25 Google Power Search Tips for Genealogists

25 Google Power Search Tips for Genealogists Google is the search engine of choice for most genealogists I know, due to its ability to return relevant search results for genealogy and surname queries and its huge index. Google is much more than just a tool for finding Web sites, however, and most people surfing for information on their ancestors barely scratch the surface of its full potential. If you know what you are doing, you can use Google to search within Web sites, locate photos of your ancestors, bring back dead sites, and track down missing relatives. Learn how to Google as youve never Googled before. Begin With the Basics 1. All Terms Count - Google automatically assumes an implied AND between each of your search terms. In other words, a basic search will only return pages that include all of your search terms. 2. Use Lower Case - Google is case insensitive, with the exception of the search operators AND and OR. All other search terms will return the same results, regardless of the combination of upper and lower case letters used in your search query. Google also ignores most common punctuation such as commas and periods. Thus a search for Archibald Powell Bristol, England will return the same results as archibald powell bristol england. 3. Search Order Matters - Google will return results that contain all of your search terms, but will give higher priority to the earlier terms in your query. Thus, a search for power wisconsin cemetery will return pages in a different ranked order than wisconsin power cemetery. Put your most important term first, and group your search terms in a way that makes sense. Search With a Focus 4. Search for a Phrase - Use quotation marks around any two word or greater phrase to find results where the words appear together exactly as you have entered them. This is especially useful when searching for proper names (i.e. a search for thomas jefferson will bring up pages with thomas smith and bill jefferson, while searching for thomas jefferson will only bring up pages with the name thomas jefferson included as a phrase. 5. Exclude Unwanted Results - Use a minus sign (-) before words that you want to be excluded from the search. This is especially useful when searching for a surname with a common usage such as rice or one which is shared with a famous celebrity such as Harrison Ford. Search for ford -harrison to exclude results with the word harrison. It also works well for cities that exist in more than one area such as shealy lexington south carolina OR sc -massachusetts -kentucky -virginia. You have to be careful when eliminating terms (especially place names), however, because this will exclude pages that have results including both your preferred location and the ones you eliminated. 6. Use OR to Combine Searches - Use the term OR between search terms to retrieve search results that match any one of a number of words. The default operation for Google is to return results that match ALL search terms, so by linking your terms with OR (note that you have to type OR in ALL CAPS) you can achieve a bit more flexibility (e.g. smith cemetery OR gravestone will return results for smith cemetery and smith gravestone). 7. Exactly What You Want - Google employs a number of algorithms to ensure accurate search results, including automatically considering searches for words that are common synonyms to be identical, or suggesting an alternate, more common spellings. A similar algorithm, called stemming, returns not only results with your keyword, but also with terms based on the keyword stem - such as powers, power and powered. Sometimes Google can be a little too helpful, however, and will return results for a synonym or word that you may not want. In these cases, use quotation marks around your search term to ensure that it is used exactly as you typed it (e.g. power surname genealogy) 8. Force Additional Synonyms - Although Google search automatically displays results for certain synonyms, the tilde symbol (~) will force Google to show additional synonyms (and related words) for your query. For example, a search for schellenberger ~vital records leads Google to return results including vital records, birth records, marriage records, and more. Similarly, ~obituaries will also include obits, death notices, newspaper obituaries, funeral, etc. Even a search for schellenberger ~genealogy will yield different search results than schellenberger genealogy. Search terms (including synonyms) are bolded in Google search results, so you can easily see what terms were found on each page. 9. Fill in the Blanks - Including an *, or wildcard, in your search query tells Google to treat the star as a placeholder for any unknown term(s) and then find the best matches. Use the wildcard (*) operator to end a question or phrase such as ​william crisp was born in * or as a proximity search to find terms located within two words of each other such as david * norton (good for middle names and initials). Note that the * operator works only on whole words, not parts of words. You cant, for example, search for owen* in Google to return results for Owen and Owens. 10. Use Googles Advanced Search Form - If the search options above are more than you want to know, try using Googles Advanced Search Form which simplifies most of the search options previously mentioned, such as using search phrases, as well as removing words you dont want included in your search results. Search Suggested Alternate Spellings Google has become one smart cookie and now suggests alternate spellings for search terms which appear to be misspelled. The search engines self-learning algorithm automatically detects misspellings and suggests corrections based on the most popular spelling of the word. You can get a basic idea of how it works by typing in geneology as a search term. While Google will return search results for pages on geneology, it will also ask you Did you mean genealogy? Click on the suggested alternate spelling for a whole new list of sites to browse! This feature comes in particularly handy when searching for cities and towns for which you arent sure of the correct spelling. Type in Bremehaven and Google will ask you if you meant Bremerhaven. Or type in Napels Italy, and Google will ask you if you meant Naples Italy. Watch out, however! Sometimes Google chooses to display the search results for the alternate spelling and youll need to select the correct spelling to find what you are really looki ng for. Bring Back Sites From the Dead How many times have you found what looks to be a very promising Web site, only to get a File Not Found error when clicking on the link? Genealogical Web sites seem to come and go every day as webmasters change file names, switch ISPs, or just decide to remove the site because they can no longer afford to maintain it. This doesnt mean the information is always gone forever, however. Hit the Back button and look for a link to a cached copy at the end of the Google description and page URL. Clicking on the cached link should bring up a copy of the page as it appeared at the time that Google indexed that page, with your search terms highlighted in yellow. You can also return Googles cached copy of a page, by preceding the pages URL with cache:. If you follow the URL with a space separated list of search words, they will be highlighted on the returned page. For example:  cache:genealogy.about.com surname  will return the cached version of this sites homepage with the term surname high lighted in yellow. Find Related Sites Found a site that you really like and want more? GoogleScout can help you find sites with similar content. Hit the Back button to return to your Google search results page and then click on the  Similar Pages  link. This will take you to a new page of search results with links to pages which contain similar content. The more specialized pages (such as a page for a specific surname) may not turn up many relevant results, but if you are researching a particular topic (i.e. adoption or immigration), GoogleScout can help you find a large number of resources very quickly, without having to worry about selecting the right keywords. You can also access this feature directly by using the related command with the URL of the site that you like (  related:genealogy.about.com). Follow the Trail Once youve found a valuable site, chances are that some of the sites which link to it may also be beneficial to you. Use the  link  command along with a URL to find pages which contain links pointing to that URL. Enter  link:familysearch.org  and youll find about 3,340 pages which link to the homepage of familysearch.org. You can also use this technique to find out who, if anyone, has linked to your personal genealogy site. Search Within a Site While many major sites have search boxes, this isnt always true of smaller, personal genealogy sites. Google comes to the rescue again, however, by allowing you to restrict search results to a specific site. Just enter your search term followed by the  site  command and the main URL for the site you wish to search in the Google search box on the main Google page. For example,  military site:www.familytreemagazine.com  pulls up 1600 pages with the search term  military  on the Family Tree Magazine Web site. This trick is especially useful for quickly finding surname information on genealogy sites without indexes or search capabilities. Cover Your Bases When you really want to make sure you havent missed a good genealogy site, enter  allinurl:genealogy  to return a list of sites with  genealogy  as part of their URL (can you believe that Google found more than 10 million?). As you can tell from this example, this is a better option to use for more focused searches, such as surnames or locality searches. You can combine multiple search terms, or use other operators such as OR to help focus your search (i.e.  allinurl:genealogy france  OR  french). A similar command is also available to search for terms contained within a title (i.e.  allintitle:genealogy france  OR  french). Find People, Maps and More If youre searching for U.S. information, Google can do so much more than just search Web pages. The lookup information they provide through their search box has been expanded to include street maps, street addresses, and phone numbers. Enter a first and last name, city, and state to find a phone number. You can also do a reverse lookup by entering a phone number to find a street address. To use Google to find street maps, just enter a street address, city, and state (i.e.  8601 Adelphi Road College Park MD), in the Google search box. You can also find business listings by entering the name of a business and its location or zip code (i.e.  tgn.com utah). Pictures From the Past Googles image search feature makes it easy to locate photos on the Web. Just click on the Images tab on Googles home page and type in a keyword or two to view a results page full of image thumbnails. To find photos of specific people try putting their first and last names within quotes (i.e.  laura ingalls wilder). If youve got a bit more time or a more unusual surname, then just entering the surname should be enough. This feature is also a great way to find photos of old buildings, tombstones, and even your ancestors hometown. Because Google doesnt crawl for images as often as it does for Web pages, you may find many pages/images have moved. If the page doesnt come up when you click on the thumbnail, then you may be able to find it by copying the URL from below the feature, pasting it into the Google search box, and using the cache feature. Glancing Through Google Groups If youve got a bit of time on your hands, then check out the Google Groups search tab available from the Google homepage. Find info on your surname, or learn from the questions of others by searching through an archive of over 700 million Usenet newsgroup messages going back as far as 1981. If youve got even more time on your hands, then check out this  historical Usenet timeline  for a fascinating diversion. Narrow Your Search by File Type Typically when you search the Web for information, you expect to pull up traditional Web pages in the form of HTML files. Google offers results in a variety of different formats, however, including .PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format), .DOC (Microsoft Word), .PS (Adobe Postscript), and .XLS (Microsoft Excel). These files appear among your regular search results listings where you can either view them in their original format, or use the  View as HTML  link (good for when you dont have the application that is needed for that particular file type, or for when computer viruses are a concern). You can also use the filetype command to narrow your search to find documents in particular formats (i.e. filetype:xls genealogy forms). You arent likely to use this Google feature often, but I have used it to find genealogy brochures in PDF format and family group sheets and other genealogy forms in Microsoft Excel format. If youre someone like me who uses Google quite a bit, then you may want to consider downloading and using the Google Toolbar (requires Internet Explorer Version 5 or later and Microsoft Windows 95 or later). When the Google Toolbar is installed, it automatically appears along with the Internet Explorer toolbar and makes it easy to use Google to search from any Web site location, without returning to the Google home page to begin another search. A variety of buttons and a drop-down menu make it easy to perform all of the searches described in this article with just a click or two. Best wishes for a successful search!

