Biography of Abigail Adams, Wife of John Adams

Biography of Abigail Adams, Wife of John Adams Wife of the second President of the United States, Abigail Adams is an example of one kind of life lived by women in colonial, Revolutionary and early post-Revolutionary America. While shes perhaps best known simply as an early First Lady (before the term was used) and mother of another President, and perhaps known for the stance she took for womens rights in letters to her husband, she should also be known as a competent farm manager and financial manager. Known for: First Lady, mother of John Quincy Adams, farm manager, letter writerDates: November 22 (11 old style), 1744 - October 28, 1818; married October 25, 1764Also known as: Abigail Smith AdamsPlaces: Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., United StatesOrganizations/Religion: Congregational, Unitarian Early Life Born Abigail Smith, the future First Lady was the daughter of a minister, William Smith, and his wife Elizabeth Quincy.  The family had long roots in Puritan America, and were part of the Congregational church.  Her father was part of the liberal wing within the church, an Arminian, distanced from Calvinist Congregational roots in predestination and questioning the truth of the traditional  doctrine of the Trinity. Educated at home, because there were few schools for girls and because she was often ill as a child,  Abigail Adams learned quickly and read widely. She also learned to write, and quite early began writing to family and friends. Abigail met John Adams in 1759 when he visited her fathers parsonage in Weymouth, Massachusetts.  They carried out their courtship in letters as Diana and Lysander.  They married in 1764, and moved first to Braintree and later to Boston.  Abigail bore five children, and one died in early childhood. Abigails marriage to John Adams was warm and loving‚- and also intellectually lively, to judge from their letters. Journey to First Lady After almost a decade of rather quiet family life,  John became involved in the Continental Congress. In 1774, John attended the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, while Abigail remained in Massachusetts, raising the family.  During his long absences over the next 10 years, Abigail managed the family and the farm and corresponded not only with her husband but with many family members and friends, including Mercy Otis Warren and Judith Sargent Murray.  She served as the primary educator of the children, including the future sixth U.S. president, John Quincy Adams. John served in Europe as a diplomatic representative from 1778, and as a representative  of the new nation, continued in that capacity. Abigail Adams joined him in 1784, first for a year in Paris then three in London. They returned to America in 1788. John Adams served as Vice President of the United States from 1789-1797 and then as President 1797-1801. Abigail spent some of her time at home, managing the family financial affairs, and part of her time in the federal capital, in Philadelphia most of those years and, very briefly, in the new White House in Washington, D.C. (November 1800 - March 1801). Her letters show that she was a strong supporter of his Federalist positions. After John retired from public life at the end of his presidency, the couple lived quietly in Braintree, Massachusetts.  Her letters also show that she was consulted by her son, John Quincy Adams. She was proud of him, and worried about her sons Thomas and Charles and her daughters husband, who were not so successful.  She took hard her daughters death in 1813.   Death Abigail Adams died in 1818 after contracting  typhus, seven years before her son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president of the U.S., but long enough to see him become Secretary of State in James Monroes administration. It is mostly through her letters that we know much about the life and personality of this intelligent and perceptive woman of colonial America and the Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary period.  A collection of the letters was published in 1840 by her grandson, and more have followed. Among her positions expressed in the letters was a deep suspicion of slavery and racism, support for womens rights including married womens property rights and the right to education, and full acknowledgement by her death that she had become, religiously, a unitarian. Resources and Further Reading Akers, Charles W. Abigail Adams: An American Woman. Library of American Biography Series. 1999.Bober, Natalie S. Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution. 1998. Young adult book.  Cappon, Lester J. (editor). The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams. 1988.  Gelles, Edith B. Portia: The World of Abigail Adams. 1995 edition.  Levin, Phyllis Lee. Abigail Adams: A Biography. 2001.Nagel, Paul C. The Adams Women: Abigail and Louisa Adams, Their Sisters and Daughters. 1999 reprint.Nagel, Paul C. Descent from Glory: Four Generations of the John Adams Family. 1999 reprint.  Withey, Lynne. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams. 2001.

