Learning Skill Essay Example for Free

Learning Skill Essay Q1. Write an essay on why you decided to continue your tertiary education. In your answer also include why WOU was your choice of university. Everyone hope to live in better or luxury life, so do I. But holding only diploma in accounting would not grant me any further opportunity in the fact that nowadays the employers are so arduous and looking forward for more competent and capable candidate. Therefore I make up my mind to pursue higher education for a better career advancement and keep the skills and knowledge up to date. Continuing tertiary education can enhance my marketable skills. Advance to degree means that I learning new skills. A set of skills imparted from this course will help me in the current society. These skills also help me to perform better in my current career, make me more competitive and have the opportunity for promotions (Girl 2014). Tertiary education also increases my earning potential (Girl 2014). In the current career market, the higher your education, the higher your position and the higher your pay (Harrison 2013). From Jobstreet salary report, a finance manager earnings average from RM5,800 to RM8,600 per month (JobStreet. com 2014). In current economy, higher earning is important for a better living life. Continuing my education will gives me advanced knowledge about my area of study. From researching assignments and advanced courses, I will gain additional knowledge relates to my career. Learning from established experts, I will also earn a reputation as an expert in my field too (Harrison 2013). Choosing WOU as my choice as it suits for my part-time study and more flexible. It provides me to study online and have distance learning (University 2014). WOU cuts down my travelling time and cost and only attend classes once a month. I am able to choose the course and plan to study that suits my time that provided by WOU. Other than education, WOU is a place where I can enhance my professional skills and gaining knowledge from the lecturers and students which will makes me become a more valuable and marketable in my career. It is never too late to go back to study. I appreciates that WOU is one of the online study provider that let me study with ease and continuing my education which can fit my studies, working and social life. I can have a degree without having to commit to campus life and receive the degree from my home (Girl 2014).

Accounting Essay -- essays research papers

Accounting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of work of accountants and auditors is to prepare, analyze, and verify financial reports and taxes, and monitor information systems that furnish this information to managers in business, industry, and government. The major fields of accounting are Public accountants who have their own business or work for public accounting firms. They perform a large range of responsibilities such as doing taxes, numerous accounting and auditing, consulting activities for their clients, who may be corporations, governments, nonprofit organizations, or individuals. Management accountants also called industrial, corporate, or private accountants record and analyze the financial information of the companies for which they work with. Other responsibilities include budgeting, cost management, and asset management. These accountants analyze and interpret the financial information corporate executives use to make sound business decisions. Internal auditors are very important t o our system. When companies make information more timely, top management base their decisions on actual data, rather than their personal opinion. So these auditors verify the accuracy of their organization’s records and check for mismanagement, waste or fraud. Government accountants maintain and examine the records of government agencies, and audit private business and individuals whose activities are subject to government regulations or taxation. All ranks of government accounting sees that revenues are received and expenditures are made in accordance to laws and regulations. Many who have a background in accounting work for the federal government as Internal Revenue Service Agents. Within each field, accountants often concentrate on one aspect of accounting. Jonda Dunn who I interviewed works for B. Lee Hubbard and Company in Jackson, Ohio. She has worked there for six years and enjoys her job. She has received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and minored in Comput er Science. She chose this career because she loves math and numbers. Mrs. Dunn deals with payrolls, bank reconciliation’s, and financial statements.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In accountants working conditions they are usually placed in an office setting. Self employed accountants are able to do part of their work at home instead of the office. Those who may be employed by public firms and... .... With more than 90,000 people in over 130 countries, the members of Deloitte Touchà © Tohmatsu are dedicated to delivering world-class service to their world-class clients. They are located 10 Westport Road, Wilton, CT 06897, (203) 761-3000 but they also have numerous offices throughout the United States. Their worldwide revenue: $4.2 billion. CPA employees: 8,600. My last choice to be employed is at BDO Seidman, which is a national organization, focused on serving clients through business lines: Tax; Assurance; Financial Advisory Services and Wave Bend Solutions. Through leadership in Tax consulting, clients benefit from an unparalleled approach to tax planning, consulting and compliance and experience in transaction structuring to help reduce tax consequences. The practice employs a service philosophy of extensive partner involvement to provide insightful and constructive suggestions for improving clients' business strategies, management information, operating and accounting procedures and controls. They are located 15 Columbus Circle 1, New York, NY 10023, and (212) 765-7500. With worldwide revenue: $181 million. CPA employees: 840.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Aging Workforce

