Monday, November 25, 2019

Applications of AI Technology essays

Applications of AI Technology essays AI is one of the most rapidly expanding technology fields, and has applications in almost every other discipline in the world. AI technology, while new, is so pervasive that it has already become a critically important component in many other existing technologies. In this report, the use of AI will be discussed in the following fields: consumer electronics and home entertainment, the military, business, medicine, and exploration. AI in Consumer Electronics and Home Entertainment Although many people do not realize it, advanced AI exists all around us, and is all the time increasing its presence in our homes. In fact, AI play's a large role in many of the things that we use and interact with everyday, in a variety of ways both prominent and subtle. The most prominent area where AI is demonstrated to us at is home. While most people would automatically assume that this statement refers to something computer related, or something very technical and important, it is in fact through our toys that we see AI interact with us everyday. Although this notion may seem a bit ridiculous, it is in fact very much the truth. Video games and high tech toys draw us to them because they offer a level of interaction that other toys cannot match. It is to these objects that we go when we want to get away from the boring monotonous work a day world that our society has devolved (yes, devolved) into. Since we play with toys in order to put us in a better mood, it is therefore important that these toys and games are able to understand what we are doing and adapt to fit our needs. When someone boots up a video game, they do not wish to play with something that doesn't play back. What kind of video game would have only the player standing around not i nteracting with anything? When a child comes home from school and begins playing with their newest doll or action figure, it is much more fun to play with it when it uses its sensors to track and fire pla...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Letter from a Birmingham Jail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Letter from a Birmingham Jail - Essay Example He also supports his argument morally and politically. Morally, he believes that just laws are God’s laws while unjust laws ruin God’s law. Politically, he believes that just laws are not applied to everyone while unjust laws are applied which is unfair. In both arguments, King defined segregation as an unjust law. â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.† This is how King expresses his anger and disappointment. He wanted the Black Americans to stand up for their rights, to speak for their rights, equality, and harsh treatment. He criticizes the perception White people have about his thoughts and actions, how his peaceful non-violent movement becomes a violent movement according to them. King seems to throw light on the fact that most of the times the silence of good people leads to one’s repenting in future because if one might not speak for his/her own rights then no one is going to notice their grief and their emotions, He says ‘We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people†. This quote also seems to highlight the present conditions of King’s times when he got arrested for his parade without a permit during his non- violent protests against ‘unjust’ laws. He seems to be in favor of standing up for oneself and speaking for one’s rights. The quote also highlights the fact that if a person is silent and bears every ‘unjust’ act then it is the fault of the silence of those people that they allow such people to do injustice to them.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Supply Chain Managmet Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supply Chain Managmet Case Study - Essay Example and Jill, a representative of Success Inc. Company. Mike Vanne’s company was a supplier to Success Inc. Time context Based on the conversation, Mike Vanne’s company started experiencing management problems from 1998 soon after its establishment. In 1999, the company also changed its fiscal year. This change in fiscal years twice in a row is an indication of short sighted and indecisive leadership. Viewpoint Mike Vanne’s viewpoint is that the company is fast growing. He defends this viewpoint with the fact that they made eleven acquisitions in a time span of two years. He links the company’s prosperity with the acquisitions. In addition to this, Mr. Vanne believes his company is in good shape since he has good employees. However, Jill is of a different viewpoint. She questions the nature of leadership in Mr. Vanne’s company. This indicates that she believes the company’s leadership is the cause of the potential problems. Central problem The ce ntral problem in this case is poor leadership. Mr. Mike Vanne has little knowledge of the business yet he is the owner. In addition to this, he is complacent in taking radical steps to ensure the company does not get under problems in the future. He chooses to ignore the fact that his company has been faced with several lawsuits. As if that is not enough, he brushes off the idea as bad publicity of the company. Out of a series of ten meetings, Ari Villa happens to have attended one or two board meetings yet he is the chairman to the board. Mike Vanne justifies Villa’s actions in proposing that villa is a busy man. Another leader, Sandra Chia fails to attend a meeting with one of their business associates yet she is the Chief financial Officer to the company. As a CFO, it is important for her to attend meetings concerning their business associates since the impression she gives could either work for or against the company. From these illustrations, one concludes that the leade rship in X Inc. is in shambles. The leaders are allowed to run the company as they wish and are not accountable to anyone. According to Jones (p.1), lack of collaboration amongst the company leadership is one of the signs of a dysfunctional leadership. Statement Objectives Statement objectives form the backbone of any business. They relate what the business plans to achieve (Complete Business start up p.1). X Inc.’s objectives are as follows: To provide quality service in the technologic business field. To ensure continuous growth of the business through establishing a wider market base and capturing profitable business opportunities. To create a strong leadership team that will channel the company towards growth. Areas of Consideration In solving the problem at hand, a SWOT analysis will reveal the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of X inc. business venture. SWOT analysis analyses external and internal factors that are key to the attainment of a companyâ€⠄¢s objectives (Hill & Westbrook pp.12) External Environment The external environment assesses threats and opportunities. One takes into consideration macroeconomic matters, technological advancement, changes in the market, competition and legislation. In looking at X Inc., it has several opportunities. X Inc., is one of the leading technological companies. This opportunity helps them to wade off unnecessary competition. In addition to that, its ability to form mergers and acquisitions opens it up to a larger

