Effective Communication in the Workplace

Effective Communication in the Workplace Communication is an important aspect of any work place. It can consist of verbal and nonverbal messages. Effective communication, especially in the field of computer technology, is essential to work place productivity. Communication is considered to be effective when both parties involved have the same understanding of the message being sent. Effective Communication doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out affair or an elaborate meeting. It can be short and simple; precise and to the point. It can be a manager walking down sending a short email to one of his assistants to request an update on the necessary protocols for a new system. Another example of effective communication could be a coworker reminding another coworker of a mandatory section meeting at 2:00 P.M. later the same afternoon. Neither of these exchanges took a long time, but they are direct and to the point. This is what makes for effective communication. (McIntosh, 2008) Verbal messages are one form of communication. Verbal messages consist of words spoken between two or more people. They can take place face to face or via the telephone or other electronic medium like video conferencing. Interpersonal communication makes up the majority of your every-day communication. This includes conversations with your family, friends, and coworkers. (Wood, 2014) One thing to remain aware of in your verbal messages is the clarity and ambiguity. A lot of problems in communication stem from simple misunderstandings. To avoid this, we must make a conscious effort to refrain from using ambiguous language in our conversations. Focusing on clarity and ambiguity reminds me of a time when I was in the military. In 1979, I was stationed in a remote location in Greece. I often worked with Greek personnel to accomplish daily jobs. During this time, I became very familiar with the saying â€Å"always tomorrow.† I found out early during my stay in Greece that the Greek work for tomorrow is pronounced, â€Å"av-iee-o†. When requests were made of our Greek counterparts, their answer would always be â€Å"av-iee-o†, meaning tomorrow. When the next day came, the work was expected to be completed. When the work was not received, a follow up would be made and the answer again was simply, tomorrow. I later found out that when requests were made, a specific time and date needed to be stipulated because â€Å"tomorrow† from my Greek counterparts equated to whenever they were finished. I truly found out the meaning of â€Å"always tomorrow† the hard way. After learning this, every request was given with an absolute time and date for expected completion. This scenario is not subject to just my experiences in the military. Misunderstandings like this can be avoided by utilizing as much clarity in your communication as possible. Other issues with clarity can stem from using slang and jargon. Using slang can be a slippery slope. While it may be perfectly fine for use with your friends and family in a less formal setting, it can leave your bosses and clientele with a negative impression of your competence. It can also be confusing if not everyone understands your slang. Jargon, on the other hand is more technical is sort of short-hand and can be quite useful on the job. Like slang, however, it can be confusing to people outside of your company or industry. So, it is not advisable to use jargon too much in formal communications, especially communications with clients or people from other industries. Keeping your communication clear, but concise can help avoid giving ambiguous statements that leads to confusion and misunderstandings. (Flood, 2008) Words can be an effective tool in moving people’s emotions. They can be used to motivate individuals to work harder. Conversely, they can evoke feelings of anger and provoke a defensive stance from the recipient. For this reason, another characteristic of verbal messages to avoid is using inflammatory language. â€Å"Inflammatory language is one of the most common causes of conflict escalation.† (Askin, 2003) The fact that words can evoke such negative feelings is enough of a reason to try to avoid the use of inflammatory language. It is obvious you should avoid words that promote negative feelings of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more. Trigger words are so inflammatory that they can instantly invoke a severe emotional response. It is important to realize how inflammatory they can be. What might seem to be simple and innocent to you could in fact be a trigger word to someone else. You should first accept that you have trigger words of your own and learn to be aware of them. Then you can start to be more aware of the fact that others will have a reaction to what you say, be it negative or positive. What you say is not the only thing that matters in communication. You must also be aware of how you say it. Nonverbal communication includes the tone you use, your facial expressions, gestures, body language and more to help convey your messages and give them a deeper meaning. (Wood, 2014) It is all the ways you express yourself without actually using words. Nonverbal messages are extremely important, especially in work place communication. The way you say the words you use to communicate, your body language and gestures, even your posture can all contradict what you are actually saying. Some research has shown that people tend to believe the nonverbal cues displayed when someone’s verbal and nonverbal communication are not in sync. Friedrich Nietzsche once stated, â€Å"All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses.† (Smith, 2013) This can be applied to the importance of nonverbal communication. The overall morale of an office can have a great impact on its productivity. Nonverbal messages can have a significant impact on the morale. For instance, an employee gives a presentation to their manager. Throughout the presentation, the employee sees the manager yawning and fidgeting a lot. One thing this employee might think is that the manager is not interested in the presentation at all. This can cause the employee to lose some of their â€Å"zeal† for working there and lower their morale. With lowered morale, the employee’s production begins to slip over time. (Ray, n.d.) One of the â€Å"problems† with nonverbal behavior is that it can be somewhat ambiguous. It is easy to interpret someone’s body language the wrong way. For instance, in the example above, the employee could have mistaken the manager’s yawning as showing their lack of interest in the topic. However, the yawning could just as easily been caused by a lack of sleep the night before. The constant fidgeting could have been due to drinking too much coffee before the meeting to compensate for a lack of sleep. (Adler, 2014) Even though nonverbal communication can be easily misinterpreted, it is still important to be careful of the images you convey. Even though what you say through verbal communication is still very important, how you say it can determine how much your audience retains. Dustin York is an assistant professor at Maryville University. He conducted an experiment to determine how much of a factor nonverbal communication really played in the retention of information from presentations. During his experiment, he used 4 university classes totaling 80 students. Each of the classes had a guest