Friendship Is a Real Treasure

Friendship Is a Real Treasure When the world seems to turn upside down, when your life seems to be totally ruined – the only person we can rely upon during these tough times and the only shoulder we can cry on without any uneasiness is our friend. I got used to believe that friendship is an everlasting phenomenon and it is truly forever. I stick to the opinion, that true friendship is never-ending. Life is unpredictable and we never know what may happen tomorrow. I’ve a lot of friends but only few of them are real. We’ve gone through many difficulties together and now my heart is aching at the thought that we are living in different countries because of life circumstances. Together though miles apart – that’s the motto of our friendship! When you are bounded by true friendship you won’t mind the distance! You can always join such friendship networks like MySpace or Facebook and be sure that you can always stay in touch with your dear friends! Very often I use the famous quote of David Tyson that goes, â€Å"True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable†. Friendship starts when you know what the person next to you is going to say. Sometimes it’s enough to just hold a hand and everything becomes clear without words. In the hour of desperation and sadness a true friend will stand by your side whenever you need him/her. If you have at least one true friend you may consider yourself to be the luckiest person on the Earth! However, the best way to know what the friendship is – is to become a good friend yourself!

Is Sociology a Science Essay - 1956 Words

By the definition, science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment (Oxford dictionary). This crude definition is elaborated further by a world-famous sociologist Anthony Giddens as ‘the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies. It is dazzling and compelling enterprise, as its subject matter is our own behavior as social beings. The scope of sociological study is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals on the street to the investigation of global social processes such as the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.’ (Giddens: 2006) Before the rise in†¦show more content†¦He believed that all scientific methods share a common logical method aimed to reveal universal laws. Therefore Comte believed that sociology should apply the same strict scientific methods to the study of society that physics or chemistry use to study the physical world. He called all sciences the â€Å"law of the three stages† which claims that world has passed through three stages: theological (guided by religious ideas and the belief that society was an expression of God’s will), metaphysical (this stage is modification of the first one, from supernatural to natural. The beginning of a world that questioned religion and authority.), and positive (the final stage compared to earlier stages is truly scientific, and what is now understood while we peak of an explanation of facts is simply the establishment of a connection between single phenomena and some general facts, the number of which continually diminishes with the progress of science.) (Comte 1855: 26) In a very similar manner to the other social sciences, sociology is rather distinctive from natural sciences. Firstly, it is impossible to collect data on social facts as opposed to the physical world. Social facts, unlike the natural ones, are not objective. On the contrary, social facts are reproducible as well as created by humans. Secondly, it is not only human beingsShow MoreRelatedIs Sociology a Science1655 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The study of sociology cannot and should not be seen as scientific† To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) The debate about whether sociology can be represented as a science has existed for many years. Comte; who first used the word sociology argued that sociology should be based on the methodology of the natural sciences. He argues that the application of natural science methodology to the study of society would produce a ‘positive science of society’Read MoreSociology : Social Science And Sociology1386 Words   |  6 Pagesto the history of sociology, it was the nineteenth century that sociology emerged, with the word ‘ sociology ’ appeared in the Cours de philosophie Positive Book 4[ Auguste Comte,1838 Cours de philosophie Positive] by Comte in 1838. The social forces, however, were complicated actually, which included both social, economical, cultural and even a little bit of political or religious elements. This essay explains these factors in the following part. 2.1 Social Science and Sociology The philosophesRead MoreSociology as a Science Essay1149 Words   |  5 Pages Sociology emerged in the eighteenth century after a period of intense cultural, social and economic changes. As people began to try to understand these changes, there came a period called the Enlightenment. This is also considered by Hamilton (1992) to be a â€Å"time characterised by the development of distinctively modern forms of thought about society and the realm of the social.† The Enlightenment encouraged a new way of thinking marked by application of reason, experienceRead MoreSociology : A Social Science850 Words   |  4 Pages The field of sociology is vastly different than other disciplines. When we look at social problems, sociology looks deep into the problem to find the basis relaying back to the relationship between individuals and society. â€Å"As a social science, sociology offers an objective and systematic approach to understanding the causes of social problems.† (Leon-Guerrero, 2014, p 5) When we look at determining which social problems are significant or not, we rely on social constructionism. Social constructionismRead MoreSociology and Other Sciences7090 Words   |  29 PagesSOCIOLOGY AND OTHER SCIENCES Sociology deals with society [people];how people interact, their culture, norms, values just like other social sciences like psychology, economics, psychology which also deal with people and how they behave, their mental processes. There is also a relationship between sociology and economics which is another social science. economics deals with the production of goods and services and how they are distributed to people just like sociology which also consider how theRead MoreSociology : Science As X3860 Words   |  16 PagesDecember 19, 2014 Sociology 191V – Science As X Science as â€Å"The Normalizer† I have not lived in a society where homosexuality is not visible and a popular topic in both the scientific and sociological community. Growing up in Los Angeles meant that I was exposed to a culture that, in general, allowed the homosexual population to classify themselves differently and pursue their desired lifestyles, but I had never really considered how much gay presence has changed. Studying sociology at UCLA has introducedRead MoreSociology : The Science Of Society2944 Words   |  12 PagesSOCIOLOGY Sociology may be defined as: (1) the science of society; (2) the study of human behavior in social context; (3) the study of social interaction and groups; or (4) a systematic understanding of social interactions, organization, and change. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Social institutions are a system of behavioral and relationship patterns that are densely interwoven and enduring, and function across an entire company. They regulate and structure the behavior of individuals by way of their normativeRead MoreEssay on Sociology and Social Sciences1144 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Social Sciences Complete and submit this assignment by the due date to receive full credit. (7 points) 1. Rank the seven social sciences (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology) according to what you believe is their importance and influence on the people in a modern society. Answer: 1.Psychology (How humans think influences most, if not all of the social sciences.)   2.Sociology (This helps figure out how society thinks. If you understandRead MoreSociology and The Natural Sciences Essay1067 Words   |  5 PagesSociology is the study of society as well as the pursuit of knowledge regarding human social activities however, the entity’s legitimacy as a science is a concept worth discussion. Although sociology is different at face value than the natural sciences, the two possess fundamental similarities by which problems are recognized and explained. With the explanation of why sociology is a science, the next step would be to specify what type of science sociology is and how it relates to the natural sciencesRead MoreEmile Durkheim and The Science of Sociology Essay1294 Words   |  6 Pagesa long family line of rabbis, he had planned to follow in that profession. Durkheim was known as the Father of Sociology. He was a liberal, a modernist, and a nationalist. He was a very ambitious man; this ambition was illustrated by the accomplishme nts he made over the course of his life. During the conflict surrounding the Dreyfus Affair, Durkheim used the new field of sociology to try to make sense of society and the world around him. The Dreyfus Affair was a government cover up framing

Bugusa Inc Worksheet Free Essays

University of Phoenix Material BUGusa, Inc. , Worksheet Use the scenarios in the Bugusa, Inc. , link located on the student website to answer the following questions. We will write a custom essay sample on Bugusa Inc Worksheet or any similar topic only for you Order Now Scenario: WIRETIME, Inc. , Advertisement Has WIRETIME, Inc. , committed any torts? If so, explain. Scenario: WIRETIME, Inc. (Janet)—Brenda Has WIRETIME, Inc. committed any torts? If so, explain. Janet has signed a contract with BUGusa she is committing intentional tort because she is intentionally leaving one company knowing that she has an agreement. She is intentionally leaving them to go work for the competitor so that she can get more money. She can be held liable for any harm or money loss for BUGusa because she has left the department with a signed contract. Scenario: WIRETIME, Inc. (Steve and Walter) Discuss any liability BUGusa, Inc. , may have for Walter’s actions. Scenario: BUGusa, Inc. , Plant Parking Lot—Brenda What defenses may be available to BUGusa, Inc.? Explain your answer. In any parking lot or company if there is a crime committed on the duty most of the time the employer is liable for what happens to the employee on company time. Since the lights were out on the dock and there was no one there to help the delivery person. I think that BUGusa is liable for the mishap. The company needs to make sure that there are enough lights to keep everything lit and visible. They are strict liability because they are held liable for an act regardless of intent or willfulness and plus this is an abnormal dangerous activity. BUGusa should have signs up to say that they are not responsible for any unsupervised or stolen property on the premises if they do not want to get held responsible for what happens. Scenario: BUGusa, Inc. (Randy and Brian) What defenses may be available to BUGusa, Inc.? Explain your answer. Scenario: BUGusa, Inc. (Sally) Sally may have a successful case against BUGusa, Inc. , for what torts? Explain your answer. How to cite Bugusa Inc Worksheet, Essay examples