Fundamental Physical Constants in Physics

Fundamental Physical Constants in Physics Physics is described in the language of mathematics, and the equations of this language make use of a wide array of physical constants. In a very real sense, the values of these physical constants define our reality. A universe in which they were different would be radically altered from the one that we actually inhabit. The constants are generally arrived at by observation, either directly (as when one measures the charge of an electron or the speed of light) or by describing a relationship that is measurable and then deriving the value of the constant (as in the case of the gravitational constant). This listing is of significant physical constants, along with some commentary on when they are used, is not at all exhaustive, but should be helpful in trying to understand how to think about these physical concepts. It should also be noted that these constants are all sometimes written in different units, so if you find another value that isnt exactly the same as this one, it may be that it has been converted into another set of units. Speed of Light Even before Albert Einstein came along, physicist James Clerk Maxwell had described the speed of light in free space in his famous Maxwells equations describing electromagnetic fields. As Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity, the speed of light took on relevance as a constant underlying important elements of the physical structure of reality. c 2.99792458 x 108  meters per second   Charge of Electron Our modern world runs on electricity, and the electrical charge of an electron is the most fundamental unit when talking about the behavior of electricity or electromagnetism. e 1.602177 x 10-19 C Gravitational Constant The gravitational constant was developed as part of the law of gravity developed by Sir Isaac Newton. The measurement of the gravitational constant is a common experiment conducted by introductory physics students, by measuring the gravitational attraction between two objects. G 6.67259 x 10-11 N m2/kg2 Plancks Constant The physicist Max Planck began the entire field of quantum physics by explaining the solution to the ultraviolet catastrophe in exploring blackbody radiation problem. In doing so, he defined a constant that became known as Plancks constant, which continued to show up across various applications throughout the quantum physics revolution. h 6.6260755 x 10-34 J s Avogadros Number This constant is used much more actively in chemistry than in physics, but it relates the number of molecules that are contained in one mole of a substance. NA 6.022 x 1023 molecules/mol Gas Constant This is a constant that shows up in a lot of equations related to the behavior of gases, such as the Ideal Gas Law as part of the  kinetic theory of gases. R 8.314510 J/mol K Boltzmanns Constant Named after Ludwig Boltzmann, this is used to relate the energy of a particle to the temperature of a gas. It is the ratio of the gas constant R to Avogadros number NA: k   R / NA 1.38066 x 10-23  J/K Particle Masses The universe is made up of particles, and the masses of those particles also show up in a lot of different places throughout the study of physics. Though there are a lot more fundamental particles than just these three, theyre the most relevant physical constants that youll come across: Electron mass me 9.10939 x 10-31 kg   Neutron mass mn 1.67262 x 10-27 kg   Proton mass   mp 1.67492 x 10-27 kg   Permittivity of Free Space This is a physical constant that represents the ability of a classical vacuum to permit electric field lines. It is also known as epsilon naught. ÃŽ µ0 8.854 x 10-12 C2/N m2 Coulombs Constant The permittivity of free space is then used to determine Coulombs constant, which is a key feature of Coulombs equation that governs the force created by interacting electrical charges. k 1/(4πΠµ0) 8.987 x 109 N m2/C2 Permeability of Free Space This constant is similar to the permittivity of free space, but relates to the magnetic field lines permitted in a classical vacuum, and comes into play in Amperes law describing the force of magnetic fields: ÃŽ ¼0 4 Ï€ x 10-7 Wb/A m