When searching through the help wanted ads there seems to be thousand and thousands of available jobs; this number increases daily as companies have employees leave the organization. More and more employees are retiring or are nearing retirement age; once these employees leave so does all the years of experience acquired during their tenure with the company. This is going on in many industries and one industry that I am personally familiar with is corrections. The corrections industry has a vast number of older, seasoned employees retiring and with each year more are leaving the workforce. Added value of aging workforce when recruitingThe population is aging and as people get older more are leaving the workforce. As those known as baby boomers age and begin to leave the labor force their will be fewer workers available to fill those positions. The majority of specialized jobs, professionals such as educators and managers, and government workers are older workers. With the changing wo rk environment, such as the utilization of technology the HR recognizes the need of older workers in particular to acquire or refresh their skills. New technologies may intimidate older workers that are reluctant to learn the skill; which lack of the skill may limit advancement opportunities.However, more employees are working past the age of 65. This may be for several reasons. Some older people work longer because of a desire to feel â€Å"alive† and needed. Others work because of insufficient retirement plans or financial distress. Whatever the reason is there are many workers passed retirement age still active in the work force. At the state prison where I am employed the majority of managers and supervisory staff are over fifty. There was little room for advancement for new employees because the older workers were not retiring, but working after thirty even forty years of service. Challenges/Issues HR faces from aging workforceOne major issue that employers face with an aging workforce is retaining older employees. Compared with the past, older the number of older workers can be expected to grow disproportionately in the years to come. Organizations losing experienced employees that have skills and knowledge critical to the success of the organization make efforts to convince aging employees to remain with the organization, if only on a part-time basis. When an organization loses experienced workers the HR managers anticipate a loss of knowledge and talent and also offer benefits and flexible scheduling in order to retain employees.Currently, my organization is facing the exact dilemma. In the Records department there are ten employees, six which have been employed over twenty five years and are eligible to retire. Of these six eligible employees, there are four employees that are retiring this year; two of which are the office supervisors. Since HR has learned of their intention it has offered bonuses, salary increases, promotions, and flex schedu les to convince them to stay. None of them have taken the offers and did not consider the option. Another issue is numerous job vacancies in the near future.The recruitment process will be draining on resources such as time, staff, and compensation because of the dwindling pool of younger workers. Moreover, it may be difficult to find new workers with the appropriate skills required to perform job duties effectively. Another issue is health issues such as chronic conditions which may lead to excessive leave time taken by aging employees. However, the implementation of better wellness programs and similar initiatives offers possible ways of avoiding excessive time off for illness. Another issue with the aging workforce will be age discrimination.With older Americans still in the workforce, an increasing number of lawsuits regarding age can be anticipated in the future. â€Å"Thriving† employer brand An employer brand is the image of that an organization. It is a positive way t o promote the organization either among employees or stakeholders. It is that employer brand that attracts potential employees and stakeholders. It is what makes someone want to invest capital and be connected to the organization in some way. According to Minchington and Estis there are six steps to an employer brand.These six steps are determine how branding is viewed within the organization, define the employer brand and project scope, relation between HR, marketing, and communications, discovering the employer brand, CEO and senior management involvement, and communications planning (2009). In my organization the â€Å"thriving† brand is public safety, public service, social responsibility, and striving for excellence. The organization has received a lot of recognition for its efficiency and its stellar performance in keeping the community safe and giving back to the community.The name of the organization alone is a brand in itself and several of our compliance officers tr avel throughout the United States to assist other agencies with becoming a â€Å"thriving† brand as well. There are always new people looking to become employees or those that are writing stories or articles on the organization. Qualitative and quantitative data HR may gather to show value added by aging workforce Qualitative data is characterized attributes