With reference to Emily Bronte’s characterisation of Cathy and Heathcliff, discuss whom you may feel most sympathy for and why?

I am aiming to discuss (the above) whom I may feel most sympathy for and why out of Catherine (Cathy for short) and Heathcliff. Wuthering Heights is a novel written by Emily Bronte between 1846-1847 and is vastly influenced and dominated by the characters of Heathcliff and Catherine and their eternal, everlasting love for each other. The novel is told through the eyes of several narrators and most of them do not understand the depth and intensity of Cathy and Heathcliff and so they cannot describe it. This book is extremely complexed and our sympathy for each character constantly shifts from one person to another as Bronte keeps giving us reasons to change our views. Even though Heathcliff is an unreclaimed creature, without refinement and whose purpose in life is to seek revenge on all those who have wronged or crossed him, Bronte changes our views by changing his status from hero to villain. Emily Bronte constantly changes the characters status and this adds intrigue to the book. Another example of our fluxuating views is when we first meet Cathy as she clearly talks about disliking her whole life in her diary and this makes us sympathise towards her as she practically thinks that nothings worth living for. However when Nelly describes the treatment that Cathy gave Heathcliff, ‘spitting at the stupid little thing' (Pg30, line 14), we all change our views about her and instead we sympathise with Heathcliff because of his mistreatment and we start to detest/dislike her. There are many gothic elements in Wuthering Heights. An example of this is when Cathy's ghost taps at the window of Lockwood's bedchamber when a snowstorm throws him on the mercy of Heathcliff's grudging hospitality and he saws the child's arm on broken glass, (Pg20). Throughout the book Heathcliff is linked with bestial nature and called ghoul, goblin and vampire and this is no surprise. Cathy was, at first, awful to Heathcliff but when they became to love each other they were thought to be inseparable. However after her father dies she decides to marry Edgar Linton for further social development and not for love. This hurt Heathcliff as she said, to Nelly; it would degrade her to marry him and Heathcliff was silently eavesdropping in the dark to her heart-breaking words and so he ran away. ‘It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff' (pg67, line 13). This significant event creates sympathy for both Cathy and Heathcliff. She still loves him and she insists that she wants what's best for him-‘whereas, if I marry Linton, I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and out of my brothers power' (Pg68, line 12-13). However Heathcliff flees Wuthering Heights without listening to the rest of the conversation and so he does not know of Cathy's true intentions. During childhood, Heathcliff is brought in off the streets and is abused by both Catherine and Hindley. Even though Catherine grows to love him, Hindley becomes more and more abusive towards him as Heathcliff is quickly becoming the household's favourite. Heathcliff however, defies being understood, and it is difficult for the readers to resist seeing what they want or expect to see in him. As Heathcliff becomes older Mr Earnshaw sends his son, Hindley, away to college and this feeds Hindley's revenge. The novel teases the reader with the possibility that Heathcliff is something other than what he seems-that his cruelty is merely an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine, or that his sinister behaviours serve to conceal the heart of a romantic hero. We expect Heathcliff's character to contain such a hidden virtue because he resembles a hero in a romance novel. Traditionally, romance novel heroes appear dangerous, brooding, and cold at first, only later to emerge as fiercely devoted and loving. However, Heathcliff does not reform, and his malevolence proves so great and long-lasting that it cannot be adequately explained even as a desire for revenge against Hindley, Catherine, Edgar, etc. As he himself points out, his abuse of Isabella is purely sadistic, as he amuses himself by seeing how much abuse she can take and still come cringing back for more. However even though Heathcliff's childhood excuses his behaviour later on in life, it is only acceptable to a certain extent as he takes it too far. He does this by ruining the lives of the people who have wronged him or taken something/someone (in Edgar Linton's case) that he cares dearly for but he takes his revenge too far as he ruins his own son's (Linton's) life by making him marry his cousin, Cathy Linton (Edgar's and Cathy's daughter), just so that Heathcliff can inherit Thrushcross Grange. This makes you feel deep sympathy for Linton and Catherine Linton. It is significant that Heathcliff begins his life as a homeless orphan on the streets of Liverpool. When Bronti composed her book, in the 1840s, the English economy was severely depressed, and the conditions of the factory workers in industrial areas like Liverpool were so appalling that the upper and middle classes feared violent revolt. Thus, many of the more affluent members of society beheld these workers with a mixture of sympathy and fear. In literature, the smoky, threatening, miserable factory-towns were often represented in religious terms, and compared to hell. The poet William Blake, writing near the turn of the nineteenth century, speaks of England's â€Å"dark Satanic Mills. † Heathcliff, of course, is frequently compared to a demon by the other characters in the book. Considering this historical context, Heathcliff seems to embody the anxieties that the book's upper- and middle-class audience had about the working classes. The reader may easily sympathize with him when he is powerless, as a child tyrannized by Hindley Earnshaw, but he becomes a villain when he acquires power and returns to Wuthering Heights with money and the trappings of a gentleman. This corresponds with the ambivalence the upper classes felt toward the lower classes-the upper classes had charitable impulses toward lower-class citizens when they were miserable, but feared the prospect of the lower classes trying to escape their miserable circumstances by acquiring political, social, cultural, or economic power. Catherine's childhood is somewhat different to Heathcliff's as she has no reason to hate or despise anyone, but she does detest the way Heathcliff is treated. As a child, Catherine behaves spontaneously and naturally. She is selfish and believes she may act autonomously. Nelly Dean describes Catherine as ‘mischievous and wayward'. Evidence of Catherine's wildness can be seen from the pledge she and Heathcliff made-: â€Å"promised fair to grow up as rude as savages† in response to the terinay of Hindley. Catherine is defiant of authority and seemed to enjoy the wrath of others-: â€Å"she was never so happy as when we were all scalding her at once† Catherine's passionate nature, evident throughout her childhood, seemed not to exist in her early months of her marriage to Edgar. Her passion was described as-: â€Å"gunpowder which lay as harmless as sand because no fire came near to explode it†. As the book is based on Cathy and Heathcliff's profound love for each other it seems strange that they both marry other people. Although Cathy is the one who triggered Heathcliff's revenge by marrying Edgar Linton but what Heathcliff didn't realise was that it wasn't for love but for money to help him escape the clutches of Hindley. Before Cathy decides to marry Edgar Linton, Nelly reminds her how Heathcliff would feel about the idea and questions how they'll both bear the separation. As soon as you become Mrs Linton, he loses friend, and love, and all! Have you considered how you'll bear the separation, and how he'll bear to be quite deserted in the world? ‘ (Pg67, lines 36-39). Even though Cathy believes she is doing the best for her and Heathcliff, he alternately thinks she is being selfish and only wants social advancement. This creates sympathy for Heathcliff but also for Cathy as she is disillusioned to what Heathcliff wants as he would gladly be tormented for the rest of his life if that was the only way they could love and be together with each other. However when Cathy nears death she abandons Edgar and pleads instead for Heathcliff to stay. ‘Oh, don't go, don't go! ‘ (Pg138, line 12), however Cathy spent a few days of solitude in her room without talking to her husband even when he made the effort. This gives us enough to slightly resent her as Edgar loves her even if she does not love him. After Cathy dies, Heathcliff grows to become deranged and he begs her spirit to remain on Earth and he didn't care if she haunted him or drove him mad as long as she never left him alone. This shows Heathcliff is unwilling to let go of Catherine and this attracts our sympathy for Heathcliff as he clearly loved Cathy and she meant the world to him. In chapter 29 there is another example of Heathcliff's unwillingness to let go as he explains to Nelly that he felt Cathy's presence. ‘I felt her by me-I could almost see her' (Pg244, lines 25-26). The reader would not believe this however, but they would believe that Heathcliff thought he did feel her as he has suffered a lot of anguish from Cathy dying recently. Shortly after, Isabella flees to London and she gives birth to Linton (Heathcliff's son). This shows us that Isabella wanted her son to have nothing to do with his father. Thirteen years after, Isabella dies and Linton comes to live with Heathcliff and he is treated as bad as his mother was. When young Linton meets Cathy they start a secret romance through a collection of letters but Nelly destroys Catherine's share. Although it becomes more and more obvious that Heathcliff is making his son pursue her, just so that they can marry each other. This was all part of his revenge as once they married he would have legal claims over Thrushcross Grange and his revenge upon Edgar would be complete. He made them marry by taking Catherine and Nelly hostage at Wuthering Heights until Catherine married Linton. After Heathcliff made sure this happened he then made sure that his son left Thrushcross Grange to him in his will. This reveals that Heathcliff no longer cares about anyone and not even his son, his own flesh and blood. It also reveals that Heathcliff will stop at nothing to get what he wants and it shows us that he can practically overcome all obstacles to do it. Our opinions constantly change throughout this book. At first I think that when Heathcliff comes back he is a sophisticated and reformed man who has risen high above his ill treatment as a child. However soon after his return he reveals that he is not and you see this towards the end of the book as he ruins most, if not all, of the characters lives. We can feel sympathy for him however because the causes of what he is by the end of the novel is the disloyalty of Cathy and the constant abuse by Hindley as a child. These bad influences on a young child provide slight excuses for his bad behaviour in the future but there is no excuse for Heathcliff taking revenge on their children as well, even though they are innocent but he believes as they share the same blood as their parents they are also in the wrong. This is also why Heathcliff has brought suffering on himself. Cathy is the dominant female spirit in this novel. I believe she has brought her suffering on herself, as she has not been true to her nature and she had swapped the outdoor life she had with Heathcliff to be the lady of Edgar's manor. As she breathed the stifled air of the Grange instead of the wild air of the moors, she has effectively cut off her oxygen supply and then she eventually dies, a situation entirely her fault. However in death she had regained her freedom by returning to nature, the dire consequences of her failure to remain loyal to her true self. When Cathy dies and her coffin is buried, Nelly describes that she is buried in the corner of the yard between Edgar and Heathcliff. I believe Emily Bronte is trying to show Cathy's conflicted loyalties to each character as she had reasons to marry Edgar and to love Heathcliff. My conclusion about her is that she represents wild nature in her lively spirits and her occasional cruelty. I feel most sympathy for Heathcliff as he has had the worst in life despite inflicting pain on others. I think this because Cathy has had a better life and other characters in the novel have treated her better whereas Heathcliff has been badly treated by nearly all of the characters. I also feel sympathy for his character because he is not sure what Cathy wants, him or Edgar, as she says she loves him and yet she marries Edgar?