Ikea free essay sample

IKEA, however, had repeatedly bucked market trends and industry norms. Over three and a half decades it had built a highly profitable worldwide network of furniture stores. (See Exhibit 1. ) Company Origins IKEA is an acronym for the initials of the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, his farm Elmtaryd, and his county, Agunnaryd, in SmDland, South Sweden. In 1943, at the age of 17, Kamprad began his entrepreneurial career by selling fish, Christmas magazines, and seeds. Within a few years he had established a mail-order business featuring products as diverse as ballpoint pens and furniture. It was in furniture, however, that he saw the greatest opportunity. Even as the pent-up wartime demand found expression in the post-war boom, the traditional Swedish practice of handing down custom-made furniture through generations was giving way to young householders looking for new, yet inexpensive, furniture. But while demand was growing, inter-association supply contracts and agreements between Swedish manufacturers and retailers kept prices high while foreclosing entry. Also, the furnitures in IKEA have many different functions. Besides, IKEA pays attention to the materials they used that all the materials are environmental and will not affect our health. 1. 1(b) Finances IKEA keeps profits flat during the global economic crisis. According to a DI estimate, the Swedish furniture giants profit was over 50 billion kronor in 2009. However, Ikea also had slashed 5,000 jobs to cope with the drop in demand brought about by the global economic crisis. 1. 1(c) Organizational structure Despite IKEA’s Swedish roots, the owner of IKEA is a Dutch company. The perator of the majority of the stores worldwide is a separate entity, the IKEA Group which is a private group of the companies owned by a Dutch charitable foundation. Of the 202 IKEA stores in 32 countries, 180 are run by the IKEA Group. Please refer to the diagram below for the structure. Diagram: [pic] 1. 1(d) Leadership IKEA is a successful family business by Ingvar Kamprad and one of the most important thing in this family is that every worker in this fa mily feels they are one of the part in it and they’d like to make their efforts to improve the family. Besides, Kamprad realized that the best way to encourage his employees is to set an example by his hard working, commit his mistakes,confident and so on. 2. 1 Strengths (a) IKEA has it’s strong global brand which attracts the key customer group. Now, almost everyone knows the brand of IKEA in developed and developing countries. (b) IKEA is famous for it’s cheap price that a large quantity of people can afford the cost for their furnitures. (c) The democratic design reaching an ideal balance between function, quality, design and price. IKEAs Cost Consciousness means that the low prices are taken into account when each product is designed from the outset. 2. 2 Weakness As we know, IKEA is an international company which may causes some problems. Because of the size and scale of its global business, it is hard to control the standards and quality. (b) Although IKEA believes there is no compromise between being able to offer good quality products and low prices, the cheaper price makes it hard to keep a balance of the quality. 2. 3 Opportunities Like other companies, IKEA also uses its strengths to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. In such a society which more and more pays attention to the environment, IKEA starts to make the environmental products that it begins to use the renewable energy. Similarly, facing the competitive environment, IKEA has to lower it’s price to attract more customers which should cut the use of air transport and reduce packaging. 2. 4 Threats The slow economic development slows down the consumer spending and disposable income that fewer people can afford the cost of their furnitures. The market ushered more competitors to enter in the low price furniture market that IKEA needs to strengthen its unique designs and qualities to compete with these competitors. 3. 1 Demographic trends The world population grew to 7. 06 billion in 2012 and the developing countries accounted for 97% of this growth that I think IKEA can open more stores in developing countries. Please refer to the diagram below for the trend. Diagram: [pic] 3. 2 Economic conditions Going through the global economic crisis, the global recovery is not as strong as expected. The financial market and sovereign stress in the euro area periphery have increased and the growth in a number of major emerging market economies has been lower than forecast. So, in order to survive in this danger economic environment, IKEA has to make use of it’s advantages and accept the challenges. 3. 3 Political forces (a) We know the Chinese marketing is an important part to IKEA. Luckily, the Chinese government made the new policy about the control and regulate in real estate in 2012 that make more people who really need the houses can have their owe houses that these people will need the furnitures to build their homes. b) With the fraud scandal of the European top furniture Da Vinci, a lot of customers start to loss the trust to the European top furnitures that they begin to change their styles to the modern minimalist furniture. Facing such a good situation, IKEA should catch the opportunity and design more popular furnitures to attract these high consumption people. 3. 4 Technological changes We believe the technology offers the significant influences to the economic growth and it drives the entrepreneurs and companies to enhance the innovative products and services. (a) We can communicate with others by e-mails, phones and other chat means. We can chat with the partners and customers at any time when you have some problems or new ideas. In this advanced communication age, we save much time and talk easily that help us improve our careers. (b) Similarly, the development of the transportation industry also plays an important role to the furniture industry. On the one hand, it is convenient for people to work around the world that they can use the shortest time to travel. On the other hand, the furnitures can made in the labor-intensive areas or resource-rich areas or different areas and transport to the suitable areas to sell which is also very convenient. . 1 Rivalry IKEA’s business philosophy was â€Å"affordable solutions for everyday living†. The idea of offering a wide range of home furnishings that combine good designs, good functions, and good qualities at the low prices which made it possible for people to buy them. The company culture which is guided by the organizational objectives enables their cu stomers to keep coming back. The company believes in providing customers with quality home furnitures at low prices which means weakening the competitors’ competitive. 4. 2 Entrants There are many entrants in the furniture industry every year and there are only a little entrants can survive. We should know that the furniture industry is a high cost field which needs a large amount of money to pay the raw materials, the machining and the propaganda for a new brand. We know the brand is a very important and it is very difficult for people to trust a new brand that we need a really long time to build the brand image. While IKEA is an international brand and it has a very good brand image that it is rather hard to compete to IKEA. 4. 3 Substitutes America furniture market was highly fragmented. It consisted of many low-end and high-end retailers. Low-end retailers, e. g. Walmart who offers low prices but poor designs and services. High-end retailers, e. g. Ethan Allen who provides high quality products and services with high prices. IKEA’S competitors are more low-end rather than high-end retailers. IKEA’s strengths are affordable prices with modern designs, cheaper and easier assembled products, customer involved from product selection to final assemble. 4. 4 Suppliers IKEA is responding to the public concern of the needs for sustainable development. nd the needs to demonstrate the environmental problem and responsibility. The company wants to develop long term relationships with suppliers who definitely share their values that they made the IWAY rule to supervise each other. 4. 5 Customers IKEA attracts large quantities of people every day and there are about 1 million customers come to IKEA every day. In these customers, the average age is 42 and there are about 60% are the female. As an international company, there are 202 IKEA stores in 32 countries and 20% IKEA sales are made in Germany and 12% are made in the UK. . 1 Resource Types There are many resource types in IKEA like the human resource, the financial resource, the information resource and the marketing resource. IKEA always hires the straightforward and down-to-earth people because they need these people to make a warm atmosphere to customers and they think their teams are also the big families. (b) IKEA’s Property Division and Finance Division contribute to the financial resources which needed to ensure the independence of inter IKEA group, as well as the future investments in long-term growth of the company. 5. Firm Capabilities IKEA’s capabilities have originated from the company’s unique resources and its core competencies that revolve around a successful retail strategy, making it the â€Å"worldâ₠¬â„¢s largest retailer of home furnishings. † IKEA’s low cost business model allows it to offer the quality furniture at 25% to 50% below its other competitors. The founder of IKEA saw the culture as a key competency and with the development of the company, the culture will be the firm capabilities. 6. Conclusion Overall, IKEA is a well-known global brand with hundreds of stores across the world. In order to improve performance, it must estimate its external and internal environment. This will show the key opportunities which can take advantage of and the threats which must deal with. IKEA’s characteristics combine the design, low prices, best possible use of resources, and the responsibility for people and environment. The companys products, processes and systems all prove its environmental stance. IKEA believes that there is no compromise between doing good business and being a good business. It aims to go beyond the profits and reputation to create a better day life for the customers. 7. Recommendations As a famous furniture company, IKEA should guarantee it’s quality and pay more attention to the customer service to make more people trust them and support them. Also, IKEA should do some charities to build a good brand image and return to the community. The most important thing is that IKEA should insist using the environmental and green material to make a better world. IKEA should discover a business truth being sustainable and responsible is not just good for customers and the planet, it is also good for business! References: Author: AFP (22 February 2010) Title: IKEA made $7 billion profit-despite the crisis http://www. wedishwire. com/business/3008-ikea-made-7-billion-profit-despite-the-crisis Author:Hine (6 May 2011) Title: IKEA-Strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats http://highn. me/ikea-strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-and-threats/ Author: Carl Haub (2013)

Introduction to Ethics free essay sample

All actions are motivated by desires we seek our own happiness, therefore our desires seek happiness not selfishness. Ethical egoism makes people put more importance on themselves than others, it’s trying to be helpful, and it seems that the argument goes about it in a very selfish way. I ought to be concerned about other only to the extent that this also contributes to my own interest.What I think about this optionI believe that greatness cannot be achieved by looking out for the interests of the entire group. Even though on average humans will get the better for themselves by looking out for the greater good, we will never see anything that is a work of genius. It is necessary and sufficient for an action to be rational, that it maximise the satisfaction of one’s preference. Since it may be rational for me to make an uncompensated sacrifice for the sake of others. We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction to Ethics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Giving to charity it’s not rational given my preference. because it maximise happiness.Ayn Rand believes that a man should not sacrifice himself for other and should not sacrifice other for himself. Every man’s moral duty is to archive happiness, not sacrifice his own welfare and happiness for those of someone else .Of all living creatures, ethics only applies to man because he has the ability to make choice on valuable and invaluable goals. Primary and natural goal of any living creatures is to protect itself. Comparable, Ethical theory and utilitarianism both focus its analysis on whether the motives action it’s right or wrong. They differ where their acts are directed.Incomparable, in utilitarianism most action may be that which harms the individual agent but maximizes the positive impact for most people, placing the emphasis on the whole as opposed to individual. Deontology deals with intention and motives and focuses mainly on whether an act is right or wrong, egoism focuses mainly on self-interest while utilitarianism focus only on results and effects of type of actions. Individual has a greater value than others, it is ethical to act in one’s own self-interest even if it may harm others.https://ourpastimes.com/differences-between-utilitarianism-ethical-egoism-8662427.html