and characteristics; quantitative data is measured numerically.HR can use some quantitative data to measure employee productivity. Some of examples would be number of units produced, number of days missed, number of errors, and number of disciplinary action. This information can be tracked monthly, quarterly, or yearly. This can help HR determine if the employee is an average, poor, or great employee. Personally, I think this information can be leading because it does not take contributing factors into account such as illness. An employee could have had no absences for years and then may become ill and had to miss many da ys.If the data collected only shows attendance for the past month it looks as if the employee has poor attendance; which is not true but merely a recent and isolated incident (www. smallbusinesschron. com). Qualitative data is what is gathered through human observations. These observations can include observing workers work habits, attitude, behavior, or any factor that may affect his/her ability to perform their job effectively (www. smallbusinesschron. com). This is reliable information to a point because everyone works differently. What seems counterproductive to one may be effective for another.One also has to consider the observer may not be objective and may see things through tinted glasses. Using both methods can add value to an aging workforce but it can also devalue it as well. Conclusion The aging workforce is definitely a concern for HR because once these people leave the organization there will be many vacancies to fill and a small pool of qualified workers to fill thos e vacancies. Although workers are working longer the future of many organizations are definitely are in jeopardy. As the baby boomers retire and begin to enjoy their golden years there will be no one left in the workforce to replace them.

Literature and Society Essay

A general knowledge of the social and cultural setting in which a novel is written is important, for most novels mirror the customs and values of a particular society, often criticizing it. The Hertfordshire country town where the greater part of the novel is set is Longbourn, only a mile from the market town of Meryton and 24 miles from London. The neighborhood around the Bennets is large, for they dine with twenty-four different families, only three of which are named. The Bennet’s society is drawn largely from Meryton (which is the mother’s background) rather than from the country (which is the father’s), for she is more sociable than her husband. Mrs. Bennet, however, is without social ambition except for her desire to have her daughters marry rich men. Pride and Prejudice is, thus, set among the rural middle and upper classes who are landowners. None of the major characters works, for these moneyed classes live entirely on their income from rents and inherit ances. There are, however, petty distinctions among the landed classes, determined by the amount of wealth possessed by the members. For instance, Miss Bengali and her sister look down on the Bennets because they are not as wealthy. Class distinctions in Jane Austen’s time were in fact very rigid. The land-owning aristocracy belonged to the highest rung of the social ladder, and all power was in their hands. Next in rank came the gentry. The new, prosperous industrialists and traders (like Mr. Gardiner) were gradually rising as a class, but had still not won the right to vote. The lowest in English society were the workers and laborers. For the women of the time, life was largely restricted to the home and the family. For the poor and the lower-class women, there was ample work in the home and in the fields to keep them busy. But for the ladies of the landed upper-classes, life was one big round of dances, dinners, cards, and visits to friends and relatives. They were not required to do any household work. â€Å"Ladies,† thus, lived a life of ease and leisure, mainly concerned with society, children, and marriage. By the nineteenth century, the upper classes no longer arranged marriages. Instead, a girl was introduced to society (and eligible bachelors) at a reception hosted by a married woman who had herself been presented. Generally, a girl â€Å"came out† only after her elder sister was married. (No wonder Lady Catherine is shocked when she hears that all of Elizabeth’s sisters have started dating before she is wed.) Women’s education in the nineteenth century was restricted to the daughters of a few families of the upper classes. In most cases, it was thought to be a waste of time to educate girls. Rich and noble families (like that of Lady Catherine de Bourgh) engaged gove rnesses for educating their daughters or sent them away to boarding school, but most women were self-educated at home. Traveling in Jane Austen’s time was accomplished in horse-drawn carriages, and a family’s social status was determined by its kind of carriage. Because carriages were slow, travel was limited. Communication of mail and news was also slow, and there were no daily newspapers. As a result, the outside world does not play a part in Austen’s novels. Instead, she turns her attention in entirety to the things she knew: family and values. Essay on the connection between literature and society Literature means something that is written for refreshing and inspiring the mind. It records the thoughts and feelings of great minds. It attracts in two ways—through its matter and through its manner. The matter must be such that those who read it are interested in some way. The manner must be such as will be pleasing to the reader and adds to his fund of knowledge. We live in a society. That is, there are relations and interrelation between men who live