lecturer giving the exact lecture. The wording and information was all the same, but each guess was instructed to vary their nonverbal cues throughout the lecture. Two lectures were instructed to use effective nonverbal communication in the presentations, while the other two were instructed to use poor nonverbal communication. The students were all given the exact same test after the lectures. York found that the students attending the lectures with effective nonverbal communication scored approximately 30% higher than students of the other lectures. (York, 2013) Effective communication requires both verbal and nonverbal communication to work together. It has been determined that nonverbal communication works with verbal communication to either reiterate the message, contradict the message, emphasize the message, or complement the message. You should be careful not to use nonverbal cues to contradict the message too much or you can appear to be untrustworthy. (Wood, 2014) Effective communication is a vital key to any successful workplace. In the computer technology field, coworkers rely on each other to relay accurate information. In dealing with clients, it is important to be able to communicate with them effectively. You must remember to speak clear and concise messages. This will allow you to improve your clarity and reduce any ambiguities. You must also be careful of what you say. Stay away from slang, jargon and inflammatory words, especially trigger words so that your audience can remain receptive to your message. Just as important, if not more, be cognizant of the nonverbal messages that you send. While your verbal messages are important, you must always be aware of the effect that your nonverbal cues add to them. Combining the effective use of both verbal and nonverbal communication can lead to increased productivity in the workplace. References: McIntosh, Perry, et al. Interpersonal Communication Skills In The Workplace. [New York?]: American Management Association, 2008. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 11 July 2014. Akin, Jennifer. Escalation-Limiting Language. . Beyond Intractability, 1 Sept. 2003. Web. 10 July 2014. http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/escalation-limiting-language>. Wood, Layne. Verbal Versus Nonverbal Communciation. . Live Strong, 12 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 July 2014. http://www.livestrong.com/article/157893-verbal-communication-vs-nonverbal-communication/>. Ray, Linda. Nonverbal Behavior in the Work Place. . Demand Media, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/nonverbal-behavior-workplace-2851.html>. Smith, Jacquelyn. 10 Nonverbal Cues That Convey Confidence At Work. . Forbes, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 July 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/11/10-nonverbal-cues-that-convey-confidence-at-work/>. York, Dustin. 5 Keys to Great Nonverbal Communication. . Ragans PR Daily, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 11 July 2014. http://prdaily.com/Main/Articles/5_keys_to_great_nonverbal_communication_15623.aspx. Flood, Timothy E.. MBA fundamentals: business writing. New York: Kaplan Pub., 2008. Adler, Ronald B. Communicating at Work 11th Edition. : McGraw-Hill Education, 2014.

Terrorism: Causes, Effects and Prevention Strategies

Terrorism: Causes, Effects and Prevention Strategies In the last quarter of the century, there is a dramatic change in most of the terrorist activities, as they are well-planned, with a purpose to accomplish a precise identifiable and seemingly attainable political goal. In the past, most of the terrorist activities involved incidents like high-jacking an aircraft or the taking of a hostage following which certain demands were made. Their aim was usually to release their friends, or group leaders from prisons. Terrorism in the last few decades has taken a more violent and destructive turn, and quite often the demands are not made. Terrorism today is an act which is sudden, unprovoked, sheer brutal attack on innocent civilians killing several people in a crowded market or a gathering. Most of there terrorist attacks have had a political objective, which have now become rather diffused since the 9/11 attack. It now seems that the idea is to create fear and panic, and primarily to get publicity through the television news and print media According to several orthodox cultures, the terrorists resorted to this particular type of extremism as the only way for accomplishing political change. Also it appears to be interconnected to globalization and the increased impact of the United States and other Western countries. This has added to the resentments of the people of that part of the world. Thus it is the larger developments, changes in the international political structure, and expansion of globalization throughout the world that explains this trend in terrorism. The sixty years of suffering of the Palestinians and their unsuccessful efforts to get an independent state is one of the major reasons for the unrest in the Muslim World. The recent siege (412 Palestinian children perished between the 27th of December 2008 and the 18th of January 2009 as a result of the bombings and atrocities carried out by the Israeli Occupying Forces The end year of 2009 inevitably This markeds the First Year Memorial of Operation Cast Lead, when almost 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians were killed during the course of a brutal military operation carried out by Israeli authorities. Thousands more were wounded or displaced. 412 Palestinian children perished between the 27th of December 2008 and the 18th of January 2009. These children were killed as a result of the bombings and atrocities carried out by the Israeli Occupying Forces) affected the Palestinian social fabric completely. As the trauma grows with every violent incursion into Palestinian communities; hatred and tendency of revenge also increases among them. During the Gulf War, and more recently in Afghanistan, the terrorist groups often resort to psychological warfare because its the only tactic they have available to them. They dont have M-16s, and we have M-16s. They dont have the mighty military power that we have, and they only have access to things like kidnapping, says Haroun, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. (cited in Warner, 2005).1 In reality these terrorist attacks does not harm the enemy physically very much, as few people could be killed in an attack. But the repercussions are tremendous from the psychological point of view. Ordinary people viewing the terrorist attack in person or watching it on television, gets anxious, terrified, and often develop a sense of foreboding fear, which in turn may lead to demoralization in the entire society. Psychological Terror Whatever is their modus operandi, terrorists share very similar aims. Alexander and Klein (2006)[1] concisely identified the aims of terrorism as follows: To create pervasive fear, anxiety and panic To generate a collective and individual sense of helplessness, vulnerability and hopelessness To demonstratereveal the incompetenceineffectiveness and/or inabilityincapability of the authorities to provide security and protectionsafety against such opponents And provoke the establishment into errors or over-reactions which will disaffect the general public or specific influential bodies. The last point