Xiphactinus - Facts and Figures

Name: Xiphactinus (combination Latin and Greek for sword ray); pronounced zih-FACK-tih-nussHabitat: Shallow waters of North America, Western Europe, and AustraliaHistorical Period: Late Cretaceous (90-65 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and 500-1,000 poundsDiet: FishDistinguishing Characteristics: Large size; slender body; prominent teeth with distinctive underbite About Xiphactinus At 20 feet long and up to half a ton, Xiphactinus was the largest bony fish of the Cretaceous period, but it was far from the top predator of its North American ecosystem--as we can tell from the fact that specimens of the prehistoric sharks Squalicorax and Cretoxyrhina have been discovered containing Xiphactinus remains. It was a fish-eat-fish world back in the Mesozoic Era, though, so you shouldnt be surprised to learn that numerous Xiphactinus fossils have been discovered containing the partially digested remains of smaller fish. (Finding a fish inside a fish inside a shark would be a true fossil trifecta.) One of the most famous Xiphactinus fossils contains the almost-intact remains of an obscure, 10-foot-long Cretaceous fish called Gillicus. Paleontologists speculate that the Xiphactinus died right after swallowing the fish, possibly because its still-living prey managed to puncture its stomach in a desperate attempt at escape, like the grisly extraterrestrial in the movie Alien. If this is really what happened, Xiphactinus would be the first fish known to have died from acute indigestion. One of the odd things about Xiphactinus is that its fossils have been discovered in just about the last place youd expect, the landlocked state of Kansas. In fact, during the late Cretaceous period, much of the American midwest was submerged under a shallow body of water, the Western Interior Sea. For this reason, Kansas has been a rich fossil source of all sorts of marine animals from the Mesozoic Era, not only giant fish like Xiphactinus but various marine reptiles as well, including plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and mosasaurs.

My Experience Of My Reading Life - 822 Words

Thinking back on your life, and all the books you have ever read can be overwhelming. Most people have read over hundreds of books and everyone has a different opinion on reading and a different story of why or why they do not read. For me my reading life has been different from most of my friends. From my earliest experiences to now there has been a huge change in how I read and what I think of it. The earliest I can think of someone reading to me is when I was about two years old. I have this picture of my grandma reading Teddy and the Duckling to me on the couch and we are both smiling. I can remember being read books when I was little especially before bed. My mom and dad would always come in my room and tuck me in, so I had them read†¦show more content†¦The most frustrating part is how long it takes me to read books and articles. I need to be completely focused on reading at times and it is hard for me to stay focused on books because there is nothing but words to look at making it feel never ending. This annoys me the most because while everyone else is done, I am still reading. Sometimes I compare reading to swimming; I like being able to do it and I feel good after, but it gets old and sometimes I feel as if it is a waste of time. I wish I could find a book that kept my attention long enough for me to finish and be able to say I have finished a book in a decent amount of time without skipping pages. Also, my vocabulary is not stretched out as it probably should be so at times I am stumped on words, or in writings, I cannot think of any good, powerful words that sound more educated or I have a hard time spelling them so I choose an easier word that I know how to spell. At this point in time, I do not particularly care for reading much because it takes me awhile to read and it does not keep me interested long enough. APUSH is a class I have struggled with because the readings go in one ear and out the other because they are not keeping me interested and they make me fall asleep, at least they did at the beginning. Even though I do not care for books, I really like poetry because it is short, but powerful. Poetry is interesting to me because you can say so littleShow MoreRelatedWhat Were Your Reading Experiences As A Child?766 Words   |  4 PagesWhat were your reading experiences as a child? My reading experiences as child was an interesting combination of biblical short stories, Nancy Drew novels, and vinyl recordings of classic Disney fairytales. The most valuable experience I can remember from childhood was my weekly visits to the school’s library. 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Women fashion Free Essays

What kind of clothing did women wear in ass’s advertisements? Women use to put on dresses that were limited and perfected Just below the knees, head scarf became more popular. Look today isn’t as precise as it was in the ass’s. Pattern now days are occasional. We will write a custom essay sample on Women fashion or any similar topic only for you Order Now Women now wear Jean and pants rather than proper gowns. In the ass’s female get into gowns at home typically today female would put on something more offhand and easy. The approach of women replaced now a days in the last 73 years, because of the adjustment to the recession, behavior, and the home. I am going to treasure trove how females have changed from ass’s advertisements through today. Fashion has not only given to the approval. In the ass’s a change in fashion showed up. The war was up so community initiated growing into fashions that feature the dead soldier who fought in the war. So for memorable moment if a person had battle in a war he’d wear his uniform and his partner would wear a plain office skirt. In the ass’s women fashion was very different from today. In ass’s it was socially acceptable to wear full clothing covering everything. Models in ass’s saw females expertly designing a line behind their legs, to give the reaction that stocking were frayed. Fewer material was used to form skirts and Jackets, and so they be turned into shorter. A decade back, what was Make 2 treated as brutally awful like females wearing pants, became a normal act. Nonetheless, the pant favored by females were easy long-term or pants with boots. Heels were still decorated by the females with the spontaneity of slim floor. Swing skirts were enough in interest in those days, with the decorative edition the drawing ruing the fresh ass’s fashion. Beauty today is basically had the finest body, ideal hair, refreshing clothes, and perfect clothes. Many females view the advertisements for look and appearance, striving to view and be like the female in the ads because it is what the earth says charm is. An ad for Ban deodorant, for instance, displays an angular, bright young woman adoring her body in the mirror. This apparently has nothing to do with deodorant, but it give the picture to female that using this deodorant makes you look like her. When glancing at ads in both magazines and television, you can barely usually see an ordinary looking woman. Now a day females are consistently advertised as this ideal person with no responsibility or concern, breathing the imagination life because of what they are wearing. Present-day ordinary females look at 400 to 600 ads per day. Today’s fashion model’s weigh 23% fewer than the ordinary women. Wistfully for women this is proceeding more and more. Women advance themselves to the Max, and in the end it hurts. Women fashion By Tamaki How to cite Women fashion, Essays

Negative as Well as Social Consequences of the AASB 138 Intangible As

Question: Discuss about the Negative as Well as Social Consequences of the AASB 138 for Intangible Assets. Answer: Introduction The AASB 138 was initially introduced in Australia by July 2004. This was mainly aimed at providing some standards on how numerous intangible assets are valued. Under this accounting standard, research has to be written off once they are incurred (Brahim and Arab 2012). With these considerations, this paper aims to present some negative and social consequences of the introduction of AASB 138. To start with, introduction of the AASB 138 has some negative effects in that reporting organizations that has at one point incurred expenses on their research which was expected to generate some economic benefits were forced to incur some costs to cater for their expenditures. In this case, these expenditures are mainly treated similar to expenditures on the research which is believed to result in future economic benefits (Cheung, Evans and Wright 2008). Therefore, this accounting standard does not permit individuals to differentiate in between organizations that have valuable research as well as those one that do not have; hence, from the efficiency perspective, merit of AASB 138 is highly questionable. In essence, under AASB 138, all organizations are usually treated similarly irrespective of their success status, both the unsuccessful and the successful researchers (Jaafar 2011). As a result, managers would know that those researches they undertake would have some negative impact on their profitability. For instance, those firms suffering from poor profit might view that it is preferable to defer the research until the subsequent periods when their profits are higher and thus, they are better in absorbing their expenditures. The reduced expenditure from conservative treatment would have some obvious economic impacts. As a result suppliers of research-connected supplies would receive lesser finances. On the other hand, introduction of AASB 138 resulted to some social consequences. For instance, adoption of the AASB 138 encourages different organization to increase their personnels education; hence, making these personnel active members in the society growth and development. Introduction of the AASB 138 also alleviates the conservative behaviour of potential investors. This means that introduction of the AASB 138 makes investors less conservative while making their investment decision. Further, introduction of AASB 138 would make managers act appropriately in maximizing their reputation; hence, maximizing their remuneration from their future and current personnel. This means that introduction of the AASB 138 bring a tendency of being more attentive while remunerating future and current personnel; hence, maximizing their remunerations. References Brahim, HB and Arab, MB 2012, The relevance of the information about intangibles: Some determinants, International journal of accounting and financial reporting, 2(1), 219. Cheung, E, Evans, E and Wright, S 2008, The adoption of IFRS in Australia: The case of AASB 138 (IAS 38) Intangible Assets. Australian Accounting Review, 18(3), 248-256. Hunter, L, Webster, E and Wyatt, A 2012, Accounting for expenditure on intangibles, Abacus, 48(1), 104-145. Jaafar, H 2011, Accounting for intangible assets, firm life cycle and the value relevance of intangible assets (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tasmania).

