Are court and tribunals in the English legal system now Essay

Are court and tribunals in the English legal system now indistinguishable in all important respects - Essay Example The content of the law here include things like criminal offences and civil wrongs. Here the distinction between a crime and civil wrong cannot be stated as depending upon what is done because what is done may be the same in each case. The true distinction lies therefore not in the nature of the wrongful act but in the legal consequences that follow it. The instances above thus are addressed, heard and determined at very different places which bring us to the court system of the English legal system. This court system is divided or subdivided into either the criminal court system which includes the Supreme Court, the court of appeal, crown court, magistrates, high court and Privy Council. The other division is the civil court system which also includes the Supreme Court, the court of appeal, the county court, the magistrates, the high court and the tribunals (Baker, 2009, p. 29). This brings us to our main subject of the courts and tribunals. From the oxford learners dictionary the m eaning of a court is basically a person or body having judicial authority to hear and resolve disputes in civil, criminal, ecclesiastical or military cases. On the other hand a tribunal is a sitting or a group of proceedings how end goal is to establish and deliver a judgment on a specific issue such as a tribunal to resolve an election dispute which in itself is under the guidance and rules of the court system. The Court and the Tribunal In origin, these tribunals are designed as alternatives to what is believed to be the artificial formality of courts of law, and the supposed ignorance of the ordinary judiciary of specialized information regarding particular economic and social relationships. The ordinary man or woman is expected to be able to operate the process without benefit of counsel or solicitors (Blackstone, 2003). It soon begins to appear, however, that the total absence of formality can be a straightforward passport to injustice. Moreover, in rent cases, and cases of unf air dismissal, the landlord or employer could hardly be expected to spend long days in court instead of managing his own business, and therefore might reasonably be expected to employ a professional advocate. The first characteristic led to a widespread extension of the role of the ordinary courts in their supervisory role of subordinate tribunals, the second to an equally widespread demand for the extension (Bailey, et al. 2007, p. 68). The second to an equally widespread demand for the extension of legal aid to tribunals originally instituted with the intention of keeping the lawyers out. One thing, however, has emerged from the development of the tribunal system since the war, and this is the marked preference shown by Parliament and the public for a tribunal consisting of a lawyer in the chair sitting with two seasoned and experienced lay members over trial by judge alone, or trial before a judge and civil jury (Elliott & Quinn, 2011, p. 38). First and foremost, in a court the p urpose of the case is usually to get the culprit of the offence i.e. the wrongdoer and the appropriate punishment to be administered like in instances where a robbery has occurred and the person responsible has been arrested by the persons concerned which in this case might be the police or even the public. This is somehow different from a tribunal whose real and intended purpose is to

Big city vs small town Essay Example for Free

Big city vs small town Essay Matter and Energy Learning Objectives Understand the general concepts of matter and energy-why are these entities important to environmental scientists? Be able to define and give examples of the three laws governing matter and energy-how do these laws affect our understanding of matter/energy quantity and quality Be able to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy Be able to discuss the concept of entropy and how this process affects all living things Check out the chemistry review if you feel you need some additional chemistry background for this section I. One important thing about systems and living things: Life obeys physical laws. Drink some water, eat some food, run to class. The two things that connect these activities and other aspects of life on earth are matter and energy. Matter has mass and occupies space: it is the stuff you and everything else is made of. Matter comes in a variety of forms. We call these different unique types of matter elements. An atom is the smallest unit of an element that has all of the properties of that element. There are 92 naturally occurring elements in nature. These different forms of matter differ uniquely in their physical and chemical properties: carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) differ in their size, reactiveness with other atoms, and other physical and chemical properties. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by ordinary chemical means. An element can be combined with another to make a compound. For instance, hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce water. Scientists use symbols (hydrogen=H, oxygen=O) as a kind of short-hand for describing compounds. For example H2O is mean water is comprised of 2 toms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen II. Energy is a more elusive concept. Formally, it is defined as the ability (or capacity) to do work Work is the product of force and distance. When you are walking up the Hill, you are doing work by applying muscles (force) to move up the Hill (distance). Energy is what you and all living things use to move matter around and to change matter from one form to another. Energy is used to grow your food, to keep you alive (metabolism), to move you from one place to another, and to warm and cool the buildings in which you work and  live. The uses and transformations of matter and energy are governed by certain scientific laws, which unlike the laws people enact, cannot be