Chinese Emperors - Shang Dynasty

Chinese Emperors - Shang Dynasty The Shang Dynasty is the first Chinese imperial dynasty for which we have actual documentary evidence. Since the Shang is so very ancient, the sources are unclear. We dont even know for sure when the Shang Dynasty began its rule over the Yellow River Valley of China.  Some historians believe that it was around the year 1700 BCE, while others place it later, c. 1558 BCE. In any case, the Shang Dynasty succeeded the Xia Dynasty, which was a legendary ruling family from approximately 2070 BCE to about 1600 BCE. We have no surviving written records for the Xia, although they probably did have a writing system. Archaeological evidence from the Erlitou sites does give support to the idea that a complex culture had already arisen in northern China at this time. Fortunately for us, the Shang have left some slightly clearer records than their Xia predecessors did. The traditional sources for the Shang era include the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. These records were written much, much later than the Shang period, however; Sima Qian wasnt even born until around 145 to 135 BCE.  As a result, modern historians were quite skeptical even about the existence of the Shang Dynasty until archaeology miraculously provided some proof. In the early 20th century, archaeologists found an early form of Chinese writing that was inscribed (or in rare cases painted) onto turtle shells or large, flat animal bones like the shoulder blades of oxen. These bones were then put into a fire, and the cracks that developed from the heat would help a magical diviner to predict the future or tell their customer whether their prayers would be answered.   Called oracle bones, these magical divination tools provided us proof that the Shang Dynasty really did exist.  Some of the seekers who asked questions of the gods via the oracle bones were the emperors themselves or officials from the court  so we even got confirmation of some of their names, along with rough dates when they were active. In many cases, the evidence from the Shang Dynasty oracle bones matched quite closely with the recorded tradition about that time from the Bamboo Annals and the Records of the Grand Historian. Still, it should not surprise anyone that there are still gaps and discrepancies in the imperial list below.  After all, the Shang Dynasty ruled China a very, very long time ago. China’s Shang Dynasty Cheng Tang, 1675 to 1646 BCEWai Bing, 1646 to 1644 BCEZhong Ren, 1644 to 1640 BCETai Jia, 1535 to 1523 BCEWo Ding, 1523 to 1504 BCETai Geng, 1504 to 1479 BCEXiao Jia, 1479 to 1462 BCEYong Ji, 1462 to 1450 BCETai Wu, 1450 to 1375 BCEZhong Ding, 1375 to 1364 BCEWai Ren, 1364 to 1349 BCEHe Dan Jia, 1349 to 1340 BCEZu Yi, 1340 to 1321 BCEZu Xin, 1321 to 1305 BCEWo Jia, 1305 to 1280 BCEZu Ding, 1368 to 1336 BCENan Geng, 1336 to 1307 BCEYang Jia, 1307 to 1290 BCEPan Geng, 1290 to 1262 BCEXiao Xin, 1262 to 1259 BCEXiao Yi, 1259 to 1250 BCEWu Ding, 1250 to 1192 BCEZu Geng, 1192 to 1165 BCEZu Jia, 1165 to 1138 BCELin Xin, 1138 to 1134 BCEKang Ding, dates of reign unclearWu Yi, 1147 to 1112 BCEWen Ding, 1112 to 1102 BCEDi Yi, 1101 to 1076 BCEDi Xin, 1075 to 1046 BCE

Methods and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Methods and Analysis - Essay Example Interviews are very useful methods of data collection. If done properly and professionally, the findings of the interview can provide the researcher with very important insights regarding the subject matter. In most interviews, structured questions are used to guide the interviewer in his/her quest to extract useful information from the interviewee (Denscombe, 2007). This interview in particular focuses on professional experience as well as online education. The main objective is to find out the perception of people regarding their present jobs as well as any online courses they may have studied. The set of questions used in this interview will enable me get to understand how people perceive their own employers and their job as well as if they make any significant contribution to the success of their organization as a whole. The questions will also be useful in understanding how people who studied online courses find the whole experience. Why do you work with your current employer? I believe the institution I work with has goals that resonate very well with my beliefs. I wanted to work in an institution that gives priority to good teaching practice as well as a great commitment on taking care of students needs as far as education is concerned. I have a great passion for teaching and impacting on the lives of young students in campuses and colleges and I believe I have the capacity to offer what my current employer wants and help the whole institution achieve its goals. What makes you very different from your other colleagues at work? There nothing much really to separate us because we all share similar views on education and teaching. I would however say that I am an all rounded individual and with my experience, I offer the institution a lot of useful opinions and perspectives in terms of where we want to be and what we have to do to get there as a group. I think that is what sets me apart from my colleagues, my desire to succeed and wide experience. What plan s do you have for research and development in your field of specialization? I believe in proper research to bring out new and relevant knowledge to help us cope with emerging issues. As far as my own research is concerned, I am currently working on some projects that will be due for publication soon. I am working on a book to be released soon, which I hope will help institutions deal with emerging challenges as they strive to educate young students. After my PhD, I plan to take my research further and work on more books as well as research papers that I hope to present to all stakeholders in the field of education. What would you say is your major contribution to your institutions department? I have initiated and taken part in various reforms at the department to make it more functional. We have improved significantly in the way we offer our services to students ever since I joined the department and I am glad to be part of this success. What courses do you enjoy teaching? I have ex perience in a wide range of subjects ranging from humanities to social sciences as well as business courses. I therefore give my contribution in any field that I am well versed with; however I mostly tend to be biased towards philosophy. I enjoy teaching philosophy more than anything else, but as I said, I always give my contribution in other areas when I am called upon to do it. What was your experience when taking your university degree? I enjoyed every bit of it. For my first degree, I was a regular student and the environment was very conducive for study. We had a great time on campus with friends as we undertook our studies. By the time I wanted to start my Masters degree, I was already employed full time, so I had to register for online courses which demanded a lot of commitment and dedication. I am glad I gave it my all and am now taking my PhD. How does the online course work? It is pretty simple because all you do is to enroll on a university or college website. Once you ha ve been