in the society. We like to hear about our fellow men who live in society, their thoughts and feelings, their likes and dislikes. Naturally, if we have the power of language to express the feelings, we are well on the way to creating literature. In other words, the subject matter of literature is society in some form or other. The poet expresses his feeling and we who read his poetry are interested and feel at one with him and ourselves. After all, society is this bond of fellowship between man and man through communication that the poet or writer seeks. If literature expresses social sympathies, naturally it is bound to exercise some positive influence on our mind and attitude. Society reacts to literature in a living way. An inspiring poem creates general influence on society. It rouses our feelings and enthusiasm for welfare. Shelley has called poets the unacknowledged legislators of mankind. The function of a legislator is to lay down the law, a settled course of action that men may follow. Poetry and literature generally do this in a quiet and unobtrusive way. Novels are known to have changed the direction of the human mind and set in motion movements that have altered our ways of life. The influence of literature on society is felt directly or indirectly. Thus Miss Stowe’s â€Å"Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ was directly responsible for a movement against slavery in literature and life in USA of those days. The novels of Dickens had an indirect influence in creating in society a feeling for regulating and removing social wrongs, calling for necessary reforms. Sarat Chandra’s novels have gone a long way in breaking conservatism as regards women in our society. It is, however, clear that if we are interested in literature, and its influence is bound to move us amply. Literature is made out of the lore of life. No doubt, the realistic artist brings to a focus the oddities and cruder aspects of life overmuch. But to know life fully, not only the bright side but also the seamy and dark side of life is to be known. Thus, society creates literature. It may be described as the mirror of the society. But the quality and nature of the reflection depends upon the writer’s attitude of mind, whether he is progressive in his outlook or reactionary. Naturally, conservative-minded writer will stress those aspects of social life, which put the traditional ways of life in the best possible way. For example, he will set a high value on reverence for age-old ideals, respect for religion, chastity of woman and so on. On the other hand, a progressive writer will tend to show how old ideals act as restraints on the natural freedom of the human mind, cripple the free movement of man and women in an unrestricted atmosphere, set for liberating new ideals and moving society that looks forward to newer ways of life.

Definition of Work in Physics

Definition of Work in Physics In  physics, work is defined as a  force  causing the movement- or displacement- of an object. In the case of a constant force, work is the scalar product of the force acting on an object and the displacement caused by that force. Though both force and displacement are vector quantities, work has no direction due to the nature of a scalar product (or dot product) in vector mathematics. This definition is consistent with the proper definition because a constant force integrates to merely the product of the force and distance. Read on to learn some real-life examples of work as well as how to calculate the amount of work being performed. Examples of Work There are many examples of work in everyday life.  The Physics Classroom  notes a few: a horse pulling a plow through the field; a father pushing a grocery cart down the aisle of a grocery store; a student lifting a backpack full of books upon her shoulder; a weightlifter lifting a barbell above his head; and an Olympian launching the shot-put. In general, for work to occur, a  force has to be exerted on an object causing it to move. So, a frustrated person pushing against a wall, only to exhaust himself, is not doing any work because the wall does not move. But, a book falling off a table and hitting the ground would be considered work, at least in terms of physics, because a force (gravity) acts on the book causing it to be displaced in a downward direction. Whats Not Work Interestingly, a waiter carrying a tray high above his head, supported by one arm, as he walks at a steady pace across a room, might think hes working hard. (He might even be perspiring.) But, by definition, he is not doing  any  work. True, the waiter is using force to push the tray above his head, and also true, the tray is moving across the room as the waiter walks. But, the force- the waiters lifting of the tray- does not cause the tray to move. To cause a displacement, there must be a component of force in the direction of the displacement, notes The Physics Classroom. Calculating Work The basic calculation of work is actually quite simple: W Fd Here, W stands for work, F is the force, and d represents displacement (or the distance the object travels).  Physics for Kids  gives this example problem: A baseball player throws a ball with a force of 10 Newtons. The ball travels 20 meters. What is the total work? To solve it, you first need to know that a Newton is  defined as the force necessary to provide a mass of 1  kilogram (2.2 pounds)  with an acceleration of 1  meter (1.1 yards) per second. A Newton  is generally abbreviated as N. So, use the formula: W Fd Thus: W 10 N * 20 meters (where the symbol * represents times) So: Work 200 joules A  joule,  a term used in physics, is equal to the  kinetic energy  of 1 kilogram moving  at 1 meter per second.