broken. III. There are three physical laws governing matter and energy that are important to us. A) Law of conservation of matter B) First law of energy (first law of thermodynamics) C) Second law of energy (second law of thermodynamics) A. Law of Conservation of Matter: (everything must go somewhere) We talk about consuming, or using up material resources, but actually we dont consume any matter. We only borrow some of the earths resources for a while C taking them from the earth, carrying them to another part of the globe, processing them, using them, and then discarding, reusing, or recycling them. In the process of using matter we may change it to another form, but in every case we neither create nor destroy any measurable amount of matter. This results from the law of conservation of matter: In any physical or chemical change, matter is neither created nor destroyed but merely changed from one form to another. When you throw away something, remember there is no away. Everything we think we have thrown away is still here with us in one form or another. How does this affect environmental science ? Although we can certainly make the environment cleaner, the law of conservation of matter says we will always be faced with pollution of some sort. This means that we musttrade-off one form of pollution for another. This trade-off involves making controversial scientific, political, economic, and ethical judgments about what is a dangerous pollution level, to what degree a pollutant must be controlled, and what amount of money we are willing to pay to reduce the amount of a pollutant to a harmless level. B. The First Law of Energy (First Law of thermodynamics): You cant get something for nothing You encounter energy in many forms: mechanical, chemical (food and fuel), electrical, nuclear, heat, and radiant (such as light). Scientists usually classify most forms of energy as either potential or kinetic energy. 1) Kinetic energy is the energy that matter has because of its motion and mass. A moving car, falling rock, and the flow of electrons or charged particles called electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. The amount of kinetic energy matter has depends on both its mass and its velocity (speed). Because of its  velocity a bullet fired from a gun can cause more damage that one thrown by hand; and a bowling ball dropped on your foot does more damage that a pool ball. 2) Potential energy: The energy stored by an object as a result of its position or the position of its parts is called potential energy. A rock held in your hand, a bowl of cereal, a stick of dynamite, and a tank of gas are all examples. The rock has stored (or potential) energy that can be released and converted into kinetic energy (in the form of mechanical energy and heat) if it is dropped. Doing work involves changing energy from one form to another. a. When you lift an object, chemical energy (a form of potential energy) stored in the chemicals obtained from your digested food is converted into the mechanical energy (kinetic) used to move your arm and the object upward and into heat given off by your body b. In an automobile engine, the che into electrical energy and heat (low grade form of kinetic energy. c. In an electric power plant, chemical energy from fossil fuels (potential) or nuclear energy from uranium nuclear fuel (potential) is converted into a combination of mechanical energy and heat. The mechanical energy is used to spin the turbine that converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy and more heat. When the electrical energy oscillates through the filament wires in an ordinary light bulb, it is converted into light and still more heat. Note that in all of these transformations, some energy is always lost as heat that flows into the surrounding en vironment. 3) Energy changes: What energy changes occur when you drop a rock? Because of its higher position, the rock in your hand has a higher potential energy than the same rock at rest on the ground. When you drop the rock and it hits and eventually rests on the ground, the rock now has a much lower potential energy. Has the amount of energy changed (i.e., the rock lost energy where did it go?) At first glance it seems so. But according to the first law of conservation of energy, in any ordinary physical or chemical process is neither created nor destroyed but merely change from one form to another. The energy lost by a system or collection of mater under study (in this instance, the rock) must equal the energy gained by the surroundings or environment (in this instance, air molecules pushed out of the way, and soil particles moved by the impact of the rock). This energy law holds for all systems, living and nonliving. Lets look at what really happens. As the rock drops, its potential energy is changed into kinetic energy C both its  own and that of the air through which it passes. The friction created when the rock is drops through the air causes air molecules in the air to move faster, so their average temperature rises. This means that some of the rocks original potential energy has been transferred to the air as heat. When the rock hits the ground more of its mechanical energy is transferred to particles of soil. The energy lost by the rock (system) is exactly equal to the energy gained by its surroundings. Scientists have never seen an instance where energy input does not equal energy output. C. Second Law of Energy (Second law of thermodynamics): You cant break even Energy quality: Because according to the first energy law energy can neither be created nor destroyed, you might think there will always be enough energy. Yet when you fill a cars tank with gasoline and drive around something is lost. If it isnt energy, what is it? The second law of energy, also known as the second law of thermodynamics provides the answer to this question. Energy varies in its quality or ability to do useful work. For useful work to occur energy must move or flow from a level of high-quality (more concentrated) energy to a level of lower-quality (less concentrated) energy. The