Jessica in Ther Merchant of Venice

Jessica in The Merchant of Venice In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare introduces his audience to the multi dimensional character of Jessica. Jessica is identified as the daughter of a Jewish Merchant but the audience learns she is much more than that. As the play moves along and Jessica marries a Christian man, Jessica’s identity as a Jewish woman is challenged. Although a minor character in the play, she is important because she makes the audience question what it means to be Jewish and therefore what it means to be Christian.The differences between Judaism and Christianity in the play are shown through Jessica’s relationships with Shylock and Lorenzo. The father daughter relationship that Jessica and Shylock share shows the audience values of Judaism. The two have a very rocky relationship through out the play and although it appears that Jessica is no more than a rebellious teenager, their relationships and interactions show the foundations of a Jewish family. Shy lock shows the rigid rules of the Jewish religion through how he treats Jessica at their home.What the audience knows about Jessica and Shylock’s history is that Shylock locks up Jessica in their house and she is not allowed out. Jessica then undoubtedly has resentment towards her father when she says â€Å"Our house is hell, and thou, a merry devil, / Didst rob it of some taste of tediousness† (2. 3. 1). It is clear to the audience that Shylock not only wants to lock up his daughter to the world he, also doesn't want Jessica to experience Venetian society when he says â€Å"lock up the doors† so the sounds of music don't drift in from the streets (2. 5. 5).It becomes very obvious that Jessica’s house is a strict, rule driven household that she does not appreciate or like. Jessica’s life under Shylock’s rules shows the rigidness of the Jewish religion that Jessica was brought up under. These instances, at the beginning of the play, show the audience what Jessica’s life as a Jew is like. It is not until we see Jessica’s transition into a Christian that we can see the differences between the two religions. Once Jessica runs away from home and marries Lorenzo, her life as a Jewish woman comes to an end. Through this transition of Jessica’s, we see outside opinions on Judaism and Christianity.When Jessica runs away from home to marry, a conversation is sparked between Lorenzo and his friend Gratiano. They have a conversation about why it is that Lorenzo loves Jessica. Lorenzo is trying to explain to Gratiano how Jessica does not fit the typical Jewish mold by saying â€Å"For she is wise, if I can judge of her/And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true/And true she is, as she hath proved herself†(2. 6. 53-55). From Lorenzo’s language when describing Jessica, it becomes clear that these Christians associate good traits such as fairness, intelligence, and truthfulness with being traits that most Jewish people do not possess.On the opposite end of the argument, the play has Shylock and his response to Jessica running away, getting married, and selling her mothers wedding ring. Shylock responds by saying â€Å"Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my? turquoise; I had it of Leah when I was a bachelor: I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. (3. 1. 14). Shylock is upset that his daughter would waste away her precious materials for something as foolish as a monkey. It is in this moment in the play that the audience see’s the new carefree lifestyle Jessica is living as a Christian when she denounces her mother’s ring.Shylock, who loves material possessions, is appalled by his daughter’s carless actions. The audience sees through Jessica’s transition from Jew to Christian and from the conversations sparked in characters from this action how the two different religious groups see each other. After her transition, Jessicaâ €™s relationship with her new husband also sparks different assumptions about religion. After Jessica marries Lorenzo, her life is literally transformed from a Jew to a Christian overnight. Through her final actions of the play, the audience can see how different her two worlds are.Her life with Lorenzo is one full of carefree fun and no material possessions. While her life with her father was one full of rules and restrictions. Once Jessica enters into this relationship with Lorenzo, the notion of what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be a Jew is questioned. Jessica’s two different lives represent the different stereotypes of the two religions. The Jewish people in this play are portrayed through Jessica and Shylock as being an old worldview of life. Shylock’s house is very strict, rule abiding, and oriented in hard work.While on the other hand, Lorenzo represents the New Testament, Christian view of the world where people are much more about living carefree and denouncing material possessions. When Jessica marries Lorenzo and becomes a Christian through marriage she also brings up another question about religion and what makes a person a Jew. Jessica is a Jew by birth but converts to Christianity through marriage. This brings about the question of is it birth or decision that makes a person a certain religion.Lancelot first brings this about when he claims that Jessica is damned because she was born Jewish in that he is referring to the fact that there is nothing she can do to undo being Jewish. The audience also sees many lines where the image of blood is brought up. Shylock refers to his daughter as â€Å"my own flesh and blood† (3. 1. 32) and Jessica states, â€Å"I am a daughter to his blood† (2. 3. 18). This image of blood that Jessica and Shylock share bonds them together and parallels the idea that Judaism runs in the blood, therefore is determined at birth.Although Lancelot seems to believe that Judaism runs in the blood, Jessica believes that she can overturn this by marrying Lorenzo. She states, â€Å"I shall be saved by my husband/He hath made me a Christian† (3. 5. 3). To her, Judaism is out of her because her husband, Lancelot, made her into a Christian through marriage. Here we see two differences in what the characters of the play believe makes a person Jewish. Lancelot believes Jessica is Jewish by birth, and Jessica believes that marrying Lorenzo can make her into a Christian. The character Jessica is important in The Merchant of Venice because of the questions she brings up about religion.Her relationship with her father shows her life as a Jew while her marriage to Lorenzo shows her conversion into a Christian. These two worlds of Jessica play off of each other and through them the audience is able to see the differences between Judaism and Christianity. Through Jessica’s transition from Jew to Christian, the audience is able to see the large differences be tween the Jewish and Christian characters in The Merchant of Venice. Works Cited Evans, G. , ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1974.