Human Right Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Right Assignment - Essay Example The paper outlines and discusses the different ways in which the death penalty is a limitation on human rights. It also explores the differences between International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights. ICCPR is yet to prohibit the death penalty but does not entirely give access to the different countries to do so at will. It defines the human life and outline measures to follow before condemning a person to this sentence. Article six in the covenant states that all human beings have the right to life and nobody should deny this right. This penalty can only apply when a severe crime occurs, and the offender declared guilty by a very competent court of justice. Upon the conviction a person to death, the article provides that a person can still seek pardon and amnesty from the government. Lastly, in case of any other violation of ICCPR right, then it means that the imposition of the death penalty is invalid. Other limitations include the exemption of pregnant women from execution and any other person charged with an offense committed when the person was under the age of eighteen. The death penalty also infringes on other human right. Indeed, convicts face other forms of inhuman treatment before facing execution. For instance, convicts can face torture or exposure to a lot of pain before execution. Most of the countries that still execute offenders have delinked death penalty from human right so as the penalty to be seen as any other form of punishment and to avoid public criticism (Schabas, 2008). ICCPR, Inter-American Convention on Human Rights, and the Arab charter all perform the same function. They limit what the government can do to people within its jurisdiction. The different organizations came into force after 1945 as a way of responding to the violations of the human rights during and before the

Humanitarian Ethics System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humanitarian Ethics System - Essay Example According to a recent report by the World Federation of International Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is no longer defensible humanitarian intervention before certain disaster without addressing its causes. This paper 2000 humanitarian ethics system in a concise and comprehensive way. Speaking in the context of twenty first century, humanitarian action is consisted on strong values, norms and standards of 'humanity', from which its name is taken. Humanity, thus, appears as the unshakable link that unites and cements all human beings: a feeling, emotion and a sense that push each person to recognize the other as his or her equal and fellow human being. Most ethical theories in the ancient world were forms of virtue ethics, but in the era of 2000 there have, until recently, been few virtue ethicists. Most moral theories of 2000 treat rightness as a matter of producing good results or conforming to moral rules or principles, but virtue ethics specifies what is moral in relation to such inner factors as character and motive, and unlike most modern views, it treats aretaic notions like "admirable" and "excellent" - rather than deontic concepts like "ought," "right," and "obligatory" - as fundamental to the enterprise of ethics (Slote, 2007). Slote (2007) mentions that in its 2003 report on disasters, the International Federation of Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent, in addition to analyzing some timely topics such as famine in southern Africa, the conflict between power and ethics in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, the phenomenon of forced migration, framed conceptually ethics humanitarian disasters and wars, reflect on the measurement of disasters (challenges, opportunities and ethics) and provide data on disasters and refugees. Regarding the famine in early 2003 affected 15 million people in southern Africa, the document denounces lack of foresight, inefficiency and delay in implementing the aid. The combination of this disaster with the HIV / AIDS and poverty dramatically complicates the situation and generates questions about the relevance of certain intervene in conflicts without attacking its structural causes (Slote, 2007). Jacques (2003) discusses that another example of the difficulties of international aid to solve basic problems is the situation in Afghanistan, where in many aspects of security and human rights were compounded since the invasion of the allied troops led by the United States. Also the phenomenon of forced migration (175 million people living outside their homeland) raises ethical and legal problems related to humanitarian aid and citizenship and their rights. The humanitarian ethics is guided by two principles: neutrality and independence. These are the basis of a code of conduct for humanitarian aid which has acceded to over 200 organizations worldwide. However, the Federation of Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent noted that compliance with these principles has been uneven. Humanitarian assistance tends to