Reparations for the Stolen Generations free essay sample

The purpose of this essay is to explore and analyse the issue of compensation or reparations for members of the Stolen Generations. First, a brief overview of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families Inquiry (referred to as the Bringing Them Home Report or the Inquiry) will be provided including the key recommendations drawn from the Inquiry. Second, current reparations that have been offered to Indigenous people within Australia and abroad will be analysed. Finally, from the information gathered the appropriateness of existing reparations will be discussed and recommendations will be made. The Inquiry was â€Å"established in response to concerns among Indigenous agencies and communities that the Australian practice of separating Indigenous children from their families had never been formally examined† (HREOC, 2007). The Inquiry gathered evidence from a number of individuals and organisations including, but not limited to, Indigenous individuals, government and church representatives, government staff (eg. We will write a custom essay sample on Reparations for the Stolen Generations or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page olice and doctors) and academics (HREOC, 2007; add more refs). The scope of the Inquiry was to address key areas of concern regarding the removal of Aboriginal children relating to the laws, policies and practices that resulted in removal and their effects, whether the (then) current laws and practices were adequate enough to help people affected by past removal, factors needing consideration regarding compensation and whether the (then) current laws and policies needed adapting or changing (HREOC, 2007; Ellis, 1996). The results of the Inquiry uncovered, among other things, cases of sexual and physical abuse, harsh institutional conditions, basic education, loss of heritage and culture. The Inquiry led to the Bringing Them Home Report (BTHR), which outlined 54 recommendations. The categories of recommendation included acknowledgement and apology, guarantee against repetition, restitution, rehabilitation, monetary compensation and implementation (HREOC 2007; add more refs). The removal of Aboriginal children from their families under the notion of ‘assimilation’ and supported by the legislation and policy referred to as ‘Protection’ and ‘Welfare’ was a blatant attempt at genocide1 which is considered by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee as a gross human rights violation (Sculthorpe Mansell, 2008; Ellis, 1996; Pritchard, 1998). Compensation tends to focus on monetary compensation whereas reparation2 is an umbrella term that encompasses all of the categories mentioned above. In light of what the Stolen Generations experienced and what was denied to them they deserve more than basic monetary compensation which is still being withheld by the majority of Australia. The BTHR made clear the expectation that Indigenous people involved in the Stolen Generations be granted reparations following the aforementioned practices inflicted upon them. Not meeting the requirement of providing reparations would be contrary to Australia’s international human rights obligations (Durbach, year? add refs). Nevertheless, little has been done to implement the BTHR recommendations (ref here). Although the Howard government projected a strong focus on reconciliation, they failed to recognise the relationship between justice and reconciliation. Howard’s refusal to apologise based on previous governments wrongdoings meant that very little could be done in the way of reconciliation. Without an apology the healing process for many Indigenous people affected by the Stolen Generations were unable to progress. (Durbach, add more). The Howard government did offer restitution in the form of a $63 million fund 6 months after the BTHR was published. This was to go towards reuniting divided Aboriginal families and the setting up of a national archive in order to trace the devastated communities and preserve the minority of Aboriginal languages still spoken today (references). Although the federal government failed only expressed ‘sincere regret’ for the practices upheld by previous governments, State governments offered formal apologies to the Aboriginal people in their jurisdiction. Between May 27 1997 and October 24 2001 all States apologised for the wrongdoings of their predecessors (website, add more refs). Once Rudd was federally elected, he offered, on February 13, 2008, a formal apology to the Aboriginal people on behalf of the Australian parliament and its people (references). However, the Rudd government clearly stipulated that offering a formal apology would in no way bring forward opportunities for Indigenous people to claim compensation for the forcible removal from their families and the many detrimental effects this had on individuals, families and whole communities (references). In more recent times, the government has promised to establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation (13th February, 2009). However, it won’t provide healing services but rather â€Å"fund healing work, educating the community and evaluating healing programs to find out what works† (references). Other restitution initiatives have been implemented across different States and Territories but these initiatives have failed to assist all affected Indigenous people (references). Additionally, the government offered services to reconnect members of the Stolen Generations with their families, but in November 2009 it was announced that National Archives Australia planned on closing four offices between 2010 and 2012 (references). This will prove extremely detrimental to the efforts of services such as Link-Up that rely on these records to assist in the reconnection process. On a State level, Tasmania is the only state to implement an initiative which specifically provides compensation to victims of the Stolen Generations. The Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children Act 2006 (Tas) was a $5 million fund set up to provide payments to eligible applicants (references). â€Å"106 Aboriginal people qualified for one-off compensation payments while 45 cases were rejected† (website reference). Other initiatives include the Queensland Redress Scheme which offered compensation to individuals who were subject to institutional abuse or neglect and Redress Western Australia (WA), individuals receive monetary compensation as well as an official apology by the state government. If evidence of abuse resulting in medical or psychological loss or injury can be provided then they may be entitled to a further payment. While the QLD and WA Redress Schemes offer compensation to members of the Stolen Generations, they were created universally for all Australians subject to abuse in care settings and therefore do not only compensate the forcible removal of those in the Stolen Generations. (references). In order to claim compensation for being removed from their families, an individual may need to pursue formal litigation. This is a non-existent option for many Indigenous people due to the lack of financial resources, evidence and supporting documents. The evidence may be ‘lost’, destroyed or not kept. Also, there is difficulty seeking lawyers from their remote locations. One successful case is that of Bruce Trevorrow. He sued the South Australian parliament for his removal from his family without their knowledge or consent which led to a life of crime, poor health, alcoholism, smoking and depression. He was awarded $450,000 for injuries and losses and a further $75,000 for his unlawful removal and imprisonment. A further $250,000 was awarded at a later date for interest accumulated over 50 years (references). Australia is not the only country with an Aboriginal population therefore it is vital to consider initiatives that were implemented in other countries to combat similar injustices. Countries that will be explored in this paper are the United State (US), South Africa and Canada. When looking at Australia’s efforts of reparations in isolation the results are disturbing. However, when you compare these to initiatives that are being implemented in other countries it is nothing less than infuriating to see how little the Australian government is doing. The US’ most successful reparations measure was preventing a repetition of human rights violations. The Indian Child Welfare Act (1978) (ICWA) was enacted in order to â€Å"promote tribal sovereignty and reverse the effects of forced assimiliation† (references). Creating an Act such as the ICWA gives credence to Native Americans that similar injustices will not reoccur as it recognised that past policies were inhuman and a violation of basic human rights (references). President Clinton offered an apology to the Tuskegee people who were made part of an overtly racist Public Health Service study between 1932 and 1972 (references). Aside from Clinton’s apology and the enactment of the ICWA, the US’ biggest downfall is their disregard for the need of a formal national apology to the Native Americans (references). South Africa has made many measures to offer reparations to the victims (more info ) So far only acknowledgement and apology and restitution have been offered. Minimal compensation (generally not for simply being ‘stolen’ but for the abuse they received. No guarantees – signatory to UN Declaration, current intervention in NT, while restitution is offered in healing programs etc etc not much funding towards mental health, parenting etc etc. Implementation has been suggested but rejected by government.. blah blah blahn

Cellular Transport essays

Cellular Transport essays The transport of materials through cellular membranes is a crucial function for the survival of cells. There are three different methods of transport through which materials can pass through cellular membranes: active transport, passive transport, and facilitated or carrier mediated transport. In our lab experiment, we studied the active transport of the amino acid leucine into the bacterium Escherichia coli and the passive transport of water molecules into onion cells. In the first experiment, we attempt to substantiate the hypothesis that active transport of leucine in E-coli would only occur when cells are supplied with glucose since glucose enable the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP supply the energy needed for active transport. Leucine is a radioactive aminoacid. Radioactive materials have been able to make biochemical assays less complex and improve the ability for biological researches to follow biochemical reactions in cells. One of the most important uses of radioisotopes is the ability for these isotopes to act as radioactive tracers. These tracers function as a tool for the study of metabolic and transport processes. The presence of a radioisotope does not change the chemical properties of a molecule. Since, they are able to emit detected particles, radioactive molecules can be traced in cells and cellular extracts. All radioactive isotopes have three properties: (1) they generally emit alpha or beta particles o r gamma rays or combination. (2) Half-lives (which are the time it takes for half of the radioactive material to decay) are used to measure the rate of radioactive decay. (3) The radioactive decay energy which measures the kinetic energy with which the particles are emitted (Bilington 7). In the lab, the radioactive tracer molecule, C14, was used in order to follow the path of the amino acid, leucine, in Escherichia coli ( a bacterium). This experiment In the passive transpo...

Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizend Essay

Do you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court's decision in Citizend United and why What are the implications for political discourse in the U.S - Essay Example The financial support of a political post in a corporation is likely to influence corporate staff to engage in corrupt deals. One may not have enough resources to campaign for the seat, a factor that may influence them to engage in corruption to raise the required financial resources for the campaign. If the Court decision prohibited all forms of financial support for political candidates, candidates would learn to make their own personal efforts in campaigning and not rely on financial support from corporations (Abrams, 2011). This is an indication of able leadership by the political candidates who can sponsor their campaigns without external  financial  support at the same time; the decision encourages discrimination in contest for corporate political seats. It is not easy  that all the candidates win a political support from a certain organization. For this reason, the ruling seems to encourage discrimination in corporate leadership. Another reason that I disagree with the ruling is that it may interfere with transparency and accountability in elections. Some corporations may go as far as sponsoring election rigging to ensure that the preferred candidate wins the elections (Abrams, 2011). Election rigging may be one of the most serious problems in the economic and political development of corporations and nations when it is extended from the personal level to the corporate level. The  decision was one of the most surprising decisions in the political sphere of the country, especially given the sensitivity on union and corporate money being used to sponsor federal elections (Neuborn, 2011). Despite the fact the funding of federal campaigns by corporations was banned; the law is not easy to implement if political campaigns in corporations are treated differently. In my opinion, political campaigns need to be treated equally regardless of the level of the campaign, and the seat being contested. It is unfair to have financial sponsors for corporate

