Genealogy and the Internet

Genealogy and the Internet The topic of genealogy has been thoroughly researched throughout the decades. The main problem with genealogy was the travel that traditionally accompanied any genealogist in their search for records and sources. Access to records, or the lack thereof, is the pivotal issue for genealogists. They have lobbied successfully to increase physical access to records, and they also work to increase intellectual access through mentoring and educational programs [6]. For example, genealogists in Minnesota assisted in the transcription of death records and in creating an on-line index [7]. Since the unpredictable explosion of the internet and therefore the creation of online indexes, this issue has practically been wiped out. The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that use of the Internet for hobbies has grown exponentially, and 24 percent of respondents went on-line to research family history or genealogy [8]. GenWeb is an example of a loosely organized group of genealogists who independently select vital records, index them, and publish the indexes online. There is no quality control, true aggregation, or direct linking to the original. What you see is what you get: many separate online indexes, loosely organized under the USGenweb Project umbrella, available at http://www.usgenweb.org. Genealogists building family trees over the Internet through name indexing and vital records data collection projects has become a massive hobby since the introduction of these online indexes.   The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU), as part of its effort to collect micro film (and more recently, digitized) copies of vital records, developed an Internet Indexing System to manage work flow and provide robust tools for volunteers to carry out name indexing projects from the comfort of their homes [31]. The resulting data goes not only to the GSUs cumulative database, but to each repository that owns the records for merging with its discovery system. This system varies from the work of the GenWeb in this important way. A commercial example of this is Ancestry.com [10], which digitized and thoroughly indexed some of the U.S. Federal Census returns, adding value to a public record. The records themselves (or a microfilm thereof) are available for all to see at no cost at the National Archives and at many other repositories. But Ancestry charges for access to its database and with it, its digital images taken from the microfilm. The added values, those that make this worth paying for, are 1) the aggregation, 2) the indexes, and 3) the convenience of online access. They record dates and places of births, marriages, deaths, places of residence and other information, such as occupation, military service or church affiliation. Pedigree charts are used to record familial relations, and history sheets for supplementary information such as anecdotes, newspaper accounts, or other miscellaneous historical information. Every detail needs to be referred to the original source, invariably a primary or vital record, though sometimes secondary sources such as oral history, family bibles, published genealogies, and transcribed records. 2.1.2 Genealogy in Ireland Information skills development and information exchange are key features of genealogy. When related activities such as membership in genealogical societies, family reunions, and research in libraries and archives are considered, the number of people engaged in genealogical activities is huge [11]. The Irish government has an official website, irishgenealogy.ie, ran by the Department for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The website contains a huge database of records, consisting of extremely old records such as the 1901 and 1911 Census. In September 2015, the website received a massive boost when over 2.5 million images of Irish births, deaths and marriage records from the General Register Office, making the website a goldmine for Irish genealogists [12]. Previously, in order to view these records, a person would need to put in an order and wait to hear back from the GRO. Now, all records are easily assessable for any person who wishes, at the click of a button. 2.1.3 Similar Software Already Available After a lengthy search, including contacting some international genealogy developers, I can conclude that there does not currently exist any software similar to the one I am creating. Online, there are many family tree creators, record searchers, message boards, etc. however none of these can actually give a narrative of a persons life. Thus, I think that my contribution after creating this application will be of a great benefit when released online. 2.2 Technical material 2.2.1 Sources There are two types of sources used in genealogical research: primary and secondary. In this project, I will focus on the primary sources. Primary sources can be described as documents and records that were created during the time of the event in question, such as a birth, census, death, or marriage, happened. A person who had direct and personal first-hand knowledge of the event wrote these documents and records. Many of this documents can include vital record facts, such as certificates of births, deaths, or marriages, family bibles, military records, information, naturalization records, and more. Since these documents are said to be highly accurate, primary sources are preferred when obtaining and referencing genealogical information. For example, consider a primary source for your birth date is your birth certificate. In most instances, a birth certificate is prepared either on the day or within a few days of the actual event. This certificate is then signed by one or more witnes ses to the birth making it a first-hand primary document. The quickness and inclusion of direct witness make the information within the record a reliable account of the event and therefore of more usefulness to a genealogist. There are many Irish websites that contain digitalized primary sources [13]. 2.2.2 Web Application Choice Several considerations should be taken when choosing which language to use for building the web application: Comfort: When choosing a language, a person should take into account any language that they feel more comfortable with, from using beforehand, making it easier to develop further. As a Computer Science student, I have come in contact with a number of different programming languages so my choice ranges. Performance: The performance of the language itself is the only one real concern that could cause an issue. Performance of how the language crosses with external technologies such as the file system or database is said to be extremely important and should not be looked over. Popularity: This is a very important one. You are more likely to find helpful documents online if you use a popular language. You are also more likely to find reference material and other help. 2.2.3 Mean Probability The probability associated with each source fact will be in the range of 10 100%. Using the mean will calculate the overall probability for correctness. The mean value of a set of figures is calculated by summing the figures to find the total and then dividing by the number of figures in the set.

