others leads us to conform because we see them as a source of info to guide behavior. We believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situati on is more accurate than ours, and will help us choose an appropriate course of action. women learning what an attractive body is from family, friends and media. en's body must be muscular (mens health, gyms etc) Private acceptance conform to behavior of others because genuinely believe that the other people are correct Public compliance conform to behavior of others without necessarily believing what they do is correct. to avoid looking silly or foolish. By wanting to get things right, you are more susceptible to informational social influence. In low importance conditions – conform to others less than in high importance conditions. (same answers for CAT and AS midterm) The more important the decision is to us, the more we will rely on others for information.Contagion rapid spread of emotions or behavior through a crowd eg mass panic of war of the worlds Mass psychogenic illness occurrence of similar physical symptoms with no known physical cause in a group of people. begins with one or a few reporting physical symptoms, then others who observe these sick people were more likely to fall sick too. Mass media also disseminates mass psychogenic illness quickly. maybe H1N1 swine flu n sars. Ambiguous situation The more uncertain you are, the more u will rely on others. Crisis situation we see how others respond and do likewise (stampedes) When others are experts he more expertise a person has, he will be a valuable guide in an ambiguous situation Social norms rules for acceptable behaviors, values and beliefs deviants can be ridiculed, punished, rejected Normative social influence when influence of others leads us to conform to be liked and accepted by them. (all the 369 tattoos on forehead) results in public compliance and not necessarily private acceptance we tend to wear what's stylish but do u really believe that mat caps are that nice? women's attempts to create ideal body that u learnt through informational influence. men go gym Asch line (long line study) onformity occured because of fear of being the lone dissenter we conform for normative reasons because we dont want social disapproval even from complete strangers. also, we feel discomfort and tension when we stand up for beliefs and go against the group What if you resist normative social influence? group will try to align you with their beliefs by increased communication through teasing and long discussions if all fails, then start to say negative things and withdraw from me Cultural definitions of attractive body changes throughout the years. last time, fat girl was attractive, because looks healthy and fertile.Today, models all so skinny. Jap culture places great emphasis on conformity than american culture. Normative pressure to be skinny is more for Japs than americans Social impact theory likelihood that i respond to social influence by others depends on strength: how important to me is the group? immediacy: how close is the group to me in space and time during the at tempt to influence me? number: how many people in the group? conformity will increase as the factors above increase. Group size and social impact Conformity increased when no of group increased. beyond 3 people, conformity does not increase much.Groups we identify strongly with and we like will exert more normative influence on us. Conforming to a group earns idiosyncracy credits (can occasionally deviate from group norms without sanction) When no one else in the group believes the same as you, normative social influence is the highest. You tend to conform to them. But if you have 1 ally, pressure to conform greatly decreases. (12 angry men example) when group's culture is collectivistic, people are highly conforming because of factors like cooperation and loyalty. Conformity in collective cultures is a valued trait. but in western it is a negative trait.Hunting/Fishing culture (western) values assertiveness and independence. Agriculture (eastern) values value cooperative, conformit y. Minority influence case where minority of group members influence behavior of majority. through consistency. keep expressing the same view, and different members of minority must agree with one another. majority eventually takes notice. minorities exert influence through informational means, not normative. Majorities obtain public compliance through normative influence Minorities obtain private acceptance through informational influence. 12 angry men best example. Injunctive norms eoples' perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved by others. Motivate behavior through punishment or rewards. Littering is wrong. â€Å"DO NOT LITTER† more powerful in the face but promote normative conformity. (public compliance) Descriptive norms perceptions of how people actually behave in given situations, regardless of whether behavior is approved by others or not. Motivate behavior by informing people about what is effective or adaptive behavior. Littering is wrong (injuncti ve). There are times where people are likely to litter (Descriptive norms) â€Å"LITTERING IS NOT WHAT PEOPLE DO HERE†Less powerful in the face but promote informational influence. creates positive change. Boomerang effect by giving an â€Å"average† as a norm, people who usually did less than the average might end up increasing the activity to meet the â€Å"average†, thereby defeating the purpose of decreasing the undesirable behavior. For example alcohol drinking. â€Å"descriptive norm + injunctive norm† mixed messages will have a positive effect on cutting down undesirable behavior. â€Å"you used this much energy. On average, households use x amount of energy a day (descriptive – what society does).You used X+2 energy >:( (the face showing disapproval is injunctive – what is viewed as wrong. ) Obedience to authority behavior of soldiers made killing seem like the right thing (informational influence) and soldiers wanted to avoid rejec tion from others (normative influence) my lai village massacre. Milgram's studies Authority say â€Å"it is essential you continue† difficult to say no to insistent authority Normative influence – acting on their influence in order to be accepted by others When the authority left the room lack of informational influence When authority was replaced by a regular person he lacks expertise, no incentive to followImportance of authority figures when 2 authority figures disagreed about whether to continue the study, thereby creating ambigous definition of the situation, 100% of the participants stopped conforming. Other reasons we obey Conforming to the wrong norm Once u follow one norm, it is hard to switch midstream. (slowly realising that delivering electric shocks was not good but still continued) Difficult to abandon the â€Å"obey authority† norm in Milgram because: experiment was fast-paced, preventing reflection on the situation. of self-justification. Initial agreement to do the test created internal pressure to obey subsequently.As participants delivered each shock, they justified in their heads, and each successive ladder made it hard to decide when to stop (215 and 230 volts not much different) of loss of personal responsibility. Experimenters are responsible for end results, and i am â€Å"just following orders† Unethical studies have Deception hiding true purpose of the study No true informed consent not told of the full details of study Psychological distress Not told they had right to withdraw Inflicted insight when the study ended, some learnt things about themselves that they didnt agree to beforehand (like obey orders to hurt someone)