The Mississippi Burning Case

The Mississippi Burning Case A  civil rights movement  in 1964, named Freedom Summer, was a campaign launched to get blacks in the southern United States registered to vote. Thousands of students and civil rights activists, both white and black, joined the organization,  Congress on Racial Equality  (CORE) and traveled to southern states to register voters. In was in this atmosphere that three civil rights workers were killed by members of the  Ku Klux Klan. Michael Schwerner and James Chaney Michael Schwerner, a 24-year old from Brooklyn, New York, and 21-year old James Chaney from Meridian, Mississippi, were working in and around Neshoba County, Mississippi, to register blacks to vote, opening Freedom Schools and organizing black boycotts of white-owned businesses in Meridan. The activities of the civil rights workers enraged the area Klu Klux Klan and plan to rid the area of the more prominent activists was in the works. Michael Schwerner, or Goatee and Jew-Boy as the Klan referred to him, became a prime target of the Ku Klux Klan, after his success of organizing the Meridan boycott and his determination to register the local blacks to vote was more successful than the Klans attempts to put fear into the  black  communities. Plan 4 The Ku Klux Klan was very active in Mississippi during the 1960s and many of the members included local businessmen, law enforcement, and prominent men in the communities. Sam Bowers was the Imperial Wizard of the White Knights during Freedom Summer and had an intense dislike for Schwerner. In May 1964, the Lauderdale and Neshoba KKK members received word from Bowers that Plan 4 was activated. Plan 4 was to get rid of Schwerner. The Klan learned that Schwerner had a meeting scheduled on the evening of June 16 with members at the Mount Zion Church in Longdale, Mississippi. The church was to be a future location for one of the many Freedom Schools that were opening throughout Mississippi. Members of the church held a business meeting that evening and as the 10 were leaving the church around 10 p.m. that night they met face to face with more than 30 klansmen lined up with shotguns. The Burning of the Church The Klan was misinformed, however, because Schwerner was actually in Oxford, Ohio. Frustrated at not finding the activist, the Klan began to beat the church members and burned the wood-framed church to the ground. Schwerner learned of the fire and he, along with James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman, who were all attending a three-day CORE seminar in Oxford, decided to return to Longdale to investigate the Mount Zion Church incident. On June 20, the three, in a blue CORE-owned Ford station wagon, headed south. The Warning Schwerner was very aware of the danger of being a civil rights worker in Mississippi, especially in Neshoba County, which had a reputation as being particularly unsafe. After stopping overnight in Meridian, MS, the group headed straight for Neshoba Country to inspect the burned-out church and meet with some of the members who had been beaten. During the visits, they learned the real target of the KKK was Schwerner, and they were warned that some local white men were trying to find him. Klan Member Sheriff Cecil Price At 3 p.m. the three in the highly visible blue Core-wagon, set off to return to Meridan, Ms. Stationed at the Core office in Meridian was Core worker, Sue Brown, who was told by Schwerner if the three werent back by 4:30 p.m., then they were in trouble. Deciding that Highway 16 was a safer route, the three turned onto it, headed west, through Philadelphia, Ms, back to Meridan. A few miles outside of Philadelphia, Klan member, Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price, spotted the CORE wagon on the highway. The Arrest Not only did Price spot the car, but he also recognized the driver, James Chaney. The Klan hated Chaney, who was a black activist and a born Mississippian. Price pulled the wagon over and arrested and jailed the three students for being under suspicion of arson in the Mount Zion Church fire. The FBI Becomes Involved After the three failed to return to Meridan on time, CORE workers placed calls to the Neshoba County jail asking if the police had any information about the three civil rights workers. Jailer Minnie Herring denied any knowledge of their whereabouts. All of the events that took place after the three were imprisoned is uncertain but one thing is known for sure, they were never seen alive again. The date was June 21, 1964. By June 23, FBI agent John Proctor and a team of 10 agents, were in Neshoba Country investigating the disappearance of the three men. What the KKK had not counted on was the national attention that the three civil rights workers disappearance would