Critical Analysis of the Methodology Used by Barba-Briosco et al. in Their Study of Pollutants in the Huelva Estuary, Spain

Introduction This paper provides a critical analysis of the methodology used by Barba-Brioso et al. (2010) in their study about water pollution from multiple sources in the Huelva Estuary, Spain. It discusses the extent to which this methodology has enabled the authors to achieve their aims and objectives, focusing on whether one could be confident with the quality of the data provided. It also tackles whether there are any areas in which the methodology could be improved. Barba-Brioso et al. (2010) studied major ions, nutrients, pesticides, etc. in human development-impacted coastal wetland of Huelva Estuary. The hydrodynamics of the area has been modified by previous land use, which led to the division of the ecosystem into a tideland and an artificial freshwater basin. The Huelva Estuary, which is polluted by mine, causes the flooding of the tideland stretch, which occurs twice a day. Acid discharges are also collected in the tidal channel from industrial point sources that play a part in metal enhancement. The tidal situation in Huelva Estuary has an important contribution to the transport of pollutants except for the artificial basin exhibiting cyclic mineralisation pattern. Barba-Brioso et al.’s Methodology The authors initially adopted sampling of the tideland zone in order to take into account the impacts of tidal regimes, in which nine samples were taken for high tide and twelve for low tide. A Zodiac boat was used to access the sampling site. The cyclic freshwater variations were examined by taking water samples of 1-20 cm in lacustrine zone whereby five were collected during winter and three during summer. Additionally, the study collected three samples of running water in summer and five in winter which were taken from open pipes and tributary streams. Field constraints caused an imbalance to the sampling design. The methodology also adopted several specific studies for the reference of general procedures in taking the water samples, which is considered the strength of the methodology since it sought evidence-based practice to utilising the selected procedure. Ion chromatography was also used to determine sulfate, nitrate, and bromide concentrations, amongst others. Critical Analysis of the Methodology The measurement used in Barba-Brioso et al.’s study is rather intricate and highly systematic, as the research itself is objective, quantitative, and is assumed to be statistically valid, as quantitative research must be (Bamberger, 2000; Bower, 2005). The methodology is able to address the primary objective of ascertaining how the concentration of pollutants is influenced by tidal and cyclical regimes in Huelva Estuary. This is demonstrated in the manner by which sampling was chosen, specifically the 9 samples for high tide and twelve for low tide, so that the impacts of tidal regime may be considered. The same was done for the cyclical regimes, in which the same sampling pattern for water was collected. This paved the way to addressing the research objective being mentioned. The adoption of intricate methods for the data in Barba-Brioso et al.’s (2010) study is similar in extent as other studies citing it, such as Zhang et al. (2011) and Guillen et al. (2012). The adoption of the experimental method in Barba-Brioso et al.’s study to examine the research problem is harmonious with its use of basic descriptive statistics of element concentrations and other elements in the wetland. The use of Merck 1000 ppm and bicarbonate determination indicate its pursuit for accurate generation of results relating to water and wastewater examination. The objectivity of the study is also shown in its triplicate measurement of the samples, with the representative value (mean) having achieved specific percentage accuracy. Barba- Brioso and colleagues also cited other authors in their calculation of the instrumental detection limit, which is suggestive of their stance to provide evidence to the relevance and applicability of the method to their study. It only means that the authors wanted to back up their use of such method through other studies utilising the same. Moreover, the objective of detecting anthropogenic inputs through hydrochemical irregularities was addressed in the study by tackling hydrochemical parameters, amongst others, in basic descriptive statistics organised based on tidal and cyclical conditions that took place at the time when sampling was carried out. This allowed the analysis of the estuarine waters to find slight alkaline content alongside local recording of acidic values at the rim of the tidal channel during low tide periods. The objective of detecting anthropogenic inputs through hydrochemical irregularities was also addressed by an identification of the wide variation in the mean pH values in the lacustrine wetland, which is higher during winter (8.4) than during summer (7.5). In addition, the methodology used a Piper diagram to plot the hydrochemical data, bearing dissolved prime cations and anions, which then exhibited two major water types in the wetland, specifically sodium chloride sulfate and a mixture of cal cium, magnesium, and sulfate-chloride. The Piper diagram has been used also in other studies depicting similar direction as that of this study, such as in the studies of Adams et al. (2001), Cloutier et al. (2008), and Van den Boogaart and Tolosana-Delgado (2008). The procedure in Barba-Brioso et al. (2010) revealed greater concentrations of nitrate distribution during low tide, which increases in the upstream route as well as detected the highest levels of nitrate and phosphate in small streams. It may thus be inferred that these data emanating from the methodology, enabled Barba- Brioso et al. to address the second objective, which again is to detect anthropogenic inputs through hydrochemical irregularities. Such objective was also addressed by the methodology’s stance to determine Ca and Mg concentrations through atomic absorption spectroscopy as well as atomic emission spectroscopy to determine K and NA. The application of SPE and HPLC procedures in quantifying all the studied pesticides was also congruent with the objective of identifying the various sources of pollution by apportionment procedures. In the same manner, the methods being carried out alongside this (e.g. use of water and methanol to condition the cartridge, etc.) app arently supported the study’s intention to tackle the objective of identifying anthropogenic inputs through hydrochemical irregularities. Furthermore, to determine trace elements, the methodology used measurements of iron elevated contents at the convergence of the Tinto River and the Tidal channel. Citing the methodology In the study of Guillen et al. (2012), the authors did not use the same methods as Barba-Brioso et al. (2010) in their (Guillen et al., 2012) attempt to find out trace elements’ mobility through the modified BCR sequential extraction method. Rather, atomic absorption spectroscopy and atomic emission spectroscopy were utilised by Barba- Brioso et al. (2010). Mass spectroscopy with plasma of inductive couple carried out the analyses of dissolved trace elements in Barba- Brioso and colleagues’ study. The pursuit of the method to derive the expected precision was seen in an attempt to correct for any drift during the analysis through the measurement of certified reference material, thereby producing the range of a specific mean precision for all the analyses and a particular detection limit optimisation for all the trace elements being analysed.The apportionment methods also allowed different potentially toxic elements to be distributed on a closely parallel manner with the pattern of major cations and anions, in which a declining upstream trend was depicted during both high and low tides. The method used enabled the study to determine the sources of pollution in the Domingo Rubio wetland in Tideland area and overall wetland. The manner of data collection was highly scientific and accuracy-specific, as the study intended to investigate the major ions and trace elements as well as the pesticide distribution in the coastal wetland. The passing of the replicates of water sample through the equivalent cartridges at a specific flow rate was also indicative of an aim to ascertain pesticide distribution, which was linked to an objective of identifying the various sources of pollution in Domingo Rubio. It may also be observed that the analytical methods concerning anions and nutrients in which Merck 1000 ppm and Standard Methods were used to examine water and wastewater were parallel to the objectives of determining hydrochemical anomalies and various sources of pollution in the wetland. It may therefore be claimed that the extent to which the methodology has enabled the investigators to meet the stated aims and objectives is sufficient enough. Further, the quality of the data being provided was something to be confident about. The authors enumerated the analytical methods and procedures one by one, strongly focusing on the details of these procedures, including the elements being examined. They also used a table on which to organise the data, clear enough for the reader to understand them. The high confidence level of the data being presented is indicative of how they were analysed in the results section, in which the parameters of water quality were summarised and compared, alongside the samples’ chemical composition. In this regard, the study is able to pinpoint that the tidal channel is characterised by slight alkaline content, describing its pH mean values during low tide and high tide, and that there is the presence of acidic values at the rim of the tidal channel during low tide. This specific analysis was enabled by the kind of data being gathered and the manner through which to analyse them. In addition, the methodology paved the way for the result to conclude that the water samples being examined were oxidising. Similarly, it was able to point out that the most acidic water had the higher Eh values, leading to a deviation from the common pattern demonstrated by the dominant waters in the wetland. The results also revealed the existence of the effect of tidal interaction through the way the data were used to examine the gradual decline of the electrical conductivity in the upstream route. The data also allowed identifying the period when the maximum value was recorded. The study’s depiction of dissolved oxygen concentrations in the draining streams across the agricultural areas is parallel to its objective to find out the influence of tidal and cyclical conditions on the concentrations of pollutants. An interesting point to mention is the fact that Barba-Brioso et al.’s (2010) study was cited by Haarstad et al. (2011) in their investigation of pollutants in natural wetla nds and the latter also used the experimental design, enabling the authors to identify the pesticides found and identify toxic heavy metals. An experimental design – with a different statistical approach – was also utilised in Barba-Brioso et al.’s (2010) study on the application of the life cycle impact assessment to the Domingo Rubio tidal structure. With the above discussion, it is thereby concluded that there are no more areas in which the methodology could be improved as it was able to cover all the necessary aspects deemed to be achieved by the objectives. Conclusion This paper has been focused on analysing critically the methodology adopted in the study of Barba-Brioso et al. (2010), which is about water pollution from multiple sources in the Huelva Estuary. This work is able to pinpoint the extent to which the methodology has allowed the aims and objectives to be addressed in their entirety. Sampling for both high tide and low tide was utilised in Barba-Brioso et al.’s study to consider the impacts of tidal regimes, in which water samples were taken during winter and summer. A highly systematic and intricate methodology was adopted, considering that the study itself was quantitative where objectivity and statistical validity were highly considered. The study’s adoption of the experimental method is consistent with the use of basic descriptive statistics that allowed examining the concentrations of elements in the wetland. It also utilised hydrochemical parameters, amongst others, as a way to contribute to addressing its objective to identify hydrochemical irregularities. With the study’s identification of dissolved oxygen concentrations in the draining streams, it likewise tackled the objective of recognising the influence of tidal and cyclical conditions on the concentrations of pollutants. The conclusion thus generated is that the methodology was able to cover all areas and that there were none left to be improved because of this. References Adams, S., Titus, R., Pietersen, K., Tredoux, G., and Harris, C. (2001) Hyrdochemical characteristics of aquifers near Sutherland in the Western Karoo, South Africa. Journal of Hydrology, 241 (1-2), 91-103. Bamberger, M. (2000) Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Research in Development Projects. Washington, DC: The World Bank. Barba-Brioso, C., Fernandez-Caliani, J. C., Miras, A., Cornejo, J., and Galan, E. (2010) Multi-source water pollution in a highly anthrropized wetland system associated with the estuary of Huelva (SW Spain). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 60(1), 1259-1269. Barba-Brioso, C., Quaranta, G., Galan, E., Fernandez, J. C., and Miras, A. (2010) The life cycle impact assessment applied to the Domingo Rubio tidal system by the study of seasonal variations of the aquatic eutrophication potential. Science of the Total Environment, 408 (23), 5897-5902. Bower, M. (2005) Psychoanalytic Theory for Social Work Practice: Thinking under Fire. East Sussex: Psychology Press. Cloutier, V., Lefebve, R., Therrien, R., and Savard, M. M. (2008) Multivariate statistical analysis of geochemical data as indicative of the hyrochemical evolution of groundwater in a sedimentary rock aquifer system. Journal of Hydrology, 353 (3-4), 294-313. Guillen, M. T., Delgado, J., Albanese, S., Nieto, J. M., Lima, A., and De Vivo, B. (2012) Heavy metals fractionation and multivariate statistical techniques to evaluate the environmental risk in soils of Huelva Township (SW Iberian Peninsula). Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 119-120 (1), 32-43. Haarstad, K., Bavor, H. J., and Maehlum, T. (2011) Organic and metallic pollutants in water treatment and natural wetlands: A review. Water Science & Technology, 65 (1), 76-99. Van den Boogaart . K. G. and Tolosana-Delgado, R. (2008) Compositions: A unified R package to analyze compositional data. Computers & Geosciences, 34 (4), 320-338.