Barbie as a global phenomenon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Barbie as a global phenomenon - Essay Example Doll Barbie is among them. If to ask a girl what present she would like to have for her birthday, she would not hesitate even for a second and the answer will be â€Å"A Barbie†. â€Å"Barbie is the cultural icon of female beauty that provides an â€Å"aspirational role model† for young girls, and 99% of 3- to 10-year-olds in the United States own at least one Barbie doll† (Helga et al 283). The question is why this doll is so popular. How did it enrapture the whole world and become a dream of every girl? More than 100 Barbie dolls are sold in the world every minute, thus Mattel Inc. makes around $2 billion annually and the sales of a famous and desired doll constitutes more than a half of Mattel’s sales. â€Å"Barbie is the best-selling fashion doll in every major global market, with worldwide annual sales of about $1.5 billion† (Mattel, 2003 cited in Helga et al 283). The activity of the company seems successful, but now the managers consider the issue how the changes in the world influence Barbie doll. The problem became relevant because of the changes brought by globalization that eliminated patterns. The image of Barbie doll demands changes. The given paper will discuss the changes brought by the globalization and the problems Barbie doll manufacturers have to solve now. Notwithstanding that Barbie does not loose its popularity, time still flies and everything changes. The doll was created in 1959 and the women of that time were very different in comparison to modern women. Now women are emancipated, their life is very active. As women change, dolls should also change. Mattel was too late to realize that the changes were necessary, thus they suffered a failure in 2001, when their competitors launched the product appropriate to the modern understanding of a perfect woman. As the competitors managed to make necessary changes in contrast to Mattel, the latter still suffers from this mistake. The company did not think about t he changes as they considered the doll to be absolutely perfect and was sure that any changes are not needed. Moreover, the manufacturers were afraid that consumers may not have accepted the changes in their favorite doll image. Thus, they did not touch Barbie doll and paid their attention to other toys. This brought a lot of harm that was realized by the manufacturers too late. They understood their mistake only by 2006, when their sales decreased by 30%, notwithstanding that the efforts were taken at once to change the look of the doll and her boyfriend, clothes, accessories. In order to save the situation, they even created a new line called â€Å"My scene†, but this imitation did not impress consumers much. The cause of the failure is the lack of appropriate long-term strategy as well as corresponding analysis of the brand and world changes, which affect Barbie’s image. Globalization brought many new changes, it changed the perception of the issues greatly. Many in ternational organizations appeared at the global market that provided people with new opportunities to work abroad, travel, see new country, meet new people and show their abilities. In the past immigration was not so active and people lived and worked in their native countries among the people of their own nation. Now it is not surprising if people from different countries work in a one company sharing their values, culture and experience. Such changes made the world more democratic and influenced all the areas, including the field of toys manufacturing. Barbie doll always served as a pattern that caused many problems: â€Å"my main personal problem is Barbie’s body, and what that does for girls’ understanding of how their bodies are supposed to look. So many young girls and women

A historical approach to The Guest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A historical approach to The Guest - Essay Example The story’s rich historical derivation makes it ideal for an examination through the lenses of historical criticism, as such, one can examine the occurrences themes and stylistic and the impacts of the larger historical backdrop both within and without the text. Concisely, the story revolves around three major characters are Daru, Baducci the gendarme and the Arab prisoner. Daru is a schoolteacher stationed in the desert school where the gendarme brings the Arab who has been accused of murder. Daru receives them hospitably and makes them tea in the schoolroom; he unties the prisoner’s hands and makes both of the as comfortable as he could with his limited facilities. That he takes off the ropes binding the prisoner, connotes the shame felt by colonialist for treating their subjects as if they were less than human (Just 904). Daru is told that the French suspect an uprising, he should deliver the prisoner to the town so that the gendarme can return and prepare in case it materializes the schoolteacher however turns down the task of delivering the prisoner. Balducci tells him it is an orderfrom the authorities but Daru insists that he will not comply; he does not stop him from leaving the prisoner there and even signs a document to att est to the fact. Daru accommodates the prisoner for the night, the next morning, despite his insistence that he would not take him to the authorities; he leads him in the direction of the town. Halfway there, he stops at a crossroads and tells him he can choose to deliver himself to the police or he can escape. He gives the prisoner food and money and leaves him to make up his mind. He heads back to the school where ironically, someone has written on the board that he would pay for the delivering â€Å"their brother†. Here, Camus uses dramatic irony to bring out the absurdity of the situation in which Daru finds himself because had Author of the threat known