Cal essays

Cal essays Cal: He is a typical 19-year-old Irish boy. He has had a hard life because his mother died when he was 8. Now he is living together with his father Shamie. But the relation between them is not like a father and son relation, they are more like friends. Cal is a person you can persuade very easily and fast. He isnt very self-confident. His friends Crilly and Skeffington boss him around and Cal isnt very happy with this situation, but he doesnt know how to fight back. His friends are strictly catholic and they force him to join the IRA. He starts to become their driver when they commit crimes. Cal is looking for somebody, who loves him. He hasnt been given any real love since his mother died. Fortunately, he finds Marcella who is nine years his senior and he falls in love with her. He met her first in the library where Marcella works as a librarian. Cal starts going there regularly just to meet her. Finally, Marcella, who is more mature and who has already a daughter, falls in love wi th Cal, too. Cal is a very poor boy who doesnt have a lot of luck in his life. He thinks a lot and has many nightmares about the murder of Marcellas husband. He feels guilt about the murder of Marcellas husband who was shot by one of Cals friends when he was the driver. He feels sorry but there is no possibility to show it because Marcellas doesnt know anything about his secret. Marcella: She is a very unhappy woman in her late twenties. She lost her husband in an attack of the IRA. During the story you find out that she didnt love her husband anymore in the end. Now she is living together with the parents of her husband and especially her mother-in-law bosses her around. Marcella doesnt have any friends and she would like to get to know people. She is desperately looking for a job. Eventually, she gets the job in the library. Marcella has very weak personality. Cal is a kind of ...

Local Anesthesia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Local Anesthesia - Essay Example In states wherein the application of local anesthesia is allowed, the dental hygienist is initially authorized by the dentist of the dental clinic to administer the reagent to the client (DeAngelis and Goral, 2000). The application of local anesthesia has been delegated to dental hygienists because this procedure is not frequently employed, with exception to a few particular dental scenarios (Wilkins, 1994). However, majority of the cases wherein local anesthesia was administered to the client indicated satisfaction in the dental services that they received. It is thus apparent that the administration of local anesthesia to clients of a dental clinic experiences significantly less pain than those who were not given any local anesthesia. It has been reported that local anesthesia is usually administered during periodontal practice, with approximately 10% of clients needing this reagent. The utilization of local anesthesia presents a number of discrepancies in terms of its frequency and reasons for use. Firstly, it has been reported that the administration of local anesthesia by dental hygienists are more often performed based on the request of the client, as compared to the frequency of request by the attending dentist. It is thus possible that some of these cases could have been conducted without the need for a local block. Secondly, the frequency of use of local anesthesia by dental hygienists varied among states, thus there may be additional reasons that could influence the options of the client, dental hygienist and dentist. The application of local anesthesia has also been associated with a number of side effects, including that of a toxic reaction to the reagent (Brand et al., 2009). Other associated reactions may be linked to the loss of sensitivity of the mouth area, thus resulting in a change in the quality of service of the client soon after a dental proc edure has been performed. Given such discrepancies with regards to the utilization of local anesthesia by dental hygienists, this study would thus want to address the issue of local anesthesia administration in two specific states, namely Connecticut and Washington. It should be understood that Washington carries a longer history of implementation of local anesthesia, as compared to Connecticut. It would thus be important and informative to determine whether there are any differences in the frequency of use of local anesthesia in these two states. In addition, the satisfaction of both dentists and dental hygienists from the use of local anesthesia would be examined in this study. Any information that would be gathered from this investigation may provide a better understanding of the reasons and factors that influence the administration of local anesthesia to dental clients. This study will be performed by collecting the perceptions of dentists and dental hygienists on the issue of the administration of local anesthesia. A battery of questions that are related to the use of local anesthesia during dental services will be presented in questionnaires that will be given to study participants. One limitation of this investigation is that the study population may be fully represent the entire country, yet the particular features of each

Pain spectacles rule the roost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pain spectacles rule the roost - Essay Example Of all other discriminations that we are aware of, Peter Singer (5 April 1973) had reminded us, â€Å"one should always be wary of talking of â€Å"the last remaining form of discrimination,†Ã¢â‚¬  which is the discrimination carried out by humans towards animals. He argued that like any racist or sexist, we believe that animals have an inferior status to us because they belong to some other species and calls this attitude, ‘speciecism’ (Singer, 5 April 1973). It is true that humans have never had the habit of viewing animals as equals. But are we as a species, sympathetic to even other human beings’ pain, once we shed the cultural and moralistic attires that we have learned to wear through human history, and stand naked in our basic human instincts? A comparison of our attitudes towards animals, especially in the context of our habit of entertaining ourselves in watching dog-fighting and bull fighting can be made with our attitude towards violence in spo rts. The logic is quite compulsive. Singer (5 April 1973) has rather been blunt in his arguments regarding animal liberation. He observed nonchalantly that â€Å"people who eat pieces of slaughtered non-humans every day find it hard to believe that they are doing wrong† (5 April 1973). The Roman elites who enjoyed the fighting spectacle between the enslaved humans used to bring perfumed hand kerchiefs to the venue to avoid the distasteful smell of blood becoming too strong.

Security on the Web Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Security on the Web - Essay Example Considering all these cons, one must ensure that a good firewall is in place to keep the hackers at an arm’s length, keeping them at bay is an arduous task. This paper will shed light upon internet firewall security and how a good firewall can protect a person from malware, Trojan horses and other undesirable viruses. â€Å"The term "fire wall" originally meant, and still means, a fireproof wall intended to prevent the spread of fire from one room or area of a building to another. The Internet is a volatile and unsafe environment when viewed from a computer-security perspective, therefore "firewall" is an excellent metaphor for network security.† (What is a firewall?) Firewall is not something general, it means several specific things and it is supposed to do several important things to ensure that a user is safeguarded against attacks. Packet filtering is perhaps the most important job of a regular firewall. All the internet activities like downloads, chats and so on a re done in packets, and these packets contain information. Firewall must ensure that these packets are either allowed or disallowed based on the source of the internet protocol address known as the IP address. The destination port of these packets is also very important, the firewall is supposed to allow or disallow these packets purely on the basis of their destination port. Firewall must follow a protocol and allow or disallow packets or information based on the set protocol. This method of packet filtering is highly effective against malware and other dangerous attacks but this is not a foolproof plan. All traffic can be blocked by a firewall which does not make much sense; it should allow certain packets which are safe for the user to receive. It has its weaknesses like it becomes very difficult for a basic firewall to detect spoofing which means the information contained in the packets is falsified. Allowed packets may contain a bug which can retrieve a password and cause unwan ted actions, a basic firewall is vulnerable to these dangers. Circuit relay is another type of firewall which provides enhanced security, application level gateway is perhaps the most advanced of all and provides even better security. Static Packet Filtering: â€Å"Static packet filtering is a firewall and routing capability that provides network packet filtering based only on packet information in the current packet and administrator rules.† (Statistic Packet Filtering) Static packet filtering is based on the following important things: The administrator defines rules. The allowed ports and IP addresses are set by the administrator and only the allowed ports are allowed to send and receive packets. The transport layer contents, the network and the packet contents are all determined by the administrator. Better level of security is provided by the dynamic packet filtering. Static packet filtering does not look at the contents closely, on the contrary dynamic packet filtering screens contents very closely, previous connection states are also considered by dynamic packet filtering which static packet filtering fails to do. The packet headers are very important under static packet filtering, the information stored in the headers determines whether packets should be allowed or dropped. These headers are compared against the control policy which is set by the administrator. Below is an illustration which presents the same concept very comprehensively. (Static Packet Filt