Black Arts & Black Aesthetic Essay Example for Free

Black Arts Black Aesthetic Essay Larry Neal’s â€Å"Black Arts Movements† and Addison Gayle’s â€Å"The Black Aesthetic† are two identical mission statements for the black audience: set yourself apart from the white culture and give your culture the recognition it deserves. The two pieces are similar in ideas and purposes. The black communities were tired of always adapting to the ways of the white culture because it was the â€Å"right† way to act. The black community wanted to define their own culture and these pieces were words of encouragement for blacks to step outside the white ways of thinking and acting and step into an acceptance of their own urbanity. Once the differences were accepted that’s when you start seeing the different relationships between whites and blacks. These written pieces were significant changes in thoughts and actions at this time, and they weren’t useless. The blacks were really hoping to set themselves apart from the rest, to have people recognize they were different from the white oppressive mind set, and it worked. Larry Neal’s â€Å"The Black Arts Movement†, written in 1968, speaks directly to the needs and ambitions of Black America at the time. The main goal in â€Å"The Black Arts Movement† is to emphasize the necessity for black culture to define their world in their own terms. Larry Neal asks the question in his piece, â€Å"†¦whose vision of the world is more meaningful, ours or the white oppressors? † (Neal page 2040). He is asking his audience to move away from a white oppressor vision of the world and create their own vision of the world: a vision that has their own beliefs, thoughts, and ideas; a vision that stands out from the white patterns that have consisted years prior. The Black artists’ primary duty is to express the needs of the Black people. Neal explains this idea by saying, â€Å"†¦main thrust of his new breed of contemporary writers to confront the contradictions arising out of the Black man’s experience in the raciest West† (Neal page 2039). In other words, the goals of these new artists is to use a concept of â€Å"protest literature† (page 2040) and direct this new literature directly towards black people to summon hope and â€Å"[awaken] Black people to the meaning of their lives† (Neal page 2042). The Black community had been living in an oppressive society for years prior to this new movement. Neal believed The Black Aesthetic was the destruction of white ideas, and the destruction of white ways of looking at their world. Addison Gayle Jr. was another of these contemporary artists who encouraged a new way of life to the black community in his piece, â€Å"The Black Aesthetic†. The Black Aesthetic movement was the practice that helped those seeking to navigate and understand the experiences of black peoples. Gayle explains the Black Aesthetic movement: â€Å"The question for the black critic today is not how beautiful is a melody, a play, a poem, a novel, but how much more beautiful has the poem†¦made the life of a single black man? The Black Aesthetic, then, as conceived by this writer†¦is a means of helping black people out of the polluted mainstream of Americanism†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gayle 1916). This is a significant quote because Gayle, and many of the Black Aesthetic artists at the time, really believe that these works of art are not for the critics’ entertainment. Instead they are gritty stories of these Black Peoples’ experiences and they are intended to free the Black Man of an oppressive white America. They are to encourage these black men and women to stop conforming to the white culture and instead embrace their own. The black aesthetic period is so significant because it was a time where the artists made a significant shift in the opinions of the white culture towards the black culture, and even more, it gave a chance to the Black community to find their voice in the madness and be able to stand out amongst the white, oppressive view points of the society they were living in at the time. These two pieces of work connect really well with each other. Essentially I could connect Gayle’s piece to almost any Black Aesthetic piece just because they all have similar viewpoints in regards to the freedom of the oppressive white American culture. However, Larry Neal directly comments on the Black Aesthetics. He describes the Black Arts Movement and the Black Aesthetic as one. Neal says, â€Å"Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept. As such, it envisions an art that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black America† (Neal page 2039). This goes with Gayle’s beliefs that the Black Aesthetic is directly made for the needs of the black peoples. Gayle says, â€Å"A critical methodology has no relevance to the black community unless it aids men in becoming better than they are† (page 1917). Gayle and Neal both have this vision for Black Americans that they be freed from this movement, not pushed further into oppression, and they believe the arts can advocate them into being better. The encouragement the artists have for the rest of their brothers and sisters is what makes these two pieces so important, especially when they’re being compared. The black people, whether they are the creators or just regular middle-class folks, share visions of positivity during hardships. They want their brothers to come out and top, so they fight together. The Black Aesthetic movement was a time period where the black Americans, whom had the privilege to create and share poems, stories, and plays, were able to share their creations with the rest of the population to motivate them. Gayle and Neal’s goals are the same: they want the blacks to find their own identity, present themselves differently, and stop following in the footsteps of the whites. They believe that these works of art really can do wonders of change for their brothers and sisters. These stories and creations, poem and plays, aren’t just useless, fictional words that these artist create out of air. They are real life accounts of the battles the black culture have fought in hopes that the oppressive layer of the white America finally comes off their backs. In the following quote, Neal demonstrates how the arts can really be significant. Neal says, â€Å"Poetry is a concrete function, actions†¦Poems are physical entities: fists, daggers, airplane poems, and poems that shoot guns. Poems are transformed into personal forces†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Page 2041). In relationship to Neal, Gayle compares the oppression to war. These two works are compatible to each other. Gayle believes the two cultures are at war, while Neal has the perfect weapon: works of art. Gayle explains the society’s conditions by saying, â€Å"The serious black artist of today is at war with the American society as few have been throughout American history† (Gayle page 1914). Gayle and Neal agree upon this. The Black American culture was at a war with the white American culture and the black artists were doing everything in their power to free themselves of this war using the one weapon they were best at using: words. Using these words of hope and encouragement, and visions of freedom and opportunities, the artists created possibilities. Neal and Gayle had similar visions for the future, as well. They both believed this movement was growing and they believed that growth had been evident in white peoples’ eyes already. Gayle states this growth by saying, â€Å"The white academician†¦calls upon a black man to write the introduction. The editor then declares that his anthology ‘represents the best black literature’ or that he has chosen these works which rank the best in American artistic production. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Gayle page 1918). In saying that a black man can write an introduction and rank the best in production is a significant amount of change for the Black community. The white editors are accepting of the different writing styles and topics, and still finding that it’s quality literature even when it’s unlike theirs; a goal the black aesthetic writers have worked to achieve. Neal has a similar idea on hope, but he also adds his beliefs on the growth of this movement by saying, â€Å"Afro-American life and history is full of creative possibilities, and the movement is just beginning to perceive them. Just beginning to understand that the most meaningful statements†¦must come from the Third World of which Black America is a part† (Neal page 2050). This statement is quite similar to Gayle’s in that the white society in America is starting to recognize the importance in black arts which is a significant change because it’s one that they worked towards for many years. At the time, progress was still being made, but some progress had been made and it was enough to make them feel happy and even more hopeful for the future of the movement. The significance in the pieces is that they set their black community apart from the rest of America. Years prior the whites oppressed the blacks and so at this point in time, the black people were trying desperately to free themselves. In comparing these two pieces you really start to see the similar ideas the black people had about their community. These ideas weren’t just small things a few people decided to write about. They were words of hope for the future. A mission statement to set themselves apart from the rest, testimonies of what the artists have been through, and explanations of why they’re different and why they should be recognized as that. The incredible thing about it: it worked. Gayle, Addison, Jr. , and Larry Neal. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York [u. a. : Norton, 2004. Print. ]

Prejudice Essay -- Prejudging essays research papers

Missing Formatting In today’s world, there are many social issues, like poverty, vandalism and unemployment. However, prejudice has become the most dramatic one. Prejudging people for their appearance is a common practice that humans perform. People are not only ridiculed for their color, but also by their religion, sex or age. Therefore, I consider that racism, ageism and sexism are the three major problems in our society and we need to cease them immediately. Much of our world’s history were based upon racism. In the 1600’s, white men used Africans as slaves and treated them as they were not human. "Colored" people were not even allowed to use the same drinking fountains as white people. Fortunately, in the last three decades, race prejudice has taken a positive turn. Many rights progra...