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Managing in a strategic context - Case Study Example Generalisability refers to the application of certain policy or practices over a large section of population. The main advantage of generalizability is the implementation of certain practices to a wide range, which may lead towards creative solutions to the common managerial limitations often witnessed in the current phenomenon (NCBI, 2009). Correspondingly, the objective determined for this paper intends to identify the qualities of Lincoln Electric business model, which in turn defines its Generalisability to other industries and countries considering the HR policies and practices implemented by the company. Lincoln Electric practices the strategy of reducing the prices of its products by controlling the cost of production. The company has introduced several HR policies which mainly focuses on the employee’s satisfaction, and thus leads to retaining the existing employees resulting in the reduced cost of production. An overall understanding of the strategic intent and direction taken by the company, it can be observed to be continuously upgrading its technology for the improvement of its products to further suffice the market demand (Siegel, 2008). The organisational strategy of Lincoln Electronics was unique with innovative and creative ideas. In order to motivate the employees of the organisation, a special form of incentive system was introduced for properly distributing the profits within the organisation. The system comprised of four components, viz. piece work pay, annual bonus, guaranteed employment and limited benefits. Of these four components, the piecework was the most beneficial as every employee had to prove his/her quality and earn maximum according to his productivity. Another most important element of the employment system of Lincoln’s was the annual bonus scheme. According to this scheme, the employees

Should Christopher Columbus be celebrated for Western Civilization or Essay

Should Christopher Columbus be celebrated for Western Civilization or not - Essay Example Elsewhere in the Americas, living standards are high and are improving. Nevertheless, these successes, which can be traced directly from Columbus' first voyage, were also dearly bought. Millions of native lives were lost, through disease and intentional mistreatment. Several civilizations were effectively destroyed so that a new civilization based on settlers' stock could grow. As such, Columbus clearly has a mixed reputation. These two views of Christopher Columbus are both espoused by different historical schools. The argument in a sense boils down to one of politics. Those who are more inclined to be anti-establishment and romantic would suggest that Columbus' legacy is one of bloodshed and misery. Those who are more realist suggest that civilizations with better technology and organization will always supersede those who lack these qualities. In a sense it was the destiny of the advanced European nations to take over the Americas and build their own colonies there. The other civi lizations such as the Aztecs and the various tribes of North America were simply unable to compete. There are two main historians who support each of these views. The former view is espoused by Kirkpatrick Sale; the latter by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. The latter view is more sensible. Kirkpatrick Sale makes a powerful argument about Columbus, but it is all too political and too based on hyperbole. Motives are ascribed to Columbus which he simply never held. The years of colonization were years of â€Å"subjugation and violence† according to Sale (Sale, 152). Nothing good ever came of them. The Spanish were rapacious and built nothing and simply destroyed the environment. This is too simplistic a view of the world. According to Sale, the natives were vastly superior to the Europeans who came to the Americas. He describes how their technology was much better, but sounds quite foolish doing so: â€Å"'Indian societies had a variety of technologies, some quite sophisticated and many well beyond anything comparable in Europe at the time . . . and certainly could have developed others if they felt any need to do so, particularly in regard to food supply. If they did not, there was likely to be a good reason: if they did not anywhere use the plow, for instance, that may have been because their methods of breaking the soil with a planting stick worked just as well with a tenth of the effort, or because they had learned that opening up and turning over whole fields would only decrease nutrients and increase erosion, or because their thought-world would not have allowed such disregardful violence† (Sale, 322). This is an incredibly idealized view and one that is not unlike those who believe in the noble savage. A critic of the book rightly points out that â€Å"Mr. Sale treats the varied ways of life that actually prevailed in the Americas as if all Indians were the same, and confuses time as well by quoting late-20th-century Indian spokesmen as though th eir words applied universally to every tribe and people† (McNeil). Fernandez-Armesto's perspective is more sensible. He looks to historical context. He also sees contemporary political correctness for what it is: In the opinion of one self-styled Native American spokesman, 'he makes Hitler look like a juvenile delinquent'. This sort of hype is doubly unhelpful: demonstrably false, it makes the horrors of the holocaust seem precedented and gives comfort to Nazi apologists by making

Material Values in A Raisan in the Sun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Material Values in A Raisan in the Sun - Essay Example Walter Younger, the son of the family, was portrayed as the one who is always after money, so he can invest in business and emerge successful. â€Å"No—it was always money, Mama. We just didn't know about it.† (Hansberry 34). Although, he has noble target of achieving success, his path to achieve that by mainly going for money even while hurting others, makes him a kind of antagonist of the story. However, Walter towards the end of the play realizes his mistake and transforms into a supportive figure and even the protagonist. He emerges as the central character, and fully supports his family as they wish to own a large house in a developed area. When the Youngers buy an independent house in a predominant white locality of Clybourne Park, they were dissuaded by the White people residing there. One of the men from that group, Mr. Lindner, on behalf of the other white people, even goes to the extend of bribing the Youngers to prevent them from moving into the Clybourne Par k. The whole Younger family is struggling financially, but still they refuse to accept the money. Although Walter loses majority of the insurance money because of the cheating by one of his friends, he stands up for his family’s wishes and refuses to accepts the money. Walter believes that buying and living in that particular house as wished by his father will provide him more honor than acquiring material values. If the Youngers’ family had received money from Mr. Lindner, the dreams of each family member would have actualized but that would at the cost of values. Mama, the matriarch of the family, firmly refuses the money. â€Å"†¦nobody in my family never let nobody pay'em no money that was a way of telling us we wasn't fit to walk the earth...We ain't never been that - dead inside† (Hansberry 34). The refusal of the Youngers’ to accept money even when they needed it and thus holding on to their house, exhibits how they hold self-worth and honor m ore dearer than material wealth. Walter loses the insurance money, after his friend Willy Harris escapes somewhere with the money provided by Walter for their business initiative to set up a liquor store. Although he failed personally, he learns quick lessons and understands that achievement of his family’s dream particularly of his dead father could give more satisfaction than the achievement of his personal dream. Walter believes that the new house was indirectly earned by his father through his insurance money for them, â€Å"We have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick.† (Hansberry 37). Thus, he puts optimum efforts, even avoiding the temptation of easy money, to buy and stay in the house of their choice. Youngers’ family is aware of the fact that if they reside in Clybourne Park, they could face numerous race related problems from the white people, who reside there. For their part, they gave the commitment that they would have good relationship with the neighbors, without taking any racial stance. â€Å"We don't want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that's all we got to say about that. We don't want your money.† (Hansberry 37). However they continue with their decision to