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers The present study aims to assess the relationship of mindfulness with self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers as Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. Mindfulness is an inherent state of consciousness that differs among individuals for a variety of reasons and that can be changed by individual. The definition of mindfulness points out that it is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment (Kabat-zinn, 2003). It is considered a capacity available to everyone, although individuals differ in their tendency to be mindful (Brown Ryan, 2003) When students can learn to be fully present they can increase the quality of their learning performance by being more focused and become better able to deal with stressful situations and through their increased learning they can achieve considerably high grades (Langer, 1993). When a student is mindful he/she becomes able to approach learning situations from a novel perspective while drawing upon previously learned material. They can learn the material and are better able to relate it with their previous knowledge (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989) Mindfulness is an element of consciousness that is characterized by a heightened state of awareness in which an individual is attentive to being in the present moment. This enhanced attention to and awareness of current experience or present reality has been shown to be associated with enhanced self-awareness, self-regulated behaviors, and positive emotional states. (Brown, Kirk Richard, 2003) Attention plays a role in a students life to achieve high grades if they pay proper attention at the appropriate time. To be in a state of mindfulness in reference to academics we mean conscious awareness in which the individual is aware of the context and content of information. Increasing mindful awareness can deepen and broaden the understanding of the context and content of the subjects. Attention is a complex construct and is related to a variety of cognitive processes (e.g., perception, memory, planning, and speech) (Mirsky, Fantie, Tatman, 1995; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). Because of its centrality in the education it is of significant importance. The individual have tendency and opportunity to continually process information from various perspectives and it helps in increasing levels of creativity and knowledge. When students use mindfulness in their learning processes they utilize creativity, experience cognitive flexibility and are thus able to better use information and retain that information for a longer period of time (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Thornton McEntee, 1995). More recent studies in education have revealed a sharp increase in memory and creativity for mindful treatment groups (Langer, 1997). It has been observed that mindful learners are more mentally present and active (Langer, 1993). They plan what they will learn and the strategies they will use and they control and self-regulate their learning. As readers, they use strategies to organize, elaborate on, and evaluate text (Paris, Wasik, Turner, 1996). They integrate what they learn in school texts with their personal experiences to actively construct their own meanings and ideas and to use them in flexible ways. For the reasons that they are more constructive and give meanings to world according to their understandings thats why they are considered to be more real and are original thinkers. More mindful individuals are generally perceived as being more genuine than less mindful individuals and this has been shown to increase positive effect (Langer Moldoveneu 2000). Attention is the foundation of better retention of information and better cognitive functions in our life style (Cooley Morris, 1990), where multitasking has become the norm. Children also are multitasking as they face information overload due to watching hours of television, playing video games, surfing on internet, doing their home works and preparing for their exams etc. Developmental research indicates that childrens attention to specific information depends upon the importance they place on the information and that children in later stages of development are better able to logically control their selective attention (Wright Vliestra, 1975). In a study of mindfulness practice by Richart and Perkins (2000) in the classroom and took an example of a math lesson from a traditional didactic instructional classroom and a mindful constructivist classroom where students had more freedom to explore answers on their own. Second grade students were given the following problem: There are 26 sheep and 10 goats on a ship. How old is the captain? 88% of the students from the traditional classroom setting answered 36. Not one student commented that the question did not make any sense although they averaged in the 85th percentile on the tests. In contrast nearly a third of the students in the more mindful constructivist classroom questioned the sense of problem. (p29) In order for children to learn in the classroom they must be able to focus their attention. Mindfulness affects the grades in such a way that if the student present in the class is not paying attention to the lecture being delivered, then the understanding of the syllabus will not be as easy as it wouldve been had he/she been paying attention hence clearing concepts and asking questions to understand the confusions hence mindfulness is necessary for achieving academic achievements. The more mindful the student in the class, the better is his achievement. In one of the studies by Langer, Hefferman, Keiester, (1988) mindfulness in the workplace showed increase in creativity, decreased burnout and greater enjoyment of tasks Researchers in social psychology have also found benefits of mindfulness in a range of areas including increased creativity, increased productivity in the workplace (Park, 1990), increased attention (Langer Bodner, 1995), greater liking of a task (Langer et al., in press), and use a lot of effective learning methods (Langer Piper, 1987; Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Langer, 1997). Education is an area that often seems to prosper in mindlessness. Traditionally, children have been taught to memorize course content and view what is being offered in the classroom from the teachers perspective. Children need to make sense of what they learn instead of solely memorizing facts. In the educational context other mindful manipulations have involved asking students to make material more meaningful for themselves, compared to groups asked to memorize it (Lieberman Langer, 1997). As students memorize most of the things that they do not understand. They do not pay attention to clear their concepts and just learn it by rote. As we know that material learned by rote memory has no personal meaning. Many problems are not solved because many students think in automatic and habitual ways. This automatic mode of thought is called mindlessness. The cost of mindless thinking is significant because it limits our ability to make good decisions (Langer, 1997) As discussed earlier that the mindful students retained the information better, for a longer period of time and was able to utilize it in more creative ways. Perspective should be taken into consideration because it brings out better performance (Lieberman Langer, 1997). Almost all of the facts most of people learned in school were taught to us in a perspective-free way that encourages mindless use of the information because it does not occur to us to question it again. In contrast, information presented in the mindful, perspective-taking condition was learned better by high school students, even though they had to deal with more information. In this way mindful teaching practices can have a mark effect on student learning and it also shows that students who learn mindfully can retain the information better. Individuals develop patterns of stress response from birth through continued interaction with the environment. Young (1995) acknowledges that educators today recognize that students are suffering from stress in very different ways than a decade ago. The literature indicates that children are under a great deal of external pressure both at home and in school, resulting in many of the same physiological symptoms of distress as adults (Miller McCormick, 1991). While much of the research on children and stress was conducted two decades ago, available research indicates that environmental stress negatively affects children. In a study seven and eight year olds were studied for two to four years, researchers found that increase in stressful life events were related to decrease in ratings of academic performance, though unrelated to ratings of social behaviors (Kiselica, Baker, Thomas Reedy 1994). Mindful teachings and mindful learning by the students can decrease this stress. Academic achievement Academic achievement is defined as excellence in academic disciplines, in class. Loe Fieldman, (2007) define academic performance as ones ability to complete class work and homework and they define academic underachievement as problem in learning and applying knowledge including earning poor grades. As this study is in Pakistani perspective so we first need to know the Pakistani educational system. There are two main types of schools in Pakistan government and private. In both school types, almost always, the formal education system comprises of 5 years of primary, 3 years of middle, 2 years high (Metric/GCSE) and 2 years of higher secondary schooling (FA/FSc. O level/A level). While similar in their educational structures, the two school-types differ in terms of financing and regulation. Public schools are schools that are provided by state and federal funding. Schools are heavily dependent on the state, although in recent years the system has become considerably decentralized and responsibility for the delivery and management of education has shifted to the districts. The government provides free education till primary although government primary schooling is mandated to be tuition-free and there are nominal fees in middle and high school. Most of the Government schools are single-sex schools (exceptions occur when schools are coeducational up till primary after which they be come single-sex). (Monazza, 2009) Some of the major problems faced by public schools include limited financial resources, poor quality of content and a greater demand for education amongst parents of school-aged children. Pakistans public schools are overcrowded and underfunded. In Public schools classes are often overcrowded. As Class size is a factor that can cause various difficulties in understanding the lecture. The smaller the class size, the more attention each individual student will receive. In a smaller class, child will get personal attention (Grace, 2007). Class size effect the attention student seeks from the teacher as well as he pays in understanding the concepts. Sometimes due to larger class size, students cannot see the blackboard. They then lose their interest in the lecture being delivered, get engaged in gossips with their friends and other activities. And so by wasting their precious time their grades in class gradually decrease. Another reason is that in our schools generally is no concept of s eats rotation due to which the pupils who are less competent always try to sit at the back rows of the class. They become habitual back benchers and the ones who are more competent and capable always try to grab seats in the front rows. As a result teachers pay more attention to them, consequently making them able to remain attentive and engaged in class lessons and activities resulting in higher grades. Since learning is more personal and responsibility is more on the shoulders of the students, education requires students to monitor and regulate their own learning. In order to achieve goals students should have mindfulness i.e. paying attention to the studies and self-efficacy beliefs that will lead to achievement of goals. Students can help themselves by focusing more on what they are studying and it would lead enhance their learning performance/meaningful learning and hence they can better deal with stressful situations. Self-efficacy on the other hand involves confidence in achieving goals and it also in return helps decrease academic stress. Students perceptions of their abilities contribute to their self-esteem, confidence and ultimately to the level of motivation towards their studies are related to educational achievement. Attention is related to motivational processes (Parasurman, 1998; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). When student is motivated they will form beliefs about what they can do and set goals for themselves and hence pay more attention to their studies and will eventually lead to academic achievement. Self-efficacy suggests to peoples beliefs about their abilities to perform a task successfully at selected levels (Bandura, 1986, 1997). It influence the choices one makes and the courses of action one performs and so Self efficacy can also be explained as a belief in ones capabilities to organize and perform the tasks required to deal with the future situations (Bandura, in press, p. 2). These beliefs of personal proficiency effect behavior in several ways. Individuals typically select tasks and activities in which they feel capable and avoid those in which they do not. Students who are confident in their ability to manage, perform, and regulate their task performance at a designated level of competence are representing high self- efficacy. The construct of self-efficacy helps in explaining the findings that the behavior of individuals is not always perfectly predicted from their capability to complete a specific task but how a person believes they will perform is often more importa nt. According to Bandura academic self-efficacy is grounded in self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977). According to this theory, it is an individuals self-confidence in his/her ability to manage and carry out a given course of action to resolve a problem or achieve a task (Eccles Wigfield, 2002, p. 110). Academic self-efficacy refers to ones belief that one can successfully achieve at a designated level on an educational task or get a specific academic goal and it is positively related to academic achievement (Bandura, 1997; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Linnenbrink Pintrich, 2002; Schunk Pajares, 2002). Self-efficacy theory suggests that academic self-efficacy may differ in strength as a function of problem solving. Some individuals may believe they are most efficient on difficult tasks, while others only on easier tasks. Ones self-efficacy has a great influence over ones choice of action, the kind of effort one spends, and how much one is able to keep that effort in the face of difficulty (Bandura, 1986, 1997; Schunk, 1995). Thus, self-efficacy beliefs have been found to influence students approach, their academic grades, their engagement in an activity, and how planned they may be while doing a task (Pajares Johnson, 1996; Pajares Miller, 1994, 1995). Therefore, Self-efficacy is supposed to effect performance via the influence on task perception. Each task achievement is assessed as a threat or a challenge, and persons with high self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to evaluate the tasks as a challenge (Chemers, Hu, and Garcia, 2001; Lazarus and Folkman, 1984; Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). That is, the degree to which a person feels confident about his