Individual Developmental Plan Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Developmental Plan - Article Example While considering my future plans related to improving my education and professional level, I established that UNB best suites my inclinations and requirements. I intended to pursue my further studies for the Masters Degree in Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. This was an opportunity for me to travel and reside in Canada where the culture was quite different from what I had been used to back in Saudi Arabia. Studying for my MBA at University of New Brunswick was a cultural experience in which I developed in the process of learning the new culture and adjusting to it. In essence, the Arabian and Canadian perceived me in different ways, and they brought out the dissimilar part of me through the social exemplification of culture and personality. Owing to the fact that the two cultures are quite dissimilar from each other, they exemplify different characters in me. For instance, the culture in Saudi Arabia portrayed me as a conservative, cultured and tra ditional man since the cultural inclination of Saudi Arabia rewards and appreciates such characters. So while in Saudi Arabia I epitomize the Arabian culture of being religious and cultured but in Canada, the culture perceived me as a liberal, talkative and funny individual due to the cultural background that appreciates such characters. Therefore, the cultural experience in Canada had a lot of impact on my personal character because it exposed certain areas in my personality that was perhaps hidden by the Arabian culture back in my native country. This was symbolized by the constant need for me to adjust to the new culture, which was quite dissimilar to my home culture that I was familiar with. Comparatively, the cultures of Saudi Arabia and Canada have a lot of features in common that I witnessed in my experience in both places. Basically, culture espouses similar values that bond the society together. For instance, the social values of Saudi Arabia and Canada are the same in the sense that they are governed by religious activities. Though the two cultures profess different religions, Islam for Saudi Arabia and Christianity for Canada, the religions play a defining role in social life and influence the social norms. Similarly, both cultures are based on strong family values which govern the society and the family values are founded on the principles of love, unity, and godliness. In my experience, I witnessed several points of divergence in the cultures, which stemmed from the fundamental principles governing the respective cultures. First and foremost is the aspect of religion, which is the basis of culture. In Saudi Arabia, the culture is purely based on the Islamic culture whereby worship is an integral aspect of the culture. The Arabian culture is inherently conservative, and social relations are restricted with boys and girls separated from each other. Canada, on the other hand, is a liberal society that is based on Christian ideals; the culture emphasi zes strong family values and contemporary social behaviors. My personal style had a lot of influence on the process of cultural development while studying in the University of New Brunswick. The similarities with the cultures lay in my

Japanese Internment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Japanese Internment - Essay Example The article provides valuable perceptions and insights about what the Japanese went through during the internment(Flamiano,2000, pp.22). The United States entered into World War II after the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbour in 1941. According to Dolores the anti Japanese criteria, then gripped the home front. She states that president Franklin signed an executive order which authorized the war department to exclude any group of people from the military areas for the duration of the war. A hundred and ten thousand Japanese immigrants and Americans from the west coast were evacuated at that time. Their lives were disrupted since they had to stop living their normal lives and move to other areas. The Japanese Americans were falsely accused of sending signals to their countries. Dolores states that three priests were arrested and the reporters gave a false report. Dolores explains that the Japanese continued to follow their traditions while still in America. She quotes a California governor saying that it would be impossible to tell whether the Japanese are loyal or not. She states that they faced racism in America w hereby all Asian immigrants were considered aliens in the United States. Internment photography begun in the 1970s as scholarly analysis with a strong focus being on the Manzanar photographs of Asel Adams and Dorothea Lange. Many scholars, however, neglected the magazine photography in order to study the ones in museums or the government archives. Dolores states that Adam’s work that contained eight photographs shared a vision that the camp was tough to live in for people of Manzarin An example, as Dolores explains, was a photo of Collier that portrayed opportunities for people who were ready to work. In 1980 and 2004, Elena Tajima and Sylvia Danovitch noticed that the internment photographs excluded the harshness or inconvenience of the camp’s living conditions. An example is Colliers’s photo of two women with checkered curtains at their

Emily Dickinsons Symbolism of Death

Emily Dickinsons Symbolism of Death Emily Dickinson is thought to be â€Å"one of the greatest American poets that have ever existed† (Benfey 5). Her poems can be directly linked to her life and many of them are about death. Only seven of Dickinsons poems were published while she was alive and her works were heavily criticized. However, despite the harsh criticism her works on the subjects of life and death are now among the most riveting in the English language. Dickinson was antisocial and refused to leave her home or have visitors. Some biographers say that in the early 1860s Dickinson went through an emotional crisis because of her isolation. Her emotional state was further disturbed when her father died in 1874 followed by a close family friend, Otis Lord, a couple years later. Dickinson herself described what she felt at that time as an â€Å"attack of nerves† (Cameron 29). Dickinsons remorse inspired her to write more poems: in 1862 she composed over 300 poems. â€Å"Her absorption in the world of feeling found some relief in associations with nature; yet although she loved nature and wrote many nature lyrics, her interpretations are always more or less swayed by her own state of being† (Benfey 22). â€Å"The quality of her writing is profoundly stirring, because it betrays, not the intellectual pioneer, but the acutely observant woman, whose capacity for feeling was profound† (Bennet 61). The seven poems that were published during her lifetime were published anonymously and a few without her consent. â€Å"The editors of the periodicals in which her lyrics appeared made significant alterations to them in attempt to regularize the meter and grammar, consequently discouraging Dickinson from seeking further publication† (Fuller 17). After Dickinsons death all her poems were published and she was acknowledged as a poet ahead of her time. Some critics thought that, â€Å"Her work was often cryptic in thought and unmelodious in expression† (Bennet 64). A poem written during her attack of nerves in 1862 titled â€Å"This is my letter to the World† is written, as the title implies, as a message to the world after her death as if she were speaking beyond the grave. â€Å"The plea that she be judged tenderly for natures sake combines an insistence on imitation of nature as the basis of her art with a special plea for tenderness towards her own fragility or sensitivity; but poetry should be judged by how well the poet achieves his or her intention and not by the poem alone, as Emily Dickinson surely knew† (Bloom 297). â€Å"This particular poems generalization about her isolation—and its apologetic tone—tends toward the sentimental, but one can detect some desperation underneath the softness† (Bloom 298). Another poem, â€Å"Tell all the Truth, but tell it slant-â€Å" is full of her slant rhymes which make the reader get lost in her puzzle of words. â€Å"The idea of artistic success lying in circuit—that is, in confusion and symbolism—goes well with the stress on amazing sense and staggering paradoxes which we have seen her express elsewhere† (Eberwein 171). She seems to enjoy keeping truths from being revealed, as if we are not ready to know the truth. . â€Å"On the very personal level for Emilys mind, â€Å"infirm delight† would correspond to her fear or experience and her preference for anticipation over fulfillment. For her, Truths surprise had to remain in the world of imagination. However, superb surprise sounds more delightful than frightening† (Bloom 89). Dickinsons famous poem Success is Counted Sweetest, is sagely and complex. â€Å"It proceeds by inductive logic to show how painful situations create knowledge and experience not otherwise available† (Eberwein 18). The poem begins with underdogs in their struggle for success and their indomitable will to succeed. Then the poem gains momentum by stating that only those with the most thirst can comprehend what they need to succeed. â€Å"Having briefly introduced people who are learning through deprivation, Emily goes onto the longer description of a person dying on a battlefield. The word â€Å"host,† referring to an armed troop, gives the scene an artificial elevation intensified by the royal color purple. These seemingly victorious people understand the nature of victory much less than does a person who has been denied it and lies dying. His ear is forbidden because it must strain to hear and will soon not hear at all† (Eberwein 19). Even though this poem is com plex it has a cheerful side and paints excellent images. â€Å"On the biographical level, it can be seen as a celebration of the virtues and rewards of Emily Dickinsons renunciatory way of life, and as an attack on those around her who achieved worldly success† (Bloom 158). Of all her poems â€Å"I Heard a Fly Buzz—When I Died—† follows Dickinsons style and infatuation with life and death most devoutly. The start of the poem has great impact. She describes the moment of her death, so you are already aware she is dead. â€Å"In the first stanza, the death rooms stillness contrasts with a flys buzz that the dying person hears, and the tension pervading the scene is likened to the pauses within a storm. The second stanza focuses on the concerned onlookers, whose strained eyes and gathered breath emphasize their concentration in the face of a sacred event: the arrival of the â€Å"King,† who is death. In the third stanza, attention shifts back to the speaker, who has been observing her own death with all the strength of her remaining senses† (Eberwein 201). As her senses start to leave her she makes a will of her material possessions so people can remember her and starts to saunter slowly towards death. â€Å"But the buzz ing fly intervenes at the last instant; the phrase and then† indicates that this is a casual event, as if the ordinary course of life were in no way being interrupted by her death† (Bloom 365). â€Å"The flys â€Å"blue buzz† is one of the most famous pieces of synesthesia in Emily Dickinsons poems. This image represents the fusing of color and sound by the dying persons diminishing senses. The uncertainty of the flys darting motions parallels her state of mind. Flying between the light and her, it seems to both signal the moment of death and represent the world that she is leaving† (Bloom 365). â€Å"In â€Å"This World is Not Conclusion,† Emily Dickinson dramatizes a conflict faith in immortality and severe doubt† (Bloom 55). The last eight lines were omitted by the publishers because of its controversial content. The altered poem no longer retained its original meaning. â€Å"The complete poem can be divided into two parts: the first twelve lines and the final eight lines† (Eberwein 89). The first four lines speak of the afterlife and how we should intuitively know it exists. The next four lines are about struggling and surviving. â€Å"Even wise people must pass through the riddle of death without knowing where they are going† (Bloom 55). â€Å"In the next four lines, the speaker struggles to assert faith. Her faith now appears in the form of a bird that is searching for reasons to believe. But available evidence proves as irrelevant as twigs and as indefinite as the directions shown by a spinning weathervane. The desperation of a bird aimles sly looking for its way is analogous to the behavior of preachers whose gestures and hallelujahs cannot point the way to faith† (Bloom 56). The poem ends with the message that no one can be rid of doubt, not even the preachers themselves. It manages to make the reader question whether there is an afterlife. Finally, the poem â€Å"This Consciousness That Is Aware† starts off by talking about how experiencing death changes a person. â€Å"The poem opens by dramatizing the sense of mortality which people often feel when they contrast their individual time bound lives to the world passing by them† (Eberwein 49). In the next stanza the order of the words are reversed to show that the speakers life has been flipped upside-down. â€Å"The speaker anticipates moving between experience and death—that is, from experience into death by means of the experiment of dying. Dying is an experiment because it will test us, and allow us, and no one else, to know if our qualities are high enough to let us survive beyond death† (Bloom 137). As in her other poems, Dickinson seeks answers through death. It is as if she is courting death through her poetry. Dickinsons poems, even this small sample, touch upon death. Shes a spiritual person who prefers to look inward for answers. This inwardness explains her preference to being isolated and her fascination with death as those close to her died. It difficult to say exactly how many of her poems touch on the subject of life and death, but certainly most of them mention it. This is not surprising considering that a small New England town in the 1800s had a high mortality rate. Because of this there was death all around her. â€Å"This factor contributed to her preoccupation with death, as well as her withdrawal from the world, her anguish over her lack of romantic love, and her doubts about fulfillment beyond the grave† (Cameron 114). What is fascinating is that she tackles the sensitive issue of death in a way that her â€Å"Readers tend to be impressed by her sensitive and imaginative handling of this painful subject† (Stonum 83). â€Å"If nothing else had come out of our l ife but this strange poetry we should feel that in the work of Emily Dickinson, America, or New England rather, had made a distinctive addition to the literature of the world, and could not be left out of any record of it† (Benfey 66). Dickinsons poetry is a quest to the answers within us all concerning life and death.