Why Education Is Important to Me?

Desiree Johnson AC1208297 Achieving Academic Excellence EN110 Writing Assessment 5_06 January 13, 2013 â€Å"Why college education is important to me† Being a teacher is the first step to changing the youth of today’s minds one brain at a time. I feel education is the key in making a career driven person. I know many say education begins in the home but that’s just the foundation to a college ready child teachers are often the second source of this very important foundation. We are the tools used to make a child ready for future they are going to have.It gets even better with all the new ways you can be college ready or even attend colleges around the world. Not just the old fashion paper and pencil deal we can use the technology today to be a college graduate. Even so it still needs the knowledge of an instructor who is educated to lead a college student to a career. You just don’t want someone with lack of experience trying to educate you about something they absolutely know nothing about. That’s you I know college is important to me because I want children to succeed and dream the most spontaneous dream.I want children to walk away and feel the difference I made in the their life. That’s the joy of being an educator but to get there I have to get a college degree to teach. It’s my dream and it maybe a far aim but I’m shooting for it and hoping not to miss. I knew I wanted to work with as a teacher since high school but not just any teacher. I want to teach in special education field with the pre-school. College was the only way to reach my dream of being an educator. As we all know life as a whole different way of letting you reach your goals.This made me decided to do online it would be my only option because we both have to work to support the family and we got married so young. I took and interest in our local Pre- school and as Childcare workers article says, â€Å"Often, these positions require ad ditional training such as a bachelor's or master's degree. † To many Pre- School teachers need help in opening another center and I love to lead the classes. To teach the special needs student on how to live a normal life as possible with build the stable foundation they we; need in the future.They face a difficult world out there and I know they need as much help as they can get. I currently work with them and I enjoy coming to work seeing the big difference some of us make. So I thought what better way then to help them as early as pre-k. â€Å"Why college education is important to me† With this economy down fall jobs are a little hard to find. I found that schools are always in need of educators with experience or a degree. As a Pre school aide we have tons of trainings to keep up to date on laws and requirements.In addition, teachers are always in training or going back to college to gain more knowledge of the changing world around us. I always think there is always room for improvement big or small. I know as an educator there is training almost every weekend to train on a new program to introduce to the classrooms. I know a good degree means hard work and dedication to getting to my goal. Even passing all exams and the state tests requirements. It’s going to be all worth it when I have the paper in my hand saying I can teach and accomplish my big dream.My reasons why to go to college can often be answered in simple one word â€Å"money†. As the BIG PAY OFF says,† Average earnings ranged from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for college graduates, and $99,30 for workers with professional degrees (M. D. J. D, D. D. S, OR D. V. M. â€Å". Lets face it with kids and household needs are not getting any cheaper. Even as a family of four we still living pay check to pay check with both us working and even taking up extra activities to make a little extra income.Every cent counts whe n you don't know what’s going to be your next check. That’s why I know a steady job that’s always going to be in need no matter where we go is what I need. This education degree will give me just what I’m looking for a job that is successful. As of now my job is paying well but there is always a chance that I can be let go due to budget cuts. As pre-k teacher I can move to another district but as a health aide it’s a rarely any job openings. I know teachers are always need at any district you go to.That’s also a big factor in why being an educator is a good growing field and it has some great opportunities. Someone taught us and inspired us. No one really wakes-up one day and says I want to go to college to fail. We go for a reason or a deeper thought of earning a better life. We are all eager to learn. Rather it is in education or in our careers. With this in mind, technology just makes it easier to accomplish our dreams of a better life an d career for our future in college. In my eyes the teacher is one of the most important people in a young child’s life.More than often it’s where a lot of life lessons are learned at in school. A teacher shapes a student into being a future educator or help to reach their dreams. Even now technology is a big part of our teaching. Even now some high schools are using laptops and other forms of technology as a source of teaching. So education and technology lay the foundation for a child to see dreams and look for the possible future too come. Bibliography â€Å"Often, these positions require additional training such as a bachelor's or master's degree. † (2008). Highest paying jobs without college.MyPlan. com, LLC, 2009; Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor, 2008. Retrieved on 2/10/13 from http://www. myplan. com/careers/top-ten/highest-paying-without-college. php † Average earnings ranged from $18,900 for high school dropouts to $25,900 for high school graduates, $45,400 for college graduates, and $99,30 for workers with professional degrees (M. D. J. D, D. D. S, OR D. V. M. † Day, J. C. , Newburger, E. C. , The Big Payoff: Educational attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings, U. S. Department of Commerce, 2002. Retrieved on 2/15/13 from