or her capability to handle a given situation affects whether a certain task is supposed as stressful or threatening, rather than as a challenge. When a task is assessed as a challenge, one is more likely to select an effective coping strategy and to carry on the task. Self-efficacy also influences performance, confidence and self belief. Individuals with high self-efficacy practice challenging targets (Locke Latham, 1990), do their best, search for new solutions, and carry on in difficult task; this behavior leads to the improvement of actual ability and to goal achievement (Tuckman Sexton,1992). On the other hand, individuals with low self-efficacy practice lower levels of performance. Doubt and uncertainty during task performance weaken their concentration, and they give up easily when faced with difficult tasks. This process adversely affects the development of actual ability, which is reflected in lower achievement (Tuckman Sexton, 1992). A research suggests that high self-efficacy produces a feeling of calmness when approaching difficult tasks while low self-efficacy may result in an individual perceiving a task as more difficult than reality, which, in turn, may create anxiety, stress and a narrower idea on how best to approach the resolving of a problem or activity (Eccles, 2005). Students self-efficacy beliefs also seem to be considerably associated to the stress and their academic performance (Lane Lane, 2001). Therefore, lesser the stress better will be the performance and more a student will be motivated and more the stress the poor will be the performance and student will be less motivated. Moreover researches show that self-efficacy beliefs have positive effects on student motivation and achievement (Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Zimmerman, Bandura Martinez-Pons, 1992; Pajares Miller, 1994). Self-efficacy beliefs can determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Consequently motivation is improved when students recognize that they are making improvement in learning or feel they are competent enough of handling the task. In turn, as students make effort to do the tasks and become more  skillful they develop a sense of self-efficacy for performing well (Schunk, 1991). Self-efficacy beliefs play a key role in the self-regulation of mot ivation (Bandura 1994). According to Bandura, people motivate themselves and they form beliefs about what they can do, they set goals for themselves and plan courses of action designed to understand valued futures. Individuals who have a high sense of self-efficacy for accomplishing a task work harder and persist longer when they come across difficulties, whereas those who do not feel efficacious may give up or avoid a task (Schunk 1991). . Those who are more competent seem to set higher performance goals, get rid of faulty strategies more quickly, find out solutions in the face of difficulties and work more accurately than those with lower efficacy. Students who are confident in their capability to organize and achieve task performance are showing high self- efficacy. Whereas, students who are uncertain about their ability to successfully complete a task often participate less readily, do not work as hard, and give up quickly when faced with difficulty. Due to repeated failures in the classroom, it was hypothesized that students may feel that they cannot adequately perform certain behaviors and tasks to achieve a desired outcome. The resultant negative outcome may be lower academic self-efficacy. (Bong Skaalvick, 2003; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Schunk Pajares, 2002; Wentzel, 1999). However, negative self-efficacy could also disappoint a student and cause a student to fail in their personal or professional activities. Thus, students may face stress which may negatively impact academic achievement. Self-efficacy and stress are closely related concepts. According to a research by Zajacova, Lynch Espenshade investigates the joint effects of academic self-efficacy and stress on the academic performance. The survey was used as an instrument to measure the level of academic self-efficacy. The results suggest that academic self-efficacy is a more healthy and consistent predictor than stress of academic success. Self-efficacy is a better predictor of academic success than stress. Studies suggest that both academic stress and self-efficacy have some effect on academic outcomes, and there is some evidence that self-efficacy may be a better predictor (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). Self efficacy and stress joint influence as determinants of academic success in schools/college. In a study by Hackett, Betz, Casas, and Rocha-Singh, (1992) identified both stress and academic self-efficacy as predictors of good grades. Good grades were associated with low perceived stress and high self-efficacy. In case of education, self-efficacy is seen to be related with effort, persistence and achievement. In one of the research by Chemers, Hu Garcia (2001), shown that children with higher self-efficacy strived for longer periods and used more useful problem solving strategies than students with lower self-efficacy. Therefore, self-efficacy changes the way a student works in order to get good grades and becomes more experienced and accurate about getting good grades in class and they keep on comparing themselves with their peers. Furthermore, classrooms that allow for extensive social comparisons (with the performance of other students) tend to lower self-efficacy of students whose performances are viewed as deficient when compared to others. People with low self-efficacy may believe that things are tougher than they really are, a belief that promote stress, narrow vision of how best to solve a problem. High self-efficacy, on the other hand, helps to create feelings of calmness in approaching difficult tasks and activities. As a result, self-efficacy beliefs are strong determinants and predictors of the level of achievement that individuals finally attain. The relationship between gender and self efficacy has also been a focus of the previous researches. It is assumed that Girls often outperform than boys. However, it is reported that males are tend to be more confident than females in academic areas related to mathematics, science and technology despite the fact that achievement differences in these areas are diminishing (Fuller, Hua Snyder, 1994). While in areas related to language, arts both male and female students exhibits similar confidence and this is also a truth that girls typically are high achievers (Pajares, in press) Keeping the above literature in view the rationale behind this research is to find the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy among academically low and high achievers. There are a number of factors that may affect students achievement. These may include personal characteristics such as confidence in their abilities and attention they pay while studying. Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. An increased academic self-efficacy may encourage the students confidence in utilizing his/her abilities to understand the course content, and achieve high grades. Simultaneously being mindful in the classroom can increase students ability to keep their attention which increases learning and academic performance. Moreover study will also allow the readers to understand that high achieving students might have different motivation to study than low achievers and that they are able to organize their study materials and study habits more efficiently. Act ive and independent engagement in the learning process might be more favorable to achievement than a passive and instructor dependent one. Although a lot of work is done on self efficacy and mindfulness in the education field but the lack of research in reference to Pakistan provided a rationale for examining the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy. The research also investigates that which of these factors are characteristics of high-achieving and low-achieving students in the hope that the outcomes can be utilized to enhance student performance in the future. HYPOTHESES On the basis of the literature review the hypotheses formulated are: There exists a positive/significant correlation between mindfulness and self-efficacy among students. Students who are academically high achievers will perform high on mindfulness and self efficacy as compared to academically low achievers. Method The present study was conducted to find out the Relationship between mindfulness and self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers Participants In the present study convenient sampling technique was used. The sample consisted of 70 students out of which 35 were girls and 35 were boys within the age range of 13 -16 studying in 9th and 10th grades at government schools. Co relational research design was used. Inclusion criteria The participants selected for the research were low and high achievers. Above 70% were considered as high graders and below 50% were considered as low graders. Girls who were above 70% were taken as high achievers and boys who were below 50% were taken as low achievers. The students of age ranging from 13-16 years were included in the study. The sample was collected from government schools to maintain the consistency. Exclusion criteria Students who were average i.e. between 50% 70% were excluded from the study. Also girls below 70% and boys above 50% were excluded from the study. Students suffering from any physical and mental disability to answer were also not part of the study. Instruments The data was gathered by the use of the mindfulness based self efficacy scale and Toronto mindfulness scale. Demographic data sheet Demographic questionnaire (see appendix C) was designed by the researcher for this study to provide descriptive information about the participants name(optional), age, gender, grade, school, hobbies, their grades in last class, their personal evaluation of grades and their participation in co curricular activities and in sports. Academic achievement The academic achievements of the child were screened through his/her examination record in the previous class. Academic achievement was accessed in form of grades that student got. The divisions of grades according to the percentages are given below: Grade A Above 70% Grade B 60-70% Grade C 50-60% Grade D 40-50% Mindfulness Based Self Efficacy Scale (Cayoun Freestun 2004) Self efficacy was measured by mindfulness based self efficacy scale (See Appendix D) The MSES is a 35-item scale and consists of 7 subscales of self efficacy, each containing 5 items. Behavior (items 1, 8, 15, 22, 29), Cognition (items 2, 9, 16, 23, 30), Interoception (items 3, 10, 17, 24, 31), Affect (items 4, 11, 18, 25, 32), Interpersonal (items 5, 12, 19, 26, 33), Avoidance (items 6, 13, 20, 27, 34), Mindfulness (items 7, 14, 21, 28, 35). To calculate self-efficacy, 18 items must be scored in reverse. These are: 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35. High scores indicate high self efficacy and low scores indicate the low levels of self efficacy. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.71. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. This scale is valid and reliable. Participants were asked to evaluate their perception of self-efficacy on a 5-point Likert-type scale (0= not at all, 4=completely). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 10-15 minutes approximately. Scale was administered in English. No special permission was taken from the researcher as questionnaire was easily available on internet. Toronto mindfulness scale (Lau, Bishop, Segal, Buis, Anderson, Carlson, Shapiro, Carmody, Abbey, Devins, 2006) Toronto mindfulness scale (TMS) (See Appendix D) consists of 13-items. This instrument has two-factors Curiosity and Decentering. For the curiosity score following items are summed 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13. For the Decentering score following items are summed 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11. All items were written in positively keyed direction. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.72. The items of Factor 1 (Curiosity) reflect an attitude of wanting to learn more about ones experiences e.g. I was curious to see what my mind was up to from moment to moment .The items of Factor 2 (Decentering) reflect a shift from identify personally with thoughts and feelings to relating to ones experience in a wider field of awareness e.g. I was aware of my thoughts and feelings without over identifying with them. Each item was rated on 5 point likert scale (0=not at all, 4=very much). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 8-10 minutes. Questionnaire was easily available on internet. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. Scale was administered in English and is a reliable and valid scale. Procedures Before starting the data collection, a pilot study was conducted on a sample of 7 students. It was done to check the reliability and validity of the instruments and to determine the time needed to complete the instruments to assess the self efficacy and mindfulness in students by the researcher. The results of the present study indicated that the reliability of MSES was .71 (See Appendix E) and the reliability of the TMS was .72 (See Appendix E). This indicated that the scales are reliable. After doing the pilot study the data was collected from 35 girls and 35 boys. The research was conducted in F.G Girls Public High School Lalazar, F.G Girls High School No 2 Iqbal Road and F.G Technical School for Boys. All the schools were taken from Rawalpindi. Participation was voluntarily and data was collected in the classrooms. After the approval of the principal students were contacted. Participants were then provided with a consent form (see appendix A). In order to participate in the study it was required that they confirm consent by signing it. After participants agreed to the consent form, instructions were provided followed by an administration of both the MSES and TMS scales. Data collection was completed in about six or seven days. Average time taken by an individual was 20-25 minutes. It took about 30-35 minutes in each class due to instructions given to children, in distribution and collection of questionnaires. A little difficulty was faced by the students to comprehend the questions like I was more invested in just watching my experiences as they arose. Than in figuring out what they could mean. But later on it was resolved by the researcher. The data was analyzed with the help of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). For the purpose of analyzing Pearson correlation was used. And to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Results The study was conducted to find out the relationship between self efficacy and mindfulness among low and high achievers. A sample of 70 students (both girls and boys=35) within age range of (13-16). The sample was collected from 3 government schools of Rawalpindi and questionnaires were administered. Then the data collected was analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). Descriptive statistics were computed for demographic characteristics of the participants. For this purpose Pearson correlation was used. And also to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Cross tabulation was also applied on the academic achievement of the students according to the ranges of self-efficacy. Table 1 Frequency and Percentage of participants according to demographic variables of gender, age, grade and academic achievement (N=70) Variable Label Frequency(f) Percentage (%) Gender Girl