Early Complex Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Early Complex Societies - Essay Example During this period society consisted of small groups and developed language, rituals, and used basic tools made of stone. The Neolithic Revolution, a term given the adoption of agriculture, transformed economic, political, and social organization. Its beginning can be found in the Middle East as early as 10,000 B.C.E. The use of agriculture gradually spread or was adopted independently in centers, including parts of India, North Africa, America and Europe. It was not until about 3500 B.C.E. that the changes brought about by the Neolithic revolution brought about the development of early complex societies. Locations situated close to fertile river banks suited the development early complex societies because their economic production was based upon agriculture. Rivers were also used for cleansing and drinking as modern reticulation did not exist. Irrigation methods and calendars were developed to advance agricultural efficiency. Later, boats were constructed and used for transportation and trade. As the societies grew denser some of the other technological advances introduced were the potter's wheel, wheeled vehicles, improved shipbuilding allowing seafaring ships, and bronze tools. The four great river valleys commonly recognised as forming the basis of early civilizations are the Tigris and Euphrates river valley in Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley in India, the Nile River valley in Africa, and the Huang He River valley in China (Stearns, Adas Et al.) Technology and the reorganisation of societal structures increased the economic viability of the now sedentary communities causing population sizes to increase dramatically. As the populations had vested interests in their land, ownership of property became more important which lead to increasingly complex societies where specialization, economic, political, and religious functions flourished. The increases in economic production also promoted migration and trade, which furthered the diffusion of the technologies and intellectual capital necessary for the spread of early social complexity. Horse domestication ( +- 4000 B.C.E.) and bronze metallurgy played a pivotal role in this and influenced the development of societies from China to Egypt. Advances in transportation technologies between approximately 3500 and 2000 B.C.E., such as "wheeled carts and wagons appeared in Mesopotamia" (Bentley 760), the construction of seaworthy sailing vessels by the Mesopotamians and Egyptians meant that although the population of the early complex society were sedentary, they did not develop exclusively in isolation. According to Bentley, "Mesopotamians and Egyptians traded with each other at least by 3500 B.C.E" (Bentley 760). The theory that the ideas and technology necessary for the formation of complex societies spreads through migration and trade is called the cultural diffusionism. The Olmec society in the Americas (1400 BCE to about 400 BCE) is a notable exception as in terms of this theory cultural diffusionism could not have been the sole driving force for the spread of complex societies. Middle Eastern complex societies began in about 3500 B.C.E. with the Mesopotamians and continued with the Sumerians. In around 1800 B.C.E., the Babylonian Empire came to supremacy uniting all

In 2007, the potato chip industry in the Northwest was competitively Research Paper

In 2007, the potato chip industry in the Northwest was competitively structured and in long-run competitive equilibrium firms we - Research Paper Example The lawyers hired a firm to estimate varied long-run competitive equilibriums to ensure the successful operation of their business (Swanson, 2009). However, the adapted strategies may not be superior and appropriate. Benefits to the government, business and consumers A monopoly market occurs when a single company supplies services or products that the buyer cannot substitute. The situation mainly happens when one company supplies commodities cheaply compared to other companies. Most monopoly companies include the utilities that offer electric power, gas or water. Wonks would benefit different stakeholders especially the government, business and consumers based on its monopolistic tendencies. Initially, the company will benefit the government because monopolies act as convenient sources of revenue for the government. The government can force companies out of the market causing controversy in the marketplace. The administrators at Wonk can force the government to come up with restricti ons governing the market competition (Graham, Kaye & Rothstein, 2006). However, other companies in the market can propagate negative publicity that may serve as a barrier to Wonk. As a result, the total revenues of the industry to the government will increase Once the firm started running as a monopoly, it came up with different Long-Run Competitive Equilibriums (Graham, Kaye & Rothstein, 2006). These changes benefitted the industry’s stakeholders because they controlled the amount of goods released to the market. Additionally, the industry can control its production, supplies and selling prices to the consumers (Graham, Kaye & Rothstein, 2006). The absence of competition means that the company could increase prices to cover the cost of production. Consequently, the parties involved will draw additional revenues. The consumers will also because Wonk will stipulate prices that the consumers are willing to pay. Graham, Kaye & Rothstein (2006) indicate that the consumers will st op purchasing the products when the industry stipulates prices that the consumers are unable to pay for the goods and services. Changes in prices and output in both structures The potato chip industry restructured from the monopolistic competition strategy to strict monopoly. The competitors sell slightly heterogeneous products but compete for the same customers based on monopolistic competition (Graham, Kaye & Rothstein, 2006). This strategy presents reduced obstacles in market entry and exit. This means that the company was exposed to threats of competition and market fluctuations in the external market. The reduced market entry barriers had the potential of destabilizing the business if a more preferable competitor enters the market. Through monopolistic competition, the producers were constrained from acquiring the full market information (Graham, Kaye & Rothstein, 2006). This is because the market has inputs from other competitors that influence market fluctuations. Any new inp ut by the competitor affects the demand curve of other competitors. Consequently, the consumers must determine the price and non-price attributes of the products supplied. The competing producers must select unique traits that attract customers to their products and realize the targeted higher prices (Boyes & Melvin, 2012). Monopolistically competitive markets engage in imperfect competition by focusing on non-price competition aspects such as product

Summer of the Gods Essay Example for Free

Summer of the Gods Essay The Butler Act refers to the law prohibiting teachers in Tennessee to teach their students, theories that purport to go against the creation theory as found in the bible. It prohibits teaching of any theory that would allude to the notion that man has gradually evolved from a lower primate. This law passed in January 1925. The passing of this law sparked a lot of controversy pitting more than half of the Christians living in the state of Tennessee against political and civil rights activists. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had been vehemently opposed to this act and vowed to offer its services in defense of any teachers accused of violating the Butler Act. It is in the bid to accomplish this that ACLU and other civil rights activists placed an advert seeking for a volunteer teacher. John Scopes responded and volunteered to test the act. A case was built out of this on the belief that Scopes had indeed taught against the creation theory to his student in Clark County High School. Scopes with the help of the civil right movements deliberately incriminated himself in the greater mission of bringing to the public limelight the unfairness of this act and how it was a grave violation of a teacher’s freedom. The trial that would follow would see the meeting of great legal minds. One of this was Clarence Darrow,a self proclaimed atheist and William Jennings Bryan, assisting the prosecution at the request of the World Christian Fundamental Association. A look at this trial indicates that Scopes was just being used as pawn in what had become an ideological turf of war as demonstrated by the sort of the high profile personalities it attracted. William Jennings Bryan had been alleged to have been instrumental on drafting the Butler Act in the belief that citizens should have a say in what was taught in schools. Clarence volunteered to join the defense to further use it as a forum to propagate his beliefs and attack the basis of Butler Act especially the foundation of Christian beliefs. The American Civil Liberties Union on the hand was seeking to mount its opposition and challenge the constitutionality of the Butler Act. (Carson 91) Clarence Darrow was highly agonistic and used this trial to attack the fundamental Christians. It is to be noted that the main aim of the trial as projected by ACLU was to defend Scopes by invalidating the Butler Act. However, Clarence Darrow would go ahead and take it to a level where he sought to invalidate Christian teachings, a radical shift and diversion from ACLU key intention. Darrow’s argument in courts and his cross examination of William Jennings Bryan was supposed to be a clear illustration of his stand. In this cross examination and the argument regarding whether the Jonah was swallowed by a big fish or by a whale was supposed to invalidate the bible and hence attack the very foundation of Christianity, diminishing its importance and hence the Creation theory. This trial, as Carson says, was important not only to Darrow and ACLU but even to the rest of the Americans. It sought to embody the characteristically American struggle between liberty and majoritarian democracy (265). Darrow had an intention of throwing a spanner in the already turbulent debate that had dominated the public domain for long; science and religion. The stand of ACLU was that the Butler act was inappropriate and unconstitutional, it impeded on teachers independence and freedom of imparting knowledge to the students. They agreed that teaching of evolution theory did not in any way contradict the teachings in the bible but rather was merely giving a science perspective of the origin of man to students (Carson 89). Darrow’s cross examination of Bryan was meant to cast a doubt to Bryan’s convictions in the biblical teachings. Bryan was fronting an argument that Butler Act was but a well meaning effort by the legislature to have a say in the curriculum that students were exposed to. Clarence Darrow was maintaining that the arguments given by the prosecution were invalid. He saw the Butler Act as an unconstitutional strategy by the legislature to promote the views of one religious group over others. Butler Act had outlawed any teaching that was contrary to the biblical teachings. The Scopes trial brought a lot of attention to the issues of evolution and biblical teachings. It is this trial that would ignite and spark a far reaching debate wishing to delink religious views from science. The defense was trying to argue that Scopes was trying to teach the various perspectives of the origin of man and not seeking to contradict biblical teachings. It was been by Christian fundamentalists as a wider war on culture. Teaching of evolution theory was seen as way of putting into disrepute the biblical teachings. Most religious groups have come to note that this debate is inevitable and have demanded that evolution theory be taught as one of the many theories of the origin of mankind but not be taught as a scientific fact. Works cited Edward J. Larson. Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion. Basic Books New York, NY, 1997, 99-269