Max Weber on Society Essay -- Max Weber sociology sociological Essays

Max Weber on Society Max Weber was one of the world's greatest sociologists and wrote a lot about the capitalist world he lived in. He had a different conception of capitalist society than most of his contemporaries. He looked at capitalism from all the different aspects that the philosophy was made of. Some of these aspects are state power, authority, class inequality, imperialism, and bureaucracy. To understand how Weber thought one must look at each area separately then put them all together in a global package. Weber describes history in terms of the constant struggle for power. He bases all significant historical changes on the power struggle that caused them. Weber describes power as a zero sum game. That means for one person to gain power, someone else has to loose the same amount of power. A fundamental aspect of the power struggle is the state, and its power. Weber states that the state is the monopoly of legitimate force. The state is a compulsory of power, and the laws within it are its powers to enforce its power. The main struggle for power is that of force verses authority. Force is power that can be used to get one's way, and authority is the legitimate use of power to rule. Within the struggle for power, Weber defines three forms of authority: rational-legal authority, traditional authority, and charismatic authority. Rational-legal authority is anchored in impersonal rules that have been legally established. This type of has come to characterize...

Urban Planning in Developing Countries

Urban Planning in Developing States Introduction In recent old ages, there has been an increasing involvement in 3rd universe urban planning. Over past three decennaries at that place has been a big migration of China`s population from rural to urban parts. As Grubler says: â€Å"Fast urbanisation and consequent land usage alteration had altered ecosystems, destroyed wildlife home grounds, changed regional climes and released big sums of C into the atmosphere† ( Grubler, 1998 ) . At the same clip, the metropoliss are developing really fast but ignored the quality of planning. As a effect, the citizens` life quality has dropped quickly. There is grounds, nevertheless, that citizens who live in a well-planned metropolis happen it easy to hold a high felicity degree. For illustration, Barcelona`s metropolis program remains one of the best theoretical accounts in the universe even Spain may be confronting important economic and political challenges these old ages. Compared with other metropoliss in the development states, Barcelona has paid more attending on the metropolis users` perceptual experience and experience, the metropolis contrivers ever put the users` feeling foremost and so comes the regulations, that is why Barcelona`s citizens can easy bask their life at that place. On the other manus, citizens of the developing countries` metropoliss will be harder to advance happiness index. A inquiry originating from these considerations concerns the best manner to plan metropoliss or re-plan metropoliss of developing states. The undertaking will analyze the urban design in developing states. It will look at how to do the most suited determination for every 3rd universe states ‘ planning. It will explicate why we should pay more attending to this country. First, the undertaking will do a comparing between the urban design in developed states and that in developing states. Second, the undertaking will speak about how to do a good program in developing states. Third, the undertaking will analysis the feasibleness of doing a good program in developing states. Section 1 Urban planning in the universeUrban planning in developed statesPlaning used to be a physical infinite theory, but for now, the developed countries` planning is a theory of public policy and public direction. As the basic urban building is completed, what they should make now is merely to maintain upgrading each country of a metropolis and increase public engagement. As Potter says: â€Å"By now, many states in both the developed and developing universe parts espouse the demand for greater public engagement in planning, although in pattern, many may merely pay it lip service.† ( Potter, 2012, p.149 ) In developed states, the contrivers play an of import function in the society. The contrivers ever spend batch of clip to understand the metropoliss and forecast the development of the metropoliss. City is like a system and the system is a complicated entireness, which contains a batch of objects and subdivisions. The contrivers in developed states will make their best to unite them and do them related to each other. On the other manus, the contrivers are ever glad to listen to the citizens and roll up their sentiments ; they will unite assortment of particular demands and programs to go a comprehensive rational pick. For these grounds, the citizens in developed states are much easier to obtain felicity.Urban planning in developing statesThe planning procedure in alleged developing states, like China, is radically different from western states. In recent old ages, big Numberss of instructors came back from abroad conveying back the thoughts of aliens, so base on balls on to their pup ils. However, the urbanisation procedure in China is rather different with foreign states and we do non hold a ain theory which is suited for this state of affairs, the manner we are be aftering is copying western theoretical accounts, that is why we have so much jobs in today`s metropoliss. Developing states ever have economically backward, the easiest manner to turn economic system is to increase the population. With the growing of population, many jobs will be much harder to work out than earlier, such as the relationships between persons, lodging, transit and environment. The contrivers in most of the developing states ever put net incomes in the first topographic point and disregard the metropolis user`s experience, they will believe small about the city`s hereafter. Developing states besides used to pursuit the develop velocity and disregard the quality of a metropolis. Any city`s development is a long historical procedure, there must hold a big figure of civilization relics in this procedure. But as this phase of urban planning in China, most of the historical and cultural sights were badly damaged by our alleged development. When speaking about the environment in China, it is besides a immense job. A good environment is a critical status of metropolis developing. With the unsuitable method of program a metropolis, the air quality, H2O quality and other environmental quality decreased aggressively in these few decennaries. Compared with the urban planning in developed states, there is a deficiency of future chances in developing states ‘ urban planning. Section 2 How to do a suited program in developing states 2.1 What should authorities and contrivers do? The authorities should pay more attending on metropolis planning than earlier. They used to pay excessively much attending on the economic system increasing and about ignored the metropolis planning, so they should alter their head to maintain the balance between them. The authorities should beef up the earnestness of urban be aftering which including strengthen jurisprudence enforcement, promote the enforcement procedure, better enforcement steps and other related steps. During the planning procedure, the contrivers should set citizens to the first topographic point but non net incomes. Environmental quality is really of import in presents, the contrivers should non disregard it because urban planning is a theory of functioning the persons, and they should develop the metropolis without harm the environment of citizens. Urban be aftering should reflect the net incomes of the populace such as the country of transit, amusement, medical attention, instruction and so on, contrivers must do certain people-oriented. As Silva says: â€Å"Urban contrivers face major challenges in the aggregation of informations towards analyzing the invariably altering societal, economic and environmental conditions in cities.† ( Silva, 2010, p.388 ) 2.2 What should citizens make? Urban planning is non an matter of authorities and contrivers, the populace should besides take participate in it. The citizens of a metropolis should better their quality and have an international position to convey aid to urban development. In developed states, the correct theory said that urban planning is a collaborative procedure. When necessary, public should give nonsubjective advices and helpful suggestions to assist the contrivers, guarantee the procedure is come oning. On the other manus, everyone should make their best to protect the environment and cut down the waste of resources in the procedure of urban development, in order to cut down the force per unit area of authorities and contrivers. The connexion between cities` users and contrivers should be a co-operation relationship. Section 3 The feasibleness of urban planning in developing states. 3.1 A instance analysis of Shanghai This paragraph presents a instance analysis of Shanghai, China ‘s largest and most of import industrial centre. Rapid industrial and economic development in China over the past three decennaries has resulted in a big migration from rural countries to metropoliss, the population of Shanghai was more than twofold and building country increased quickly every bit same as the figure of vehicles. For this ground, it is a truly tough work to re-plan a metropolis like Shanghai. Since we can non cut down the figure of population, the lone manner to re-plan the metropolis is to accommodate the current state of affairs and happen out the suited solutions. During the past decennaries, Shanghai had spent a immense figure of money on the urban substructure investing ( see Appendix 1 ) . Even the authorities used this portion of fillip to upgrade a batch of countries of substructure investing, but it is still difficult to equilibrate the relationships between persons, lodging, transit and env ironment. 3.2 Problems and troubles The migration and urbanisation is still keep increasing in the metropoliss like Shanghai and we can non calculate the hereafter. If we can construct little and moderate-sized metropoliss, which have perfect map, surround the large metropoliss, they may pull people to travel in from the large metropoliss. This method will alter the migration and urbanization tendency, it besides can better the growing and development of both large metropoliss and other metropoliss. As Pacione says: National industrial-development policy, including the determination to construct little and moderate-sized metropoliss for investing allotment intents, has straight affected the growing and development of Shanghai†¦ They conclude that the Chinese achievement in large-scale urban transmutation and their success in incorporating the spacial growing of big industrial centres is a singular accomplishment in urban and regional planning, which should be studied closely by contrivers in both the developed and the underdeveloped states. ( Pacione, 1981, p.26 ) On the other manus, this method may be useless to China because of the population. There has more chances in large metropoliss such as Shanghai, it is truly a tough work to alter people`s head to migrate to smaller metropoliss. With a immense figure of population and deficiency of public engagement in big metropoliss, the work of program and re-plan tend to be harder. Compared with developed states, there will be much less jobs in urban design or metropolis re-planning. Decision Taking the suggested solutions could work out the jobs in developing states but it will take a long clip for developing states to maintain gait with the developed states. The developing states should larn the manner of developed states, but still necessitate to happen out a much more suited manner to be after the metropoliss or re-plan them. A good metropolis planning contains a batch of elements and it is non merely a procedure to incorporate assorted of resources, it should convey urban occupants a more comfy and harmonious life environment. Although many of the developing countries` metropoliss are upgrading, but in most of their program there still exist unscientific, irrational and follow blindly. The cities` contrivers made their determination to do the metropoliss become a new Manhattan or a new Hong Kong irrespective of the specific fortunes, the figure of these metropoliss now is at least 40 harmonizing to relevant statistics. We can non merely concentrate on economic development and bury the significance of urban be aftering itself. Developing states has a batch of jobs in the urban planning procedure, it is due to miss of research establishments for urban planning. At this point, the developed states ever have their ain urban be aftering research establishments, which will happen the most suited solutions to upgrade the metropoliss. The developing states should construct research centres like the developed states and understand the metropoliss so that the contrivers can do the right determinations. Mentions Grubler, A. ( 1998 )Technology and Global Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Potter, R. ( 2012 )Urbanization and Planning in the Third World.Routledge Ltd. Silva, C. ( 2010 )Handbook of Research on E-planning. Information Science Reference ( Isr ) Pacione, M. ( ed. ) ( 1981 )Problems and be aftering in Third World metropoliss. Great Britain: Biddles Ltd. Shanghai Bureau of Statistic ( 2011 ) . Available at: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.stats-sh.gov.cn/tjnj/nje11.htm? d1=2011tjnje/E1001.htmYearEntirePower CoevalsTransportation systemPost and TelecommunicationsPublic UtilitiesCivil Constructions2000449.964.6148.8368.69104.4163.342001510.7872.2260.72107.792.25177.892002583.4962.1463.01108.23148.42201.692003604.6266273.7776.5836.91151.362004672.5889.52316.9654.3926.92184.82005885.74124.22385.5858.3241.33276.2820061125.54116.23589.52113.7256.23249.8420071466.33163.3840.46101.5760.9300.1120081733.18129.53838.91108.59112.81543.3420092113.45253.39978.24122.66135.95623.2120101497.46148.5754.66111.5486.58396.18100 million kwai Appendix 1: Urban Infrastructure Investment of Shanghai ( 2000-2010 )