The Aims and Objectives of an Islamic Bank

The Aims and Objectives of an Islamic Bank Islamic banking is becoming increasingly popular and plays a prominent role in the financial services sector in Malaysia. According to latest statistics shown, the Muslim population of Malaysia is approximately 25 million. There is definitely a strong demand and strong growth potential in this sector. In Malaysia, the banking sector is mainly dominated by the conventional banking system whereby interest is not being prohibited. It is because the Islamic banking system is relatively new and there are insufficient regulations at present to govern them. If these obstacles are being resolved, the Islamic Banking sector will blossom given the influence of Malaysia in the international Muslim community. The primary aim of this research is to examine and understand in depth the development of Islamic banking in the world of finance. This piece of research can be divided into three sections. The first section looks at significant differences between conventional banking and Islamic banking. Products and services offered by these financial institutions will be marked to comparison. The second section looks at how the practice of Islamic banking started and how it has emerged to become a vial force in the economy. The final part of the research will focus on how the Islamic banks penetrated the Malaysian market and the challenges faced. 1.1 Structure of Dissertation This dissertation is divided into a few topics and each topic covers different areas of research. This is to give readers a clearer view of the research and make it more user-friendly. It is well thought and designed to ensure the smooth flow of the reading. The structure of the dissertation can be summarized as follows: Chapter 1: This chapter describes the aims and objectives of this research. Chapter 2: This chapter discusses the principles and fundamentals of Islamic banking Chapter 3: This chapter explains in detailed the state and scope of Islamic banking industry in Malaysia. I have also mentioned to objectives and roles the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre Initiatives plays in the industry. Chapter 4: Research methodologies and strategies that were being adopted for this paper was discussed. Chapter 5: I have marked two Islamic banks in Malaysia for side by side comparison. I have drawn up a table to compare their financial performance and position over the past two years. Chapter 6: I have interviewed two Islamic bankers from Malaysia. On top of that, I have also provided my personal analysis of their answers. Chapter 7: Competition and globalization of the Islamic banking industry. Moreover, I have also discussed opportunities and challenges faced in the world and in Malaysia. Chapter 8: A summary of the paper was included with recommendations and limitations to research. 2 INTRODUCTION So, what exactly is Islamic Banking? Islamic Banking is banking based on Islamic laws (Shariah). The Shariah principles are derived from the Quran and the Sunnah (sayings of Prophet Muhammad). Moreover, secondary sources of Islamic laws such as opinions collectively agreed among Shariah scholars, analogy and personal reasoning are also adopted in the rules and practices of Islamic banks (Al-Omar, 1996). The research then looks at the differences between conventional banking and Islamic banking. There governing principles of Islamic banks are: Riba Absence of interest-based transactions. Charging of interest is prohibited under Shariah principles. Money itself does not have inherent value and should not be used to create more money. Wealth can only be generated through legitimate trade and investment. Ghirar Acts of speculation are not accepted under Islamic principles. For instance, buying goods now at lower price in the hope of selling them at higher price in future. The reason being speculators make private gains at the expense of society at large. Zakat Introduction of Islamic tax for the purpose of wealth distribution so that every Muslim is guaranteed a fair standard of living. Haram It is forbidden for Islamic banks to finance activities forbidden in Islam such as prok meat and alcoholic beverage. In order to ensure that the trading activities do not contradict with Shariah principles, all Islamic banks are required to set up Shariah Committee, who acts as advisor to the banks. On the other hand, conventional banks charge interest on transactions. These interests are widely seen as price of credit. Furthermore, conventional banks focuses on elimination of risks and thus do not share any liabilities with the borrower. (Figure 1) Islamic Bank Vs Conventional Bank Based on Shariahprinciples. Based on best economic principles. Bank should not take advantage of borrower. No interest charged. Charges interest to reflect price of credit. Does not allow involvement in haramactivities such as pork meat and alcoholic beverage. Aims at maximizing profit without restrictions other than compliance with relevant regulatory frameworks. Intoduction of zakat. Non-existence of zakat. Promotes risk sharing between providers of credit and borrower. Interest is assured to providers of credit. No liabilities borne by the bank. Emphasis placed on viability and feasibility of projects. Emphasis placed on credit-worthiness of customers. Only provide guarantee for deposit account (al-wadiah). If funds placed under mudarabah accounts, customers shares profit or loss incurred by bank. Provides guarantee to all its depositors. www.learn islamicfinance.com 2.1 Fundamentals of Islamic Banking Finance Islamic commercial law is based on a few major principles. They will be discussed in detailed as follows: Musharakah (Partnership Finance) Musharakah is a contract in which the bank and the client contribute jointly to the capital of a specific project or deal to make a profit. Therefore, risks of profits and losses are being shared between these two parties according to terms and conditions stipulated in the contract. This principle exposes bank to the risks of the project, in other words protecting the interests of the community. This will prevent banks from yielding their unfair influence and sells disadvantage products to clients. Mudarabah (Trust Financing) Mudarabah is a contract in which the banks provides all the capital required whilst the partner contributes in terms of skills, experiences and efforts. The bank receives a pre-determined share of profits as agreed by both parties upon commencement of the project. The major difference between mudarabah and musharakah is that in this case, the bank bears all financial loss whilst the client goes unrewarded. Therefore, it is also the banks responsibilities to assess the feasibility and viability of the project. As such, it is vital for the bank to have a good and credible credit system to evaluate all its exposures on these projects. In short, this principle encourages individuals to participate in financial activities It also gives individuals without sufficient resources an opportunity and platform to prove themselves in the society. Murabaha (Cost-plus Financing) Murabaha is a contract in which the banks informs their client about the acquisition price of certain goods and products and sells them with a margin. It requires the bank to declare an honest price of acquisition. It is one of the most common principles adopted in Islamic banking system to promote interest-free transactions. It is widely practiced in asset financing and both commodity import and export. Bai-Muajjal (Deferred Payment Sale) It is a contract in which the seller sells a certain goods or products to the buyer at an agreed fixed price to be paid later at a specific date by the buyer. In short, it is a sale on credit. The bank merely acts as the financier by deferring the receipt of the sale price of goods it sells. Ijara (Leasing) In this case, the bank buys capital equipment or property and leases it out under instalment to clients. Similar to conventional leasing, the client has the option to purchase the goods at the end of the lease period. The fact that there is real good to be financed means that it is Shariah compliant. A very common product adopting this principle is Islamic mortgage whereby the buyer buys the property on an instalment basis. Qard Hassan Islamic teachings promote brotherhood amongst Muslims. Qard Hassan is seen as a gratuitous loan that helps fellow Muslims who need financial assistance. It can be defined as a loan to be repaid at a later date without incurring any interests. According to Rob (1992), Islamic banks may raise funds through sale of shares to public and main deposit accounts. Therefore, the bank has a responsibility to lend a helping hand to those in desperate situation without taking of their advantaged position. 2.2 Compatibility of Islamic Banking with Conventional Banking Islamic banking system has very similar features to conventional banking except that Islamic banks operate in compliant to Shariah laws and principles. Both banking systems have common features and common products. The main differences being prohibition of interests being incurred and sharing of profits and losses between banks and their clients (Abdur Rahim, 2009). They have the same objectives except interpretation of interest. Islamic banks fall into realms of the economic world as well. They try to ensure all their operations comply with Shariah laws yet at the same time conform to rules set by international bodies such as International Accounting Standards Board and Audit Practices Board. This is to ensure they remain relevant to the society and at the same time conform to their religious principles. Islamic banks sell products such as mortgages, savings accounts, insurance which is also sold by all conventional banks across the world. According to Nienhaus (1995), Islamic banks offer facilities more or less the same as conventional banks, in compliance with the welfare principles of Islam. 