Monday, November 18, 2019

Pollutions and External Costs Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Pollutions and External Costs - Case Study Example The externality can be considered as one of the most important concepts which can be perceived on the basis of different aspects. The externality can refer to the cost of the factors that can affect business transactions mainly the group that used the factor to be able to be related to a group. Thus, the externalities then can be perceived in cases wherein the group being supplied gains profit (Gibson, 1996). Due to the fact that every factor and component of the environment even the economic aspect can be considered to have a price. For that matter, the sale of the products being produced can be of great effect to the supplier company, although it can be considered as an indirect effect. In the study of the effects of externality, it is important to determine that the effects of the said concept can either be positive or negative (Gibson, 1996; Hussen, 2000). A negative externality can be perceived when the side of the production or consumption of a particular product. One of the most significant examples of a negative externality in consumption is pollution. In such case then, externalities can be considered as an effect of the failure of the 3rd group. On the other hand, externality can also be positive wherein indirect actions in the society can improve the chance for good transactions. An example is the development of different types of remedies and medication (Gibson, 1996; Hussen, 2000). The presence of externalities can be questioned in terms of efficiency. This can be attributed to the fact that a system targets the efficient use of every part and every material. Due to the fact that externalities are based on the indirect effects of different factor, a sign of being weak, the study of the implications of externalities is a vital issue (Gibson, 1996; Hussen, 2000).

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence began in the 1960s, the first attempts were game playing (checkers), theory proving a few simple theories and general problem solving. General problem solving was much more difficult than originally anticipated. Researchers were unable to tackle problems routinely handled by human experts. Artificial Intelligence can be defined in many ways as it depends from which point of view you look at it from. From the intelligence point of view artificial intelligence is to make machines intelligent thus making them act as we people would act. However artificial intelligence from a research perspective is how to make machines do things people are currently doing better in other words making machines do what we humans can do. Now from a business point of view artificial intelligence is a combination of powerful tools, and methods for using those tools to solve business problems. As for the programming point of view artificial intelligence is the study of symbolic programming, search and problem solving. Expert Systems: Expert systems are defined on bases functional and structural. Expert systems from a functional perspective are defined based on what the system does rather than how it does it. A computer program that behaves like a human expert in some useful ways. (Winston Prendergast, 1984) Nevertheless we can define expert systems on the bases of their structure in many ways depending on which angle we look at it from Problem area â€Å"Solve problems efficiently and effectively in a narrow problem area. (Waterman, 1986) typically, pertains to problems that can be symbolically represented (Liebowitz, 1988) Problem difficulty apply expert knowledge to difficult real world problems (Waterman, 1986) solve problems that are difficult enough to require significant human expertise for their solution (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) â€Å"Address problems normally thought to require human specialists for their solution (Michaelsen et al, 1985). Performance requirement the ability to perform at the level of an expert (Liebowitz, 1988) â€Å"Programs that mimic the advice-giving capabilities of human experts. (Brule, 1986, p.6) â€Å"Matches a competent level of human expertise in a particular field. (Bishop, 1986, p.38) â€Å"Can offer intelligent advice or make an intelligent decision about a processing function. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984, pp.9-10) â€Å"Allows a user to access this expertise in a way similar to that in which he might consult a human expert, with a similar result. (Edwards and Connell, 1989, p.3) Explain reasoning â€Å"The capability of the system, on demand, to justify its own line of reasoning in a manner directly intelligible to the enquirer. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984, p.9-10) incorporation of explanation processes (Liebowitz, 1988) Expert Systems from a structural perspective are defined on the bases of how the system functions. â€Å"Using the programming techniques of artificial intelligence, especially those techniques developed for problem solving (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) However we can define expert systems on the bases of their structure in many ways depending on which angle we look at it from Use AI techniques using the programming techniques of artificial intelligence, especially those techniques developed for problem solving (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) Knowledge component the embodiment within a computer of a knowledge-based component, from an expert skill (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984) a computer based system in which representations of expertise are stored (Edwards and Connell, 1989) The knowledge of an expert system consists of facts and heuristics. The facts constitute a body of information that is widely shared, publicly available, and generally agreed upon by experts in the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) Expert systems are sophisticated computer programs that manipulate knowledge to solve problems (Waterman, 1986) Separate knowledge and control â€Å"Make domain knowledge explicit and separate from the rest of the system (Waterman, 1986). Use inference procedures an intelligent computer program that uses knowledge and inference procedures (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) The style adopted to attain these characteristics is a rule-based programming style. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984) Exhibit intelligent behavior by skillful application of heuristics. (Waterman, 1986). The heuristics are mostly private, little rules of good judgment (rules of plausible reasoning, rules of good guessing) that characterize expert-level decision making in the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) incorporation of ways of handling uncertainty(Liebowitz, 1988) Model human expert â€Å"Can be thought of as a model of the expertise of the best practitioners of the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) representation of domain-specific knowledge in the manner in which the expert thinks (Liebowitz, 1988) â€Å"Involving the use of appropriate information acquired previously from human experts. (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) Components of an Expert System An expert system consists of 4 main components which are listed below: Knowledge base a representation of the expertise and is usually inputted in IF THEN rules, and are usually put into a database for easy access by the system. Working storage Data which is specific to a problem being solved by the expert system. Inference engine the code at the core of the system which derives recommendations from the knowledge base and problem-specific data in working storage. User interface the code that controls the dialog between the user and the system. People and they consist of: Domain experts the individual or individuals who currently are experts in solving the problems the system is intended to solve. Knowledge engineers the individuals who encode the experts knowledge in a declarative form that can be used by the expert system. Users the individuals who will be consulting with the system to get advice which would have been provided by the expert. Furthermore there are some other optional components that might be added to the system as sub systems and which try to make the expert system more efficient thus making it more powerful and they are. Explanation sub system is used to explain the logic or reason of recommending a solution. Justifier is another name of explanation sub system. Justifier also explains why a solution is recommended or not recommended. Knowledge refining sub system is used to refine the knowledge in the knowledgebase after working every time over a problem. It works exactly like human beings who analyze their actions and learn from their mistakes to perform better in the future. Programming Languages Used to Develop Expert Systems Here are some of the programming languages used to develop expert systems. 1. LISP, developed in the 1950s, is the early programming language strongly associated with AI. LISP is a functional programming language with procedural extensions. LISP (LISt Processor) was specifically designed for processing heterogeneous lists which is a list of symbols. Features of LISP that made it attractive to AI researchers included Run- time type checking. Higher order functions (functions that have other functions as parameters). Automatic memory management (garbage collection) and an interactive environment. 2. The second language strongly associated with AI is PROLOG. PROLOG was developed in the 1970s. PROLOG is based on first order logic. PROLOG is declarative in nature and has facilities for explicitly limiting the search space. 3. Object-oriented languages are a class of languages more recently used for AI programming. Important features of object-oriented languages include: concepts of objects and messages objects bundle data and methods for manipulating the data sender specifies what is to be done receiver decides how to do it inheritance (object hierarchy where objects inherit the attributes of the more general class of objects) Examples of object-oriented languages are Smalltalk, Objective C, C++. Object oriented extensions to LISP (CLOS Common LISP Object System) and PROLOG (LO Logic Objects) are also used. The Difference between these programming languages and procedural programming languages. According to an article in the Information and Software Technology journal by Alexander Chatzigeorgiou of the Department of Applied Informatics, at the University of Macedonia, the object-oriented approach is known to introduce a significant performance penalty compared to classical procedural programming. For instance, profiling results for embedded applications indicate that C++ programs, apart from being slower than their corresponding C versions, consume significantly more energy (mainly due to the increased instruction count, larger code size and increased number of accesses to the data memory for the object-oriented versions). Example of an Expert System One of the most recognized expert systems used today by the general public is the online doctor due to the fact that many people use it daily. In brief this expert system is used to diagnose people by asking them what the problem is and then suggesting the actions that they should take which sounds very similar to an expert system where the illness is the problem the recommended actions are the solutions. In this example the website that was studied is www.yourdiagnosis.com In this expert system there are main components of the expert system and they are: The people The people are separated into three categories and they are: The domain experts who are actually the doctors who provide the data for the system. The knowledge engineers are the engineers who enter this system in a rule based input for example giving multiple choice questions to diagnose a cold. Do you feel cold.