ignite. Then, President,  Lyndon B. Johnson  put the pressure on J. Edgar Hoover to get the case solved. The first FBI office in Mississippi was opened and the military bused sailors into Neshoba County to help search for the missing men. The case became known as MIBURN, for Mississippi Burning, and top FBI Inspectors were sent to help with the investigation. The Investigation The FBI investigating the disappearance of the three civil rights workers in Mississippi in June 1964 were finally able to piece together the events that took place because of Ku Klux Klan informants who were there the evening of the murders. When in the Neshoba County jail, Schwerner asked to make a phone call and the request was refused.Price contacted Klansmen, Edgar Ray Killen, and informed him that he captured Schwerner.Killen called Neshoba and Lauderdale County Klansmen and organized a group for what was referred to as some butt ripping.  A meeting was held at a drive-in in Meridian with local Klan leaders.Another meeting was held later when it was decided that some of the younger Klan members would do the actual killings of the three civil right workers.Killen instructed the younger Klan members to purchase rubber gloves and they all met at 8:15 p.m., reviewed the plan on how the killings would take place and drove by the jail where the three were being held.  Killen then left the group to attend a wake for his deceased uncle.Price freed the three jailed men around 10 p.m. and followed them as they drove down Highway 19.A high-speed chase between Price and the CORE group ensued, and Chaney, who was driving, so on stopped the car and the three surrendered to Price. The three men were placed in Prices patrol car and Price, followed by two cars of young Klan members, drove down a dirt road called Rock Cut Road.The three were taken from the car and 26-year-old Wayne Roberts, shot Schwerner, then Goodman, then Chaney. Informant James Jordan told the FBI that Doyle Barnette also shot Chaney twice.The bodies were taken to a pre-arranged site owned by Olen Burrage. It was a 253-acre farm that had a dam site. The bodies were placed together in a hollow and covered with dirt. Price was not present during the disposal of the bodies.At 12:30 a.m., Price and Klan member, Neshoba County Sheriff Rainey had a meeting. Details of the meeting were not disclosed.On August 4, 1964, the FBI received information about the location of the bodies and they were uncovered at the dam site at the Old Jolly Farm. The Informant By December 1964, Klan member James Jordan, an informant for the FBI, had provided them with enough information to begin their arrests of 19 men in Neshoba and Lauderdale Counties, for conspiracy to deprive Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman of their civil rights. Charges Dismissed Within a week of the arrest of the 19 men, the U.S. Commissioner dismissed the charges ruling that Jordans confession that led to the arrests was hearsay. A federal grand jury in Jackson, MS, upheld the indictments against the 19 men but on February 24, 1965, Federal Judge William Harold Cox, well known for being a die-hard segregationist, said that only Rainey and Price acted under the color of state law and he threw out the other 17 indictments. It was not until March 1966 that the U.S. Supreme Court would overrule Cox and reinstate 18 of the 19 original indictments. The trial began on October 7, 1967, in Meridian, Mississippi with Judge Cox presiding. The entire trial permeated an attitude of racial prejudice and KKK kinship. The jury was an all white with one member an admitted ex-Klansman. Judge Cox, who had been heard referring to African Americans as chimpanzees, was of little help to the prosecutors. Three Klan informants, Wallace Miller, Delmar Dennis, and James Jordan, gave incriminating testimony about the details that led up to the murder and Jordan testified about the actual murder. The defense was made up of character witlessness, relatives, and neighbors testifying in support of the accused alibis. In the governments closing arguments, John Doar told the jurors that what he and the other lawyers said during the trial would soon be forgotten, but what you 12 do here today will long be remembered. On October 20, 1967, the verdict was decided. Out of the 18 defendants, seven were found guilty and eight not guilty. Those found guilty included, Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price, Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers, Wayne Roberts, Jimmy Snowden, Billey Posey, and Horace Barnett. Rainey and owner of the property where the bodies were uncovered, Olen Burrage were among those acquitted. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of Edgar Ray Killen. Cox imposed sentence on December 29, 1967.