3 LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review is a process in which published articles or information are studied as part of the research for the preparation of a dissertation. For the purpose of this project, I have gathered information from books and articles from various sources. I have studied the concept of Islamic banking, having limited understanding about this topic previously. Further, I have also included discussion about the development of Islamic banking in the world, and in particular, Malaysia. This paper allows readers to have a good grasp of Islamic banking in general. It gives readers the opportunity to study about Islamic banking in greater detail when the interest of this industry gathering strong momentum. This is of particular importance because Islamic banking has a huge impact of the world economy because of the strong influence of the oil-rich Gulf States. 3.1 Introduction Since a few decades ago, Islamic banking has emerged as a new reality in the world economy. Its philosophies and principles are however, not new, having been outlined in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) more than 1,400 years ago. The emergence of Islamic banking is often related to the revival of Islam and the desire of Muslims to live all aspects of their live in accordance with the teachings of Islam (Siddiqi, 1983). This chapter provides a brief overview of how Islamic Banking was introduced in the World and how it penetrated the Malaysian market. Islamic banking today has proven to be a popular and reliable financial system in the world. It is widely seen as a viable alternative to the conventional banking system over last 3 decades. Islamic banking was described by scholars as wishful thinking when the idea was first mooted almost thirty years ago (Iqbal and Philip, 2006). Many conferences and discussions were carried out at that time to work on the finer details of this system. Several blueprints were drafted by Islamic scholars from all over the world to ensure a detailed system is created. The first international conference on Islamic Economics was organized by Kings Abdul Aziz University in Makkah marked an important milestone in the history of Islamic banking (Iqbal, 2005). Financial gurus, economic experts and Islamic leaders were invited to present their view and opinions. Following this, the first Islamic bank, Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) was established in the United Arab Emirates in 1975. Since its formation, it has established itself as the leader in the industry and has won several accolades internationally. In 2009, it recorded net profit of  £200 million with assets worth over  £14 billion. Islamic banking has gained tremendous momentum and has been growing rapidly over the years. Islamic banks now offer products in various areas such as banking, insurance, mortgage and asset management with annual growth of 10% for many years. 3.2 History of Islamic Banking in Malaysia Islamic banking industry in Malaysia is growing at a moderate pace. It is a unique market because Islamic banks in Malaysia are allowed to operate in parallel to conventional banks (interest-based). The multi-ethnic population of Malaysia makes the entire change of financial system to follow the Shariah system not viable. Government of Malaysia opted for gradual way of introducing Islamic banking by allowing conventional banks to sell Islamic banking products and services such as sukuk (Arif, 1989). The dual banking system has been recognised by both West and East leaders and it is seen to be the model of the future. In fact, many central bankers have visited Malaysia to see the effectiveness of this dual system first hand. Furthermore, this dual system also eliminates the wrong concept of general public that Islamic banking products are sold exclusively to Muslims. The history of Islamic banking industry goes back to as far as 1963, when the foresighted government set up the Lembaga Tabung Haji also known as the Pilgrims Management and Fund Board. It was set-up primarily to encourage Muslims in the country to save up on their income in order to perform pilgrimage in Mecca (Kamarulzaman Bhupalan, 1983). Besides, the fund was also created to provide a platform for participation in the economic and investment activities. Based on the success of the Lembaga Tabung Haji, coupled with the consultation of Shariah experts and economic gurus, government then proceeded to set up the first ever Islamic Bank in 1983. Setting up of Bank Islam Berhad Malaysia (BIMB) marked a milestone in the banking industry. It proved to be hugely popular because over half the Malaysian population are Islam followers. What followed through was the listing of the bank in the stock exchange of Malaysia in the early 1990s. As of today, the bank has 100 braches located all ove r Malaysia. With the fairytale of BIMB, central bank decided to allow commercial banks and merchant banks to offer Islamic banking products under the Islamic Banking Scheme. It was not long after that the central bank set up the National Shariah Advisory Council to oversee all issues pertaining to Islamic Banking. Due to the economic liberalisation, central bank finally grants licenses to foreign Islamic banks to operate in Malaysia in 2004. Al-Rahji Bank and Kuwait Finance House took full advantage of this ruling and step foot into the Malaysian banking industry. The last count of Islamic banks operating in Malaysia stood at 21. 3.3 Scope of Islamic Banking in Malaysia Islamic Banking started out as mere deposit taking and lending facility has since transformed into all aspects of banking, money and capital market operations. In Malaysia, the central bank is in favour of a dual banking system, whereby Islamic banks are allowed to co-exist with conventional banks. It is at the consumers choice to select which services they prefer that cater to their needs. This is in stark contrast with the scenario in Iran and Pakistan, where conventional banking system is abolished completely to make way for Islamic banking. They claim to be devoid of conventional interest based financial transactions. Today, the Malaysian Islamic banking sector is blossoming as reflected in the extensive distribution networks comprising 152 full-fledged Islamic banking branches. The ability of these Islamic banks to offer competitive products with attractive and innovative features has attracted both Muslim and non-Muslim population in the country. This has also spurred non banking institutions such as savings institutions to introduce Shariah compliance product to appeal to a wider consumer base. According to Association of Islamic Banking Institutions Malaysia, there are 21 Islamic banks who have subscribed to their membership. The list of Islamic banks is provided as follows: Affin Islamic Bank Berhad Alliance Islamic Bank Berhad Al-Rajhi Banking Investment Corporation Berhad AmIslamic Bank Berhad Asian Finance Bank Berhad Bank Islam Malaysia Bank Berhad Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bank Berhad Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bank Berhad Bank Simpanan Malaysia Berhad CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad EONCAP Islamic Bank Berhad Hong Leong Islamic Bank Berhad HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Berhad Maybank Islamic Bank Berhad OCBC Al-Amin Bank Berhad PT Bank Muamalat Indonesia Public Islamic Bank Berhad RHB Islamic Bank Berhad Standard Chartered Saadiq Berhad Unicorn International Islamic Bank Berhad As evident from the list above, there are 21 banks offering Islamic products in the Malaysian market. Confidence is clearly shown on the Malaysian market with international banking powerhouse presence such as Standard Chartered group and Kuwait Finance House. The Governor of Central Bank Malaysia recently declared the central banks intention to lure larger overseas banks to provided services that comply with Muslim tenets. As a sweetener to any potential deal, the central bank has raised foreign ownership limits at local Islamic banks and insurance companies to 70%. Rising oil wealth has turned the Islamic banking into an industry with assets with $1 trillion in assets globally. The central bank is doing its utmost, implementing initiatives to explore this relatively untapped market. In addition to the changes in foreign ownership limits, the central bank is also offering tax breaks for Islamic products and has relaxed rules for Islamic banks to trade in foreign currencies (Aziz, 2006). This is seen as a major breakthrough because the foreign currencies dealing is tightly regulated due to the impact Malaysian market suffered in the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. In July 2010, Khazanah, Malaysia sovereign wealth fund made its debut in Singapore debt market issuing sukuk or Islamic bonds worth $1.5 billion, three times the size of Singapore sukuk market until now. This further strengthened the Malaysian government efforts to promote Islamic banking products both domestically and internationally.