Illegal Global Trade Essay -- Crime and Punishment

Though rarely given enough attention in the press, the global network of counterfeited goods such as prescription drugs, watches, and handbags have become a serious problem in the world. This economic network impacts transnational economies than almost any other force because... The film Illicit: the Dark Trade draws attention to this growing problem that affects our now globalized economy. Also, the movie is an adaption to Illicit the novel written by Dr. Moisà ©s Naà ­m. The film explores a maze of illegal activities and provides evidence supporting the idea that the sale of counterfeited goods results in government instability, money laundering, corruption and a host of other problems around the world that globalization has brought upon today’s society. The wealthier countries exploit innocent people for economic growth and create unequal distribution of wealth, which leads to a decrease in over economic productivity and slows economic growth. Low-skilled workers in deve loped countries who will see a decrease in wages due to the competition that they face from low-skilled workers in developing countries who will see an increase in wages. Economists have come up with an idea that trade liberalism is the force behind the rise of inequality in the United States and Western Europe, because of the boost in trade with poor countries and fragmentation of means of production, that has caused low-skilled jobs to be outsourced. Where treatment of the workers are inhumane and the unequal distribution of wealth will lead to an increase in poverty because the inequality leads to harmful for development that is generated because too he pressure that is created by inequality, this is directed the states having to adopt to redistributive polici... ... of individuals competing for low-skilled jobs. At the same time, developed countries have decreasing birthrates and are not able to replace the labor force and as Westernized civilizations focus unskilled labor has moved to industrializing nations in Asia. Tell me what can happen in the future/long-term effects of this†¦ However restrictive immigration policies play a major role in the reduction in the movement of jobs to countries to fill the void. The demand remains high as a result in developed countries for low waged labor, and immigrants who are desperate for work turn to smugglers to get them into developed countries. The risks and costs of smuggling people into developed countries are very high; however, smugglers take this risk. Some smugglers become traffickers who sell the immigrants and force them work to recover the expensive costs of smuggling.

Intercultural aspect of culture Essay

During the first day of the workshop, I did not completely understand the real meaning of culture. I did not even have a single definition for the term culture. Many questions came into my mind such as, â€Å"What is culture? What are the factors that create culture? What is the scope of culture? Does culture improve itself or not? Although, I started the inquiry on the concept of culture without certain answers for these questions, I had figured them out step by step during that day. I started to find answers for most of the questions that I faced. I finally understood what culture was and why different people with different cultures had different behaviors. By understanding the factors that influenced culture, I started to learn its importance to the parties who got involved in particular conflicts. Throughout that day, I comprehended why people with different cultures got involved in particular conflicts and what were their objectives. I started to give answers for these queries. They might need someone whom they can air their grievances or opinions with. Moreover, they might only wish that others would respect their culture as it was. In the role play, I learned that listening skill was very helpful in making the parties who were involved in the conflict feel better. Also, they should be given the chance to continue telling their stories without any interruption. I had also learned that I could be able to interact with them simply through body language such as moving my head up and down which tells, â€Å"I understand you. Keep going. † Furthermore, these skills would give me the chance to get as much information as possible and understand the parties’ cultures. Personally, I think that having much understanding of other cultures using the skills mentioned earlier would help me adapt with their behaviors and become more flexible when dealing with them. Culture’s factors such as religion, climate and geography play very significant roles in parties’ behavior. These explain why different countries have different cultures. Finally, all ideas and skills that I had learned during the first day of the workshop let me pay a close attention on understanding other cultures, respecting their beliefs and values as I want other people do the same thing when they cross my culture. I would try to use these ideas and skills in my daily life – simply by listening to other people and respecting them. Before evolving an intercultural model of conflict resolution it is important to understand and identify aspects of culture that lead to creation of the framework of conflict. The cultural spectrum holds different shades for a person, a society and a nation, accordingly helping each of them to assimilate and adapt to a common identity that is defined and shaped by culture (Holliday, Hyde and Kullman, 2004). In the process of evolving this collective identity, culture transcends its traditional role of providing an aggregate set of beliefs, customs, norms, values, ethics, traditions, moral, social and legal codes, perceptions, and philosophy, to become the overall physical framework for the society to function. Culture attains a real form, rendering a three dimensional living space for people to experience its living force ((Holliday, Hyde and Kullman, 2004)). Culture is strongly related with geographical setting of a place, religion, ethnicity, and race, explaining why different countries have different cultures, and also why places on seashore share common elements of culture that is quite different from culture of mountainous places. The imprinting of culture on ways a person thinks, acts, perceives the environment and models his/her reaction is very strong and virtually indelible, determining every aspect of human behavior and giving rise to cultural identity in addition to individual and national identity. Although the classic rational choice framework says that people are independent in choice of their behavior and approach towards events, its seen that at subtle levels the structural model provided by culture acts as final determinant in predicting a person, a society and a nation. Although culture is dynamic, evolving and continuously upgrading itself, in essence, these changes occur within the context of culture’s own timeframe. One of the most important contribution of culture to human civilization is the orientation provided towards other cultures, making the culture in question receptive, tolerant, indifferent or outright hostile towards different cultures. Societies are seldom mono-cultural, displaying a range of cultural traits, achieved through generations of trades, contact, and cross cultural mixing (Holliday, Hyde and Kullman, 2004). However, although for people belonging to a particular culture, their culture would hardly seem complex, the cultural realities are hidden beneath the surface, difficult to observe and discern from outside. These improper understanding and imperfect perceptions of culture often give rise to conflict when different cultures are required to meet or come across.

The Boston Massacre Hero, Crispus Attucks

The Boston Massacre Hero, Crispus Attucks The first person to die in the Boston Massacre was an African-American sailor named Crispus Attucks. Not much is known about Crispus Attucks prior to his death in 1770, but his actions that day became a source of inspiration for both white and black Americans for years to come. Attucks in Slavery Attucks was born around 1723; his father was an African slave in Boston, and his mother was a Natick Indian. His life up until he was 27 years old is a mystery, but in 1750 Deacon William Brown of Framingham, Mass., placed a notice in the Boston Gazette that his slave, Attucks, had run away. Brown offered a reward of 10 pounds as well as reimbursement for any incurred expenses to anyone who caught Attucks. The Boston Massacre No one captured Attucks, and by 1770 he was working as a sailor on a whaling ship. On March 5, he was having lunch near Boston Common along with other sailors from his ship, waiting for good weather so they could set sail. When he heard a commotion outside, Attucks went to investigate, discovering a crowd of Americans clustered near the British garrison. The crowd had gathered after a barbers apprentice accused a British soldier of not paying for a haircut. The soldier struck the boy in anger, and a number of Bostonians, seeing the incident, gathered and shouted at the soldier. Other British soldiers joined their comrade, and they stood as the crowd grew larger. Attucks joined the crowd. He took leadership of the group, and they followed him to the custom house. There, the American colonists began throwing snowballs at the soldiers guarding the customs house. The accounts of what happened next differed. A witness for the defense testified at the trials of Captain Thomas Preston and eight other British soldiers that Attucks picked up a stick and swung it at the captain and then a second soldier. The defense laid the blame for the actions of the crowd at Attucks feet, painting him as a troublemaker who incited the mob. This may have been an early form of race-baiting as other witnesses refuted this version of events. However much they were provoked, the British soldiers opened fire on the crowd that had gathered, killing Attucks first and then four others. At the trial of Preston and other soldiers, witnesses differed on whether Preston had given the order to fire or whether a lone soldier had discharged his gun, prompting his fellow soldiers to open fire. The Legacy of Attucks Attucks became a hero to the colonials during the American Revolution; they saw him as gallantly standing up to abusive British soldiers. And it is entirely possible that Attucks decided to join the crowd to take a stand against perceived British tyranny. As a sailor in the 1760s, he would have been aware of the British practice of impressing (or forcing) American colonial sailors into the service of the British navy. This practice, among others, exacerbated tensions between v and the British. Attucks also became a hero to African-Americans. In the mid-nineteenth century, African-American Bostonians celebrated Crispus Attucks Day every year on March 5. They created the holiday to remind Americans of Attucks sacrifice after blacks were declared non-citizens in the (1857)Â  Supreme Court decision. In 1888, the city of Boston erected a memorial to Attucks in Boston Common. Attucks was seen as someone who had martyred himself for American independence, even as he himself had been born into the oppressive system of American slavery. Sources Langguth, A. J. Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution. New York: Simon Schuster, 1989.Lanning, Michael Lee. The African-American Soldier: From Crispus Attucks to Colin Powell. Seacus, NJ: Citadel Press, 2004.Thomas, Richard W. Life for Us Is What We Make It: Building Black Community in Detroit, 1915-1945. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992.