Proof of a Physical World essays

Proof of a Physical World essays Proof of a Physical World (i.e. Were not just floating brains) 1) The mind perceives or creates the physical world 2) The mind cannot create anything original A) The mind did not originate the ideas of the physical world, but still creates it 1) The mind can only borrow ideas from experience to create something 2) If an idea is borrowed, than the idea is not original A1) The mind cannot create anything original 1) I think, therefore I am: the mind is the only thing thus far that can be proven to exist 2) By necessity, it is our mind then, that creates the world A2) The mind perceives or creates the physical world 1) If something is not original, the idea has existed before 2) The mind did not originate the ideas of the world B) The ideas of the physical world existed before our mind perceived them 1) If our mind alone exists, then the physical world and its ideas could not exist before our mind perceived them 2) The ideas of the physical world existed before our mind perceived them C) Our mind alone does not exist Im not sure if this is the proper layout you want, so please give me some feedback on that. Further, Im not entirely sure if the words original and originate can be swapped as in Argument B. Any input would be super swell. Thanks. The idea exists that we are floating brains, and that the physical world is only existent because our mind perceives it. The argument is that there is no physical world, only our minds and their creations. I disagree: Regardless of whether our mind alone exists, it is our mind that perceives the physical world: a fact that cannot be argued. However, our mind is incapable of creating anything original. If I were to give a child a crayon and ask him to draw something who ...

Lesson Plan Writing Tips for Teachers

Lesson Plan Writing Tips for Teachers Lesson plans help classroom teachers to organize their objectives and methodologies in an easy to read format. Difficulty: AverageTime Required: 30-60 minutes Heres How to Write a Lesson Plan Find a lesson plan format that you like. Try the Blank 8-Step Lesson Plan Template below, for starters. You may also want to look at lesson plan formats for language arts, reading lessons, and mini-lessons.Save a blank copy on your computer as a template. You may want to highlight the text, copy, and paste it onto a blank word processing app page instead of saving a blank copy.Fill in the blanks of your lesson plan template. If you are using the 8-Step Template, use these step-by-step instructions as a guide for your writing.Label your learning objective as cognitive, affective, psychomotor, or any combination of these.Designate an approximate length of time for each step of the lesson.List the materials and equipment needed for the lesson. Make notes about those that need to be reserved, purchased, or created.Attach a copy of any handouts or worksheets. Then you will have everything together for the lesson. Tips for Writing Lesson Plans A variety of lesson plan templates can be found in your education classes, from colleagues, or on the Internet. This is a case where it isnt cheating to use somebody elses work. Youll be doing plenty to make it your own.Remember that lesson plans come in a variety of formats; just find one that works for you and use it consistently. You may find through the course of a year that you have one or more that fits your style and the needs of your classroom.You should aim for your lesson plan to be less than one page long. What You Need: Lesson Plan TemplateWell-Defined Learning Objectives: this is a key element, everything else flows from the objectives. Your objectives need to be stated in terms of the student. They have to be something that can be observed and measured. You have to list specific criteria for what is an acceptable outcome. They cant be too long or overly complicated. Keep it simple.Materials and Equipment: You will need to ensure that these are going to be available for your class when the lesson is being taught. If you are too ambitious and require items that your school doesnt have, you will need to rethink your lesson plan. Blank8-Step Lesson Plan Template This template has eight basic parts that you should address. These are Objectives and Goals, Anticipatory Set, Direct Instruction, Guided Practice, Closure, Independent Practice, Required Materials and Equipment, and Assessment and Follow-Up.   Lesson Plan Your NameDateGrade Level:Subject: Objectives and Goals:   Ã‚  Ã‚   Anticipatory Set (approximate time):   Ã‚  Ã‚   Direct Instruction (approximate time):   Ã‚  Ã‚   Guided Practice (approximate time):   Ã‚  Ã‚   Closure (approximate time):   Ã‚  Ã‚   Independent Practice: (approximate time)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Required Materials and Equipment: (set-up time)   Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment and Follow-Up: (approximate time)

ARE THERE ENOUGH RESSOURCES FOR YOUNG MUMS AFTER PREGNANCY Dissertation

ARE THERE ENOUGH RESSOURCES FOR YOUNG MUMS AFTER PREGNANCY - Dissertation Example Conversely, collecting primary data is often prohibitively expensive. (Brown & Semradek, 1992). Primary data can take years to compile; secondary data, a matter of months. (Hopperth, 2005). Also, there is the issue of sample size – secondary research is often compiled by a government agency, with well-documented collection procedures and well-maintained data files. The information that is compiled is often comprehensive – everything from information on births, deaths, employment, income, etc. to specialized information, such as information about participant's attitudes, beliefs, and related family issues. (Hopperth, 2005). That said, there are issues with using secondary research. One of the issues is that of validity and reliability. Validity is if the study measures what it purports to measure, while reliability refers to the ability to give the same result consistently, even with different researchers, instruments and events. (Harris, 2001). Reliability can be reprod ucible, which means that different researchers will get the same result; stable, which means that the results do not change over time; and accurate, which means that process conforms to a known standard and yields what it is supposed to. (Harris, 2001). In order for the study to be valid, the outcome data needs to be complete. This is especially crucial when looking at statistical evidence over a period of time between different populations. (Sorensen et al., p. 436). Validity, as well as reliability and accuracy are all sensitive issues when dealing with secondary data, because of the problems with conceptualizing of the data, as well as dealing with errors that can occur when selecting, collecting, recording, filing, analyzing and publicizing the data. (Brown & Semradek, 1992). Therefore, the information that is compiled in desk based research, or secondary research, is often found on the Internet by using cites that cater to the topic at hand. Since the topic at hand is not one t hat is overly reliant upon statistics and other types of information that is kept by such organisations as the World Health Organisation, the information may be obtained through other means. One of these means is the database JStor, which provides a wide range of academic articles, as well as Google Scholar. SSRN is another database that has a wide range of articles. These sites were chosen because they provide a comprehensive database of academic articles that are written for topics such as this and other topics. These articles are often studies which are noted by the researchers who wrote the individual article, which provides valuable insight into the topic. The topic may be researched by inputting certain key words, such as lone parent, young mother, and services, and then the topics can be expanded from there. For instance, in this topic, there are a wide range of issues that need to be addressed. Social exclusion is one issue, and the way that this is researched is by inputtin g the key words of social exclusion and getting articles about this topic. Another topic is that of housing, and the same procedure can be used for this topic. In other words, there are issues that young mothers face that are not exclusive to young mothers – these issues are more universal. However, since desk based research is meant to be comprehensive, these secondary topics are included. Another way of approaching the desk based resea