Effects Of Climate Change On Tourism Tourism Essay

Effects Of Climate Change On Tourism Tourism Essay Tourism is an industry that contributes to the world economy. In fact, some countries economies derive most of their revenues from tourism. The increase in individual income and the promotion of different countries of their attractions have caused the industry to grow. Its growth is also fueled by the ease of transportation as more and more hard-to-reach destinations have constructed airports for easier access. With airports, tourists find it possible to reach far-flung areas and enjoy the beauty of the local places. Those who come from cold places would seek warmer locations in the same or different continent. The Northern Europeans, for instance, would go to the nations in the south, like Spain and Italy, to take advantage of the warmer climate. Others would even go so far as Southeast Asia or the Caribbean for their beaches or coral reefs (Bigano et al. 2005, p. 1). In the past several years, there has been a growing concern over the effect of global warming on the climate. All around the world, climate changes are becoming more evident, causing flooding and extreme temperatures in different nations. Weather patterns have become unpredictable, which means that summer periods could be extended or winter may be longer than usual. These disturbances in the weather and their impact on the environment are significant to the tourism industry. The tourism industry is dependent on the predictability of the season in order to attract travelers who want to experience different activities related to the season. Those who love skiing would visit ski lodges while the water enthusiasts are going to beaches during summer. But with climate changes, the tourism industry is affected in various ways. Climate changes can directly or indirectly affect the local destinations, which need to retain their appeal to foreign visitors in order for the industry to flourish. A. Impacts of Climate Change on Tourism Each tourist destination worldwide has its own appeal. This can come from the activities it can provide to visitors, like skiing or golf, or it can come from their natural beauty or what nature has to offer. It is important that each destination should retain its charms in order to keep the tourist industry booming. Another important factor to keep tourism alive is that of accessibility. Areas that become damaged or inaccessible lose their charm, causing tourists to seek other unspoilt or reachable destinations. With climate change, the beauty of the local destinations is threatened while accessibility too can become a problem especially when airports, roads and bridges are destroyed during extreme weather disturbances. The different impact of climate changes on the tourism industry will be discussed in the succeeding sections. (i) Coral Bleaching: Affects Scuba Diving Tourists Scuba diving is one of the most popular activities that encourages the growth of tourism. Areas with extensive and diverse coral reefs would attract visitors from different countries to explore the wonders of the underwater world. However, climate changes in recent years have caused damage to the oceans and the reefs. In the Philippines, a country that is blessed with various diving sites, the warming of the sea especially from the El Nino phenomenon resulted to what is known as coral bleaching. Coral bleaching results to the death of about 49% of live coral. Moreover, the higher amount of dissolved CO2 means that corals, mollusks and shells are also destroyed in the process (Ocean Heritage Philippines 2009). Without these organisms and creatures underwater, the diving industry in this nation will suffer. The diving crowd does not have any reason to visit the Philippines if its corals and sea life will continue to experience devastation. Maldives is another country that would be severely affected by climate changes. Like the Philippines, it also has rich coral reefs that are in danger of being destroyed because of coral bleaching. Divers who visit Maldives specifically for its coral would lose a reason for visiting the island. The same is true for all the other diving spots worldwide. They would all suffer the lessening of the number of visitors to their places. Tourists who are into diving may opt to stay in their places of origin or pursue other alternatives if there are not enough corals in the world left that are worth their time (Viner and Agnew 1999, p. 16). (ii) Coastal Flooding and Erosion A more pressing concern of climate changes is the rising of the sea level. Maldives elevation is low, which means that the higher the sea level rises, the more likely will the island be overwashed with storm surges. It is estimated that Maldives could be removed from the map in the next 30 years if the sea level continues to rise unabated. Not only will the countrys tourism become affected but the entire island would disappear (Viner and Agnew 1999, p. 17). The Bahamas is another popular destination among tourists because of its temperate climate and its pristine beaches. But the warming brought on by climate changes is going to negatively impact the island. Like the Maldives, the Bahamas is also vulnerable to storm surges, which can get worse with the rising of the sea level. Its freshwater bodies are also turning brackish because of the encroachment of the seawater. Flooding and coastal erosion will severely impact the tourism industry of the Bahamas because tourism is dependent on the relative beauty of the coastal areas. Resorts and hotels could be severely damaged if there are strong storm surges. This island, along with others in the Caribbean, must adapt to climate changes so that their vulnerabilities are lessened (Smith 2008). (iii) Threat to Winter Activities: Reduction of Snow Cover While rising sea levels and coral bleaching threaten tropical islands, those that are located in colder regions are faced with a different kind of threat brought on by climate changes. The tourism industry in colder regions are dependent on winter sports, like skiing, The general trend in the weather conditions is that of warming, which means that the summer months could be extended and the snow cover would be lower. Without enough snow, traditional ski resorts will not be able to offer their usual winter activities. Without those activities, tourism will become slow since their visitors would not want to be stuck in ski resorts with nothing to do for the duration of their vacation (Viner and Agnew 1999, p. 19). In the Prairie Provinces of Canada, which includes Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, it is expected that the grassland ecozone will be shifting North, and the wildlife will also move with the ecozone. Some wildlife will not be able to adapt to rapid changes, which can result to their extinction. Wildlife enthusiasts will also follow the game and would not visit the usual places where tourism normally is. A longer summer is also foreseen, which will threaten the livelihood of ski resort operators, restaurants, and hotels (International Institute for Sustainable Development 1997, p. 9). Alternatively, cool destinations become more attractive not because of the winter sports but as a respite from the warming of the already warm regions. People would seek colder places, like North America and Australia. The British and German tourists, who are considered to be the largest in the number of overall international tourists, may prefer to stay home because their weather would not be too cold anymore (Lynas 2003, p. 97). The result of this would be a decline in international tourism revenues. (iv) Uncomfortably High Temperatures Causes Shift in Destinations While ski resorts are experiencing lower revenues because of shorter seasons, those that are located in warmer climates are also finding it a problem when temperatures rise to an uncomfortable level. Northern Europeans mostly like to go vacationing during winter in other parts of the world where the weather is usually sunny for most of the year. They would stay outdoors to sunbathe for several hours. However, summer temperatures are likely to rise above 40 degrees Celsius. This level is already very high for human to still feel comfortable. This can already lead to heat stress and may even cause fatalities due to stroke. Tourists are not likely to visit the summer places to avoid the soaring temperatures. They could instead go to places that are still cold but not as cold as their own regions. Alternatively, the holidaymakers may opt to postpone their vacations to a later time of the year or take it earlier while the heat is not that intense yet (Viner and Agnew 1999, p. 21). Bigano et al. (2005, p. 8) stated that it is possible for the movement of tourists to shift and for international tourism revenues to become lower. Some regions are going to benefit from the shift since tourists would be heading to temperate regions; others will suffer from the movement because of the loss of revenues. (v) Spread of Diseases There are many diseases that thrive on warmer climates. Many of them become spread or carried to other countries that did not have them in the past because of the movement of people and goods. The dengue-carrying mosquito and the malaria-carrying mosquito do not thrive in cold climates. They are found in tropical countries in Africa and in Southeast Asia. But with the warming of the globe, suitable environments can be created for them in other nations. This can affect tourism because holidaymakers will shun a tourist destination that becomes a source of a fatal illness. In Spain, for example, the nation is seen as a no-risk destination. Meaning, tourists do not need to get immunized for malaria or the yellow fever. People can go to Spain and have their fun without worrying about exotic diseases. However, malaria has resurfaced in Spain because the climate changes in the region is becoming ideal for the breeding of the type of mosquitoes that carry the disease (Viner and Agnew 1999, p. 23). (vi) Loss of Income for Tourist Destinations Since climate changes cause temperatures to rise, the result of that would be the melting of snowcaps and the inundation of coastal areas. The melting of snowcaps is going to hurt the ski operators in Japan, Australia, North America, and the European Alps. When snow melts, that would cause the water level to rise, which in turn will flood coastal areas that are very attractive to those who like to experience the sea. All of these would deal a huge blow on industries that directly or indirectly depend on tourism. The ski resorts are going to lose customers without enough snow for their usual activities. The beach resorts are going to be damaged because of flooding and the natural attractiveness of the beaches could get damaged after flooding. People working on resorts are going to lose their jobs. Those that are indirectly affected by a decline in tourism are the tour guides, the hotels, and the people who derive their income from selling to tourists or for offering their services. Of the $735 billion revenues generated from international tourism, about one third of that income went to developing countries that boasts of beautiful beaches and extensive coral reefs. A worsening of climate change means that developing countries are going to lose a rich source of income (Balboa 2009). B. Implication for Tourism Management Policies Although tourism is a big source of income, it can also become the source of pollution that affects the environment and contributes to climate change. Air travel, ground activities, and ground transport all increase the emissions of carbon dioxide, which causes the climate to become erratic. This means that the local governments should implement policy changes so that tourism does not become a problem. Toward this end, several tourist destinations worldwide are already taking measures to avoid worsening the environmental degradation, as well as, preserve natural attractions. The Boracay Island in the Philippines is one of the famous destinations for people who enjoy long, shorelines with white and powdery beaches. The local government, along with various environmental groups like Green Peace Solar Generation Youth, has implemented climate-friendly solutions that tourists and resort operators should follow. These include responsible tourism, energy efficiency, and zero waste. Energy efficiency measures include the use of solar panels for powering laptops and the use of batteries to operate cars and motorbikes (Temblador 2009). The Phuket island of Thailand promotes ecotourism since the government is also aware that businesses and individuals have to radically change how they deal with the environment in order to lower greenhouse emissions. The Carbon Neutral Concept is already in effect so that those who are in the island become environmental stewards who protect and conserve the natural resources for the future. The program also calls for businesses and individuals to measure and limit their carbon footprints. If possible, they should target net zero emissions (Hot Phuket Villas, n.d.). These two examples are just among the local changes initiated by the governments of areas that are known to be popular tourist destinations. However, these efforts are localised and only aimed at protecting local attractions. There is a need to coordinate efforts among the global tourism industry so that long-term solutions are reached. Those that are in the business should also work with various governments and interest groups so that more countries adapt to the changes that the environment needs. Conclusion It is undeniable that the world is experiencing weather disturbances due to climate changes. Experts believe that environmental damage is one of the reasons why this is happening. Tourism is found to be a contributing factor to climate changes because the movement of people and their activities while on vacation increase the level of carbon emissions. The different effects of climate changes include snowcaps melting, coral bleaching, flooding, and rising sea levels, which are all causing changes to the tourism industry. The more obvious effects include the lowering of the number of tourists in popular destinations where the natural resources, like coral reefs and beaches, have been destroyed due to climate changes. It is also predicted that there is going to be a shift in the movement of people away from overly warm climates to temperate ones, which creates new jobs in new places while making the old destinations suffer economically due to job losses. The impact of climate changes on tourism calls for reforms in the existing policies that relate to the environment. There is a need for local and international cooperation so that the businesses and individuals in the sector will be able to adapt to these changes. The tourism industry has to adopt measures so that natural resources are protected. These measures should also contribute to the protection of the global environment.