Satire and Fantasy in Kurt Vonneguts Cats Cradle Essay -- Kurt Vonne

Satire and Fantasy in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle For this essay, I decided to pick two terms that describe Cat's Cradle. I felt that satire and fantasy were two terms that suited the novel quite well. The book qualifies as a satire because it makes a mockery of things that were of concern in the sixties. For example, the Cuban missile crisis was a big issue in the early sixties. Religion was taken much more seriously, and the family unit was more tightly wound. In the novel, the threat comes not from a large warhead, but from a small crystal of Ice-nine. Religion is satired in Bokononism, which is a religion that is based on lies. The family unit is satired by the Hoenikkers. The father is detached from reality, the sister is a giant, and the brother is a midget. The Cuban threat is also satirized by San Lorenzo and it's dictator Papa Monzano. Cat's Cradle also has many elements of fantasy woven throughout. A small crystal that can freeze water and can destroy the world and can only be stopped by a temperature of 114 degrees is a good example of the fantasy element in the novel. It gives the story an almost futuristic feel, even though by modern standards the book is dated. Jonah's whole adventure is reminiscent of mythological tales. He journeys to a far away land, San Lorenzo. He is called to adventure by Newt's letter. He finds a mystical talisman, Ice-nine. He falls in love with the beautiful maiden, Mona. The religion of Bokononism has a fantasy element to it. Johnson changes his name to Bokonon much like in Buddhism. There are all the writings in the Books of Bokonon, and the Boko-maru which are both fantastic ideas in themselves. Cat's Cradle contains many elements of many types of genres. It could be consider... ...t has no real motivation, and why should he when he is going to be taken care of by Angela for the rest of his life. I like Newt because he does not feel sorry for himself, and treats everything matter-of-factly and as if it is obvious, "Isn't everybody [self-taught]?" Newt appears to be a person who does not care what everyone else thinks and always strives to be an individual. I think that the satire alone in Cat's Cradle is enough to encourage humanity to make a better world. Vonnegut makes things seem funny in the book that really are not funny in real life, such as an atom bomb, a father who ignores his child and everyone else, and an island where people are hung for practicing a certain religion. The book is amusing, but it made me think about what the world would be like if it really was that way. It would be horrible, and definitely nothing to laugh at.