How to Explore the Great Barrier Reef 4 Best Bases

How to Explore the Great Barrier Reef 4 Best Bases SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Swimming through coral forests, coming face-to-face with a sea turtle, relaxing on powdery white beaches, being surrounded by schools of neon-colored fish: you can do all of these at the Great Barrier Reef, one of the great natural sites of the world. The awe-inspiring reef stretches roughly 1,250 miles from north to south, contains nearly 3,000 individual reefs and hundreds of islands, is home to thousands of species of coral, plants, and animals, and covers an area roughly the size of Italy. With so much to see, where should you base yourself? There are numerous cities and towns along Australia’s northeastern coast that serve as jumping-off points for exploring the Great Barrier Reef, and each offers something different. This guide explains the pros and cons of four of the reef's best bases. For each base, tour prices, marine life, and options for other activities in the area are ranked from 1-3 stars. Tour Prices refer to what you can expect to pay for a reef tour, with three stars indicating the cheapest tours and one star indicating the most expensive (all prices mentioned below are in Australian dollars). Marine Life refers to how much coral and aquatic life you can expect to see under the water and how diverse it'll be. Bases with three stars generally have the most pristine and abundant marine life, while lower rankings indicate some degradation and/or sparseness of marine species. Don't think a low ranking means you'll be swimming through an underwater desert though; you'll see interesting things on any tour. Finally, it's also important to enjoy yourself before and after your reef tours, so Options for Other Activities are also ranked. More stars in this category means you have a wider variety of things to do nearby when you're not on the reef. Below the star rankings, the base itself, what reef tours generally offer and where they go, and options for nearby activities are explained in more detail. Knowing this information will help you choose a base that fits your interests and budget, helping you have the best Great Barrier Reef trip possible. At the end of this guide is additional logistical information to help you plan your trip after you've decided on a base. Cairns Tour Prices: Marine Life: Options for Other Activities: The Base The most popular base for visiting the Great Barrier Reef is the city of Cairns, and, as such, it’s here that you’ll find the widest variety of reef tours and tour operators. Cairns is a lively city that has decades of experience as a top tourist destination. Some visitors will appreciate all the amenities and activities Cairns has to offer, while others might be turned off by the proliferation of backpacker bars, tattoo parlors, and souvenir shops. Cairns is definitely a place that knows how to make the most out of its popularity with tourists. There’s a wide variety of accommodation here, ranging from hostels to exclusive resorts, but most places are moderately-priced hotels. Despite its commercialism, Cairns is still an enjoyable place to visit and offers travelers plenty to do both in and out of the water. The Reef and Reef Tours Cairns is the city closest to the reef, so trips out to the reef here are shorter than those from many other bases. Tours go to a variety of spots, but two of the reefs closest to Cairns are Arlington Reef and Sudbury Reef. Because Cairns is the most popular base for the Great Barrier Reef, many of the reefs around it are heavily visited, and some of the reefs, particularly those closest to the mainland, have suffered significant degradation as a result. There will still be things to see, but the coral may be sparse, and there may not be as much marine life as in other places. However, this depends significantly on which reef or reefs your tour visits. Because Cairns is the main jumping-off point for the Great Barrier Reef, there are tours catering to all budgets, and if you’re willing to spend the money, you can get high-end tour experiences similar to those at other bases in this guide. However, the majority of the Great Barrier Reef tours in Cairns cater to budget travelers and backpackers. This means you’ll find the cheapest reef tours here, starting at about $100. These tours often have larger groups and visit 1-2 reef sites during the day. Additional Activities As one of Australia’s top tourist destinations, there are lots of things to do in Cairns. The Cairns Lagoon, a pool and artificial beach close to the ocean, is a popular spot for all travelers, as are the lush Cairns Botanic Gardens and the Esplanade Boardwalk winding along the edge of the water. For families with children, Cairns has playgrounds, water parks, and nearby Trinity Beach to keep them occupied. You’ll also find bike tours, hiking, whale watching tours, jetskiing, waterfalls, rafting tours, markets and several museums and galleries nearby. Cairns has probably the best nightlife scene on the coast and numerous bars and restaurants that cater to all tastes and budgets. A popular day trip from Cairns is traveling to Kuranda. Visitors can take the spectacular Kuranda Scenic Railway over treetops and past waterfalls to reach Kuranda, a cute village in the rainforest. At Kuranda there are several animal parks, a butterfly sanctuary, hiking trails, shopping opportunities, riverboat tours, and numerous restaurants and ice cream shops. Port Douglas Tour Prices: Marine Life: Options for Other Activities: The Base Another popular base for the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas is like Cairn’s richer and more sophisticated cousin. There’s still fun both day and night to be had, but, in general, Port Douglas caters to a somewhat older and wealthier crowd than Cairns does, and it’s a favorite destination for celebrities. As a result, accommodation and dining prices are about 25%-50% higher than what you'll find in other areas. The vibe in Port Douglas is quieter and more relaxed than many other towns along the coast. The town has a few small museums and buildings of interest, an excellent market on Sunday mornings with homemade food and handicrafts, and is home to Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas where visitors can witness an alligator feeding show, view numerous Australian animals, and take a photo cuddling a koala. Four Mile Beach is the major beach in town, and it’ll do the job if you just need a place to splash around, but it’s definitely not one of the standout beaches in the area. The waves are often rough, the water is not very clear, and the sand is somewhat rocky and strewn with seaweed. The Reef and Reef Tours Day tours in Port Douglas tend to be more expensive than those in Cairns, Airlie Beach, and Townsville, but they are often higher-quality, going to the outer reef, visiting several reef sites, and having smaller boats with fewer people on board. Expect to pay over $200 for snorkeling and at least $300 for diving. Prices can be twice these amounts for the highest-end companies. A few of the biggest tour companies basing themselves in Port Douglas are Quicksilver, Wavelength, and Poseidon. Popular reef spots tours visit from Port Douglas include Agincourt Ribbon Reef, Opal Reef, St. Crispin Reef, and Tongue Reef, all located in the outer reef. While there is coral bleaching in this area, the coral is, generally still vibrant and diverse. Swimmers will often find themselves exploring massive coral forests while parrotfish, clownfish, damselfish swim nearby. This part of the reef also has some of the best opportunities for spotting mega fauna like sharks, rays, and sea turtles. Additional Activities While people who like to keep active may not find enough to do within Port Douglas, a short drive from town are some of Queensland’s most popular attractions including the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation, and Mossman Gorge. These three sites are within Daintree National Park and can all be visited in a day (with a guide or on your own), although many people enjoy the seclusion and nature they offer and choose to stay longer. The Daintree Rainforest is one of the last homes of the massive cassowary, an endangered Australian bird related to the ostrich and emu. There’s a boardwalk through the forest and other walking trails. Cape Tribulation is a remote and attractive beach where Captain Cook once ran aground, while Mossman Gorge is an important Aboriginal site where visitors can explore the rainforest and wade in the Mossman River. There’s a huge amount of biodiversity in this part of Queensland, and spending the day in some of the area’s top natural spots on land can be a good change of pace from all the time you’ve spent in the water. Townsville Tour Prices: Marine Life: Options for Other Activities: The Base Townsville is one of the largest cities in the area, and it’s often considered the unofficial capital of North Queensland. Due to its size and the number of administrative buildings located within it, Townsville lacks a lot of the charm and atmosphere of other towns along the coast, and it can often feel like you're in any generic large city. However, Townsville’s not all business, and visitors to the city can still find hiking trails, animal sanctuaries, and museums to enjoy. These are discussed in more detail in the â€Å"Additional Activities† section. Also, Townsville’s size means it has numerous amenities for travelers, although the city is more focused on local business than catering to tourists. The Reef and Reef Tours While the other bases in this guide are equally suitable for both snorkelers and divers, Townsville is most popular for its Great Barrier Reef diving opportunities. The main reason people do reef tours from here is because of the wreck of the SS Yongala, a large passenger ship which sank off the coast in 19. Today the site, a three-hour boat ride from Townsville, is often described as the best wreck dive site in the world, and it is visited by over 10,000 divers each year. As one of the largest historic shipwrecks, there is a lot to explore here. Large species often frequent the site, including sharks, grouper, sea snakes, and barracuda. Because of potential dangers associated with wreck diving, only experienced divers can visit the Yongala site. However, Townsville has options novice divers and Great Barrier Reef snorkeling as well. Nearby are several reefs, including Lodestone Reef, Wheeler Reef, and Kelso Reef. These areas typically have numerous coral species and good visibility. Be aware that Townsville is farther from the Great Barrier Reef than both Cairns and Port Douglas, so it will take longer to get to the reefs, even those closest to shore. Magnetic Island is another popular place for diving from Townsville. There are day trips available, or you can choose to spend several days on the island. There are multiple dive sites around Magnetic Island, and because its waters are generally calm and