Literature Review of Self Leadership and Creativity

Literature Review of Self Leadership and Creativity The purpose of this literature review is to study and critique a number of academic articles and scholarly literatures in the area of self-leadership and specifically its influence on creativity. With the promising growth of human resource practice, concepts such as self-leadership and creativity become indispensable parts of the HRM framework. Upon careful assessment of the different contributors and impact of self-leadership, subsequent recommendations for future research and implications for contemporary human resource practice will be devised upon the findings of this literature review. Research Methods In locating the relevant literature materials, various popular management databases such Ebsco, ProQuest and Infotrac were consulted. They keywords used in facilitating the search include self-leadership, creativity, self-motivation, employee influence and contemporary human resource management. The result of the bundle of literature includes case studies, empirical research (both qualitative and quantitative) and scholarly journal articles. A diversity of literature and scholarly articles were chosen in attempt to obtain an overall understanding of the chosen topics of self-leadership and creativity. An analysis and understanding of these academic literatures will be addressed subsequently. Self-leadership and Creativity An emerging area in contemporary human resource practice is self-leadership. A succinct yet meaningful definition of self-leadership is known as the process of influence to establish the self-direction and self-motivation needed to perform (Manz, 1986, p.585). Furthermore, an empirical study conducted by Houghton et al (2004) illustrated that employees who are high in self-leadership are more likely to have higher innovation and creativity potential than employees who are low in self-leadership. Pursuing further, Beer and Walton (1987) emphasised a new set of assumptions in shaping their meaning of contemporary human resource management as the Proactive system-wide intervention, with emphasis on fit linking HRM with strategic planning and cultural change. In contemporary human resource practice, self-leadership and creativity marry at a point when effective self-leadership influences the creation of motivation and a self-bettering learning culture that will support the behaviours required for success. Such self-bettering learning culture serves its optimum purpose when it is transferred across the entire organisation. The shaping of an organisations culture is analogous to fertilising the soil for seed planting crops. Organisations with supportive cultures and positive attitudes in self-leadership tend to empower employees motivations and job satisfaction. Findings It is important to the note that the findings of these scholarly articles vary in variables and a number of other constraints in their own merits. However, for the purpose of this literature review, these findings will be discussed as a collective finding in self-leadership and creativity and contemporary human resource management. First of all, it is worthy to note that the findings in Houghton et al (2004) paper are predominantly based on correlations between self-leadership and the potential of creativity and not the actual level of creativity. With due respect, it is understandable that there are many variables affecting the practice of creativity such as supervisory styles (Ford, 1996) and the work environment (Amabile, 1997). Other literatures have suggested that employees with high levels of self-leadership tend to have an internal locus of control (Woodman, Sawyer and Griffin, 1993). This means that these employees believed that they have a fairly high level of control over the outcome of results. On the other hand, employees with an external locus of control believed that they have very little or no control over the results or outcome of a matter and therefore may not try as hard as the internal locus of control employees. This is a significant piece of information towards the study of contemporary hum an resource practice because through understanding the different types of employees belief, the organization can provide training tailored to individual employees to suit their learning styles most effectively. For instance, employees with internal locus of control, self-leadership and therefore, a high degree of creativity would be a valuable group of human resource to the organization as they would be most likely to strive and produce innovative results. Owing to their high level of self-leadership, they would be influencing themselves to motivate and perform towards their set career goals. In addition, it is fascinating to note that in the theory of cross-cultural self-leadership, Houghton et al (2004) had referenced the work of Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov (2010) and contends that cultural biases (ethnocentrism) would significantly impugn on the integrity of collection of empirical data. As a result, Houghton et al (2004) had conducted the empirical data of self-leadership quantities research to encompass team members from different races. The conclusion of the findings is that self-leadership is a self-influence concept and does not usually transcend across cultures. However, Houghton et al (2004) remarked that one should take into account that the western self-leadership concept should be conveyed and explained to the Asian culture to gain unanimous understanding and a more controlled environment of collecting empirical data. In the research conducted by Ford (1996), different types of supervisory styles were observed. Out of the array of styles, the more prominent one is the comparison of transactional leadership and transformational or charismatic leadership with respect to their impact on creativity. It is interesting to find that transformational supervisors with a vision and/or charisma to motivate employees would often draw their inner potential out and as a result, fulfil self-motivation. This inherent cause and effect proposition coincides with the positive correlation between self-leadership and creativity. It is reasonable to posit that this is due to the fact that when employees are motivated and entrusted with leadership roles, where they can foresee a positive future with the organisation, the likelihood is that they feel a sense of security and association, thus identify themselves with the organisation. These suggestion made by Ford (1996) are aligned with the literature on the hierarchy of needs conducted by Maslow and Frager (1987), that people in general would demand social recognition and a sense of belonging in their workplace. Quality of literature The overall presentation and language used amongst these literatures vary greatly. Despite their prominent stance in the human resource management evolution, some of the older papers (i.e. Beer and Walton, 1987; Amabile, 1997) are seen to be using more archaic language and antiquated grammar in presenting their findings. For instance, in the work by Beer and Walton (1987), words such as societal wellbeing and personnel or people management were often used. It is worthy to note that these terminologies have long been compromised by words such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management respectively. Implications for Future Research Williams (1997) has suggested that future research should identify the correlation between how different types of personality characteristics affects the level of self-leadership. Drawing upon Williams suggestion, future research could further benefit from focusing specifically on personality characteristics such as general self-efficacy, self-esteem, locus of control and self-monitoring. Due to the growing importance of self-leadership in the HRM arena, future research can also gain advantage from finding correlations between different personality traits and self-leadership. For instance, through the usage of the Myers-Briggs personality traits test as a part of the initial assessment in the early stages of recruitment process. In addition, through the engagement of HRM professionals, the process of short listing the candidates that are most suitable to the desirable culture of the organization can be achieved. Another practical implication of this new correlation research would be useful for companies who are particularly trying to prevent any increase in employee turnover rate and sunk costs in relation to training and retaining potential leaders. It is also helpful for companies to predict the level of self-leadership in the early stage of human resource management by selecting candidates with the desirable personality traits. This will in turn lower the cost of human resource selection and future training and development investments. Furthermore, by selecting candidates with high self-leadership it indicates that these potential employees are more likely to utilize their creativity (as discussed above), contributing to the overall innovative culture of the company. Summary In summary, the overall quality of the chosen literatures is of exceptionally high standards. In spite of the origin of majority of these articles being from the United States, there is in fact a high coherence of applicability in the Australian workplace. As uncovered by these literatures, there are many benefits of the inter-twined qualities of self-leadership and creativity to the productivity and growth of an organisation. However, it is strongly proposed that future research can build upon these existing findings to add value in the area of contemporary human resource management by filing in the gap from findings of the above-discussed literatures.

Intelligence Used for Academic Success :: essays research papers

Is it possible for students to be successful without being aware of their strengths and weaknesses? Do students know how important is to recognize their own abilities? Do they know how to use their intelligences in order to improve understanding of a material that they have to study? Achieving academic goals is impossible without recognizing those strengths. As for me, the three strongest abilities that I possess are spatial, interpersonal and linguistic intelligence, and using them helps me to survive in academic jungle. Spatial is one of the intelligences that help me be a better learner. Since I’ m a visual type, it is helpful for me to drew pictures in order to visualize the material that I’ m reading about. Also, while I study, I like to highlight important sentences. When I try to recall the lesson that I read, I know exactly where positions of those highlighted sentences in the book are. Next, spatial intelligence helps me to be successful in arranging my papers and books. Without having that ability my folders would easily turn into a big mess. To illustrate, one of my classmates called me yesterday, asking me for information about some topic that we discussed last semester. At that moment, I knew exactly in which folder I have that information. Another intelligence that I possess is interpersonal, which is very important in relations with others, especially during school time. As for me, it’s easy to make new friendships, and get in touch with people. I have changed a lot of schools so far, and if I hadn’t been able to adapt, I would have given up. When I’ m in the classroom, surrounded with people that I don’t know well, I’ m always ready to participate in discussion. Besides, I have a lot of friends. Since I’ m a good listener, they always come to me with their personal problems. For instance, once when my friend was put on probation for financial aid because she didn’t have good grades, she called me and asked for a help. Even though I couldn’t help her materially, she said that just talking to me made her feel better. Afterward, I convinced her to call her parents and explain them her situation. Finally, linguistic intelligence is my strongest. This intelligence is very important for students who live and study in foreign countries. My ability to communicate through languages makes my college life easier, and helps me be a better student.