is essentially vital as observed by the widespread concerns as for example the shooting of an innocent man by the Metropolitan Police in London sometime ago (as a result of consequent to the wrong information that he was a suicide bomber); the incarceration of terrorist suspects in high security prisons of Guantanamo Bay and Belmarsh; and the introduction of repressive legislation. Moreno (2003)[2] has persuasively proven how easy it is in a democratic society to subordinate hard-earned civil liberties to the need to introduce counter-terrorist legislation. The terrorist attacks provide harsh reminders that in todays world, one does not know what news may come next on television or other news media. Particularly disturbing television images of horrific incidents can trigger the innate startle response no matter how close or far away from home the event happened. Historically, every military clash has led to psychological warfare in some form in one way or another as th e enemy aims to break the morale of their opponent. Due to progress in technology; the popularity of the internet; and increase of news coverage, the rules of engagement in this type of psychological battle have changed. Whether it is a substantial attack or a single dreadful act, the effects of psychological warfare are not restricted to the physical damage it produces. Instead, the intent of these attacks is to instillinstil a sense of fear that is much greater than the actual threat itself. According to Professor Richard Bulliet of Columbia University: There are various ways to have your impact. You can have your impact by the magnitude of what you do, by the symbolic character of target, or the horrific quality of what you do to a single person. Interestingly the way media covers the event in fact determines the effect on the people. For instance, according to Bulliet, the Iranian hostage predicament, in 1979, which though lasted for 444 days, was infact actually one of the most harmless of (word harmless) criticalthings events that occurredhappened in the Middle East in the last 25 years. All the U.S. hostages were released ultimately unscathed., butHowever this hostage event remains a psychological scarblemish for manyseveral Americans who watched powerlessly, each evenings newscast, they counted days the hostages were being held in custody. The terrorists often take advantage of images of a group of masked individuals coercing and intimidating exerting total power over their captives to sendconvey the message that the act is a collective demonstrationdisplay of the groups power rather than an individual criminal act. You dont have the notion that a certain person has taken a hostage. Its an image of group power, and the force becomes generalized rather than personalized. The randomness and the ubiquity of the threat give the impression of vastly greater capacities. (cited in Warner, 2005).[3] Remote Repercussions of Terrorist Attacks When a horrific event occurs, it is natural to feel disturbed, even if the act occurred thousands of miles away. The human reaction is to put oneself in the situation because as normal human beings, people have the capacity to empathize. And consequently these people may develop similar psychological symptoms. Witnessing an act of psychological terror can also disrupt our belief system, says Charles Figley, PhD, director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute. (cited in Warner, 2005).[4] We walk around, psychologically, in a bubble, and that bubble represents our belief system and values. Most often we assume incorrectly that other people have the same values and social niceties as we do. When that is violated or challenged, the first response is usually an effort to protect our beliefs and, in other words, to deny that it actually happened. When A s soon as confronted with proof of terror, such as pictures of atrocities, Figley says there are a few different waysdifferent ways in which people typically react: They perceive perpetrators to be inhumane. Become fearful as they perceive they are living in a callous and unsafe world because the graph bar of inhumanityhumanity has been lowered even further. Believe that its only a fleeting incident which could be easily explained away or deconstructed by precise things that have taken place, such as if we hadnt done this, then that would not have happened. Its uncomfortable believing that the world is less safe, so we have to imagine or construct a scenario that will allow us to feel more safe again and resist change, says Figley. There is an interesting and strange symbiotic relationship between terrorism and the media. Bruce Hoffman, the director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, in his book Inside Terrorism has written a clear summary of some of the major historical trends in international terrorism. He makes careful distinctions between the motivations that drive political (or ethno-nationalist) terrorism and religious terrorism, and he explains also shows why the rise of religious terrorism, coupled with the increased availability of weapons of mass destruction, may foretellpredict an eraepoch of even greater violence. In the past, Hoffman argues, the main goal of the terrorist was not to kill and destroy, but to attract media attention to his cause in the hope of initiating reform. For the religious terrorist, however, violence is first and foremost a sacred act or divine duty executed in direct response to some theological demand or imperative religious terrorists see themselves not as components of a system worth preserving but as outsiders, seeking fundamental changes in the existing order. (Hoffman, 2006).[5] In this context Hoffman does not choose sides, he refers to in this framework, pointing to the bombings of the World Trade Center ,and Oklahoma City and the Tokyo,to the Sarin nerve gas attacks, in Tokyo in order to demonstrate that radicalsfundamentalists of any religious denomination are capable of extreme acts of terrorism. Terrorism is an aggressive-hostile action which is mainly intended to harm and terrify civilians, in order to promote a particular aim, or with an the idea, which may be social political or other. The terrorist attacks, are now gaining major importance than wars in the news headlines worldwide Terrorism and its Effects on Mental Health Whether its a massive attack or a single dreadfulhorrific act, the effects of psychological warfare are not restrictedlimited to the physical damage inflicted. Infact the primary objectivestead, the goal of these attacks is to inculcate a sense of fear whichthat is much greater than the actual threat itself. Therefore, the impact of psychological terror depends largely on how the acts are revealedpublicized and interpreted. Typical reactions to major trauma on the individuals and communities are well-documented but the literature on the individual reactions to terrorist incidents is scarce. Most of the reactions at the initial phase following trauma are normal reactions and only few individuals display florid psychopathology. (Alexander and Klein, 2006).