chemical potential energy concentrated in a lump or coal or a tank of gasoline and the concentrated heat energy at a high temperature are forms of high-quality energy. Because the energy in gasoline or coal is concentrated, they have the ability to perform useful work in moving or changing matter . In contrast, less concentrated heat energy at a low temperature has little remaining ability to perform useful work. Over the years, after investigating millions of conversions of energy from one form to another, scientists have found that some of the energy is always degraded to a more dispersed and less useful form, usually as heat given off at a low temperature to the surroundings. In an internal combustion automobile engine, only about 20% of the high-quality chemical energy available in the gasoline is converted to mechanical energy used to propel the car; the remaining 80% is degraded to low-quality heat that is released into the environment. In addition, about 50% of the mechanical energy produced is also degraded to low-quality heat energy through friction, so that 90% of the energy in gasoline is wasted and not used to move the car. When electrical energy oscillates through the filament wires in an ordinary light bulb, it is converted into a mixture of about 5% useful radiant energy (light) and 95% low-quality heat. It is interesting to note that much of modern civilization is built around the internal combustion engine and the incandescent light that, respectively, waste 90 and 95% of their initial energy input. Some of this waste is due to the energy-quality tax automatically exacted as a result of the second energy law and some is due to technological designs that waste more energy that necessary. Most energy exchange processes occur like this (high quality energy to low quality) but there is one VERY IMPORTANT exception: the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in food by plants and some bacteria.Photosynthesis converts radiant energy (light) from the sun into high-quality chemical energy (stored in the plant in the form of sugar molecules) and low-quality heat energy. If you eat plant food [like spinach], its high-quality chemical energy is transformed within your body to high-quality mechanical energy, used to move your muscles and to perform other life processes, and low-quality heat energy. The process of breaking down food such as sugars to simpler molecules, such as CO2 and water, releasing potential energy in the process, is called respiration. At each step, the low-quality heat flows into the environment. Without the action of plants and bacteria, life as we know it would not exist because animals have no way of turning the radiant energy from the sun into high energy (high quality) food. So, the first energy law governs the quantity of energy available from an energy conversion process, whereas the second energy law governs the quality of energy available. According to the first law we will never run out of energy, but according to the second law we can run out of high quality or useful energy. Not only can we not get something for nothing (the first law), we cant even break even in terms of energy quality (the second law) The second energy law also tells us that high-grade energy can never be used over again. We can recycle matter but we can never recycle high-quality energy. Fuels and foods can be used only once to perform useful work. Once a piece of coal or a tank full of gasoline is burned, its high-quality potential energy is lost forever. This means that the net useful, or high-quality energy available from fossil fuels, uranium, or any concentrated energy source is even less than predicted by the first energy law. d. mical energy stored in the gasoline is converted into mechanical energy that propels the car and is eventually lost as heat (engine heat), friction of the tires with the ground, and energy imparted to the air as it is pushed out of the way by your car.

Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi

Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi Abdullah Almobarraz Religious Information Seeking on Social Media in Saudi Society ABSTRACT Reading and learning about religious information is a habit that Saudis practice to increase their understanding of Islamic rules. It is common now for people to learn about religion from social media. Therefore, the study reports on a survey that was distributed to people in Saudi Arabia to investigate the use of social media technologies for religious information seeking. The objective is to determine if Saudis utilize social media to search for religious information and to understand their information-seeking behaviors when using such a resource. In addition, the study is an attempt to investigate how religious information on social media changes and influences people, and what obstacles and difficulties Saudis encounter when they use social media to obtain religious information. Keywords: Information behavior, Internet resources, Religious information, Saudi Society, Social network, Social media Introduction Social media has become a popular tool used to search for information during the past few years. Currently, a growing number of people use social media in all activities related to their lives. Social media tools can also be excellent for searching out, learning, and publishing religious information. As people become more adept in their use of social media in religious learning and practice, questions begin to emerge about the implications of new media platforms and practices for faith formation, leadership, and religious practice across traditions (Anderson, 2013). By answering these questions, we can come to understand why social media is commonly used to change religious views and deliver beliefs to different types of people. As social media increasingly becomes part of our daily lives, people will find new ways to interact with religion and spirituality. In the digital age, a group of virtual religionists will emerge, comprising individuals who do not affiliate with religious