Robertson Davis Fifth Business Essay -- Robertson Davies Fifth Busine

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guilt can only be suppressed for a limited time before it comes out in unwanted ways. In the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, Boy Staunton -a successful businessman with a polished appearance but a tortured soul- took the ultimate plunge to his death. His decision was not merely his own, but was influenced by a team of hands that helped push him to his destiny. First Leola, who was his first love and his wife. Then Mary Dempster, a neighbor from his old town Deptford, whom he mistakenly made into a 'simple' woman. Next his life long-friend and enemy, Dunstan Ramsey, who was a constant reminder of the virtuous life boy longed to live. Then Paul Dempster, the product of Boy's immature childhood behavior. Finally himself, because he suppressed his guilt and refused to accept the shadow that lurked within him. The five people that killed Boy Staunton (as stated) were: Mary- ?the woman he did not know?, Leola- ? the woman he knew?, Dunstan- ?the keeper of his conscience and the stone?, Paul- whom granted his inner most wish, and lastly, Boy Staunton himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It can be observed that childhood experiences play a very important role in the stableness of ones soul. One mishap in childhood can create a devastating blow to ones true happiness in later life. This was exactly the case in Boy Staunton's life. Once, when he was little, he got in an argument with Dunny which led to snowballs being launched at Dunny from an aggravated Boy Staunton. The last snowball concealed a rock, and hit Dunny's neighbor Mary Dempster in the head. As a result, she gave birth prematurely (to Paul Dempster), and then afterwards became ?simple minded?. This particular incident acted as a foundation for Boy's growing shadow, and contributed to the demise of his soul. It is ironic that the person who had such a significant influence on Boy Staunton's shadow, was a woman he did not know. When Boy was asked if he had any recognition of Mrs. Dempster, he replied: ? None at all. Why Should I(page 261). Although Boy only met her once, the guilt remained suppressed inside him for the rest of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Boy's guilt grew as the years went by, fed by incidents that occurred from different people. Leola, Boy's first wife was one of these people. Leola was born in Deptford as was Boy. They grew up together going to the same school, and fanci... ...his own life. When Boy was found the morning after, a strange stone was found in his mouth. That stone was the same stone which hit Mary Dempster in the head so many years before. Boy considered the stone to represent his guilt and in the end tried to swallow the stone (he tried to swallow his guilty conscience). Suicide was the only way out for Boy, because his shadow was much to big to confront. Boy's biggest mistake in his life, was that he did not face his conscience when it was small. Instead he let it grow inside him, a mistake which ultimately led to his death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Indeed Boy's death was influenced by different people throughout his life. Leola who was the woman he knew. Mary - the woman he did not know. Paul - who granted his inmost wish. And of course Dunny -the inevitable fifth. But Boy Staunton was the only one who could be accountable for his guilt. For he, and he alone, ignored his shadow and left it to grow. In the end his shadow was to big to defeat, and so, pushed by the darkness within him, Boy entered finally into the shadow of death. Works Cited: Davies, Robertson. FIFTH BUSINESS. Canada: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited, 1970.

The Scarlet Letter: My Experience Essay -- Literary Analysis, Nathani

As a child of the age of hyper-information, I am usually introduced to concepts in their rawest possible form. Concepts that are streamlined so that they may glide their way elegantly into my understanding like the 2001: A Space Odyssey union of shuttle and station, backed by strains of the lilting Blue Danube [1]. Digesting Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ultra-dense Scarlet Letter, therefore, felt more properly compared to a Surgeon’s retrieval of his Rolex from the open chest cavity of an ill-fated patient, perhaps to a score of pounding, rapid, multi-tiered baroque fugues. Yes, the ideas and connections were there, and they were fascinating and orchestrated beautifully. But I often found my head aching as I labored through the mounds of florid language and dated syntax they were buried so deeply under, and often found myself making estimates as to the number of Word-A-Day calendars Hawthorne must have owned [2]. It’s tragic though, really, because it is not Hawthorne’s fault that his novel has become the bane of so many high school English students’ existence. The times have a-chang’d, and along with them attention spans have decreased, and many systems for information extraction and condensation have been developed to accommodate them. Just as a surgeon presented the option of retrieving his lost wristwatch from either, A) a hinged jewel box, or B), the innards of a living human being would most likely check the box marked â€Å"A† with much gusto and not so much rumination, a student with the option to circumvent the pain of actually reading Hawthorn’s masterpiece, choosing instead to receive the concepts from the novel in the form of easy-to-digest Sparknotes tidbits, would likely do so [3]. The subject matter of the novel has al... ...f needs [12] and my ability to act upon it and endure far lesser consequences. But the oppression is still there. However, the positives remain as well. The prolific nature of the American college system can be attributed in large part to the Puritan’s value of knowledge and education. Reading The Scarlet Letter was a slog. But it never felt frivolous. The themes have become less groundbreaking and weighty but are still pertinent, and the writing style has been greatly dulled by time, but not to the point of being impenetrable. If nothing else, it expanded my mental lexicon, and gave me a new understanding for why someone would ever be compelled to endeavor in so self torturous an activity as running a marathon. I felt, at the novel’s conclusion, a euphoria of relief akin to that described by sweat drenched long distance runners. And I lost 20 pounds to boot.

Catholic Response to Reformation

4. What were the responses of the Catholic authorities in the 16th century to the challenges posed by the Lutheran Reformation? The demand to reform the Roman Catholic Church stretched on for ages. Many people, such as Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus criticized the church for its worldliness and believed that one didn’t need direction from the Church, but just needed to read the Bible for guidance. It was from these men that Martin Luther came to the conclusion that faith alone would lead to salvation and you didn’t need to work for it.Martin Luther appealed to Pope Leo X to correct the abuses of the Church. When that didn’t work, he rallied the people to follow him. His beliefs spread through German states and most of Northern Europe. In response, the Catholic Church assembled the Council of Trent, which defined the Catholic religion and reformed the abuses of the Catholic Church. The Church also established the Jesuits, who spread the Catholic teachings during the Lutheran Reformation. Finally, the Church employed many policing tactics against the Lutheran Reformation.These responses kept Catholicism a major religion in Europe. Although the conciliar movement was ended by Pope Pius II around the 1450s, the people during the Lutheran Reformation were calling for a general council of the church. Charles the V, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Spain, tried to persuade the Pope to assemble a council because he hope that the church would fix some of the abuses, thus stop people from converting to Lutheranism. However, Francis I, King of France, actively promoted the Protestants in Germany, even though France is a Catholic country.He did this because Charles V’s land surrounded France. He wanted Germany to be in a state of argument so that it would be too weak to be a threat to France. While Francis II did this, he also used his influence in Rome to call off any assembly of a council because it would expose the flaws of the Roman Catholic Church. In time, the King of France lost and a council was called to reform the abuses of the Church and establish a statement of the Catholic religion. It began deliberations in 1545 in Trent, in the Alpine border between Germany and Italy.The Council of Trent reaffirmed many beliefs of the Catholic religion such as it justified that faith and works led to salvation, transubstantiation, purgatory, and the celibacy of the clergy. The council of Trent also declared reforms in monastic orders. It called to correct the abuses of indulgence while at the same time upholding the principle. It also called for bishops to take more responsibilities in their administrative control over their clergy and to make sure they were properly taking care of their own duties. The Council also wanted competent men running their churches, so they set up seminaries to educate the priests.The decrees of the Council of Trent would have been obsolete if it wasn’t from a new relig ious seriousness within the Catholic Church. There was much hatred toward the Roman clergy, as shown by the sack of Rome in 1527, where German and Spanish soldiers looted Rome, killed thousands, captured the Pope. Moralist began to speak and there words were heard. New popes, starting with Pope Paul III, regarded his office as a religious force to reform the church. New religious orders were founded on the basis of the new Catholic faith. The Jesuits, the most famous of these orders; it was founded by a Spaniard named St.Ignatius Loyola. He had a religious experience in 1521, when he was a child before hearing of Luther, and wanted to become a soldier of the church. On this experience, he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Authorized by Pope Paul III in 1540, the Jesuits were an order less attached to the clergy and more actively involved in the affairs of the world. They believe the Roman Church was a divine institution, and all members had to take a pledge to obey the Pope. T he Jesuits were some of the most famous educators of the Catholic world, with around 500 schools in the upper and middle classes.They combined the faith and religious teachings of the Catholic Church with the etiquette teachings that a gentleman should have. The Jesuits also brought into their teachings the Renaissance humanism found in the Latin classics. The Jesuits were not only teachers of the Catholic religion, but they also acted as a missionary force. They recruited members from all over Europe, especially in areas that were still disputed over which religion to choose. After the initial burst of Protestantism faded, many people wanted to return to the Catholic religion, especially when the Council of Trent corrected the most obvious abuses of the Church.The Jesuits reconverted most of these people in the areas of Germany, Bohemia, Poland, and Hungary. They also recruited from countries that already turned Protestant, like England, where their goal was to stop Queen Elizabeth I because they believed that the universal church was more important than national independence in religion. The Catholic Church not only reformed and spread its teachings across Europe, but the Church set up laws and police to enforce the Catholic religion. Many books were censored by the Catholic Church. They were trying to suppress the knowledge of â€Å"heretics†, the Protestants, from the people.The Pope had a list published by the Pope called the Papal Index of Prohibited Books. Only individuals with special permission were able to study these books. There were many establishments that enforced the Church’s rules. None was more dreaded than the Spanish and Papal Inquisitions. Although the Spanish Inquisition was originally established to drive out the Jews and the Muslims, it was introduced to all the Spanish-ruled countries in Europe. It was employed against the Protestant movement in the Netherlands. The Papal Inquisition was established in 1514, under the Hol y Office, a permanent committee of cardinals.To Rome, it was a revival of a famous medieval tribunal for the detection and repression of heresy. Both of these Inquisitions employed torture for various tasks. Torture was used for heresy or employed on any person charged with a crime, whether it was in civil and ecclesiastical court. The Spanish Inquisition was harsher than the Papal Inquisition in terms of punishment, people were often burned alive and the Papal Inquisition was all about protecting the faith in all parts of the Catholic world. In 1560, the major powers in Europe were declared Catholic countries, like France, Spain, and Austria.All the countries that turned to Protestantism were very small countries like the German states and the Scandinavian kingdoms in the north. The biggest Protestant nation was England, but England was still small compared to France and Spain. The reason why Protestantism did not spread is because of the tactics the Catholic Church employed agains t the Lutheran Reformation. The Council of Trent, the Jesuits, and the police commissions like the Inquisition all helped halt the teachings of Martin Luther and convinced the people to believe in the newer and better Catholic Church.