[6] Normal individual reactions to a terrorist attack are: Emotional Reactions : shock, numbness, denial , fear, anxiety , helplessness, hopelessness. Cognitive dysfunctions as disorientation, confusion ,intrusive thoughts, images, memories ,hypervigilance (i.e. increased sense of risk),impaired concentration and memory. Changes in social interaction, like withdrawal ,irritability ,loss of trust and faith , avoidant behaviour (i.e. of any reminders of the event). Physical reactions as autonomic hyperarousal , ,loss of energy. insomnia Autonomic hyper-arousal, insomnia, loss of energy. Emotional shock, numbness, denial, fear, anxiety helplessness, hopelessness. Cognitive disorientation, confusion, intrusive thoughts, images, memories.Hyper-vigilance, impaired concentration and memory. Social withdrawal, irritability, loss of trust and faith, avoidant behaviour (i.e. of any reminders of the event). These normal reactions comprise most of the core symptoms of PTSD, i.e. intrusive experiences, hyper-arousal and avoidant behaviour, as defined in the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (ICD-10; WHO, 1992).[7] For a formal diagnosis of PTSD, such symptoms must be experienced for at least a few weeks. (The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV] also necessitatesrequires that such symptoms mustto be present for one month. (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).[8] In addition the impact on individuals, terrorism has mass psychogenic impacts. Mass psychogenic illness has been defined as: The rapid spread of illness signs and symptoms affecting members of a cohesive group, originating from a nervous system disturbance involving excitation, loss or alteration of function whereby physical complaints that are exhibited unconsciously have no corresponding organic aetiology. (Bartholomew Wessely, 2002). [9] As regards community reactions, they may present with distinct features. Tyhurst provides a three phase model of community response. (Tyhurst, 1951).[10] In Phase I, most individuals are liable to be stunned, numbed or even in denial. Denial was the commonly reported reaction among the office staff of Capital Hill, Washington DC following the anthrax scare in 2001. It took some time for the affectees to realize they might have been exposed to a toxic substance. North et al., 2005).[11] Widespread panic is not a typical reaction (though widely depicted in disaster films, etc.). Approximately 10 per cent of victims are likely to panic, and this reaction is most likely when victims believe they are trapped and feel helpless. Durodie Wessely, 2002).[12] In the 1987 Kings Cross underground fire most passengers did not panic; on the contrary, they sought out the usual methods of entry and exit. (Donald Canter, 1992).[13] Similar personal reactions were observedgiven after the London terrorist incidents of July 2005. Hence the civil contingency planning clearly should not be based on ill-informed assumptions about human behaviour. Even in extreme situations human behaviour can be rational, altruistic, and even heroic. In Phase II which is the Recoil Phase, individuals seek to make sense of what has happened. They seek reunion with their common sources of support, e.g. families, friends and colleagues. Even makeshift groups may develop as individuals seek understanding and mutual support. During this period, the community develops a sense of order and control, and the concerned relief authorities can do a lot much to facilitate this step towards recovery.. Phase III, the Recovery Phase is characterized by alternating episodes of adjustment and relapse and there may be some obvious examples of resilience and positive outcomes. Further comprehensive research studies must be A lot of research still needs to be done in order to understand how communities cope with chronic exposure to threat and adversity, but Jones and his colleagues have reassessed the social effects of air raids in Great Britain during the Second World War. They indicate a high level of civilian resilience developed during that period. (Jones et al., 2004).[14] Similarly, law enforcement authorities have commented on the apparently low level of violence-related psychopathology reported in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Clinical data is still not enough to identify It is unclear, as to what are the protective factors in these circumstances. Extensive denial, social cohesiveness, a united front against a common enemy or some other as yet undetermined influences could be termed as protective factors. Mental Health Studies Mental health research studies are conducted worldwide to explore the effects of terrorism both on the individuals and the community. Whereas some emphasize the psycho-pathological effects of terror (Galea, Ahern, Resnick et al., 2002),[15] others focus on the human suffering, which is not identical to psychiatric morbidity (Wessely 2003),[16] and on community and cultural factors that enable people to endure the stressful event (Hobfoll, 2003).[17] This conflict between two distinct approaches (Wessely, 2003) ishas yet to be bridged. Any horrific event can affect people directly or indirectly even if they are not the targets. Hence the target of the interventions is not the individual victim only, but all the people more indirectly affected by the incidence. An impartial approach may be suitable. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines for action during emergencies which seem to support such a stand (WHO, 2003).[18] Experiencing or witnessing a violent attack does not necessarily mean that the individual will inevitably develop psychiatric morbidity (Curran, and Miller, 2001).[19] After the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City, it was observed that: In the aftermath of terrorist attacks, many Americans regarded their distress as a normal reaction rather than a disorder needing [psychiatric] care. (Drus and Marcus, 2004).[20] Presently available data suggest that it takes more than the agent (e.g., threat to life) to lead to psychopathology. Indeed, the role of the environment is of significance, as a part of the epidemiological triangle that has been discarded by a greater focus on host-related factors (e.g., gender or age of the victim). ) A study on adults have recognized a group of factors, including religious beliefs, ideological commitment and social capital, that have protected communities which were highly exposed to terrorist attacks (like the loss of dear ones, physical injuries and property damage etc). Ideology and religion may be used as a healing power, but also as a weapon. This is especially true in the [Middle East] region. (Solomon, and Laufer (2005);[21] Shalev et al.; Shalev,[22] Tuval-Mashiach Hadar, 2004; Kaplan et al.; Kaplan,[23] Matar, Kamin, et al., 2005; Billig, Kohn, and Levav, 2004).[24] All the research data today gives hope that, by advancing research on the mental health effects of war-related activities will be conducive to the development of new techniques to counter the psycho-social aftermath of wars and other such traumatic events., Ppsychiatrists worldwide are joining the call by WHO member states to devise means to restore the psycho-pathological damage sustained by victimized populations. The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) has been active in the recent Gaza Massacre,by giving an official statement. (See Mario Maj. statement in Chapter 1V -Wars in the Muslim World1).[25] Nonetheless On the other hand, psychiatrists could play other roles even at the risk of raising idealistic initiatives which cynics might like to dismiss. There are several possibilities open for psychiatrists who, by the nature of their profession can, besides promoting health, support peace rather than war. Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals from countries in conflict could engage in alliance in a number of activities (e.g., teaching, exchange of experiences in program development and services, communication), while they are actively, tenaciously and continuously supported by WPA. Most importantly, psychiatrists must endeavour to make their societies even more ardently aware that in armed confrontations no one is a winner but that everyone is a victim. The model of collaboration in the Balkans, where mental health is a bridge to reconciliation within the framework of the Stability Pact, is a concrete example of what could be achieved when a unifying language is spoken, and when such an effort is reinforced by dedicated support from sources that are not part of the conflict. Terrorism is a paradox—a topicalcontemporary, high-profile subject with clear relevance to the real-world today relevance, yetNevertheless with limited authentic and desperate shortage of research data available es in the area. Therefield there is an urgent need to encourage the younger researchers to take a keen n interest in continuing maintaining research activities .y in the area. Psycho-Social Effects of Terrorism on the Muslim World While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer, nothing is more difficult than to understand him. (Mikhailovich Dostovsky) The Muslim World has endured a succession of terrorist attacks in the last decade and faced the war against terrorism with endurance and resilience. The countries most affected were Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and particularly the FATA region in Pakistan which has been labelled as the centre of terrorist training. Pakistan also became the first line of defense in this War on Terror. The most distressing aspect of this war is the amount of destruction, damage and killing of innocent civilians of these regions. Ironically the damage done following the declaration of this war is to a large extent much greater than the loss which resulted due to the actual terrorist incident of 9/11 in New York. The Muslims worldwide have confronted the worst degree of terrorism from the powers who claim to bring peace and justice in the world. It is logical and justifiable to control and battle against those who are involved in such degrading and inhumane acts of terrorism, however, some contemplation is necessary to remodel unreasonable and illogical methods or strategies chosen to fight this terrorism. The international media has been a major partner in this war against terrorism and played a key role in portraying religious extremism in Islam as the major cause of present-day terrorism. But this is untrue since Islam is primarily a religion of peace, love and harmony. Unfortunately, clerics who have limited knowledge of the teachings and values of the Islam have misguided some people for their vested interests. The misinterpretation of the teachings of Islam by irresponsible clerics has led to fanaticism. Islam is the most practical religion of the world. As narrated by Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi:[26] The concept of human rights in Islam is based on two important principles: dignity of human beings and justice. Islam emphasizes that all human beings are honoured by Allah subhanahu wa taala. Allah wants all human beings to live in peace and harmony and for this reason He wants us to establish justice in this world. Without justice there is no dignity and without dignity and justice there cannot be any peace. There are several passages in the Holy Quran verifying the above narration: If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God (Allah) hath revealed, they are (no better than) unbelievers. (Holy Quran 5:44). o ye who believe! Stand out firmly for God (Allah), as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear God (Allah). For God (Allah) is well-acquainted with all that ye do. (Holy Quran 5:8). Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. Violating this rule is equivalent to killing all of humanity: if anyone slew a person — unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land — it would be as if he slew the whole people. (Quran 5:32). Hence the Holy Quran advocates that death of a single human being is a death of humanity. At present it is vital to understand that words terrorism and war against terrorism apparently seems to be propaganda against Islam and Muslims. Such perceptions against Islam and the Muslims have taken a toll on the social, psychological and emotional well-being of Muslims in different parts of the world. (Zafar, 2007).[27] Psycho-Social Impacts of Gaza Conflict: On 31 January 2008, the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) organized a Conference on Effects of Siege on Life and Mental Health of Palestinians in Gaza Strip. Taysir Diab, Clinical Psychiatrist and Supervisor at GCMHP, talked about the mental impacts of the siege based on GCMHPs experience. He stated that there It is not one, but were a group of bio-psycho social factors that which caused mental illness. Diab of these factors under the siege on Gaza; and that the and its psychological, physical and social impacts of these factors were clinically identifiable. The siege, he said, had a direct effect on the appearance of new psychiatricmental cases and the relapse of old ones. There are personal differences on the physical and psychological levels; there are protective factors such as religion, patriotism, norms and values, as well as social support. All these factors along with others contributed in the protection of individuals. and the development of new mental illnesses in the Palestinian people. According to Diab, a vast majority of the Palestinian populations were suffering from symptoms of psychiatricmental disorders. He pointed out that the clients of GCMHPs Community Centers suffered from various psychological problems, including panic, insecurity feelings of insecurity, easily provoked aggressiveness, anger, easily provoked, psychosomatic disorders, depression, frustration, low morale, fear, poor concentration, lack of belonging or affiliation, lack of confidence in self and others, emotional numbness,numbness, and PTSD symptoms., various physical complaint, Oobsessiveon-Ccompulsive Disorders were common, and there was a definite rise in illness relapses.rise in illness relapses. Diab further mentioned that the siege affected the vulnerable groups, in particular children who suffer increasingly from fear, panic, and at times apathylack the feeling of risks, tendency of sadness and insecurity feelings of insecurity., as well as Bbed-wetting and stutteringstuttering, was also a common presentation. He also pointed that the siege affected the mental health professionals in term of increasing their mental stresspressures and state of frustration, avoidance, nervousness, and professional burn-out. Furthermore, Ahmad Abu Tawahina, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Director General of GCMHP, statedmentioned that the major aimplan behind the siege imposed by Israel wasis to implantinstil panic and fear among the Palestinians citizens. He said: We, as Palestinians, must never live a frustrating and despairing life and have to get rid of the negative impacts of siege since life goes on, and the professionals must exert all efforts in order to help people