About Jihad: 15 Misquotes from the Koran Essay

The Cow is a story of the Koran in the Surah (vv. 67-73), and the name is derived from a story of the Cow in the Surah. There are 286 verses in this Surah, more than any other in the Koran. The theme of this Surah is divine and guidance and all other teachings are centered on this theme. The Surah addresses Jews and reminds them of their history. Acceptance of the Holy Prophet has been epitomized as the true guidance, and the Surah talks about Prophet Moses as an example. The Surah categorizes men on their ability to â€Å"believe in the unseen†, and the weakest faith is associated dire consequences while strong faith is associated with good rewards. The Surah also discusses origin of man, his failure and his descendants. See more: Recruitment and selection process essay The people of Israel form the basis for most of the teachings in the Cow. The struggles of Moses and Jesus among unruly people, and how the people rejected Muhammad because of their pride are some of the teachings documented in this Surah. One of the most important doctrines in this Surah is Islamic brotherhood. Virtues of prayerfulness, faithfulness, charity, kindness , probity and patience are described as the pillars of Islamic brotherhood. The Surah also describes instances where Islamic brotherhood may be applied, and they include fasts, drink, bequests, treatment of orphans, wine and gambling and Jihad. More focus is given to Jihad as a theme, and the story of Saul, Goliath and David is contrasted to that of Jesus. The Surah describes the attributes that are used to measure a person’s worth, and it also exhorts faith, obedience and the power of prayer throughout the doctrines. One of the most interesting ideas discussed in The Cow is Jihad. The teachings of the Koran are that fighting for the truth and justice are not to be evaded or taken light-heartedly. Not all people are chosen to fight. [2: 243-247]†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦but when at last they were ordered to fight, they all refused, except a few of them.†[2: 249-250] â€Å"†¦But they all drank from it, except a few of them.† As Saul was preparing his army against the reign of Goliath, he gave special instructions to his soldiers not to drink water from a certain river since it was a test of their ability to fight in the war, but many of them failed. They lacked constancy, faith and firmness that are needed to rouse by God’s battles. [2 : 191-193] â€Å"Fight for the sake of the God those that fight against you, but do not attack first. God does not love aggressors. Slay them wherever you find them.† â€Å"†¦fight against them until idolatry is no more and God’s reli gion reigns supreme. But if they resist, fight none except the evil-doers.† The above verses [2: 190-193] are some of the verses that have used to justify extremist ideas with Islam, and many Jihadists follow them in a copy-paste manner without giving deeper meaning to the context of use. The emergence of extremist groups such as Islamic States (IS) in North Africa and Middle East, these verses are relevant to this discussion since they have been used to justify the killing of non-Islam followers. Chapter 2 verse 191 is a verse revealed during a time when Prophet Muhammad’s companion was crucified in public in Makkans (About Jihad). The emphasis is on the attackers of Islam and its followers, and the Koran warns Muhammad followers against attacking without any aggression (Ansari Yamamah). Even after Islam has been attacked, the Koran further warns that if the aggressor retreats then Muslims can cease attacking since God is merciful in chapter 2 verse 192. In verse 193 of the same chapter, it is the duty of Muslims to fight against persecution and oppr ession of humanity. Muslims should also defend humanity. However, the Koran forbids aggression, and fighting should be strictly for self-defense. References About Jihad: 15 Misquotes from the Koran (Part 2) URL: http://www.aboutjihad.com/terrorism/Koran_misquote_part_2.phpAnsari Yamamah: The Shift of Jihad: Between ideal and historical context URL: http://umrefjournal.um.edu.my/filebank/published_article/4754/07%20Ansari.pdf Koran Surahs I and II (Dawood) Source document

Brian B. and The Medical File Test Essay

Brian B. is taken into an exam room in the office of Dr. K. by the medical assistant, Amy. Amy gets into an animated discussion with Brian about their mutually favorite baseball team. As Amy leaves the exam room, she accidentally places Brian’s medical file on the counter. While Brian waits for Dr. K., he reads through his file folder. He is shocked to discover that his recent test for AIDS came back positive. Brian panics and runs out of the office before seeing Dr. K. The doctor tries to reach Brian by phone but there is no answer. Dr. K. then sends a letter marked â€Å"Confidential† to Brian and explains that he must be treated for his disease and also needs to inform his sexual partners about his disease. Brian does not respond to the letter. Question What else can Doctor K. do to meet his obligation to report a communicable disease? In dealing with outbreaks of communicable diseases, Doctor K. should work with public health authorities to promote the use of interventions that achieve desired public health outcomes with minimal infringement upon individual liberties. In implementing such measures, Doctor K should take necessary actions to promote the patients’ well-being. In addition, Doctor K should also be responsible for taking appropriate precautionary measures to protect the health of individuals caring for patients with communicable diseases. Physicians are ethically obligated to safeguard patients’ privacy and should not reveal confidential communications or information without the express consent of the patient, unless required to do so by law.24 Therefore, physicians must comply with legal requirements to report affected patients to appropriate public health authorities.