Influence of Digital Media on Education

A great man once said, â€Å"If we teach today’s students as we did yesterdays, we are robbing them of tomorrow. † His name was John Dewey. He was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. This man is the inspiration for many enthusiastic educators, who wish to evolve education as the world around us changes, especially with the rapid reforms bestowed upon the education world through this monster that we call digital media. There is no running away from the fact that digital media has already changed the world.It’s not going to stop altering the world it was created in anytime soon. So human beings have taken advantage of this fact. Since digital media reaches every corner of the globe, man has learned how to influence tremendous amounts of people through digital advertisements, expressed opinions on blogs, massive video sharing (Youtube), Internet radios (Pandora, Spotify), un iversal shopping outlets (Amazon, Ebay) and even extremely localized seller/buyer ran websites such as Craigslist. The list is never ending. Digital media has grabbed our society by the horns.For this project I have chosen to analyze the impact of Digital media on education. Numerous communications technologies have been, and will continue to connect the expertise of professional educators. Digital media and the numerous communications technologies are connecting millions of people to: 1. Increase opportunities for a quality education. 2. Increase audience networks to jumpstart a synergistic routine for online/afterschool studies. 3. Easily develop effective studying techniques in younger children, which ultimately set children up for success.Education on Digital Media 4. Construct interactive communication for peer-to-peer studies. 5. Give parents a chance to provide their children with an excellent structured education. 6. Develop online programs that are extremely user friendly, for parents and children. 7. Learning everywhere. 8. Introduce children to the safest possible online interactions for educational purposes. 9. Allow children to become adaptive to the changing technologies involving digital media. 10. Discover a student’s strength and weaknesses through computer-generated statistics, graphs and tables.These tables will be available to parents and children, at the discretion of the parents. Also, this will be available for regular adult students, hence online college portals (UMUC’s Webtycho). The incorporation of digital media into traditional education allows convenient learning alternatives, rather than the tradition textbook, notebook and highlighter approach. â€Å"Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. † (Prensky, 2001) These days’ students use tablets and laptop computers, with wireless Internet to their advantage.Digital m edia offers students of all education levels an enormous treasure chest of social practices, methodologies and even hands on assignments. Expert educators have become readily available to students virtually anywhere in the world (where and internet connection can be found. ) Of course, only digital immigrants who are adept to the use of digital media themselves will be afforded the opportunity to share their teaching skills globally. A learning application on your IPhone will never replace a quality teacher, who truly has a passion for teaching.However, over the past several years, multiple online platforms have given students the opportunity to take the initiative on learning. â€Å"Tools will never outshine a brilliant teacher, but over the past fifteen years many tools, services, and platforms have become easier to adapt for learning purposes, to help command and hold the attention of learners for whom email is no more than an easy way to talk to â€Å"the man. †Ã¢â‚¬  ( Scholz, 2011) A website I have used in the past has helped me pass CLEP (College Level Entry Program) exams, which count for 3 college credits.You can earn these credits simply by passing the examinations, which are usually more difficult than easy. The CLEP system allows students to basically take the final exam of an entry-level college course, without ever having to take the course. This website I utilized and came to appreciate is www. instantcert. com. You have to pay a monthly subscription, which is totally worth it if you apply yourself. There is no instructor for the study guides and test samples provided by the websites creators. It’s simply you and the books. Raw learning at its finest.Of course, there are also online tutoring programs, which provide private tutors for virtually all-academic subjects. Live online courses (much like CMST 301) are available to students of all ages. I would like to point out the difference between an online college course, and an onlin e tutoring program. UMUC’s online program is the perfect example of an online college, where students earn actual college credits that apply towards an official college degree. Then there’s academic tutoring programs, such as Instantcert. com, which I mentioned previously.Another fine example of an online tutoring program is the princetonreview. com. The Princeton review does not offer college credits; it simply aids motivated students in their understanding of whatever subject matter they are pursuing. The concept of â€Å"learning everywhere† has never been easier, thanks to digital media. â€Å"Digital learning not only takes place online or in the university classroom but is also situated in high schools, museums, after school programs, home school living rooms, public libraries, and peer-to-peer universities.Learners do not learn exclusively in the university where â€Å"master-teachers† impart their insights under the tree of knowledge. † (Sc holz, 2011) I have found the usage of tourist-interactive digital media programs in museums to be quite useful and educational. Learning everywhere is already happening, in homeschools and public schools. One comparison I would like to make known, is the difference in computer usage regarding homeschool and public schools. There is a graph below that sums up some very useful percentages.The graph shows that the percentage of students utilizing computers at home increases, as their parent’s educational attainment increases, but that the percentage using computers at public school is more nearly equal across the levels of parental education. This proves that computer (Internet) usage for public education is on the rise. Some parents prefer their student’s education to remain traditional, hence the homeschooling. A traditional home school program, in the past has consisted of family bought textbooks and teaching material designed for the students parents.Today however, th ere are multiple programs offered to parents, so they may have access to quality home school programs. Some of these programs involve the use of the Internet, and some do not. Many home school programs make use of DVD’s. You may notice the higher education attainment for parents makes a slight difference between parents who have bachelor’s degree and a graduate education (regarding homeschool and public school). This was expected. What was not expected was the difference between parents with a high school education, compared to parents with a 4-year degree. 5% compared to 82% is a huge gap. I predict that digital media will shorten this gap. User friendly, affordable and independent home school online programs will be developed by digital immigrants, programmers and educators who have grown up in the tech-savvy generation. The gap will naturally shorten as education becomes readily incorporated into digital media. Another surprise (to me personally) was the fact that t he highest percentage for computer usage came from home school environments taught by parents with graduate educations.I expected this percentage to be lower, due to the fact that most traditional home school systems tend to fray away from computer usage. But then again, this graph was created in 2003. I can see digital media having a direct effect on education for all these categories. Reason being, as time goes on, digital media usage in nursery school and students in grades K-12 will increase. It will increase because digital media is only furthering its reach. The good news concerning this graph, the percentage of computer usage in public schools remained relatively close in proximity.Ranging from the lowest (78%) to the highest (84%), this shows that computer and digital media usage in public, private high schools and universities has already become very widely available. The graph above displays computer usage in households. The graph below displays the difference between comp uter usage and actual Internet usage by grade level from Nursery school through 12th grade. In 2003, it was easy to see the dramatic increase for computer and Internet usage ranging from nursery school all the way up to 10th grade.By the time students reached 10th grade, the Internet and computer usage tended to even out at a moderate rate. Basically what this graph is telling us is that students begin learning how to use a computer and Internet as soon as they enter the school systems. The percentage that surprised me the most, was the nursery school computer and Internet usage beginning in nursery school. Even though this graph was originated by the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics), I questioned the fact that computer usage/Internet usage begins in nursery school.It is happening today, and I predict this to be a growing trend. There are two major organizations, which exist today, whose sole mission is to safely incorporate digital media into preschool and kindergart en. The first major organization is the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). This organization is noticeably the largest, and well-funded organization for early educators in the United States. The 2nd is the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media organization.These two amazing organizations have conducted research, which supports the use of digital media technology in preschool and kinder garden. A very brave statement was released by both organizations. The statement regarded technology and small children up to 8 years old. â€Å"Though the groups discourage â€Å"passive screen technology† usage — like TV and DVDs — with children under two, they don't suggest a ban on screens for preschoolers or kindergartners as some child-advocacy groups have suggested.Nor do they say teachers should avoid using technology with young kids. Instead, the groups puts the onus on teachers to make smart decisions and use te chnology appropriately. † (Guernsey, 2012) Conclusion: The digital media’s affect on education is more evident now than ever. If professional educators truly wish to reach their students in the world of pedagogy, I predict that these educators must become more adept to the way these new generations of students are accustomed to learning. Today, students learn on their own terms, with their own study methods.The sooner professional educators embrace technology and digital media fully, the sooner our students will reach their full potential. References Scholz, R. T. (2011, March 31). Learning Through Digital Media  » Introduction: Learning Through Digital Media. Learning Through Digital Media. Retrieved  February  23, 2013, from http://learningthroughdigitalmedia. net/introduction-learning-through-digital-media DaBell, M. , Chapman, C. , Spellings, M. , Whitehurst, G. , ; Schneider, M. U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006).C omputer and internet use by students in 2003 (2006-065). Retrieved from Institute of Educational Sciences website: http://0-nces. ed. gov. opac. acc. msmc. edu/pubs2006/2006065. pdf Guernsey, L. (2012, March 7). Saying yes to digital media in preschool and kindergarten. Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/lisa-guernsey/saying-yes-to-technology-_b_1325070. html Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www. marcprensky. com/writing/prensky – digital natives, digital immigrants – part1. pdf