[ ] Do you feel hot? [ ]. Do you feel normal? [ ] System engineer who is the person in charge assembling and managing the system. The user who is the person asking for the diagnoses. The user interface The user interface is the website used by the user to find the diagnoses. Example: The inherence engine The inherence engine which in this case is made by the engineer using a web based programming language like ASP or PHP in the website from the last example we see that the programming language used is ASP and we can see that from the address bar. http://www.yourdiagnosis.com/yourdiagnosis/Yourdiagnosis.ASP?WCI=WorldMapHTMWCE=ClickWCU The knowledge base The knowledge base in this case is where all the rules that the knowledge engineer inputted them in this case the engineer used Microsoft SQL SERVER 2008. The knowledge in this case is the medical knowledge given by the doctors. The working storage The working storage in this case is a storage area on the server where each users data is stored in a relational database The benefits of using artificial intelligence The main benefits of using artificial intelligence are: Provide answers for decisions, processes and tasks that are repetitive Hold huge amounts of information Minimize employee training costs Centralize the decision making process Make things more efficient by reducing the time needed to solve problems Combine various human expertises. Reduce the number of errors caused by humans. Provide strategic and comparative advantages that may create problems for competitors Look over transactions that human experts may not think of Even though the benefits of artificial intelligence is more than the above we find that the main advantage to using artificial intelligence is to maximize the efficiency of a business thus giving the business the edge it needs to over throw its competitors. Why Artificial intelligence is hard to include in information systems The difficulties in including artificial intelligence in information systems are due to many facts one of which is the expense. Furthermore there are multiple factors why its so difficult to include artificial intelligence in information systems from which is the human acceptance to Artificial intelligence especially in the older groups another factor is that domain experts will be threatened by the fact that they are giving their expertise to a company and the fear of being redundant. From the technical point of view the implementation of artificial intelligence is quite hard due to the if rule conversion of the expertise. And the integration with old systems will require an effort especially for established companies with legacy hardware and software. Which brings us to the expense part of the problem? There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is an expensive approach as it is time consuming as it requires a lot of time and human resources. Furthermore developing artificial intelligence relies heavily on having the correct expert information and having something wrong in the knowledge base might cause damages which will lead to costly error and problems. Reference Anonymous. Dictionary of Computing, 1986, New York: Oxford University Press. Bishop, Peter. Fifth Generation Computers Concepts, Implementations Uses, 1986, Chichester, England: Ellis Horwood Ltd. Brule, James F. Artificial Intelligence: Theory, Logic and Application, 1986, Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. Edwards, Alex and Connell, N.A.D. Expert Systems in Accounting, 1989, Herfordshire, UK: Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd. Forsyth, Richard, Expert Systems: Principles and Case Studies, 1984, London: Chapman and Hall Computing. Harmon, Paul and King, David. Expert Systems: Artificial Intelligence in Business. 1985, New York: Wiley. Liebowitz, Jay, Introduction to Expert Systems, 1988, Santa Cruz, CA: Mitchell Publishing, Inc. Michaelsen, Robert H.; Michie, Donald and Boulanger, Albert. The Technology of Expert Systems Byte; April 1985 Rich, Elaine and Knight, Kevin. Artificial Intelligence Second Edition. 1991, New York: McGraw-Hill. Waterman, Donald A. A Guide to Expert Systems, 1986, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Winston, Patrick H. and Prendergast, Karen A. (Editors). The AI Business: Commercial Use of Artificial Intelligence, 1984, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Ruth A. Palmquist, Asst. Professor, AI and Expert Systems, 1996, http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/ai96.htm Dan E. OLeary, University of Southern California, 1994, http://accounting.rutgers.edu/raw/aies/www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/brownc/es_tutor/bus_ai.htm Robert S. Engelmore, May 1993; WTEC Hyper-Librarian, http://www.wtec.org/loyola/kb/c1_s1.htm Carol E. Brown, Oregon State University, Dan E. OLeary, University of Southern California, 1995, http://accounting.rutgers.edu/raw/aies/www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/brownc/es_tutor/es_tutor.htm#1-AI

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Huntington’s Disease Essay -- Health Medical Medicine Essays

Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder characterized by slow gradual personality changes, dementia, and choreiform movements. It is a progressive disease; its average onset is thirty to forty years of age, and the duration of the disease is about ten to twenty years with death as the outcome. It is known that for Huntington’s disease, there is a degeneration of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The etiology of nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease is unknown. However, there is a recent hypothesis implicating defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism as the pathology of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disease. The genetic defect appears on the short arm of the chromosome 4, and it is an extended repetition of the three nucleotide bases (cytosine, adenine, and guanine; CAG) that code for the amino acid glutamate. This disease affects men and women equally, and it usually appears after the individuals have married and had children. The children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. With the discovery of the defective gene, it is now possible to have an accurate diagnosis before the onset of the disease. The early indications of Huntington’s disease are not prominent; the individuals become absentminded, easily irritated, and constantly depressed. Their memory is diminished, and they lack spontaneity, initiative, and the ability to concentrate. There are also early subtle signs of choreiform (dance-like) movements. The persons begin with "piano-playing" movements of the fingers or with slight facial twitching (Martin, 1984). The movements gradually become more uncontrollable. ... ...s? Trends in Neurological Sciences, 16 (4): pp. 125-131. Choi, Dennis W. (1988). Glutamate neurotoxicity and diseases of the nervous system. Neuron, pp.623-632. Prim, D. M., Simpson, J., Uhler, T. A., Short, M. P., Bossi, S. R., Breakefield, X. O., & Isacson, O. (1993). Striatal degeneration induced by mitochondrial blockade is prevented by biologically delivered NGF. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 35: pp. 452-458. Martin, Joseph B. (1984). Huntington’s disease: New approaches to an old problem. Neurology, 34: pp. 1059-1071. Willard, Frank H. (1993). Medical Neuroanatomy: A Problem- Oriented Manual with Annotated Atlas. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. Young, Anne B. (1993). Role of excitotoxins in heredito-degenerative neurologic diseases. Research Publications- Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases, 71: pp. 175-189. Huntington’s Disease Essay -- Health Medical Medicine Essays Huntington’s Disease Huntington’s disease is a fatal inherited disorder characterized by slow gradual personality changes, dementia, and choreiform movements. It is a progressive disease; its average onset is thirty to forty years of age, and the duration of the disease is about ten to twenty years with death as the outcome. It is known that for Huntington’s disease, there is a degeneration of cholinergic and GABAergic neurons in the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The etiology of nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease is unknown. However, there is a recent hypothesis implicating defects in mitochondrial energy metabolism as the pathology of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease is an autosomal dominant disease. The genetic defect appears on the short arm of the chromosome 4, and it is an extended repetition of the three nucleotide bases (cytosine, adenine, and guanine; CAG) that code for the amino acid glutamate. This disease affects men and women equally, and it usually appears after the individuals have married and had children. The children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. With the discovery of the defective gene, it is now possible to have an accurate diagnosis before the onset of the disease. The early indications of Huntington’s disease are not prominent; the individuals become absentminded, easily irritated, and constantly depressed. Their memory is diminished, and they lack spontaneity, initiative, and the ability to concentrate. There are also early subtle signs of choreiform (dance-like) movements. The persons begin with "piano-playing" movements of the fingers or with slight facial twitching (Martin, 1984). The movements gradually become more uncontrollable. ... ...s? Trends in Neurological Sciences, 16 (4): pp. 125-131. Choi, Dennis W. (1988). Glutamate neurotoxicity and diseases of the nervous system. Neuron, pp.623-632. Prim, D. M., Simpson, J., Uhler, T. A., Short, M. P., Bossi, S. R., Breakefield, X. O., & Isacson, O. (1993). Striatal degeneration induced by mitochondrial blockade is prevented by biologically delivered NGF. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 35: pp. 452-458. Martin, Joseph B. (1984). Huntington’s disease: New approaches to an old problem. Neurology, 34: pp. 1059-1071. Willard, Frank H. (1993). Medical Neuroanatomy: A Problem- Oriented Manual with Annotated Atlas. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company. Young, Anne B. (1993). Role of excitotoxins in heredito-degenerative neurologic diseases. Research Publications- Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Diseases, 71: pp. 175-189.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Why New Zealand?

New Zealand is rated as one of the best places to study, work and live. The innate support for high tech industries, ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) thrive under the ecosystem as setup by the government. New Zealand also comes with a great ecosystem for the tourism and adventure sports industries. The country boasts of having some of the finest culinary masters, hospitality experts and extreme sports adrenaline junkies. Whether you are looking for a job as a fresher or as an experienced professional (with the required accreditation), New Zealand provides a plethora of options. New Zealand is one of the safest countries to explore yourself with a diverse international population that is a part of a very vibrant multi-cultural society. You can review an archive of student experiences in New Zealand over here, on the New Zealand Government website, One of the most important aspects of becoming an international student, is the â€Å"Student Experience†. As a part of our education system, Indian students are generally expected to forgo most extra-curricular activities and vacations in the pursuit of staying ahead. However, in New Zealand, as a part of your student experience, you will be encouraged to participate in local events, take part in cultural sports activities like Rugby, go on a break to some of the most serene beaches in the entire world. Who doesn't want to go surfing while getting their Masters done right?How to select the right University in New Zealand?Here's a list of the best ranked universities –University of Auckland: This is New Zealand's largest and most comprehensive university with 40,000 + students, researchers and faculty. Whether you are looking for the latest courses on emerging technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, CRISPR Genetics, this University has go t you covered.University of Otago: University of Otago comes with a rich cultural history of being NZ's oldest and one of the most predominant universities. A 150 year old history with a groundbreaking alumni circle, University of Otago offers a unique experience like no other.University of Canterbury: University of Canterbury boasts of some of the world's best research programs for post graduates. Compounded with a very relaxed policy on Scholarships and an acute focus on placements and job fairs, University of Canterbury sits at the top of our list.University of Victoria: University of Victoria focuses on creative thinking providing extraordinary environment to every student with fantastic exposure. University of Victoria also offers the world's first indigenous law degree.Massey University: Massey University has campuses in Auckland, Wellington, Manavatu, offers 67 undergraduate major, 89 programs and 1148 staffs.The list above is not exhaustive, instead, it is to give you a tast e of how an education in New Zealand could possibly change your life. Our admissions counselors are tied up with some of the best Universities in this country and ease of acceptance is