Debates concerning Accounting Theory are a waste Essays

Debates concerning Accounting Theory are a waste Essays Debates concerning Accounting Theory are a waste Essay Debates concerning Accounting Theory are a waste Essay Arguments refering Accounting Theory are a waste of clip Coursework Essay Introduction This essay examines the proposition that â€Å"Debates refering Accounting Theory are a waste of time† It covers the topographic point of the comptroller in society today, discusses some definitions of accounting theory and how those theories affect the development of accounting rules and codifications of pattern. Some comparings are made with theoretical procedure in other discaplines and the relationship between theory, professional moralss and moral opinions. The essay concludes with a position against the proposition as future advancement in any subject relies on strict, good planned and executed research linked to healthy statement and argument. The Accountants Role and Duties Accounting theory is, by definition, the state of comptrollers. There is some value, hence, in depicting the: function of the comptroller accountant’s primary duties parametric quantities of accounting pattern The accountant’s function is more diverse and wide-ranging than of all time before. Governmental, concern and non for net income administrations have become progressively complex in their range and operations. Globalisation, rapid developments in information engineering and more demanding legislative and regulative governments regulating fiscal activity have had a major consequence on the manner administrations are managed, regulated and perceived by society. The financial and fiscal direction of administrations and fiducial demands on proprietors and directors mean increasing trust on adept advice and counsel from professionals with extended preparation and experience in accounting techniques and patterns. Therefore the simplistic position of comptrollers fixing the fiscal and direction histories for statutory demands and managerial control is now an mistiming. It is hard to specify the function of the modern comptroller in a short phrase or paragraph. Possibly an accountantà ¢â‚¬â„¢s function could be perchance be described as the â€Å"guardian of fiscal communicating and control systems of society† An accountant’s duties are broad and vary significantly from administration to administration and from the accountant’s place in the organizational and hierarchal construction. Duties are diverse. Some illustrations could be the readying of governmental budgets and prognosiss, pull offing the fiscal personal businesss of major transnational corporations, supplying fiscal consultancy advice to a little or average graduated table endeavor ( SMSE ) or scrutinizing the histories of a public company as a member of a professional accounting pattern. Each set of duties demand preparation, accomplishment and experience in widely differing aspects of accounting. Professional accounting operates within a series of â€Å"boundaries† ordering the public presentation and activity of the map. For illustration, a trained, qualified comptroller who wishes to provide his trade as a professional will about surely have to be a member of a professional establishment in the legal power of his pick. Once qualified and registered, as in many of the professions such as jurisprudence or medical specialty, an comptroller is surrounded by a bewildering series of legislative, regulatory, ethical and moral confines. Some of the accountant’s modus operandi is enshrined in corporate statute law, codifications of pattern, accounting criterions and regulative commissariats. However, non all parametric quantities are substantial and statute. For illustration the concern community and society at big has a perceptual experience which presupposes comptrollers should dispatch their responsibilities with truth, honestness, unity and nonpartisanship. Given the diverseness and complexness of the accounting environment, rehearsing comptrollers and those who observe, regulate, Teach, train, research and develop accounting techniques, patterns and rules would deduce benefit from comprehensive and congruous set of â€Å"Accounting Theories† and derived rules. The following subdivision discusses the definition and background to some of the more noteworthy accounting theories. Accounting Theory – A Definition There are a figure of definitions of Accounting Theory. For illustration, Hendriksen and Breda suggest â€Å"a coherent set of conjectural, conceptual and matter-of-fact rules organizing a general frame of mention for asking into the nature of accounting† . [ 1 ] Another definition by Most suggests â€Å"accounting theory is that subdivision of accounting which consists of the systematic statement of rules and methodological analysis, as distinguishable from practise† [ 2 ] In most definitions it appears that the basic nomenclature refers to the construct of an implicit in set ofrules.It is deserving doing some reference of the how theories are derived. In scientific survey, theories evolve through the observation of phenomena which can take to a hypothesis which is so tested with strict and extended experimentation to get at a decision or theory. For illustration, in early 19th century medicine the premise was that cholera was an airborne disease. This was challenged b y the physician John Snow with the â€Å"hypothesis† that it was in fact a water-borne disease. Snow had the chance to verify his hypothesis in the cholera eruption in 1854 by careful observation and by plotting the location of new instances proved that they were clustered unit of ammunition specific H2O beginnings. Final cogent evidence was that after the closing of that peculiar H2O beginning, no farther new cholera instances were reported in the country. In accounting, it may ab initio be hard to gestate how theory evolves into an absolute â€Å"law† in rather the same manner as in the physical universes of say medical specialty and scientific discipline. For illustration, Newton’s 3rd jurisprudence of gesture, â€Å"for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction† may look to hold small relevancy to accountancy theory. Yet dual entry book-keeping is based on the construct that â€Å"for every debit there is an equal and opposite credit† which is an eldritch reverberation of Newton’s jurisprudence. It is besides interesting to observe that Luca Pacioli [ 3 ] derived his dual entry â€Å"law† in 1494 where Newton’s Law was established about 200 old ages subsequently. Possibly a instance of commercialism predating scientific discipline! The basic illation is that a basic set of rules for certain minutess can be observed, tested and proven to set up the â€Å"principles† o f accounting. Theory vs. Principles, Standards and Codes of Practice As discussed in subdivision 2, comptrollers do non work in stray tusk towers. They work in the existent universe of authorities, commercialism and academe, in a bewildering scope of establishments and administrations in every continent and state throughout the Earth. Human commercial activity is every bit old as society itself, and as the â€Å"guardian of fiscal communicating and control systems of society† comptrollers have existed in one signifier or another for 1000s of old ages. It is interesting to observe that in ancient Egypt, † Egyptian bookkeepers associated with each depot kept punctilious records, which werechecked by an luxuriant internal confirmation system. These early comptrollers had good ground to be honorable and accurate, because abnormalities disclosed by royal audits were punishable by all right, mutilation or death.