cope with the difficult situations. Twahina also stated that it was vital that Palestinians should not drown in terror and fear since most of the above mentioned symptoms are natural reactions to a madcrazy reality. He also addressed the concept of victimof victim psychology and commented on the importance of offering the mental services for people who suffer from frequent depressions, and increasing concerns. According to him the mental suffering affects everybody but at different levels, and that theere is depression, anxiety, tension, and despair is prevalent at the entirewhole community levels. In his work paper, . Samir Zaqout, a psychologist at GCMHP, discussedtalked about the social changes resulting from the siege. He statedadded that: the siege started in 1948 when Israeli Occupation practiced siege policy in an attempt to deny the Palestinians their identity: The siege is doubled as it is imposed by Israel and the international community since they didnt allow the Palestinians to practice their rights in a democratic way. Further, Zaqout pointed that the siege affected the Palestinian social fabric and domestic relations as hatred and tendency of revenge increased among the Palestinians. It also affected the moral values and accepting the other as well as increasing inter and intra familial disputes and conflicts. Summing up the proceedings of the Conference Eyad el Sarraj pointed to the significance of highlighting such statistics and showing the direct impacts of the siege on the citizens. He stressed on the importance of the accuracy and avoiding exaggeration in stating any statistics. Sarraj focused on the victim psychology. He said: Since we, as Palestinians, shouldnt adopt the role of victim, and exaggerate in blaming others and defaming ourselves. Our priority should be national reconciliation and unity and supporting the Palestinian resiliency so as to achieve our legitimate rights, endorsed by international conventions. Concluding the conference the mental health experts reiterated that it was crucial that the siege must end and professionals must undertake their roles in the field of education and mental health. This would be the first step in to bring some semblance of normality to the lives of the Gaza Community. This step was vital, in order to enable them to cope with negative consequences of the siege and minimize the resultant burdens. Moreover, it was agreed to work on the promotion of mental resilience programs for ending the siege and developing coping strategies to counter the negative mental health consequences. It was agreed that the Palestinian people are steadfast and live with dignity, and should not bend or despair and take matters positively and effectively in order to resist all schemes aiming at weakening Palestinian social fabric, and to achieve the Palestinian rights in freedom, independence and establishing the Palestinian state. Further, the attendants emphasized the importance of working, as specialists in various fields, on influencing the decision makers in the Palestinian society and acquaint them with the destructive impacts of the siege at all levels, especially the mental health of the future Palestinian generations. The physical and mental health needs of sufferers of Gaza are extremely challenging to address, particularly the psychological and emotional crises. During the last Israeli military strike in the period from December 2008 to January 2009, approximately 1380 Palestinians were killed, of whom 431 were children and 112 women. (United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2009). At least 5380 people were injured, including 1872 children and 800 women. In these improvised settings within health facilities such as maternity wards and operating theatres were transformed into trauma units. The consequences must be drastic in terms of maternal and child morbidity and mortality because 3500 deliveries were expected to have taken place during the twenty-three days of military operations. Findings from a recent UNFPA assessment indicate that, during that period there was an increased number of miscarriages in pregnant women (Shifa, Al Aqsa, Naser, Rafah), and an increased neonatal mortality in Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. (UNFPA, (2009). According to World Health Organization (WHO), only the rough estimates show that during the last Gaza crisis 25000 to 50000 people underwent severe mental stress and need some form of psychological intervention to address long-term effects. Women, separated children, elderly people, and people with prior physical or mental disabilities are at high risk of severe emotional distress than others. The restoration of normal socioeconomic conditions, secure living

Fast Food Restaurants And Food-processing Companies Are the Ghost Murde

The study is to show how the food industry and the fast-food restaurants dictate the laws of the feeding process through the manipulation of people and governments. Nowadays, the food industry calls all the shots of the game and kills little by little the American society and the animal race. The idea is to prove this hidden reality by explaining the process of the fast food restaurants, including their organization, and prove the damages on the human body, either psychologically nor physiologically. Indeed, the fast food restaurants work in cooperation with the food-processing industry, which produces, delivers and fixes the price over the market. But this intensive activity is possible because of the unethical behaviors of the companies ready to do anything to make money: increase the productivity of each living species, including ill-treatments of animals and genetic modification of plants, decrease the costs of production, and increase the seizure of power over Mother Nature . In this context, this research paper leads to the conclusion that everybody is weak in front of the money power bred by the present society. Nevertheless, some people try to fight again this limitless power in the USA with the rapid expansion of the organic food market in the USA but also the interest of famous gastronomic cookers to build restaurants in the USA to answer the demand of high social class. Unfortunately, this is just the start of the food-industry’s revival and it will take a long time to dominate this living hell. The society of the last and present century is composed of busy and in a hurry people. Priority has been given to the work, helped by the philosophy of the American dream: hard work, prosperity and success. In t... ... and nutrient intake profile." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103.10 (2003): 1332-1338. Seelow, Soren. "Monsanto, Un Demi-sià ¨cle De Scandales Sanitaires." Le Monde.fr. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014 Spiroux De Vendomois Joel, Dominique Cellier, Christian Vellot, and Emilie Clair. Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests. Tech. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. Spiroux De Vendà ´mois Joà «l, Franà §ois Roullier, Dominique Cellier, and Gilles-Eric Sà ©ralini. A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health. Rep. International Journal of Biological Sciences May 2005. Web Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. Youtube. N.p., 7 May 2004. Web. "What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs?" What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs? Ed.