Communication Style Case Study Essay

Communication style is the method used to deliver our messages to others. Its outcome is affected by the style chosen by the individual to relay our message. The different styles are passive, assertive, aggressive, passive-aggressive. Throughout my experience in healthcare, I have either witness or taken part in different situations that used different styles of communication. There are three specific personal scenarios that come to mind when I think about the different styles of communication. First Personal Scenario During a nursing school hospital rotation I was assigned to follow a registered nurse and witness communication between the nurse and client. The nurse entered the clients room and without a courteous greeting such as good morning or a simple hello stated, â€Å"Mrs. Jones here is your medication.† The client responded, â€Å"I do not want it. All you do all day is give me too much medication.† The nurse replied with a firm tone of voice and eye rolling, â€Å"You have to take it. How do you expect to get better if you do not take your medicine?† Both the nurse and client used aggressive communication. The nurse could prevent the conflict with the client had she initiated an assertive style of communication. To improve the communication the nurse should respond assertively with a moderate voice pitch, a relaxed body stance, acknowledge the clients feelings, and encourage the client to address her concerns (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Also the nurse should explain why the client is being given the medication to help the client understand the reason. According to Hansten and Jackson (2009), to make communication clear we must explain why we need to take such actions. In this scenario the outcome using an aggressive style will lead to failure to achieve a client focused therapeutic relationship. Instead the client feels that they  cannot trust the nurse and respond aggressively. Trust is an essential component to a therapeutic relationship (Arnold & Boggs, 2011). Had the nurse approached the client with a simple greeting followed by the name of medication and the reason for taking it, perhaps the client would have been more willing to be compliant with the recommended care. Second Personal Sce nario Recently I witness a situation where a nursing assistant was sitting at the nursing station and the nurse was walking by holding medications and a water cup in her hand. The nurse asked the nursing assistant, â€Å"The call light is on in room five and I need to give another client his medications. Would you please see what the client needs.† The nursing assistant crosses her arms and replies, â€Å"I am tired of these lazy nurses. I always have to do everything.† The nurse rolled her eyes and replied, â€Å"Just do your job and do what I asked.† In this situation the nursing assistant responded aggressively. The nurse first used the assertive style then replied using the aggressive style. Instead the nurse should have been consistent with an assertive response. For example she could of replied without rolling her eyes, using a medium voice pitch, abstain from insults, and acknowledge the other persons feelings (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). The other person is more likely to listen if they are not feeling insulted and preventing the conflict from escalating (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). Also, conflict should be addressed and not ignored to resolve it (Arford, 2005). In this situation the poor communication caused a lack of trust and took the focus away from the clients care. This in turn can cause retaliation among peers and jeopardize quality client care. Both conflicting parties are forgetting that their goal is to provide quality client focus care and collaboration is essential to deliver it. Collaboration helps accomplish better outcomes than one person alone (Arford, 2005). Third Personal Scenario I had a personal situation where the doctor ordered for a twenty-four hour urine collection. The procedure involves collecting the urine immediately after the client voids and transferring it to a special container kept on ice, to preserve the urine. I informed my nursing assistant, â€Å"I started a twenty-four hour urine collection in room 5. Can you please make sure to  check frequently for urine in the bedside commode and place it in the collection container.† The nursing assistance replied, â€Å"Ok. I will.† The next time I went into the clients room I noticed the ice where the container is kept had melted. I then replaced the ice and told my nursing assistant, â€Å"I noticed the ice had melted in room five. Please check on the ice levels hourly.† She replied, â€Å"Ok. I will.† It seemed as if every time I checked on the ice levels they had melted. I found myself frustrated and ended replacing the ice myself to get the job done correctly. I reali ze now that my communication with my assistant was non-assertive. My assistant was passive in her response. I failed to assess my assistant’s level of understanding of the procedure and instead I lost trust and became frustrated. Communication should be clear, complete and explain why we need a task done a certain way (Hansten & Jackson, 2009). If I would of taken the extra time to explain the reason why we keep specimens on ice perhaps my assistant would of taken the time to do the task. In return I would have been able to attend to others duties had I been able to trust my assistant. Instead my message was incomplete and my reaction demonstrated a lack of trust toward my assistant. References Arford, P. H. (2005, March/April). Nurse-physician communication: An organizational accountability. Nursing Economics, 23(2), 72-77. Retrieved on March 16, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/2369346accountid=458 Arnold, E., & Boggs, K. U. (2011). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for nurses (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders. Hansten, R. I., & Jackson, M. (2009). Clinical delegation skills: A handbook for professional practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

American_Industry essays

American_Industry essays The Industrial Giant Known as America Many factors led to America having a tremendous rise in industry. The five points that made the most impact were technology, mass distribution and production, education, railroads, management ideas and structure, and immigrant labor. These five points not only improved the existing industry, but they revolutionized how the American industry would be run for the next generation. As with any change in an existing system, there were a few problems, the main problems where with workers so management just replaced them with machines. Many people werent ready to make the adjustment from small town farming to big city living but the benefits far out-weighed any unusual situations, so the people and the nation when along with it. In the 1850s and on, most Americans were wondering about the benefit of a society dominated by cities, factories, and masses of wage earners. Along with cities and factories, pollution, and unhygienic situations was rising as well. Industrializing of the nation was wanted by many people but on the other hand, many people did not want to see the nation industrialize. The United States, at this point, mostly an agricultural society, and most of the people lived on farms or in small towns, and had lots of open space to live in. These caused a slowing of the United States transforming into a industrial nation. Depression set and there was unrest in the work force. This began to change in the 1870s when the Populist Party gained a strong foothold. In 1897, the economic depression finally came to an end. In 1910, the United States firming planted itself as the worlds Probably the most important feature aiding the nations growth was technology. Two major inventions during this period were the invention of the gasoline-powered, internal combustion engine and harnessing of electric power. H ...