institutions, but are nevertheless engaged in many aspects of a faith community through social networking (Miller, 2011). Research Problem Reading and learning about religious information is a habit that Saudis practice to increase their understanding of Islamic rules. In the past, most people learned about religion from traditional resources, such as attending religious events, reading books and journals, and watching television programs. But with the advent of social media, religious information and resources have become accessible through this new channel. However, we do not know how religion and new forms of social media interact or what impact they have on each other. Indeed, no study has thus far investigated the use of social media or its content on the subject of religion. Therefore, this study explores the extent to which Saudis utilize social media to find religious information and examines how this affects their knowledge and learning style. Specifically, this exploratory study employs a quantitative approach through the distribution of a questionnaire to collect data related to the population. Literature Review Social media plays a clear role in changing the way people talk about faith and share religious information and perspectives, so religious leaders find it a great way to involve younger generations who may not be growing up with religion in their households (Cyprian, 2015). Recent years have seen a concern with the publishing of new information to help religious scholars understand digital media-especially social media. Religious leaders can now find texts to guide them through the construction of websites, blogs, and social media (Hutchings, 2012). However, the use of social media is not limited to religious leaders, but is also used by laypeople. It has increasingly become an important source of religious information for many people in the world (Harvey, 2014). In an average week, one in five Americans shares their religious faith online (Pew Research Center, 2014). In addition to sharing their religious faith, people use social media to share information about their favorite relig ious organizations, activities, preachers, religious resources, Web sites, educational materials, new issues, and much more (Groenpj, 2011). Preston (2011) reported that although it is too early to say that social media has transformed the way in which people practice religion, the number of people discussing faith on Facebook has significantly increased in the past year. This trend is supported by the findings of Tallant (2013), who declared that over 43 million Facebook users are fans of at least one religious page, and 31% of users in the United States list a religion in their profile. At this very basic level, it is possible to see that members of religious groups are using Facebook and are incorporating their religious beliefs into their online activities. As the use of social media evolves into an essential part of peoples daily lives, religious organizations are also using social media tools in increasingly inspired ways to spread their influence and build communities (Newberg, 2013). For example, a recent study in China showed that digital and social media have allowed one of the largest international religious an d benevolent organizations to keep in touch with its more than 10 million followers worldwide, helping it in its mission to provide humanitarian relief (Cheong, Hwang, Brummans, 2014). Religious information in the Islamic world is also in the category of favored information. Baddawy (2014) surveyed 250 Muslim Facebook users and found that the highest percent of them are attracted by religious information. Mustafa et al. (2013) states that the attraction of information may contribute to religious understanding; however, this is reliant on how people perceive the Islamic information shared on social media. Religious information may lead to improper behavior due to various reasons, such as ignorance of a religion, ease of online publishing, and spread of fringe groups (Hammad Faraj Allah, 2011). In Saudi Arabia, over the past few years, social media usage has been one of the most rapidly adopted activities, with more and more users accessing the Internet via their smartphones and tablets (AlJabre, 2013). Research conducted by Global Web Index suggested that almost 25% of the population in Saudi Arabia is active on social media (Zarovsky, 2013). Moreover, a social media agency report showed that there are 3 million Twitter users (around 12% of the population), growing by 3000%, with an average 50 million tweets per month, 840,000 LinkedIn users (4% of the population), and 6 million Facebook users (23% of the population) (Social Clinic, 2014). The adoption of social media has had a great effect on Saudis behaviors and beliefs (Alsharkh, 2012). Religion, for example, is an essential part of society, and so information related to religious issues has a crucial influence upon the cultures and thinking styles of individuals. Almaghthaway (2011) states that these issues used to be delivered by preachers and through traditional resources such as newspapers and audio materials, but in the 20th century, this all began to change. The advent of greater literacy, the deterioration of religious establishments, and new forms of communication such as radio and television all contributed to breaking down the pre-modern modes of religious authority (Almaghthaway, 2011). The late 20th century brought forth a new phenomenon: the creation of Google. It is now common for Muslims to search for answers to religious questions by accessing the Internet. Social media, especially mobile computing devices such as smartphones and tables, contributes to the importance of the Internet as a source of religious information, which fosters discussion of contemporary religious issues. Increasingly, Saudis are posing questions to people they identify as religious authorities through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media apparatuses (Hellyer, 2013). Purpose of the Study and Research Questions Although some research has