† [ 4 ] Ancient Egyptian society had recognised the demand to develop criterions and codifications of practise and the construct of hearers as inadvertence to commercial accounting activity. Today this has developed into a bewildering scope of regulations, ordinances, codifications of practises and guidelines. A cheque of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Library [ 5 ] lists more than 30 separate Financial Reporting Standards issued by the Accounting Standards Board ( ASB ) entirely. Global, one could conceive of many 1000s of such paperss, with each legal power holding its ain attack to command and ordinance. Are every one of these criterions based on solid accounting theory, rigerously tested and proven by observation, proving and proof? This can non be the instance. Certain rules may good hold been capable to more testing and turn outing but much of content of such paperss is based on usage and pattern, shared cognition and expierience and the positions and thoughts of â€Å"experts† in the field. It may be interesting to theorize how many of the accounting rules contained in the criterions could be said to hold been straight derived from accounting theory genuinely tested and proved and found to be robust in application and reading. The premiss that accounting theory is distict from practise, as suggested by Most, may hence be valid. Oversight and Regulation The inadvertence of accounting is, as indicated by the ancient Egyptian experience, every bit old as the profession. Possibly today penalty for non-compliance is non rather as harsh, but at that place can still be important direct and indirect effects if society Judgess at that place have been major oversights in professional behavior and non-adherence to the rules, patterns and codifications of behavior adopted by a peculiar legal power. For illustration, in the Enron instance the accounting house Arthur Anderson were proved desiring as hearers of this multi-billion dollar corporation. Not merely were executives of Enron charged, and convicted of fraud, but the complicity of senior executives at Arthur Anderson proved a decease blow for the company, one of the pillars of the accounting universe. Many 1000s of guiltless people were adversely affected including stockholders and employees of both Enron and Arthur Anderson. In this instance it is clear that The comptrollers who audit f iscal statements are supposed to guarantee the legitimacy of mark-to-market rating. In the instance of Enron, nevertheless, this inadvertence was clearly missing and contributed to Enron s eventual prostration. [ 6 ] So where does accountancy theory base in supplying the cheques and balances for the accounting profession? In most legal powers there are a overplus of legal demands regulating corporate fiscal traffics. The accounting profession is mostly responsible for doing judgements on how and whether these legal demands are being met and that histories are presented in a â€Å"true and just view† . In fact this is a legal demand enshrined in statute law such as: The Companies Act requires that the balance sheet of a company must give a true and just position of its province of personal businesss at the terminal of its fiscal twelvemonth, and must follow with legislative act as to its signifier and content. [ 7 ] There is besides a strong statement to propose that as employees and sub-contractors to concern entities, comptrollers are capable to force per unit area and struggle of involvement in the discharge of their responsibilities, peculiarly with respect to the moral and ethical issues environing the demand to show a â€Å"true and just view† of the fundss of an organisation. It has been argued that â€Å"when accounting is a affair of policy and assorted policy picks are available, company directors will choose those most in agreement with their private involvements [ 8 ] But in most instances the criterions of professional behavior for comptrollers rely on self-regulation. The inquiry here is-does accounting theory have a portion to play in the prescription of what is a â€Å"true and just view† ? How is accounting theory related to the moral and ethical quandary of the accountant working within or involved with scrutinizing a major corporation where the accounting policies and concern theoretical account is fishy? An infusion of the audit study from the Bradford and Bingley 2007 Annual study reads: â€Å"In our sentiment: the Group Financial Statements give a true and just position, in conformity with IFRS as adopted by the EU, of the province of the Group’s personal businesss as at 31 December 2007 and of its net income for the twelvemonth so ended ; the Company Financial Statements give a true and just position, in conformity with IFRS as adopted by the EU as applied in conformity with the commissariats of the Companies Act 1985, of the province of the Company’s personal businesss as at 31 December 2007 ; and the Financial Statements and the portion of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited have been decently prepared in conformity with the Companies Act 1985 and, as respects the Financial Statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation ; and the information given in the Directors’ Report is consistent with the Financial Statements.† [ 9 ] On 28 September 2008 the British Government nationalised the banking concern of Bradford and Bingley. The Arguments For and Against The proposition is: â€Å"Debates refering Accounting Theory are a waste of time† Clearly the accounting activity from pre-history to today was and is an of import component in society. It is indispensable in pass oning economic, fiscal and commercial information and is the anchor of commercial life and all signifiers of financial and fiscal minutess. Society as it is today would non work without accurate, seasonably, well-presented fiscal information. In carry throughing these demands a solid foundation of accounting theory can but beef up and heighten the professional pattern of accounting and its hereafter development. To the profession and all involved in economic and corporate activity, debates on accounting theory are a cardinal component the development of an progressively sophisticated fiscal community. However, to the bulk of us who are non straight involved, do non understand or care to acquire involved in the complexness of the academic statements associated with fiscal issues, such arguments would so be a waste of clip. But the consequence of theoretical arguments and their application to real-life activities could impact many of us deeply. The Enron and Bradford and Bingley sagas may assist the profession to develop more sophisticated accounting theories to cut down the hazard of fiscal loss to many 1000s of guiltless bystanders. One lives in hope, but no theory, no affair how sophisticated, can pass for the moral or ethical oversight. Bibliography 1Hendriksen and Breda, Accounting Theory, Richard D Irwin Inc. , 1992, p. 21 2Most, Accounting Theory, Grid Publishing, Inc. , 1982, p. 55 3Luca Pacioli: Unsung Hero of the Renaissance. Dir. Paul Jackson. With David Tinius, . , William Weis. , South-Western Publishing Company, 1990 4Article courtesy of John R. Alexander at Net Gain ( ain italics ) 5 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.icaew.com/ 6 Peter C. Fusaro, and Ross M. Miller, What Went Wrong at Enron: Everyone s Guide to the Largest Bankruptcy in U.S. History ( Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2002 7 R. Hussey, ed. , A Dictionary of Accounting, 2nd erectile dysfunction. ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999 8 Brian P. West, Professionalism and Accounting Rules ( New York: Routledge, 2003 9KPMG Audit Plc Chartered Accountants, Registered Auditor, Bradford and Bingley Annual Report 12 February 2008 1