Buffalo Bill Essays -- essays research papers

Buffalo Bill   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill, was born into an anti-slavery family. He had a rough childhood, but despite this hardship he grew up to be an adventurous wild west showman, and achieve many historical goals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On February 26, 1846, near the small town of LeClair, Iowa, William F. Cody was born to Isacc and Marry Ann Cody. At the time William had two sisters, Martha and Julia, and a brother, Samuel. But he ended up with three more sisters, Eliza, Helen, and May, and another brother, Charlie. In the first eight years of his childhood, William grew up on a farm his father owned and worked. During this time, William had plenty of space on the Plains to play with his brother Sam and his black dog, Turk. William also had some young Indian friends he met while on a picnic with his sisters. The Indians were trying to steal the Cody's lunch, but Bill stopped them and became friends with them. Besides picnics, young Will also enjoyed riding horses, having pretend Indian fights with Sam, and hunting in the woods. Sadly, Samuel died when he was thrown from his horse. Because of this, William not only lost a brother but he lost a very good friend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1854 William, along with his anti-slavery family, moved near the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. This was not an easy move for the Cody family seeing how most of that part of Kansas was pro slavery. They were worried about this because earlier in Iowa a dispute about slavery between Isacc and his brother Elijah, led to Elijah stabbing Isacc. Luckily, he survived and nothing like this happened in Kansas. While in Iowa, Bill had received no education. After moving to Kansas he attended several sessions of country school organized by his father. In the two and a half months he attended, Bill learned to read and write which would help him in his future careers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to help his family after his father's death in 1857, William took his first job working for the firm, Russel Majors & Waddel, making wagon- train trips across the Plains. It was rough, but William enjoyed these frequent trips. Later, Will road for the Pony Express when it was established in 1860, and was a scout and guide for the Union Army.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the Civil War started in 1863, Bill... ...g buffalo in his show and raising them on his ranch, Bill helped save them from possible extinction. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show also offered Indians employment at a time when their opportunities were few, and many of them, for the first time thus learned of a world beyond the limits of their villages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After 1894 Cody lived on a ranch in the Bighorn Basin in northwestern Wyoming where he raised buffalo. He also founded the town of Cody where he built the Irma Hotel, named after his daughter, which still stands today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On January 10, 1917, near Denver, Colorado, the wild west legend, Buffalo Bill Cody, died. His grave is located on Lookout Mountain, near the town of Golden, Colorado, and can be seen by tourists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buffalo Bill Cody was very important to the west. Even though he made the mistake of killing thousands of buffalo, he realized this and made up for it by repopulating and raising buffalo. Cody was lucky in some aspects; one was living in the wide open Plains. William Frederick Cody should be remembered as a wild west legend who showed what life was like in The Great Plains of America.

How to format a hard drive :: essays research papers

How to Format Your Hard Drive You had a long day at work; the traffic is bumper to bumper on the freeway. You are almost home and you get pulled over and cited a speeding ticket. You finally get home and get on your computer to research some lawyers to get out of that speeding ticket and your computer seems to be not acting right. Well it is time to format the hard drive. If you are like most computer owners, you understand how frustrating and expensive a computer can be. Taking your computer to the repair shop and paying high technician fees can be a thing of the past. Follow my directions and you will not ever have to worry about keeping your computer running again. Before you begin, you need to have a computer and a basic understanding of how it operates. You will need a few 3.5-inch floppy disks, a startup disk, and an operating system disk. The startup disk is a disk that was made especially for your computer. It tells the computer what hardware it has and which type of operating system is going to be installed. The operating system disk is, for most personal home computers, Microsoft Windows. Today the Windows versions would most likely be Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 S.E., Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows X.P. If you have the floppy disks, the startup disk and the operating system disk then you are ready for the next step. Now, you need to decide which (if any) information you do not want erased. This information will be saved on a 3.5-inch floppy. To save on a 3.5-inch floppy you need to insert the disk into the skinny hole on your tower making sure to keep the shiny side down. The drive that you inserted the disk into is called the A-drive. After your disk is inserted into the A-drive open the file you wish to save. Click on the word file and a drop down menu appears. On the drop down menu you will see a list of options. Click on save as. Another window will open and ask you where you would like to save the file and what you would like to name it. Type the name of the file and click on A-drive 3.5 floppy. Do this with everything that you do not want to lose. When you have finished saving, take a deep breath.

Administrative Decentralization

In a centralized organization, the decisions are made by top executives or on the basis of pre-set policies. These decisions are then enforced through several tiers of the organization after gradually broadening the span of control until it reaches the bottom level.In a more decentralized organization, the top executives delegate much of their decision-making authority to lower tiers of the organizational structure. As a correlation, the organization is likely to run on less rigid policies and wider spans of control among each officer of the organization.This paper will consider administrative decentralization, the benefits and potential pitfalls as it pertains to local emergency services. The first section reviews the term administrative decentralization and its various forms. While its followed by the benefits and pitfalls in relations to local emergency servicesAdministrative decentralizationAdministrative decentralization seeks to redistribute authority, responsibility and financ ial resources for providing public services among different levels of governance. Its is the transfer of responsibility for proper planning, financing and public functions management from central government to the local governments, semi-autonomous public authorities or corporations, or area-wide, regional or functional authorities.An example of administrative decentralization is the power of a field office to settle certain claims against the central administration (decentralization â€Å"government† Encarta student 2008). Governments in developing countries have variety of administrative decentralization policies.These range from those that are more widespread in scope and designed to transfer development planning and management responsibilities to local units of government. Others have been more narrowly conceived, deconcentrating or reallocating administrative tasks among the units of central government.The three major forms of administrative decentralization — dec oncentration, delegation, and devolution — each have different featuresDeconcentrationThis is the weakest form of administrative decentralization and is used most often in unitary states. It distributes decision making, authority and financial and management responsibilities, among various tiers of the central government.It can simply shift responsibilities from the central government workers who are in the capital city to those working in local regions, provinces or districts, or it can create strong field management or local administrative capability