Innovation and Enterprise (BBVA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Philippine National Bank (PNB) Essay Example for Free

Philippine National Bank (PNB) Essay Facts: The petitioners, Spouses Esmeraldo and Elizabeth Suico, obtained a loan from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) secured by a real estate mortgage on real properties in the name of the former. The petitioners were unable to pay their obligation prompting the PNB to extrajudicially foreclose the mortgage over the subject properties. Subsequently, the petitioners file a Complaint against the PNB before the RTC for Declaration of Nullity of Extrajudicial Foreclosure of Mortgage. The Complaint alleged that PNB filed a petition with the Office of Manadaue City Sheriff for extrajudicial foreclosure on the petitioner’s properties for an outstanding loan obligation amounting to P 1,991,770. 38. During the foreclosure sale, the petitioners claimed that PNB, as the lone bidder offered a bid amounting to P8, 511,000.00. By the virtue of the said bid, a Certificate of Sale of the subject properties was issued. PNB did not pay to the Sheriff who conducted the auction sale the amount of its bid which was P 8,511,000.00 or give an accounting of how said amount was applied against petitioners’ outstanding loan amounted only to P 1,991,770.38. Since the amount grossly exceeded the amount of the petitioners’ obligation, it is the legal duty of the winning bidder, PNB to deliver to the Sheriff the bid price or what was left thereof after deducting the amount of petitioners’ obligation. PNB failed to deliver the amount of their bid to the Sheriff or the amount of such bid excess. After a year, the issuance of the Certificate of Sale, PNB secured a Certificate of Final Sale and as a result, PNB transferred registration of all the subject properties to its name. Due to the failure of PNB to deliver to the petitioners the amount of its bid or even just the amount in excess of petitioners’ obligation, the latter averred that the extrajudicial foreclosure of the said properties and the Certificate of Sale and the Certificate of Finality of Sale, issued by the Sheriff, in favor of PNB, were null and void. PNB disputed petitioners’ factual narration and asserted that petitioners had other loans, which had likewise become due. The outstanding balance of P 1,991,770.38 was exclusive of attorney’s fees and other related obligations. PNB maintained that the petitioners’ outstanding obligation was already beyond the bid price of P8, 511,00.00. The RTC rendered its decision in favor of the petitioners. It reasoned that given that petitioners had other loan obligations which had not yet matured but became due by the date of the auction sale, does not justify the shortcut taken by PNB and will not excuse it from paying to the Sheriff the excess bid in the foreclosure sale. To allow PNB to do so would constitute fraud, for not only is the filing fee in the said foreclosure inadequate but, worse, constitutes a misrepresentation regarding the amount of the indebtedness to be paid in the foreclosure sale posted and published in the notice of sale. The CA reversed and set aside the decision of RTC. It held that even assuming that indeed there was a surplus and the [PNB] is retaining more than the proceeds of the sale than it is entitled, this fact alone will not affect the validity of the sale but simply gives the petitioners a cause of action to recover such surplus. Failure to remit the surplus is not tantamount to a non-compliance of statutory requisites that could constitute a jurisdictional defect invalidating the sale. Issue: Whether or not the extrajudicial foreclosure of the mortgage constituted on the subject properties is null and void. Whether or not should PNB deliver the excess bid in the foreclosure sale. Held: The petitioners argue that since the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale stated that their obligation was only P1, 991,770.38 and PNB bided P8, 551,000.00, the said Notice as well as the consequent sale of the subject properties were null and void. The Court held that the statutory provisions governing publication of notice of mortgage foreclosure sales must be strictly complied with, and that even slight deviations therefrom will invalidate the notice and render the sale at least voidable. Nonetheless, we must not also lose sight of the fact that the purpose of the publication of the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale is to inform all interested parties of the date, time and place of the foreclosure sale of the real property subject thereof. Logically, this not only requires that the correct date, time and place of the foreclosure sale appear in the notice, but also that any and all interested parties be able to determine that what is about to be sold at the foreclosure sale is the real pr operty in which they have an interest. The Court disagree with the finding of RTC behind the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale that the discrepancy between the amount of petitioners’ obligation as reflected in the Notice of Sale and the amount actually due and collected from the petitioners at the time of the auction sale constitute fraud which renders the extrajudicial foreclosure sale null and void. Notices are given for the purpose of securing bidders and to prevent a sacrifice of the property. If these objects are attained, immaterial errors and mistakes will not affect the sufficiency of the notice; but if mistakes or omissions occur in the notices of sale, which are calculated to deter or mislead bidders, to depreciate the value of the property, or to prevent it from bringing a fair price, such mistakes or omissions will be fatal to the validity of the notice, and also to the sale made pursuant thereto. Thus, we are of the view that the Notice of Sale in this case is valid. With regards to the delivery of the excess bid in the foreclosure sale, the Court said that under Rule 68, Sec. 4 of the Rules of Court, the disposition of the proceeds of the sale in the foreclosure shall be as follows: (a) first, pay the costs, (b) secondly, pay off the mortgage debt, (c) thirdly, pay the junior encumbrancers, if any in the order of priority, (d) fourthly, give the balance to the mortgagor, his agent or the person entitled to it. The application of the proceeds from the sale of the mortgaged property to the mortgagor’s obligation is an act of payment, not payment by dacion; hence, it is the mortgagee’s duty to return any surplus in the selling price to the mortgagor. Perforce, a mortgagee who exercises the power of sale contained in a mortgage is considered a custodian of the fund and, being bound to apply it properly, is liable to the persons entitled thereto if he fails to do so. Thus, the fact that the mortgagee is retaining more of the proceeds than he is entitled into does not affect the validity of the sale but simply give the mortgagor a cause of action to recover the surplus. In this case, given that the Statement of Account from PNB, being the only existing documentary evidence to support its claim, shows that petitioners’ loan obligations to amounted to P6, 409,814.92, and considering that the amount of PNB’s bid is P8, 511,000.00, there is clearly an excess in the bid price which PNB must return, together with the interest computed in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the court.