Collect and Plant an Acorn to Grow an Oak Tree

Collect and Plant an Acorn to Grow an Oak Tree Beginning as early as late August and continuing through December, various species of oak acorns are maturing and ripening for collection. Ripening dates vary from year to year and from state to state by as much as three to four weeks, making it difficult to use actual dates to determine maturity. The best time to collect acorns, either off the tree or from the ground, is when they begin falling- just that simple. Prime picking is late September through the first week in November, depending on oak tree species and location within the United States. This tree seed called an acorn is perfect when plump and the cap removes easily. Collecting and Storing Acorns The height of the acorn crop above the ground and the forest understory below can make it very difficult for the casual collector to gather large numbers of acorns in a forest setting. Lawns or paved areas help in collecting acorns if trees are found and prepared before site conditions degrade the nut. Locate open-grown trees that are heavily loaded with acorns and are in or adjacent to parking lots such as at churches or schools. Trees selected in this way also make identifying the acorns species easier. Always identify the tree and place tags or mark the bags so you will know what species you have collected. To store acorns for future planting, put them in a polyethylene plastic bag- a wall thickness of four to ten millimeters is best- with damp peat mix or sawdust. These bags are ideal for storing acorns since they are permeable to carbon dioxide and oxygen but impermeable to moisture. Close the bag loosely and store in the refrigerator at 40 degrees (white oaks can still sprout at between 36 and 39 degrees). Check acorns throughout the winter and keep just barely damp. Red oak acorns need about 1000 hours of cold or about 42 days. Planting these acorns in late April of the following season gives you the best success but can be planted later. Preparing for Planting The two most critical components of caring for acorns that are to be planted are: not allowing the acorns to dry out over an extended period of timenot allowing the acorns to heat up. Acorns will lose their ability to germinate very quickly if allowed to dry out. Keep acorns in the shade as you collect them, and put them in your refrigerator as soon as possible if not planting immediately. Dont freeze acorns. Immediate planting should be limited to the white oak species group including white, bur, chestnut and swamp oak. Red oak species group acorns must be planted in the second season- meaning the following spring. Special Instructions White Oak  acorns mature in one season- the season of collection. White oak acorns do not exhibit seed dormancy and will start to germinate very soon after maturing and falling to the ground. You can plant these acorns immediately or refrigerate for later planting. Red Oak  acorns mature in two seasons. The red oak group has to have some seed dormancy and generally does not germinate until the following spring and with some stratification (a cooling period). If stored properly and kept damp, these red oak acorns can be held in cold storage for planting in late April through early summer. Germinating and Potting After determining the proper time to plant, you should select the best-looking acorns (plump and rot-free) and place those in some  loose potting soil in one-gallon pots or deeper containers. The taproot will grow quickly to the bottom of containers and root width is not as important. Containers should have holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Place acorns on their sides at a depth of one-half to the width size of the acorn. Keep the soil moist but aerated. Keep the pots from freezing. Transplanting Dont allow an oak seedling’s tap root to grow out of the container bottom and into the soil below. This will break the taproot. If possible, seedlings should be transplanted as soon as the first leaves open and become firm but before extensive root development occurs.​ The planting hole should be twice as wide and deep as the pot and root ball. Carefully remove the root ball. Gently set the root ball in the hole with the root crown at the level of the soil surface. Fill the hole with soil, firmly tamp and soak.

Summary and reflect two articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary and reflect two articles - Essay Example They also reveal the way the masking process on the way product is produced has implications on the organization and environment. Therefore, they recommend that organizations should address the ongoing social and environmental process under capitalism. Hudson and Hudson (2003) reveal the way fair trade attempts to make visible for both social and environmental relations of commodity production and exchange process. This is vital because it enables the producer to make a shift in the production nature; thus solving the issues of product impact to both producers and the environment. The main purpose of the authors was to examine the degree to which the fair trade is effective in addressing or solving the commodity fetishism problems. Thus, they wanted to address this issue through identifying the barriers, which fair trade encounters in an attempt to unmask production process of commodities. Plant, B. (January 01, 2005). Socially responsible investing: the maturing of financial analysis. Policy Options, 26, 6, 39-43 is the article, which focuses on the way being socially responsible, can contribute to successful economic performance of Canada. Plant argues that one can become wealthier, or an economy can achieve economic development through being socially responsible. She asserts that by looking beyond the investments bottom line should not necessarily mean forgetting the profits but rather helps to shade light on the financial issue (Plant, 2005). The author focuses on the way Canadian government has made significant efforts of establishing environmental, social and governmental responsibilities in order to improve the competitive nature and stability of the Canadian economy. Although others argue that being responsible can enable an individual to become rich, the research indicates that no one receives penalty for being socially responsible. However,

Is human evolution over Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Is human evolution over - Essay Example The creature referred to as the pre-hominoid primate was of the primate species; the same category of mammals as monkeys, apes and humans. It had a canning semblance with the animals that are today known as monkeys, but was neither a monkey nor an ape. Scientists have over the years endeavoured to provide evidence that these higher order primates are the species that in a gradual process developed into humankind. In retrospect, this theory poses the important question of whether human evolution continues to date or not. This paper seeks to shed light on this matter, through a detailed analysis of various literatures. Keywords: Theory of evolution, human evolution, species, primate. Introduction Evolution refers to the process of a string of natural modifications that result in a species of a population of organisms and the process that causes the species to develop, adjust to their surroundings, and eventually die out of becoming extinct (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural Histor y, n.d.). All species including humans have developed through the process of biological evolution. In species such as humans and other organisms that undergo sexual reproduction, the term species is used in the description and identification of a cluster whose mature members frequently reproduce bringing about fertile offspring. These offspring also have the ability to reproduce (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). Evolution follows when the genetic material that makes up an organism and is received from parents changes; that is, the chemical molecule known as the DNA. Genes are the portion of the DNA that is responsible for the production of proteins (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). Information borne in the DNA changes through a process of mutation, and as a result of this mutation, there is influence on particular genes in the body or the conduct of an organism. As a result of this, the survival and reproduction of an organism is influence d by its genetic make-up and its genetically acquired attributes (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). Human evolution refers to the drawn-out progression of change, which facilitated the development of people from apelike progenitors. Scientific evidence has revealed that the physical and developmental attributes shared by the entire human species originated from apelike predecessors and evolved over a period of time (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, n.d.). According to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the first affiliates of the human species began the evolution process in Africa, roughly six or seven million years ago (n.d.). This species was known as the Hominidae. Their behaviour and way of life was similar to that of the primates from which the species of gorillas and chimpanzees evolved. They could often be found on trees but were different from their primate counterparts due to their ability to facilely walk on two feet rather t han on fours, like the other primates (American Museum of Natural History, n.d.). This is a characteristic that researchers on human evolution distinctively associate with the human species. Today’s species of humans to which we belong is known as the Homo sapiens and is an evidence of the vivid evolutionary history that the human species has undergone over a period of more than 150,000 years, since