Ethics and Financial Reporting - 2997 Words

Ethics and Financial Reporting AMBA 630 Executive Summary Reacting to a flood of accounting scandals and media outcry, the U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in July 2002. It is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It sought to prevent future cases such as the one witnessed with Madoff Investment Securities, by improving the accuracy of public company financial statements. An important goal of SOX is to make these financials more meaningful (i.e., transparent) to their intended readers. . It sets guidelines for the corporate board of directors, CEOs and CFOs, audit committees, internal audit function and internal control system. . . Boards of directors are now expected to take a†¦show more content†¦Audit committees incorporating SOX principles have spent a lot of time on SOX compliance issues, while sometimes neglecting strategy concerns. However, once past the learning curve, they started focusing more on increasing business value (p. 1). They are paying more attention to effective accounting principles and risk, since they have to help restore confidence in corporations (p. 1). They need to make sure financial projections are sound and accurate based on earnings and income estimates, before the information is released to the public. They should also assist management mitigate financial risks, as their responsibility is to understand and sign off on management’s approach (p. 2). Ever since SOX, restatements have increased (from 50 to 3000 from 2005 to 2007; increasing costs and driving declines in stock prices) and audit committees have needed independent auditors more often to be compliant (p. 3). These issues need to be resolved once and for all by focusing on the committee’s composition (a member of the board of directors of the issuer and independent should be privileged as per section 301 of SOX provisions). They should also include financial experts that will help decipher financial statements in which the audit committee will relay to the board, as well as assess competition’s performances (p. 3). 3. The CEO’s and CFO’s of public companies The SOX Act put CEOs under the spotlight and putShow MoreRelatedEthics and Financial Reporting3003 Words   |  13 PagesEthics and Financial Reporting AMBA 630 Executive Summary Reacting to a flood of accounting scandals and media outcry, the U.S. Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in July 2002. It is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It sought to prevent future cases such as the one witnessed with Madoff Investment Securities, by improving the accuracy of public company financial statements. An important goal of SOX is to make these financials more meaningful (i.e., transparent)Read MoreEthics And Financial Reporting Decisions948 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract. The article reviewed was The Impact of CFOs’ Incentives and Earnings Management Ethics on their Financial Reporting Decisions: The Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement. The key of the abstract is demonstrate how CFO’s personal incentives, interests of stakeholders, and regulatory reforms influence on earnings management ethics (p. 505). The authors focus on the role of CFO’s optional accruals through the presence and absence of incenti ve conflict. Introduction. The authors studied theRead MoreHealth Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics1372 Words   |  6 PagesHealth Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics Marvin Dumlao HCS/405 April 6, 2010 Lisa Sanders Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics Whether operating as for-profit or non-profit, organizations must pay close attention to accounting practices and adhere to sound financial management procedures to remain solvent. This applies to health care organizations as wellRead MoreThe Code Of Ethics And Systematic Ethics985 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle reviewed was The Impact of Ethical Tools on Aggressiveness in Financial Reporting. The key of the abstract is to demonstrate the differences in financial reporting between the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. Standards (p.477). More in depth the research focuses on the code of ethics and moral duties of company top management. Introduction. The authors study the financial scandals and the recent financial crisis to demonstrate the gap between market processes and accountingRead MoreFinancial Reporting Between The International Financial Index Standards ( Ifrs ) And U.s. Standards890 Words   |  4 PagesMany studies demonstrate the differences in financial reporting between the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. Standards. Nagle, Wasieleski, and Rau (2012) in their research focused on the code of ethics and moral duties of the company top management. The researchers studied the financial scandals and the recent financial crisis to demonstrate the gap between the market processes and accounting standards. The IFRS and U.S. GAAP differ in a contrary nature of accounting standardsRead MoreEthical Financial Reporting And Disclosure Quality893 Words   |  4 PagesArticle #8 Abstract. The article reviewed was Director Overlap, Ethical Financial Reporting, and Improvements in Disclosure Quality. The key of the abstract is to emphasize the positive influence of independent audit committee on the ethical financial reporting, corporate disclosure, and company ethical environment overall (p. 183). Introduction. The author studies the relationships between the director overlap and financial reporting quality, and for that purpose, analyzes the compensation measurementRead MoreRole Of The Board Of Directors And Chief Executive Officer1592 Words   |  7 PagesQuality Presented by: Niambi Walker Acc573-Financial Reporting and Analysis To: Professor Brandy Havens Strayer University August 16th 2015 Assess the roles of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of a public company for establishing an ethical environment that generates quality accounting and reliable financial reporting for use by shareholders and investors. Provide support for your assessment A code of ethics and ethical values are key elements of the internal controlRead MoreEssay Ethics Article Review886 Words   |  4 PagesEthics Article Review Ethics Article Review The topic of ethics usually revolves around business practices. Included in these businesses practices are accounting and financial decision-making. Both of these require high standards of ethics as many people rely on the information produced by them. The lack of ethics results in misinformation and the lack of trust. This paper will first provide a brief summary of an article that discusses ethics in accounting and financial decision-makingRead MoreThe Effect Of Professional Ethics788 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effect of Professional Ethics in U.S. Accounting Businesses, investors, creditors rely on accounting ethics. The accounting profession requires honesty, consistency with industry standards, and compliance with laws and regulations. The ethics increase the responsibility and integrity of accounting professionals, and public trust. Ethical requirements influence the management behavior and decision-making. The financial scandal of Enron and Arthur Anderson demonstrates the failure of fundamentalRead MoreExploring The Earnings Management Techniques, Materiality Concept, And Ethical Judgments817 Words   |  4 PagesPerceptions on Fraudulent Reporting by Financial Executives. The abstract demonstrates how the materially affects a code of ethics and follows with financial risks and fraudulent activities (p. 243). Introduction. The author studies the financial reporting, earnings management, and relationships with stakeholders. Over the years, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) raised concerns on the reliability of financial reporting and fairness of earnings