been conducted on the effects of social media on peoples lives, previous studies have not focused on specific areas of Saudi society. More specifically, no studies have examined the effect of social media on religious information seeking. Therefore, the current study serves to examine this issue by using a descriptive method to investigate how religious information on social media changes and influences people. The study was designed to address four questions central to understanding Saudis information-seeking behavior on social media regarding religious information: To what extent do Saudis use social media for religious purposes? What are the purposes and strategies of searching for religious information via social media? To what extent do Saudis trust social media to obtain religious information? What obstacles and difficulties do Saudis encounter when they use social media to obtain religious information? Methodology This study applied a quantitative research design involving a questionnaire distributed by e-mail to a group of participants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants represent various segments of society. The questionnaire contained 14 items in five categories in order to collect data related to participants use of searches via social media for religious information. The five question categories were (a) the demographics of participants; (b) usage level of social media; (c) purposes of and strategies for use; (d) behavioral trust in social media; and (e) obstacles to social media use. A total of 492 participants completed the questionnaire. Due to the nature of the research, descriptive statistical techniques were used to analyze and report the data. In the following sections, the findings are presented in relevant tables immediately after their corresponding interpretations. Data Analysis and Results Descriptive statistics on each variable of the study are used to investigate peoples use of social media related to religious information. The percentage for each survey item question is reported in the tables that follow. The results are divided into categories that address the previously mentioned five issues, namely the demographic characteristics of participants, social media use, purposes and strategies of use, trust in social media, and difficulties of use. Demographic Characteristics of the Sample As shown in Table 1, participants were relatively equally split by gender, with 54% men and 46% women. As for age groups, 40% were aged 20-30 years, 28% were 31-40 years, 17% were 41-50 years, 9% were less than 20 years, and 5% were in the 51-60 years age group. As for marital status, the majority of participants (62%) were married, 34% were single, 3% were divorced, and only 1% were widowed. As for level of education, half of the participants (50%) had a bachelors degree, 18% had completed high school, 13% held an associate degree, 10% had a masters degree, 6% had a doctorate, and the rest of participants (3%) had not completed high school. In terms of occupation, 45% reported being government employees, 23% were students, 15% were unemployed, 13% were private-sector employees, and 4% were self-employed. Table 1. Demographic characteristics Variable Item Percentage Gender Male Female 54% 46% Marital status Single Married Divorced Widowed 34% 62% 3% 1% Age (years old) 20-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 >60 9% 40% 28% 17% 5% 0 Level of education Less than high school High school Associate degree Bachelors Masters Doctorate 3% 18% 13% 50% 10% 6% Occupation Student Government employee Private-sector employee Self-employed Unemployed 23% 45% 13% 4% 15% Social Media Usage for Searching for Religious Information Table 2 shows the percentage of participants who strongly agree, agree, sometimes agree, disagree, and strongly disagree, respectively, with the use of social media to obtain religious information. Almost half of the participants (47%) agreed or strongly agreed that social media is their preferred source for obtaining religious information. This phenomenon could be a result of the widespread use of social media by Saudi religious scholars. Of the top 10 most-followed users of social media in Saudi Arabia, 5 are religious scholars (Tweepar, 2014). Therefore, a large amount of information related to religion will be available to those who look for it on social media. Table 2. Use of social media to obtain religious information Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 82 17% Agree 148 30% Sometimes agree 189 38% Disagree 48 10% Strongly disagree 25 5% Traditional Resources for Religious Information Participants were allowed to choose more than one option to specify the resources they used to search for religious information before the advent of social media. Table 3 shows that among the different pre-social media resources, Internet Websites were reported by 64% of participants as their primary resource, followed by books (55%). A much smaller percentage of participants (3%) indicated that they used newspapers to obtain religious information. Table 3. Resources used to search for religious information before the advent of social media Resources Frequency Percentage Books 271 55% Journals 19 4% Newspapers 16 3% Audiovisual materials 260 53% Websites 315 64% Other 29 6% Most-Consulted Social Media When seeking religious information, the majority of participants (71%) consulted Twitter, followed by Google+ (42%). Surprisingly, Facebook was consulted for religious information by only 11% of participants. This finding differs from the general state of social media in Saudi Arabia, as Facebook is favored in that country (Social Clinic, 2014). Table 4. Most-used social media for seeking religious information Media Frequency Percentage Twitter 348 71% Facebook 54 11% LinkedIn 10 2% Google+ 207 42% H5 2 1% Other 65 13% Purposes of Using Social Media Related to Religion Alzoman (2012) stated that Saudi youths mostly use social media to understand and learn about new events. This study is consistent with those previous results. As Table 5 shows, learning