Flag Burning Unconstitutional essays

Flag Burning Unconstitutional essays Flag burning is absolutely not a valid form of political expression under the first amendment. Though the Supreme Court, in the case of Gregory Johnson, ruled that it was in fact constitutional to allow people to burn the flag, the evidence against this ruling is overwhelming. First, the first amendment does provide protection to demonstrators wishing to voice their political opinions vocally and symbolically, the amendment does not allow for the desecration of sacred objects such as flags, cemeteries, and public monuments. The Texas law in effect when Gregory Johnson burned an American flag in protest of the American political system clearly states that it is illegal to desecrate such objects. The law defined desecration as physical mistreatment of such objects in a way which the accused knows will offend one or more persons likely to observe or discover the act. When Gregory Johnson burned his flag he clearly intended to make a public display and offend onlookers. The se cond argument against flag burning is that there are many other ways for one to express dislike for the American democratic system than to burn on of its most sacred objects. The flag stands for much more than the fifty states, in the it represents battles fought for the United States by hundreds of thousands of veterans. The flag represents national unity. The third, and most important, argument is that flag burning is an act that could possibly cause a large amount of violence if done in a public place. The first amendment does not protest this type of speech. (Texas vs. Johnson worksheet) The Texas law created to protect sacred objects clearly states that it is illegal to desecrate anything that could case public dismay. In Gregory Johnsons trial several witnesses testified that they were deeply offended by Johnsons act. This argument alone makes flag burning illegal. Gregory Johnson should have been punish...

Primary Source Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Primary Source Evaluation - Assignment Example REBA is an assessment tool that can be used to assess the performance of employees giving recommendations to the suitability of the jobs that they do The assessment tool provides categories upon which score are given depending on the critical tasks that the job poses to the employee, this is achieved by assessing the different postures and giving scores to each region. The Reba value totals represent the scores in the groups. The decision table which is shown at the end of the table is used to tell the level of risk that the particular worker is exposed to. After getting the final tally, a recommendation can be given to cushion the employee against an extreme risk that could be exhibited from the assessment. The work is then replaced or dropped. The following is an assessment of a worker, who has been shovelling snow for considerable lengths of time. Step 13 here, he gets (+13) since it can b seen that the one or more of his parts of the body. Similarly its evident that he held on for a long period of time, at least more than a minute. This means that with regard to table C I have to add his activity score 1 = 11 (REBA 2012) The final assessment score becomes 11. According to REBA assessment worksheet, the worker is exposed to a high risk. The best solution is therefore to change the kind of work that he is doing or to discourage it completely for the best interest of the employee.  

Bacterial cells Quantification Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bacterial cells Quantification - Lab Report Example Additionally, the information provided by this can be used to discover the effect of an enzyme on bacterial cell count – if an enzyme increases reproduction or lyses cells, this is discoverable by comparison to the absorbance graph created using known concentrations. In this experiment, the activity of lysozyme is studied. Lysozyme is the name of a glycoside hydrolase which damages cell walls by catalysing hydrolysis of the links between two key components of peptidoglycan – N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (Pommerville, 2007). It is notable that lysozyme is present in many human excretions, such as saliva and tears, and this forms one of the body’s many natural antimicrobial techniques. It is also notable that lysozyme is more effective against Gram-positive cells because the cell walls of these bacteria have a higher concentration of peptidoglycan (Pommerville, 2007). An additional experiment was performed to test the effect of certain antibiotic s on bacterial cells. This is always an important test because of the current crisis in clinical practice due to the increasing amount of bacteria that are highly resistant to many or all of the available antibiotics (Neu, 1992). This can be done in several ways, but antibiotic disc sensitivity testing is particularly useful as it allows a test of several antibiotics on one sample of organism, allowing us to be certain that all the microbes are the same and thus reducing the possibility of false results. Results Antibiotic Effect on Various Bacteria Antibiotic/Dose Escherichia coli (-) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (-) Staphylococcus aureus (+) Bacillus subtilis (+) AP/25?g S R S S GM/10?g S S R S PY/100?g S R S S NA/30?g S R S R NI/50?g R R S S SM/200?g R R R R T/100?g S R S R TS/25?g S R S S NI at a dose of 50?g is effective only against Gram-positive microbes. TS at a dose of 25?g and T at a dose of 100?g, as well as NA at 30?g, PY at 100?g, GM at 10?g and AP at 25?g all appear to be ef fective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Micrococcus lysodeikticus Concentration vs. Absorbance at 450nm Micrococcus lysodeikticus (cells/ml) Absorbance at 450nm 0 0.000 6.25 x 106 0.406 1.25 x 107 0.274 2.5 x 107 0.301 5.0 x 107 0.455 1.0 x 108 0.870 Unknown 0.599 The general trend appears to be that absorbance is higher with a higher concentration of cells per ml. Absorbance = (0.000000008 * cell concentration) + 0.21 We can thus work out the unknown value by rearranging this formula – Absorbance – 0.21 = 0.000000008 * cell concentration Cell concentration = (Absorbance – 0.21)/0.000000008 Unknown = 48625000 or 4.8625 x 107 Effects of Lysozyme Solution on Viable Cell Count – Shown Using Absorbance Time (minutes) Absorbance of the M. Lysodeikticus standard containing 5.0 x 107 cells/ml 0 0.414 3 0.350 6 0.337 9 0.333 12 0.320 15 0.300 The longer the cells are left in the lysozyme solution, the less absorbance is shown. Discussion A s noted in the discussion, lysozyme is more effective as a antimicrobial towards Gram-positive cells due to the larger amounts of peptidoglycan in the cell walls of these organisms. As can be seen here, lysozyme has a very distinct effect on the absorbance measurements from the M. lysodeikticus standard which increase substantially with time, suggesting that there are less viable cells the longer the organism is left in the presence of