Analysis of Computer Use in Developing Country Education

Analysis of Computer Use in Developing Country Education Abstract This study identified the extent to which Iranian secondary school principals used computers and explored the relationship between a numbers of variables related to ICT use. These factors included high level of computer access, strong perceptions of the attributes of ICT, high level of computer competence, as well as the high level of transformational leadership behaviours, all contributed significantly to the level of computer use by principals. All four constructs are equally important but have varying impact on computer use. Therefore, all four constructs should be viewed in an integrated manner in accordance to the conceptual model proposed in this study. Keywords: ICT, Secondary school principals, Computer use Introduction One developing country that is currently pursuing the technological track in education is Iran. Irans National philosophy of Education calls for developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, and emotionally balanced and harmonious. The catalyst for this massive transformation will be technology which will improve how the educational system achieves the National Philosophy of Education, while fostering the development of a work force prepared to meet the challenges of the next century. With respect to this vision, Ministry of Education provided ICT related workshops and courses for principals and teachers. The plan emphasized that they should acquire seven fundamental digital computing skills (Kousha Abdoli, 2004). Although several institutions have completed the training programmes of their staff, research studies have not been done on the efficiency of this plan, knowledge, skills, and attitude that principals and teachers acquire during these courses. In fact, national programmes in developing countries are not based on research. Hence, successes of these programmes are limited (Albirini, 2006a). In addition, the Ministry of Education in Iran has invested much more fund to facilitate integration of ICT in schools. In spite of this large expenditure of funds, the potential for ICT to alter how principals use computers for instructional and administrative purposes, how teachers teach and how children learn in Iranian schools has not been fully realized since many Iranian schools do not use ICT in their teaching and learning and administrative purposes (Jahangard, 2003). It displays that computer was provided with no supplementary measures to enable principals and teachers to develop positive attitudes toward ICT in education and to use them. Also, in exploring the literature about the implementation of ICT in schools, an area which is noticeably absent in research on ICT implementation and integration is the role of the school principals as technology leaders. Although, some research studies have demonstrated that ICT has a huge impact on the ways in which principals work (Yuen , Law Wong, 2003; Schiller, 2003), the ICT research literature has tended to overlook the role of the principal as technology leaders (Schiller, 2003; Michael, 1998; Riffel Levin, 1997). This gap in the research literature is rather strange because there is considerable literature relating to school effectiveness, school improvement and change which identifies the school principal as a key factor in bringing about successful change in schools (e.g. Hall Hord, 2001; Fullan, 2002). According to Schiller (2003), school leaders are key factors in implementation ICT in schools. They have a main responsibility for creating school change through use of ICT and facilitate complex decisions about integration of ICT into learning and teaching. Although the role of the principal in supporting technology integration is very important there are little Iranian researches on the role of the principal in the implementation of ICT. Also, little is known about the use of ICT by principals and factors that are related to their level of computer use. This article will report on these issues from an analysis of data gathered from secondary school principals in Tehran, Iran. Review of the literature Effective leadership is an important element in the success of schools seeking to implement change (Calabrese, 2002). Anderson and Dexter (2005) reported on the analysis of data from the 1998 Teaching, Learning, and Computing survey of more than 800 schools in the USA and concluded that although technology infrastructure is important, for educational technology to become an integral part of a school, technology leadership is even more necessary (p. 74). Without the support of school leaders the educational potential of information and communications technology may not be realized. They play various roles such as change agent, lifelong learner, main supporter, and resource provider in relation to ICT implementation in schools (Han, 2002). If principals want to lead effectively their school in technology integration, they should embrace technology and realize the role that technology can play in the teaching-learning process. In fact, it is difficult to imagine a leader who does not us e technology trying to convince teachers that it is important (Cafolla Knee, 1995, P.3). Therefore, principals need to understand the capacities of the new technologies, to have a personal proficiency in their use, and be able to promote a school culture which encourages exploration of new techniques in teaching, learning and management (Schiller, 2003). According to Albirini (2006a), access to computer resources has often been one of the most important barriers for the integration of technology in both developed and developing countries. Norris, Sullivan, Poirot and Soloway (2003) reported on the analysis of data from the snapshot survey of more than 4,000 K-12 schools in the USA and concluded that there was a significant and substantive correlation between level of access to computer and level of computer use. Also, Rogers (2003) stated that the perceived attributes of an innovation are one of the important factors in explaining the rate of adoption of an innovation. A large amount of the variance in the rate of adoption of innovations, from 49 to 87 percent, is explained by five attributes: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability (Rogers, 2003). The five attributes refer respectively to: (1) the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the idea it supersedes; (2) the extent t o which an innovation is perceived as consistent with the existing values, past experience, and needs of potential adopters; (3) the degree to which an innovation is perceived as relatively difficult to understand and use; (4) the extent to which the results of an innovation are visible to others; and (5) the degree to which an innovation is experimented with on a limited basis. Regarding the relationship between perceived innovation characteristics and computer technology adoption, Al-Gahtani (2003) conducted a quantitative research in Saudi Arabia and found that relative advantage, compatability and observability were positively related to the adoption of technology, whereas complexity was negatively correlated. Hence, innovations that are perceived by individuals as having greater relative advantage, compatability, observability, and less complexity will be adopted more rapidly than other innovations (Rogers, 2003). Principals attitudes toward ICT have been recognized as an important factor for the success of technology integration in education (Han, 2002; Mooij Smeets, 2001; Rogers, 2003). Attitude is defined as a positive or a negative feeling associated with performing a specific behaviour (Ajzen Fishbein, 2005). In fact, an individual will have a favorable attitude if he or she believes that the performance of the behaviour will lead to mostly positive results and vice-versa (Ajzen Fishbein, 2005). Ajzen and Fishbein (2005) indicated that attitudes consist of three elements: affect, cognition, and behaviour. The affective element refers to the individuals emotional feelings or liking of a person or an object. The cognitive element refers to the persons knowledge about a person or an object. The behavioural element refers to the persons overt behaviour towards a person or an object. A complete description of attitude requires that all three components be assess by obtaining measures of all the three response classes (Ajzen Fishbein, 2005). Han (2002) conducted a case study on pre-school leaders practices in the use of ICT and found that principals who have positive attitudes toward technology are very helpful and supportive in introducing these new technologies into the school. For example, they encourage their colleagues to have ICT training, equip the school with sufficient computers and ensure staff has access to relevant technology. Apart from that, Liaw (2002) stated that no matter how capable the technology is, the effective implementation of technology depends upon users positive attitudes towards the technology. According to Noraini Idris et al. (2007), individuals with positive attitudes will have positive feelings about people and situations; have a sense of purpose, excitement, and passion; approach problems in a creative manner; make the best out of every situation; realize that attitude is a choice; feel that they have control of their thoughts; and feel that they are making a contribution through their wo rk. Therefore, principals who have positive attitudes toward ICT feel more contented using it and regularly incorporate it into their tasks (Kersaint, Horton, Stohl Garofalo, 2003). According to Rogers (2003), innovation-decision process consists of five steps which are knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. These five steps usually follow each other in a time-ordered manner. Knowledge is the first stage of the successful adoption of computer technologies and it is essential for other steps in the innovation-decision process. If principals do not have enough competent in computer use, they cannot be expected to adopt computer technologies into their instructional and administrative tasks. Without the knowledge and skill of computer technology, principals might have a high level of uncertainty that influence their opinions and beliefs about the innovation (Rogers, 2003). In line with this idea, Felton (2006) stated that competence is a key to the use of computers by principals on a daily basis. In fact, competence in operating a computer and in utilizing software may improve the quality and efficiency of administrative performance in s chools. Improved quality could lead to improved decision-making. In order to achieve high levels of principals competence in ICT, there is a need to provide training, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a great deal of literature evidence to suggest that effective training is crucial if principals are to use ICT effectively in their work (Kirkwood, 2000). If training is inadequate or inappropriate, then principals will not be sufficiently prepared, and perhaps not sufficiently confident, to make full use of technology. Hence, lack of principals competence and lack of quality training for principals can be barriers to principals use of ICT. Many technology experts have indicated that the integration of ICT in education should occur in the light of the cultural conditions of the country and the prevailing school culture (Albirini, 2006b; Govender Govender, 2009). In fact, cultural barriers, either societal or organizational, are very important among the barriers to the adoption of technology. Societies and organizations can overcome most of the technical barriers through different means of support, but cultural barriers are harder to deal with. It is widely accepted that culture, within a society or an organization, shapes individuals perceptions of innovations. In the field of education, it has been noticed that principals reactions to technology innovations are mediated by their cultural perceptions (Felton, 2006). According to Rogers (2003), a cultural perception is a very general idea of social system norms. Also, it refers to the cultural suitability of computers (Thomas, 1987). Furthermore, Albirini (2006a) carrie d out a study examining the factors relating to the teachers attitudes toward ICT. He collected evidence from high school English teachers about their perceptions of computer attributes, cultural perceptions, computer competence, and computer access. The sample consisted of 63 male and 251 female teachers. The results showed that computer attributes, cultural perceptions, and computer competence are factors that explain the greatest amount of variance in computer attitudes. Also, he stated that cultural perceptions toward different computer-related technologies are key factors related to both the initial acceptance of these technologies as well as future behaviour regarding their usage. Similarly, Lee, Choi, Kim and Hong, (2007) conducted a study on the relationship between users cultural profiles and technology adoption in the context of the mobile Internet. Their findings of large-scale on-line surveys in Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan indicate that cultural factors have a significa nt influence on users adoption perceptions of mobile Internet services. So, they concluded that cultural differences are a contributing factor in the adoption of technology, particularly in third world countries. According to Flanagan and Jacobsen (2003), leadership plays a key role in the success of technology utilization in education. Thomas (2001) stated that there is a strong link between educational technology and school leadership. Leadership style is exhibited by the leader could help or hinder technology infusion (Flanagan Jacobsen, 2003; Thomas, 2001). One of the best styles of leadership that can change and transform individuals is transformational leadership (Northouse, 2001). Transformational leadership occurs when one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality (Bass Riggio, 2006). In other words, transformational leadership is a process that both the manager and followers should change themselves (Northouse, 2001). Although the transformational leader plays an essential role in precipitating change, followers and leaders are inextricably bound together in the transformation process (N orthouse, 2001). This type of leadership is becoming more and more important to organizations, as workforces become more diverse, technology improves and international competition heightens. Transformational leadership is comprised of four distinct dimensions: charismatic leadership or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Bass Riggio, 2006). Idealized influence (attributed) demonstrates attributes of principals that motivate respect and pride and display a sense of power and confidence; idealized influence (behaviour) refers to the principals behaviour to communicate values, purpose, and importance of mission; inspirational motivation refers to leaders that motivate and inspire others by challenging them to exert effort; Intellectual stimulation stimulates followers efforts to be innovative and creative by questioning assumptions, reframing problems, and approaching old situations in new ways; and individualized consideration focuses on development and mentoring of followers and attends to individual needs(Bass Riggio, 2006). Beatty and Lee (1992, as cited in Thite, 2000) conducted several case studies of the implementation of CAD/CAM systems in numerous British and Canadian companies in an effort to investigate the linkage between leadership and technological change in organizations. Through semistructured interviews and using a critical incident approach to assessing leadership abilities, the researchers tracked