about religion was the biggest reason (43%) for using social media to obtain information about religion, followed closely by the desire to read posts written by religious scholars (40%) who have a good reputation and are highly popular and by the desire to find answers related to religious issues in society (34%), and by the wish to communicate with religious scholars (12%). Table 5. Purpose for using social media Purpose Frequency Percentage Finding answers to religious issues 166 34% Communicating with religious scholars 61 12% Learning about religion 213 43% Reading posts written by religious scholars 198 40% Other 63 13% Religious Information Sources Although most people use electronic databases and formal Websites rather than personal Websites to locate new information and keep pace with scientific developments in their fields of specialty (Alsharhan, 2002), the search for religious information seems to operate differently. Almost half of the participants (45%) reported that they turn to the personal accounts of religious specialists to find information about religion. This finding may be unsurprising for Saudi Arabia due to the good reputation religious scholars hold within that society. Institutional accounts, by contrast, did not have the same popularity with participants, only 21% of whom reported using institutional accounts (government and nongovernment) for this kind of search. Table 6. Sources for searching for religious information via social media Source Frequency Percentage Government agencies accounts 110 16% Nongovernment agencies accounts 46 7% Personal accounts of religious specialists 308 45% Subject headings and hashtags 201 29% Other 21 3% Handling Information Participants were asked what actions they usually take after finding the information for which they were searching. The majority (68%) declared that they search for other sources to verify the credibility of the information. Because any one can publish information on social media, participants might understandably not trust information the first time they see it. Social media is full of both no credible users and no credible information. Therefore, some users prefer to make some kind of evaluation before accepting information as credible. The behavior of the remaining 32% was as follows: 12% accept the information and use it for their original purpose, 12% discuss the information and comment on it, and 6% publish it in their social media accounts. Table 7. Action taken after obtaining information Action Frequency Percentage Accept it and use it for my original purpose 60 12% Search for other sources to verify the credibility 335 68% Publish it in my social media accounts 30 6% Discuss and comment on it 58 12% Other 9 2% Credibility Participants were asked to report their opinions regarding the credibility of religious information on social media and whether or not it can be trusted. A five-point Likert scale was given to measure this item, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The highest percentage of participants (45%) indicated that they sometimes trusted religious information on social media, whereas 32% of participants either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the credibility of social media. This matches the previous result indicating that users will search for other resources to verify the credibility of information they find on social media. The rest of the participants (24%) indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that social media is credible and trustworthy. Table 8. Religious information on social media is credible and can be trusted Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 20 4% Agree 96 20% Sometimes agree 220 45% Disagree 128 26% Strongly disagree 28 6% Social Media Sufficiency Table 9 shows the percentage of participants who strongly agree, agree, sometimes agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement that religious information on social media is sufficient and meets their needs. A plurality of participants (38%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement, whereas the next highest percentage (33%) thought that it is sometimes sufficient. This is not surprising, because many people feel strongly about their religion and therefore may care about the credibility of religious information more than some other types of information. The information found on social media may be posted by users who are nonspecialists in religion. This leads many people to search for more credible and trusted resources. The rest (29%) of participants agreed or strongly agreed that religious information on social media is sufficient and meets their needs. Table 9. Social media sufficiency Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 16 3% Agree 128 26% Sometimes agree 163 33% Disagree 148 30% Strongly disagree 37 8% Influence on Peoples Thoughts Table 10 reports participants opinions regarding the statement that social media affects religious thoughts on society. The majority of participants (82%) reported that they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. This result is compatible with a referendum conducted by a local newspaper that indicated that social media sites influence the personality of users and change their intellectual and cultural attitudes (Okaz newspaper, 2013). Only a small percentage of participants (3%) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement. This finding shows the strength of social media in Saudi society, further confirming its role in societal and cultural transformation. Table 10. Social media affects religious thoughts on society Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 148 30% Agree 258 52% Sometimes agree 71 14% Disagree 12 2% Strongly disagree 3 1% Presentation and Dissemination of Religious Issues A recent study revealed that social media is very effective at improving the dissemination of information (Allen, Stanton, Di Pietro, Moseley, 2013). The present study reached the same result. Table 11 shows that most participants (76%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that