shallow, it’s a popular place to take diving classes. Tour prices in Townsville are slightly higher than those in Cairns and about what you’d pay in Port Douglas. Additional Activities When you’re not on the water, Townsville has multiple attractions to fill your time. For those who want to see wildlife, the Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium and the Billabong Sanctuary are two top places to get up-close with animals. Townsville is home to numerous museums, including the Museum of Tropical Queensland, the Army Museum of North Queensland, and the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. Townsville also has great walking and hiking opportunities, many of which include viewpoints over the town and coast. The Strand, Castle Hill, and Mount Stuart are some of the most popular. Airlie Beach Tour Prices: Marine Life: Options for Other Activities: The Base Little Airlie Beach, with a population of less than 10,00, is the most southerly base listed in this guide, about a seven-hour drive or a one-hour flight from Cairns. Airlie Beach has primarily been a backpackers’ destination with little more than a few hostels and beach bungalows. However, as its fame increases, the town has become home to more upscale cafes, shops, and hotels. Because it is not as heavily visited as Cairns or Port Douglas, Airlie Beach has a more laid-back atmosphere, with many people content to relax on the beach when they’re not touring the reef. The Reef and Reef Tours It’s possible to do traditional day tours to the reef from Airlie Beach, but most people who visit the Great Barrier Reef from here do so on a several day live-aboard tour of the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands. This collection of over 70 islands is covered with powdery sand and palm trees, and it has some of the most pristine coral in the Great Barrier Reef. The reefs surrounding the islands are called fringing reefs, and they are particularly known for their vibrant soft coral species. Turtles and whales are also frequent visitors to the reefs surrounding the islands. The best spots for diving are in the outer islands of the Whitsundays, particularly Hook, Hayman, and Langford islands. During these live-aboard trips, which are often 2-3 days but can be longer, guests will overnight in boat cabins or a room on one of the islands (you can also travel directly to the islands and stay there). During the day, there are typically several dives as well as time for exploring the islands. Some tours also include additional activities like sailing, which is a popular activity in the Whitsundays. Live-aboards also offer the chance for night dives. These dives can give you the chance to see a lot of marine life that isn’t active the day, including many types of sharks and other large fish species. However, be aware that, although you’ll have headlights, some people find swimming in near darkness to be disorienting and unsettling. Live-aboards are generally the most expensive reef tours; expect to pay at least $500 for a two-day trip, with some tours costing significantly more. Additional Activities Beyond reef tours you’ll find a couple other things to do in Airlie, such as helicopter tours, hiking (the town is close to jungly Conway National Park), and a water park, but, in general, Airlie is famous for one thing: the gorgeous beaches, considered some of the best in Australia. In town, manmade Airlie Beach Lagoon is a pretty stretch of sand, dotted with palm trees and grassy spots perfect for picnics or relaxing. On Whitsunday Island, Whitehaven Beach is a standout in a country known for its beaches. Almost all tours to the Whitsunday Islands visit this stunner, with gleaming white sand mingling with swirls of tropical blue water. Additionally, because Airlie Beach is still a popular spot for young backpackers, there’s always something going on in the evenings at the local bars and pubs. When's the Best Time to Visit the Great Barrier Reef? The Great Barrier Reef can be visited any time of the year. However, the weather is best between June and August, when it’s Australia’s winter. During these months the water is clearest and the chance of rain is lowest. Try to avoid Queensland’s rainy season from January to March when visibility is lower, the days can be gloomy, and the chances of cyclones are highest. Stinger season, when large numbers of jellyfish come to the waters around the reef, is typically from November through May. During this time, you’ll often have to wear a stinger suit to protect yourself from jellyfish tentacles. This is not a big deal, though; the stinger suit is a lot like a wetsuit and wearing it won’t be too cumbersome or uncomfortable. It’s also important to keep in mind that, even during the height of stinger season, the chances of getting stung are still low, and your tour operator will have supplies on board to treat any stings. How Do You Get to These Bases? Cairns and Port Douglas are closest to Cairns Airport. The city of Cairns is a short drive away, and Port Douglas can be reached by frequent buses and taxis that make the one-hour drive throughout the day. Townsville is served by Townsville Airport, a few miles from the city. Airlie Beach can be reached by Proserpine Airport or Hamilton Airport. From Proserpine, there are regular bus and taxi connections to Airlie Beach. From Hamilton Airport, which is on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, it’s a 50-minute ferry ride to Airlie. Because these are both smaller airports, flights can be less frequent and more expensive, so many people opt to drive or take a long-haul bus from Cairns or Brisbane to Airlie. Buses run daily, and the trip takes about hours from Cairns or 20 hours from Brisbane. Driving will likely get you there a few hours sooner because you won't be making as many stops as the buses. Once you get to your base, there are numerous buses and ferries to help you get around the area. Many tour companies offer hotel-pickup and drop-off on the day of your reef tour, although some charge extra for this service. How Can You Choose the Best Great Barrier Reef Tour? The Great Barrier Reef tourism market is saturated with tours, each of them claiming to be the best on the reef. Even after you’ve winnowed down your choice for a base, you’ll still have to choose between a multitude of tour operators. Ask these questions before you book a trip: What’s the Cost of the Tour? What Does That Include? For many Great Barrier Reef tours, you get what you pay for. Higher-priced tours will typically have fewer people and go to more distant parts of the reef, but it’s always smart to compare the cost of different tours with what you’ll be getting. Also make sure to ask what the price includes. Many things, like snorkel or dive gear, should be included, but you may have to pay extra for the Great Barrier Reef Tax ($6.50), extra food and beverages, seasickness pills, and photos from the day. How Many People Will Be on the Tour? How many people will you be sharing the boat and that part of the reef with? Great Barrier Reef tours typically range from 10 to over 100 people, but some especially large operators have a couple hundred people in the water at a time. Having a lot of people in the water with you can make it difficult to swim and scare away the marine life. Which Parts of the Reef Will You Visit? Tourism, development, and climate change have all taken a toll on the Great Barrier Reef, and some parts are in much better shape than others. The outer reef sites (those farthest from the coast) are often healthier, larger, and more vibrant because they see fewer tourists. Some heavily-visited reefs close to shore have suffered serious coral bleaching and death, and, unfortunately, aren’t very interesting to view. Many operators wait until the day of the tour to choose which exact sites they’ll be visiting based on the weather, but you should still be able to find out which reefs the company visits most often and where those reefs are. Additionally, if you’re prone to seasickness, you may want to visit a reef closer to shore to minimize travel time. There are numerous inner reef sites in good condition, so just make sure to do some online research on the health of the reefs after you get this information from the tour operator. How Many Other Tours Will Be There? Some of the higher-end operators have exclusive access to certain parts of the reef, while others share spots with many other tours. Ask how many other tours and people you can expect at the sites that tour will be visiting. How Many Dive Sites Will There Be? Many Great Barrier Reef tours will visit one site on the reef and spend the entire day there, while others will visit two or three sites, or even more if you’re doing an overnight tour. Some parts of the reef are large enough to justify spending an entire day at them, and you may prefer this option if you want to minimize travel time. However, if you want to see diverse parts of the reef, a tour that stops at several different places may be more enjoyable. How Long Will You Spend in the Water? The tour departure and return times may make it seem like you’re out on the water all day, but a lot of your time could be eaten up by traveling to the reef, going over safety information, getting people organized, and breaking for meals. Get specifics on how long you can expect to actually be in the water. 5 Things to Know Before You Visit the Great Barrier Reef While it’s possible to sign up for a reef tour heading out the next day, you’ll have more options and peace of mind if you book several weeks beforehand. The most popular operators can get booked well in advance, especially during Australian school holidays when Great Barrier Reef holidays are extremely popular. If you’re prone to seasickness (or think you might be), take sea sickness pills several hours before you get on the water. You can purchase medication before you leave for Australia, or you can purchase prescription or over-the-counter seasickness pills at any major pharmacy in Queensland. If you’d like pictures from your reef trip, you may want to purchase a disposable underwater camera. These are available at many tourist shops. There are also companies, mostly in Cairns, that rent underwater digital cameras by the day. Renting one costs about twice as much as buying a disposable camera, but they have higher image quality. You can also rent or buy a waterproof case for your own digital camera from many of these shops. If you don’t want to take pictures but still want some memories of what you saw in the reef, many reef companies have an employee taking pictures throughout the day. You can purchase a digital collection of these photos at the end of your trip. Always be aware of where your body is in relation to the reef. This is particularly true when you’re swimming in shallow water because the reef can be within a few inches (or less) of your kicking feet. Hitting the reef not only damages it, it can also be very painful and leave nasty cuts and bruises.