managerial involvement throughout the implementation process. The outcome of their qualitative research suggests that a transformational approach to leadership is likely to be more effective in overcoming barriers to change than a transactional leadership approach that concentrates on technical problem solving to the neglect of people and organizational issues. According to Burns (2003), transactional leadership involves exchanging one thing for another. In fact, the effective transactional leaders are expert in giving and taking. This style is useful for stable situations but is less useful for organizations that are faced to environmental turbulence or rapid change (Kirkbride, 2006). Transactional leadership was measured by contingent reward and management-by-exception ­ (active and passive). Contingent reward leaders explain the expectations of followers and the compensation they will receive if they meet their performance expectations. Management-by-exception-active leaders attend to followers mistakes and failures to meet standards and management-by-exception-passive leaders react to correct action after problems become serious enough (Bass Riggio, 2006). Regarding the importance of transformational leadership as an influence on principals use of technology, Christopher (2003) conducted a study at the University of Virginia. A self-designed instrument was used in this study. Leadership items were taken from Bass and Avolios Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Leader Form. Surveys were sent to a random sample of 397 principals throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, and 185 principals participated in the survey. Her analysis indicated that the overall extent that principals used decision support technologies was significantly correlated with their perceptions of all four transformational leadership behaviors (individual influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration). Also, she suggested that educational leadership programs should be provided to train principals to use technology as a management tool. If principals do not use technology on a consistent basis; the principal should not expec t the faculty to use technology regularly. Modeling the use of technology provides an affective method for exposing teachers to new strategies and demonstrating to the staff that it is acceptable to take risks and make mistakes, without the fear of retribution (Dawon Rakes, 2003) The study The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which secondary school principals use computers in Tehran (a large province in Iran) and to explore factors related to level of computer use by principals. Selected factors used in this study were based on Rogers (2003) diffusion theory, Technology Acceptance Model, and previous researchs which include perceived computer attributes; computer competence; computer access; principals attitude toward computers; leadership style of principals; and cultural perceptions. Principals profiles (gender, age, and administrative experience, type of school, and academic degree, as well as information regarding background in computer training) were also included in order to ensure maximum possible control of extraneous variables by building them into the design of the study (Gay Airasian, 2000). More specifically, this study addresses the following questions: What is the level of computer use by secondary school principals? What are the principals attitudes toward computers? What are the principals perceptions of: Computer attributes? Their level of computer competence? Cultural relevance of computers to Iranian society and schools? Their level of access to computers? What is the leadership style (transformational and transactional leadership) of principals? What is the relationship between the level of computer use by secondary school principals and their perceptions of each of the above variables? What is the proportion of the variance in the level of computer use by secondary school principals that can be explained by the selected independent variables and the relative significance of each independent variable in explaining the dependent variable? Methodology This was a descriptive study of an exploratory nature. Creswell (2003) stated that exploratory studies are most advantageous when not much has been written about the topic or the population being studied (p. 30).The target population in this study was Iranian secondary school principals in the province of Tehran during the 2007-2008 school years. The list of principals was based on the secondary principals Directory. The Directory is maintained and updated on a quarterly basis by Tehran Department of Education. The total number of secondary school principals was 1312 in the Directory of the Department of Education in Tehran. Furthermore, a set of questionnaire was used to obtain the required data for this study. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. Part A measured the perceived level of computer use by principals. Factors that were related to it were measured in part B. Questionnaires were distributed to 320 sample principals selected randomly from the population. In this study, stratified sampling was used because Tehran is one of the biggest cities in Iran and consists of 19 educational areas. Also, the population to be sampled was not homogeneous but, in essence, consisted of several subpopulations (Wiersma, 1995). When sub-populations vary significantly, it is advantageous to sample each subpopulation (stratum) independently. Researcher used this stratified sampling method to have less variability in selection. Two indispensable characteristics of measurement that must be considered in establishing the appropriateness and usefulness of measurement instrument are reliability and validity. Although theses instruments were valid, face and content validity of these instruments were established again by a panel of expert. To ensure that Iranian secondary school principals had a complete comprehension of the instrument used in the study, the survey was translated from English into Persian using the double back translation method to ensure the accuracy of the Persian version. Furthermore, Cronbachs alpha was used to measure internal consistency and calculated via the SPSS 15 statistical package. Cronbach alpha is the most common form of internal consistency reliability coefficient. The Cronbachs alpha coefficients for these scales were: Computer Access Scale=0.867, Computer Attributes Scale =0.909, Attitude toward ICT Scale =0.92, Computer Competence Scale=0.97, Cultural Perceptions Scale=0.611, Transformational leadership style Scale=0.812, Transactional leadership style Scale=0.596 and Level of computer use Scale=0.917. To carry out this study, first, approval was obtained from the Ministry of Education and also contact was made with the research department of Tehrans Ministry of Education A meeting was arranged to discuss the proposed study. Furthermore, a letter of introduction and a questionnaire packet were delivered to the superintendent in the research department for review. Finally, approval was received from the superintendent and permitted the researcher to attend the principals meeting in each educational area of the Ministry of Education. A total of 350 pockets were distributed among all members of the sample in these sessions. In the packet, there were materials. These materials include a cover letter, the questionnaire, and a stamped, addressed return envelope was enclosed for some respondents convenience in returning the completed questionnaires. The completed questionnaires were collected at the end of these sessions. Principals who could not fill their questionnaires completely were given approximately three weeks from that date to return the questionnaires by mail. In all, 350 surveys were distributed, 320 were returned, resulting in a return rate of 91.4%. All of the returned surveys, a total of 320, were used in the analysis. In this study descriptive statistics were used to describe and summarize the properties of the mass of data collected from the respondents (Gay Airasian, 2000). Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between each of the independent variables and the level of computer use by secondary school principals in Tehran. Furthermore, multiple regression was used to measure the degree to which the independent variables would explain the proportion of variance in the dependent variables and to identify the relative significance of each independent variable in explaining the dependent variable. By convention, an a level of 0.05 was established a priori for determining statistical significance. Findings and Discussion The findings indicated that about 51.6% of the respondents were males and more than half of the respondents (50.3%) were within the 45-54 age range. About 44.7% of the respondents had 21 or more years of experience. More than half of the respondents (53.1%) worked in private schools, and approximately 60.3% of the respondents held bachelors degrees. Moreover, the majority of the participants (95.5%) reported that they had computer training, and 83.8% of them had more than 60 hours training. In terms of the type of training, more than half of the principals participating in the study (52.8%) reported that they received their training through in-service training. Computer Use by Principals The dependent variable, level of computer use, was quantified by the score of 39 items using a five-point Likert scale. Each item was rated by respondents from 1 (Never use) to 5 (use daily). This scale was developed by Felton (2006). According to this questionnaire, four domains of computer use such as Internet use, hardware and software use, instructional use, and administrative use were measured. Table 1 Distribution of Mean Scores on the Computer Use Scale According to Table 1, the principals perceptions of the level of computer use were moderate; with an overall mean score of 3.32 (SD= 0.76). Also, findings indicated that principals spent a few times a week working on their computers. It would seem that Iranian principals need effective and extensive trainings to raise their proficiency in computer use and integrate technology into their schools. Moreover, analysis of collected data on the computer use scale showed that among the subscales of the level of computer use, Internet use had the highest mean (M = 3.49). Also, findings showed that nearly all the respondents used the Internet at home and at school , and the most frequent use of Internet was for sending and receiving e-mail (46.9% 2 or 3 times a week). It would seem that e-mail was the most accepted application among principals who were surveyed. In fact, there may be several reasons for this—e-mail is efficient, widely available, and effective. Thus, it is not surprising that email was accepted and used far more by the sample population of this study. Principals can increase their professional knowledge in the form of knowing current research, new technologies, and best teaching practices through the use of the Internet. Findings of this study showed that most of the respondents used a web browser a few times a week to explore professional and educational resources. Three reasons may underline the obtained results. The first possible reason is that low telecommunication density and very low bandwidth during peak hours sometimes makes it impossible to download files or software. Furthermore, most of the principals have little Internet experience; it was not comfortable for them to spend time on uses other than e-mail or some sort of urgent browsing. Lastly lack of knowledge and skill for searching and downloading the valuable professional and educational resources also limit the use of the Interne. In fact, the Internet can be an avenue for researching information and data. It helps principals to find information regarding their pr ofession and educational subjects in order to develop processes for effective decision-making and problem solving which result in better accountability (Felton, 2006). Therefore, trainings should be provided for principals to learn all possible Internet resources with underlying techniques of strategic browsing to enhance their Internet literacy (Atkinson Kydd, 1997). As for the hardware and software use subscale, the main use for computers was in word processing, whereas construction of spreadsheets, databases and presentations (such as Powerpoint) was used never or a few times a month. Only 2.5 percent of principals stated that they read spreadsheets daily at work with 20.0 percent indicating use 2 or 3 times a week, while 56.9 percent indicated that they had read never or a few times a month a spreadsheet. These results are consistent with Schillers (2003) study. He found that the word processing was the most frequently utilized software among the principals and they used it to create documents and slides. Regarding the instructional use domain, the majority of participants indicated that they two or three times a week used computers for recording observation; monitoring student achievement for specific objectives and grades; creating master schedules; recording discipline referrals; writing up classroom observations; monitoring achievement test data; locating curriculum resources; developing or write curriculum; and creating graphs and charts. Plomp and Pelgrum (1992) stated that one way in which computers might work their way into the school is through administrative use and that this might lead to the use of computers in instruction. An examination of data showed that mean score of the administrative use subscale was lower than another subscales, and computer use for instructional purposes was generally ahead of administrative uses. Moreover, findings indicated that within the area of administrative uses, communicating with staff, and members of the wider school, initiating and sust aining collaborative activities with colleagues within and outside their school were the areas of greatest use, while financial matters, maintaining of administrative records about students, using a programme to analyze information for solving problems, using technology to support levels of professional collaboration, and using technology to participate new kinds of professional development were the areas of least use. Therefore, the early assumption that the introduction of computers into schools for administrative purposes would spread to their use for instructional purposes was not supported by the data. Principals Attitudes toward ICT in Education Attitude scale contained 23 items that asked respondents to describe their attitudes towards ICT. This scale was developed by Albirini in 2006a and comprised of three subscales: affective domain; cognitive domain, and behavioral domain. Respondents attitudes were measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Higher scores indicated positive attitudes towards ICT while lower scores indicated less positive attitudes. Table 2 Distribution of Mean Scores on the Attitude toward ICT Scale As Table 2 illustrates, principals attitudes towards ICT were positive, with an overall mean of 4.05 and a standard deviation of 0.44. Principals positive attitudes towards ICT exhibit their initiation into the innovation-decision process (Rogers, 2003). It seems that Iranian principals have already gone through the Knowledge and Persuasion stages (Rogers, 2003) and are probably proceeding to the Decision phase. As many theorists have indicated, attitudes can often foretell future behaviours (Ajzen Fishbein, 2005). Thus, it can be concluded that principals who have positive attitudes towards ICT in education, use computer in their administrative and instructional tasks once computers become more available to them. At this stage, principals exp