Cynics and Cynosures

Cynics and Cynosures Cynics and Cynosures Cynics and Cynosures By Maeve Maddox These two â€Å"doggy† words have quite different meanings. The word cynic comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"dog-like, currish, churlish.† The word became a nickname for a school of Greek philosophers who disdained the luxuries and polite behavior of cultivated Greeks. Cynic is capitalized when it is used to refer to the philosophers. Pronunciation Note cynic [SIN-ik], cynical [Sin-uh-kl], cynicism [SIN-uh-sizm] cynosure Am. [SYNE-uh-SHOOR] Br. [SIN-uh-SHOOR] The most famous Cynicone might even say the cynosure of Cynics–was Diogenes. A most committed curmudgeon, Diogenes is remembered for having chosen to live in a tub instead of a house, and for telling Alexander the Great to move because he was blocking the sun. The word cynosure comes from a Greek word meaning â€Å"dog’s tail.† This was the name given by the Greeks to the northern constellation Ursa Minor, the â€Å"Small Bear† in whose tail is the Pole-star, also known as the North Star. Because the North Star is bright and a means of finding the direction of north, the word cynosure acquired the figurative meaning of â€Å"something that is bright and serves as a guide.† The philosophy of the Cynics had much to recommend it. Their goal was to live life according to Nature, a philosophy similar to that expressed by Thoreau in Walden. Thoreau, however, minded his manners and didn’t despise creature comforts. The Cynics embraced poverty, hardship, and toil. They criticized the emptiness and hypocrisy of social convention and organized religion; as a result they earned the reputation of people-haters and grumps. In modern usage, a cynic is a person disposed to find fault with everything and to rant about it to everyone. A cynic trusts no one’s sincerity or good intentions. The adjective is cynical; the noun is cynicism. Here are a few current applications of these words: Bill Maher is a playful microphone-toting cynic, roaming the landscapes of Christianity, with a few references to Judaism, Islam, and Scientology. Cynical politicians disingenuously mouth slogans of liberty and national security in order to manipulate the uncertain masses. The media framing of political news is implicated in activating, if not creating, cynicism about campaigns, policy, and governance. Social cynicism results from excessively high expectations concerning society, institutions and authorities: unfulfilled expectations lead to disillusionment, which releases feelings of disappointment and  betrayal. A few commenters on cynicism, it appears, are a bit limited in vocabulary: As I got older I found my cynical-ness had mostly gone away. Thats just pure speculation based on my cynicalness that companies always make deals better after Ive already gotten mine to make me feel bad. I think another technique that the author uses is Holden’s cynicalness and over all hypocriticalness. Cynicism is the noun; no â€Å"ness† needed. Hypocrisy is the noun for hypocritical. Unlike cynic, the word cynosure has positive connotations. A cynosure is someone or something that serves for guidance or direction, a â€Å"guiding star.† Not as common as cynic and its related forms, cynosure is nevertheless in current use: One critic wrote that admiration has grown such that Vemeer is now â€Å"displacing Raphael as Europe’s cynosure of artistic perfection. They have been the subject of many sighs and the cynosure of billions of eyes I am talking about the paintings that have defined the world of art. Da Vinci Robotics Exhibitions-conceptualised by  Leonardo da Vinci, Open vibe- the brain-computer interface show how brain activity, PR2 Robot, Eccerobot 2–an anthropomimetic robot acting as a human replica–were the cynosure of all eyes in 2011. Deepika Padukone, who was once a hot favourite with Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, will be  the cynosure  of all eyes this cricket  season. If you decide to use cynosure, be sure to avoid the clichà © â€Å"cynosure of all eyes.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers10 Colloquial Terms and Their MeaningsEnglish Grammar 101: Prepositions