under the supervision of   the central government ministries.DelegationDelegation is another form of administrative decentralization. It’s more extensive form of decentralization. It works by transferring of responsibility for decision making and administration through semi-autonomous bodies. Such bodies are not wholly controlled by the central government but they are somehow accountable to the government.This is usual ly done by designating responsibilities by creating various forms of public enterprise, housing authorities, transportation authorities, and special project implementation units. These bodies have an enormous caution in decision making. The organization may be excluded from certain law and constraints on regular civil service personnel. They may also charge the customers directly for product consumption.DevolutionDevolution is the third form of administrative decentralization. Governments delegates functions, by transferring authority for decision-making, finance, and management to semi-autonomous units of local government with corporate status.It usually transfers responsibilities for services to districts that elect their own mayors and councils, generate their revenues, and have independent authority to make investment decisions. In such a system, local governments have plain and lawfully recognized geographical boundaries over which they exercise power and within which they perf orm public functions.This form of administrative decentralization underlies nearly all political decentralization.Community services produced by local government include water provisions, wastewater disposal and creating and maintaining streets and parks, education and social welfare, infrastructure development and protecting the citizens’ legal security and the exercise of public authority and police power.Benefits of administrative decentralization in local emergency servicesIncrease coordination; since power has been brought closer to people, it makes the citizen contribute in one form or the other in reducing the risks of hazards. There is also increase in self reliance of the population at reducing risk of hazards and also helps in disaster prevention.Its also believe that bringing power close to people enhance vertical linkages and flexibility among the administrative agencies hence facilitating planning and implementation of local emergency service policies.Administrat ive decentralization also helps government in post-disaster relief compensation programs and international assistance may also act as ‘incentives’ for people to locate to disaster-prone areas. There’s also effectiveness in development and conservation, planning and implementation of various local emergency system.Potential pitfalls of administrative decentralization pertaining to local   emergency   Ã‚  servicesEquilibrium in empowerment; as stated earlier the objectives of a decentralized administration are good, this is characterized by public empowerment, effectiveness in development, increased efficiency and increased coordination. There is usually a problem in achieving equilibrium between the people of different geographic location or in different communities in people empowerment.Administrative decentralization; it's not absolute in its purpose nor is it always efficient or just. It may assist in programs that alleviate poverty or sustainable forest ma nagement but it is not always sufficient. It’s usually a long term process which is to be achieved in stages or phases. The local government also tends to lack the skills in proper management of disaster.Weak; decentralizing power does not mean doing away with control, hence it tend to be more effective under a strong central government. Hence effectiveness might not be accomplished under the weak form of government.Policies; administrative decentralization policies especially those involving devolution should address existing corruption and potential new structures before initiating the necessary change to address them.Staffs; another problem that tend to arise from this form of decentralization pertaining to the local emergency services is the transfer of power to officials who care more about their self interest than the welfare of the community. This can lead to corruption. Another problem may also arise when power is been devolve to an incompetent official.ConclusionCons idering the merit and demerits of administrative decentralization of governance, proper implementation and designation of power and it monitoring will help to prevent local emergencies and its proper management if it occurs. Its makes life better and brings out their innate potentials because they are allowed in the decision making process.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ReferencesDecentralization Thematic Team.(2008). Different forms of decentralization. Decentralization. Retrieved July 7, 2008. From www.ciesin.orgIan, Ferguson, Cherukat, Chandrasekhar an. (2004). What effect is decentralization having on the quest for sustainable forest management in the Asia-Pacific region?   Path and pitfalls of decentralization. Retrieved July 7, 2008. From www.itto.or.jpJean, Bonnal. (2008). A history of decentralization.   Decentralizatio n. Retrieved July 7, 2008. From www.ciesin.orgJohn, Cohen, Stephen, Peterson. (2008). Administrative Decentralization: A New Framework for Improved Governance, Accountability, and Performance. Retrieved July 7, 2008. From www.cid.harvard.

International Development Personal Statement

A degree In International studies will Improve my understanding of the impact of education, health, human rights, the environment, economics, conflict, and other fields on development as well as the Impact of under development on those fields. In Dalton, the multi-adolescently nature of the subject will enable me to explore options for later speculation. My Interest In International development has arisen out of my experiences as a child when I was fortunate to spend extended periods of time In Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.In Thailand and Cambodia I became aware of the plight of refugees and displaced populations. In Vietnam I learnt about the effects of war on the population and the continuing effect of Agent Orange. I also became aware of the difficulties faced by ethnic minorities who don't speak the national language and don't have the same rights as the majority of citizens. From my experiences in South East Asia I can see that although we live in a globalizes world, the benef its of globalization are not spread equally between countries or within countries.Studying International Development will help me better understand why some countries have become developed, some are in the process of developing and some have not developed at all. I would like to understand the satirical forces like colonization, the impact of political systems like socialism and capitalism and the politics of aid such as why some countries receive help while others do not. In addition to understanding the causes of poverty and inequality, I want to understand how to change things for the better.I would like to learn about sustainable ways of lifting people out of poverty and ensuring their basic human rights. I would also like to understand how to ensure that social development doesn't harm the environment. A special interest that I have is to understand how best to assist people in emergencies like natural disasters and war and how to help them recover in the long term. The B progr ammer has enabled me to study a range of subjects from the fields of science and the humaneness rather than confining me to one specific field.I think that this Is excellent preparation for study of a multi- disciplinary course like International Development and topics such as politics, gender, economics, the environment and other global Issues. Although I have found the B programmer challenging, I have appreciated the opportunity It has provided to evolve critical thinking skills and Independent study skills as well as to broaden my outlook on the world in general.I feel the academic rigor of the B programmer has prepared me well for the challenges of undergraduate study. I am a keen sports seasons. I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures. I have enjoyed the greater independence given to students at The Henley College compared to the strict learning styles of conventional schools. I now feel ready to take on the challenge of university study and look forward to making the most of the opportunities that the study of a degree in international development will bring.