purely on your ability to generate merit. There's a cornucopia of options when it comes to Universities here, from schools specializing in Medicine and Pharmaceutical research to Financial Engineering and Economic research, to Artificial Intelligence and Core Computer Science, Veterinary, Food Technology, NZ comes with a set of some of the world's best universities, faculties, and thus students. The question to be asked is, what would you like to make yourself into? With a widespread variety of options available for students to specialize themselves into the right industry, we advise you not to go with the social media trend or your neighbor's suggestions, we encourage you to speak to us and people working in the industry, within NZ, so that you get the best expert opinion about these crucial steps. Remember, this is a decision that could potentially transform your life, so please make sure you begin your decision making process from the right place at Manage My Education. Some important links to get you started :www.mmenow.com – Talk to us to get started with a structured approach to selecting your overseas education, to ensure a low rejection rate and a high scholarship rate.https://www.studyinnewzealand.govt.nz/live-work/ – Learn more about how to convert your life as a student into a full time professional in NZ.https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas – Contains a great tool for you to know about Skill Shortage and how you could possibly get a permanent residence in NZhttps://www.studyinnewzealand.govt.nz/in/study-options/universities/ – Browse through more of the world class universities in NZ. Dear Reader,The Universities in NZ are rated to be the top 3% in the world. It is only logical that your profile, application and merits must be within the same caliber. For years, we at Manage My Education have helped students position their profiles for Universities all across the globe. It is our honest advice to you that, you contact us and avail our services to exponentially increase your chances to secure a great education and future in NZ. We encourage you to speak to our counsellors to get the right information before making a decision to move forward.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

How the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab influenced everyday life in Saudi Arabia

Introduction Commins (2006, p. 97) asserts that the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab have influenced the contemporary political and cultural environment in Saudi Arabia. This religious movement, commonly referred to as the Wahhabi movement started in central Arabia in the mid-18th Century and grew because of the preaching and scholarship of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. According to Zayd (2006, p. 41), Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a scholar of Islamic jurisprudence who received his education in Mesopotamia and Hijaz and then returned to Najd (central Arabia) to advocate for Islamic reforms. This paper explores how his teachings influenced the everyday life in Saudi Arabia. Allen (2006, p.89) says that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was concerned with the practices of the people of Najd, which he regarded as polytheistic and wanted them to stop the practices. He wanted reforms that would remove all practices that were added to Islam after the death of Mohammad. He was against practices like using votive and sacrificial offerings, veneration of caves, stones and trees, celebration of birthdays of prophets, praying to saints and making pilgrimages to special mosques and tombs. These were common practices in Najd and the people here regarded them as being in compliance with Islamic teachings. However, to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab they were polytheistic. He was concerned with these practices because he perceived them as being lax in terms of adherence to Islamic law. In addition to this, he was also concerned with the fact that the people were reluctant to perform religious devotions like disregard to obligatory prayers, not showing care to the widows and orph ans, rampant adultery and failure to give women their fair share of inheritance. These practices formed the basis of his preaching as he was determined to make the people change their ways of life and start living in full compliance with Islamic laws. Weston (2008, p. 11) asserts that his teachings revolved around the breaches of Islamic laws and emphasised the need to comply with all customary practices like jahiliya. He initially encountered opposition but eventually overcame it by forming an alliance with Muhammad ibn Saud, a local chieftain. This alliance ensured that his influence endured through difficult times because Muhammad ibn Saud was very powerful in southern Najd. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and his descendants converted the alliance that was initially for political loyalty into religious obligation that had to be followed by everyone. In his teachings, he insisted that all Muslims must present an oath of allegiance (bayah) to Muslim leaders when alive so that they can get redemption when they die. He emphasised that Muslim leaders must be given unquestionable allegiance from the people as long as they are providing leadership that is in full conformity with Islamic laws. He held the perception that the purpose of the Muslim community was to be a living embodiment of Islamic laws (Hegghammer & Lacroix 2011, p. 64). The responsibility of ensuring that the community knows and conforms to the laws of God lay squarely on the legitimate rulers. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and his followers then started a jihad targeting the backsliding Muslims in the region to ensure that there is total obedience to Muslim rulers and God. This was the beginning of religious intolerance in Saudi Arabia. Fatah (2008, p. 77) claims that the key message in the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was tawhid (oneness of God). Tawhid is very important in Saudi Arabia and it is emphasised by both state and religious leaders. It is for this reason that its adherents call the movement as the call for unity (ad dawa lil tawhid). He was against third party intercession and all prayer rituals because he considered them as leading to shirk. This is why he objected Sufi mysticism, celebrating the birthdays of prophets and Shia m ourning ceremonies which were considered as religious festivals. As a consequence grave marking, building of tombs and any other shrines are forbidden in Wahhabism. However this is partly practised in Saudi Arabia because the shrine of Prophet Muhammad is in the country and Muslims go there to pay pilgrimage. They only accept authority from the Sunna and Quran and disregard any reinterpretation of the two books on issues that were already settled by the previous jurists. They totally remain opposed to reinterpretation but give allowance for interpreting the areas not decided by the earlier jurists. Livingstone (2011, p. 50) suggests that they literally interpret the Sunna and Quran and aim towards enforcing parochial Najd practices. The religious and political leadership work collectively in ensuring that there is conformity in behaviour throughout the country. Life in Saudi Arabia is guided by Wahhabism as the government remains committed to ensuring that there is full compliance w ith Islamic laws (Brym & Lie 2010, p. 31). In addition to this, the government has supported the Wahhabi literal interpretations of right and wrong behaviour. Prayer performance in a ritually correct and punctual manner is required of all men. Livingstone (2011, p.54) says that all the believers are forbidden from taking wine because literally, the Quran forbids it. They have extended this ban to include all intoxicating drinks and stimulants like tobacco. Both men and women are required to dress modestly in accordance with the Quran. These conservative regulations have direct influence on all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. The leaders of Saudi Arabia support the conservative religious establishment and monitor closely the people who present potential threats to their regimes (Lacroix & Holoch 2011, p. 96). In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia ranks as one of the most conservative and restrictive countries with those who do not subscribe to the Islamic religion barred from practicing their faith even in private (DeLong-Bas 2007, p. 66). It is this harsh, conservative and restrictive environment that has led to radicalisation of some people in Saudi Arabia as they have no tolerance to other religious faiths. In school the religious curriculum teaches students that there are two types of people; the first one is the Salafis (Wahhabis) who are the chosen ones and will go to heaven because they are the winners. The other group are Muslims, Jews, Christians and all other religions. These ones are either, enervators, or deniers of God (kafirs) or they put their gods next to God (mushrak). The Sunni Muslims are called enervators because they do things that are proscribed by Salafis like celebrating the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (Husain 2009, p. 15). All these groups of people are not accepted by the Saudi Arabians as Muslims and as such, they are supposed to be hated, persecuted and even killed. This is what the government is encouraging and has led the Saudi Arabia ns to be intolerant to any other dissenting views on religion because of the rapid radicalisation and fundamentalism (Allen 2006, p. 77). This paper has shown that the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab influenced everyday life in Saudi Arabia. His teachings, which were originally intended to bring reforms to the Islamic faith, have gone to the extent of radicalising the people of Saudi Arabia. As the paper indicates, they have no tolerance for other religions. To them, the people of other religions should be hated, persecuted and even killed. This is what is fuelling fundamentalism and radicalism in Saudi Arabia and has already brought about extreme terrorists like Osama bin laden among others. References Allen, C. (2006). God’s terrorists: the Wahhabi cult and the hidden roots of modern Jihad. Cambridge: Da Capo Press. Brym, R. J., & Lie, J. (2010). Sociology: Your compass for a new world, the brief edition. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Commins, D. (2006). The Wahhabi mission and Saudi Arabia. London : Tauris. DeLong-Bas, N. J. (2007). Wahhabi Islam: From revival and reform to global jihad. London: I.B. Tauris. Fatah, T. (2008). Chasing a mirage: The tragic illusion of an Islamic state. Mississauga, Ont: John Wiley & Sons Canada. Hegghammer, T., & Lacroix, S. (2011). The Meccan rebellion: The story of Juhayman al-?Utaybi revisited. Bristol, England: Amal Press. Husain, E. (2009). The Islamist: Why I became an Islamic fundamentalist, what I saw inside, and why I left. New York, N.Y: Penguin Books USA. Lacroix, S., & Holoch, G. (2011). Awakening Islam: The politics of religious dissent in contemporary Saudi Arabia. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. L ivingstone, D. (2011). Terrorism and the illuminati: A three-thousand-year history. Joshua Tree, CA: Progressive Press. Weston, M. (2008). Prophets and princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the present. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Zayd, N. A. (2006). Reformation of Islamic thought: A critical historical analysis. Amsterdam: Amsterdam Univ. Press.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Life After High School

High school is a strange time. After three years of trying to develop identity and friends in middle school, students are expected to mature immediately on the first day of ninth grade, but I never did this. I never fully realized in the earlier grades how important high school success, as measured by GPA, would be to my future life, and as a result I am applying to college with seemingly contradictory measures of my ability to perform college-level work. If I had worked and studied hard rather than hanging out with friends and viewing high school as an opportunity to socialize, I would not have to apply to school with a 1300 SAT and a 2.7 GPA. Had I taken my grades in my earlier years seriously, I could have been a college's dream candidate. This year I have made an earnest effort to improve my work ethic. My grade point average is rising and my study habits are improving. However, after performing poorly for three years, my GPA cannot reflect the transformation I underwent at the start of this year. Dedicated to making something of myself, I finally matured and am now trying to lessen the consequences of my past actions. Armed with my new attitude and my understanding of the extreme importance of earning good grades to signal my capacity to work responsibly, I assure you that I will never revert to the student I once was. In retrospect, I believe that it was my inability to choose my classes that resulted in my lack of enthusiasm on the ride to