social media is useful in presenting and disseminating religious issues. By contrast, only a small number of participants (8%) reported that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement regarding the positive role of social media in publishing religious opinions and issues. Table 11. Social media is useful for presenting and disseminating religious issues Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 154 31% Agree 223 45% Sometimes agree 76 15% Disagree 31 6% Strongly disagree 8 2% Social Media Censorship Saudi Arabias Internet censorship is considered one of the most extensive in the world, and restricted and blocked Websites include those that are incompatible with Islam (Almobarraz, 2007). Therefore, participants were asked if they believed that the religious content of social media risked censorship. Table 12 shows that the highest percentage (44%) sometimes agreed that religious information on social media was blocked, whereas the next highest percentage (34%) agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. The rest of participants (22%) either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Table 12. Some accounts specializing in religious information are blocked Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 51 10% Agree 118 24% Sometimes agree 216 44% Disagree 84 17% Strongly disagree 23 5% Awareness of Religious Accounts Participants were asked if they were aware of specialized religious accounts. As shown in Table 13, combining the positive responses of agree and strongly agree indicates that a plurality of participants (45%) were aware of specialized religious accounts on social media. The combination of negative responses of disagree and strongly disagree indicates that 25% were unaware of such accounts. The rest of participants (30%) were neutral. Table 13. Knowledge and awareness of accounts specializing in religious information Opinion Frequency Percentage Strongly agree 39 8% Agree 182 37% Sometimes agree 147 30% Disagree 109 22% Strongly disagree 15 3% Presence of Religious Resources on Social Media Participants were asked about the resources they trust to find religious information presented on social

How important is Tourism and Agriculture for the Dominican Republic eco

Thesis Statement How important is Tourism and Agriculture for the Dominican Republic economy. Outline Agriculture †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the base of Dominican economy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  35% labor force †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Produces of Dominican Republic are; coffee, cacao, tobacco, cotton, rice, beans, potatoes, etc. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Dominican agriculturists are responsible for supplying most of the Dominican food to the population. Tourism †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important aspects I the Dominican economy. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because of location, Dominicans people and climate, Dominican Republic is one of the most visited countries in the Caribbean by tourists. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also helps in the social development since they are constantly receiving people from other countries. Draft â€Å"The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily dependent on agriculture, trade, and services, especially tourism. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans, agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $1 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are fasted-growing export sectors.† In the following essay I am going to write about how important is tourism and agriculture is for the Dominican Republic Economy. Agriculture has been the economic base of the Dominican Republic from its beginnings, thanks to the globalization, the foreign trade and the persistence to satisfy to the population in agreement with the new international demands, has caused that the recent governments to be directed towards other forms of finances. The citizens also have been very cooperative interchanging agricultural goods and other simple works by the modern commerce, as they are: businesses, stores, etc. This reason does not make agriculture less important. The farming sector is responsible in replacing most of foods to the Dominican population; which covers 80% of all foods consumed in the Dominican Republic by the small and medium agriculturists. â€Å"The Dominican Republic recently has signed a free trade agreement with the United States. It is anticipated that the Dominican... ... that if they apply ecotourism and make also a good publicity, it will attract more tourists to the country and make a much more prosper economy. On the other hand the agreement they just signed with the United States will help Dominican Republic as well, since it will inject more money to its country. In Dominican Republic there is a lot of poverty and I think that with this agreement people will get more jobs. They both eco-tourism and agriculture will also help a lot of unemployed people that the country currently has, since there are going to be more jobs available to offer and there is going to be more things to do. Reference List †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/dotoc.html †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.nationmaster.com/country/dr/Agriculture †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/dominican_republic/ †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/ †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://aol.countrywatch.com/aol_topic.asp?vCOUNTRY=51&SECTION=APP&TOPIC=SRMAT&TYPE=APPEN

Illustration Essay on Chelsea Football Club