The Death Of The Plague - 1532 Words

Fourteenth century western Europe— already plagued by overpopulation, economic depression, famine, and malnutrition, plummeted into an unprecedented scope of devastation as the bubonic plague annihilated two-fifths of its population. Coined the Black Death in reference to its symptomatic bodily discoloration, the pandemic’s ability to wipe out such a tremendous population is indicative of susceptibility before tragedy even struck. From 1000 to 1300, Europe’s population problematically doubled- consumers overwhelmed the food shortage, and potential employees drastically outnumbered the scarcity of jobs. Crop failures between 1315 and 1317, additionally, perniciously triggered a famine in densely inhabited cities, although Europe in its†¦show more content†¦Scientifically confirmed in the late 19th century, Yersinina pestis, a bacterium found in rats and their parasitic fleas, traveled from Asian ships along trade routes to Europe. Westward, an outbrea k first appeared in Constantinople in 1346, reached Sicily by 1347, then the Italian ports of Venice Genoa, and Pisa a year later in 1348; it thereafter swept through Spain, southern France, and northern Europe rapidly with death at the doorstep, and sporadically reappeared in the following decades. Originally theorized to only spread as an infected flea bit its victim, such an inefficient technique of transmission contradicted the disease’s sudden spread, eventually propelling an additional, airborne culprit. As the bubonic plague infiltrated a host’s lungs, it induced sneezing and coughing that extensively circulated through an area and increased disease exposure. Infected, yet seemingly healthy citizens also moved to clean towns, the vast majority of the living existed under unsanitary conditions, and misinformed physicians practiced either adiaphorous or detrimental treatments, heightening the magnitude of fatalities. In short, although the bubonic plague hist orically entered through flea-bearing rats that inhabited Asian trading ships on their way to Europe, and aggressively viraled through the air once docked, the naive fourteenth century society reveled in uncovering alternative â€Å"causes† for the plague, and distinctly responded to