school each morning. I enjoy the freedom to pursue my own interests and anxiously anticipate the ability to choose my own class schedule in college. While I understand that college will be significantly more challenging than high school, I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am also willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, I will be forced to take required courses that I might be less than enthusiastic about. However, with my new goal-orie... Free Essays on Life After High School Free Essays on Life After High School High school is a strange time. After three years of trying to develop identity and friends in middle school, students are expected to mature immediately on the first day of ninth grade, but I never did this. I never fully realized in the earlier grades how important high school success, as measured by GPA, would be to my future life, and as a result I am applying to college with seemingly contradictory measures of my ability to perform college-level work. If I had worked and studied hard rather than hanging out with friends and viewing high school as an opportunity to socialize, I would not have to apply to school with a 1300 SAT and a 2.7 GPA. Had I taken my grades in my earlier years seriously, I could have been a college's dream candidate. This year I have made an earnest effort to improve my work ethic. My grade point average is rising and my study habits are improving. However, after performing poorly for three years, my GPA cannot reflect the transformation I underwent at the start of this year. Dedicated to making something of myself, I finally matured and am now trying to lessen the consequences of my past actions. Armed with my new attitude and my understanding of the extreme importance of earning good grades to signal my capacity to work responsibly, I assure you that I will never revert to the student I once was. In retrospect, I believe that it was my inability to choose my classes that resulted in my lack of enthusiasm on the ride to school each morning. I enjoy the freedom to pursue my own interests and anxiously anticipate the ability to choose my own class schedule in college. While I understand that college will be significantly more challenging than high school, I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am also willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, I will be forced to take required courses that I might be less than enthusiastic about. However, with my new goal-orie...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Advertising Media in New York City Research Paper

Advertising Media in New York City - Research Paper Example The advertising sector in New York has been dramatically influenced by the recent economic and financial crisis faced by the US. Nonetheless, prior to the downfall of the sector, it has seen a considerable decline in the old media publishing companies accompanied by rigid company marketing budgets. Notably, the impact of globalization and continuous technological advancement is clearly apparent within the sector. The advertising sector in New York City is becoming globalized at a rapid pace (Turrow & McAllister, 2009). Accordingly, the sector is viewed to be moving towards becoming technology oriented. Consequently, the technical advancements have promoted online advertising trend that has enabled an increased judgment regarding creative campaigns. Likewise, in terms of advertising mode, 3D cluster within the advertising sector is expanding rapidly. Conceptually, 3D cluster is a procedure based on which three-dimensional objects are generated through applying sequential levels of met als, thermo-plastics or any other related material (NYCEDC, 2013). The sector shares complementary relationships with another community, which is embedded in the local environment. The advertising companies are constantly engaged in merging with each other in order to further consolidate their place within the sector. This continuous consolidation has certainly placed New York at the center of the sector (Center for Economic Transformation, 2013; Harvey, 2009). Moreover, the gradual shift towards digital content, which is being followed by a considerable decline in the print readerships, has contributed to a crisis situation within the adverting sector. More and more advertising companies are incorporating new and innovative technologies in order to attain long-term sustainability.  

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Bowlby's Viewpoint Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bowlby's Viewpoint - Assignment Example ent studies, the author attests that healthy, happy and independent young adults and adolescents are products of stable homes in which both parents give enough time and attention to the children. He continues to put that the child’s care giver needs a lot of assistance, from the other parent, though it normally comes from the grandmother in most societies. I totally agree with Bowlby’s way of parenting, because successful parenting is a key to the mental health of the next generation. A parent-child bond is not only healthy for the childs well-being, but an essential part of what it means to be human. Attachment theory teaches three main attachment patterns; secure, avoidant and ambivalent, which are behaviors that continue into adulthood. While they explore the world, securely attached children are confident, since they used the parent as a secure base. Bowlbys work also showed that the early interactions between infant and caregiver have a significant impact on an infants social, emotional, and intellectual growth (Bowlby 1907-1990). On the other hand, an insecurely attached child is unhappy and not confident enough to explore the world. Consider a child brought up by a single mother, who is always busy and overwhelmed by activities, and has less time to spend with the child, the child obviously grows up unattached to the parents and feeling insecure at the same time. The provision of access to the parent’s body is a fundamental feature in developing secure attachment. Dependency, the child’s tie to the mother, has the effect of keeping the child in more proximity to its mother-figure. For example, attachment behavior of a child is activated mostly by pain, fatigue, fright, and the mother’s inaccessibility. Bowlby cited the description of Klaus, Trause and Kennelle (1975), on how a mother picks up and begins to stroke the baby’s face with her little finger immediately after its birth. At this time, the baby quietness and when put to her breasts, it