The Blues and the Pensioners — both are names attributed to the London-based football club, because of obviously the color and the traditional name.The club is easily one of the best teams in the world, brushing shoulders with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid. In the current season of 2008-2009, Chelsea is highly regarded by football experts as top contenders not only in the top flight football league in England, the Barclay’s Premiere League but also in Europe’s most prestigious competition, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League.With all trophies except for the Carling Cup still available, it seems that they are on the right track in winning at least one major trophy. Hence, Chelsea is one of the top teams in Europe because of its talent-laden squad from all around the world.World Class PlayersChelsea is arguably the most talented football club in the world. Most of the club’s first team players are also in thei r respective countries’ national team. For example, Petr Cech, the club’s goal keeper, earned the right to wear the number 1 kit for both his club and his homeland, Czech Republic. He has helped Chelsea win back to back Premiership titles in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons. (chelseafc.com) He has also helped Czech Republic in their World Cup and Euro campaigns, leading the team to pass their qualifying rounds. With his tall frame at 6 ft 5 inches and his good form, he is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world—a class belonging to Iker Cassilas of Spain and Gianluigi Buffon of Italy.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chelsea is also the home of England’s finest players—Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, and John Terry are key players for England’s manager Fabio Capello. If Shaun Wright-Philips and Wayne Bridge had not left the club, six players on the England side would have been from Chelsea. Of all these Englis h players, Frank Lampard is the best in the business of commanding the midfield. At 30 years old, he is playing like he was 25.He holds the English Premiere League record for having the most number of consecutive games (164). During the 2004-2005 season, only Thiery Henry was able to beat Frank Lampard in the individual awards of the Premiership in the same season.(chelseafc.com) He has been a regular on the Three Lions’ (England) squad, with regular caps on their Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 campaign.He raised the bar in midfield scoring by touching net numerous times. Currently, only Ronaldo, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) world player of the year from Manchester United, is better than Frank Lampard in the league. Lampard, along with John Terry, captains the club.John Terry, otherwise known as â€Å"Mr. Chelsea,† is the captain of not only Chelsea but also of the English Squad. Among the active central defenders in the world, he is on th e top of the list. Ashley Cole, on the other hand, is the very definition of an attacking defender.He has earned numerous caps as an England international and has sealed his position in the left back of the club. He does not score that often, but his threat on goal frees up space in the pitch. His most successful stint as an English player was during the Euro 2004 campaign where he was named as one of the all-star squad for the competition. (chelseafc.com). The other Cole, Joe Cole, is also a midfield player known for his pace and creativity.Joe Cole is the perennial wing man for both the club and country. It does not matter if he is on the left or the right; he is effective on either side. Last season, he has scored a total of 10 goals in all competitions in 45 appearances — more appearances than anyone in the club. (chelseafc.com). His presence at the England side is also constant as he has been capped regularly for the Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.Portugal has the most num ber of internationals in the club who have proven their worth for previous clubs and country. Ricardo Carvalho, together with John Terry, is the most formidable partnership in defense in club football.The quintet of Carvalho, Bosingwa, Deco, Hilario, and recently signed on-loan Quaresma fills all positions in the pitch, with Paulo Fereira to spare. Only Hilario from the group does not have much international experience to boot. Nevertheless, he has proven his goal-saving prowess during the Champions League run last season where he stepped up during the absence of Cech and Cudicini. Deco, meanwhile, despite appearing mostly as a sub later this season, has done it all with Barcelona.

Abortion misc14 essays

Abortion misc14 essays Current Moral and Social Issues- Section 2 The Judith Thomson article relies on the argument that at the moment of conception, the fetus is a human being. In truth, all aspects on the topic of abortion depend on where to draw the line of where life actually begins. Some argue that it is a human being at the moment of birth because it can survive outside the womb respectively. But Thomson expresses her interest in all the factors and premises that are attached to theory of life at conception. Taking this into consideration Thomson states Everyone has a right to life, so the fetus has a right to life (Thomson 153). Now, when I first read this statement I initially agreed with it. But when Thomson brought in the analogy of the violinist, I realized that a lot more issues are at hand. She explained how the violinists life would be completely dependent on my participation (physically and mentally) and being something which I did not sanction (being kidnapped). This already obviously creates a flaw in the right to life theory. Being unplugged from the violinist would result in his death and therefore would be directly killing him. But in the same manner I did not volunteer that the violinist be plugged into me (154). So someone making this observation would most likely be inclined to make an exception (in this case), do to the fact that I did not willfully take upon the responsibility and burden. Thomson correctly relates that situation to a case of pregnancy due to rape. Which already would involve a nine month term followed by painful labor all of which was caused against your will. Now in response she says, They can say that all persons have a right to life, but that some have less of a right than others, in particular, ...