Barriers of Critical Thinking Essay

There are many barriers to critical thinking. Barriers can distort your thinking a great deal. The way we are raised by our parents when are children can determine our religion, our political views, the way we view the world, and ultimately shapes our thinking and who we are as individuals. Our upbringing shapes our fears, our self-concept, and also shapes our emotions. Barriers can range from family, friends, peer pressure, the media, and so many more. To become a successful critical thinker, you have to face yourself and be completely honest with yourself. You have to do this so you can figure out exactly which barriers personally shapes your thinking. There are many barriers to critical thinking. Barriers can distort your thinking a great deal. The way we are raised by our parents when we are children can determine our religion, our political views, the way we view the world, and ultimately shapes our thinking and who we are as individuals. Our upbringing shapes our fears, our self-concept, and also shapes our emotions. Barriers can range from family, friends, peer pressure, the media, and so many more. To become a successful critical thinker, you have to face yourself and be completely honest with yourself. You have to do this so you can figure out exactly which barriers personally shapes your thinking. some more specific barriers are enculturation, self-concepts, ego defenses, self-serving bias, emotional influences, and the list goes on! I am going to describe the three barriers that influence my personal thinking. Self- concept is one of my biggest personal barriers. Self- concept is the way we view ourselves. I view myself in a negative way. I do not think I’m smart or pretty, and I realize that the way that I view myself is really unhealthy. I also view myself as an Ohio State fan, the average student, a middle-class family, a Christian, an American, and someone who values honesty and respect. Traits, physi cal things, values, and affiliations define everyone, including me and form our self- concept. I know I defend these components as I would defend myself because these elements define who I am. Since these  things define who I am I do not think critically about them, my emotions get involved, and I begin to use ego-defence mechanisms, self-serving biases, and that begins to distort reality to make sure that I am comfortable and to make sure I am â€Å"right.† Emotional influences are another one of my personal barriers. I am a very emotional and passionate person. I also suffer from depression and anger issues. Emotions can cause a lot of problems for a lot of individuals in the world including myself. When trying to think critically emotions tend to cloud your head and begin to distort reality and influence your thoughts without you even realizing it. If I feel strong about an issue, I will defend it till I can not talk anymore. I am very stubborn and bullheaded. I am passionate towards many things, and I know that being passionate towards some people can end up hurting me in the long run. But passion and selfishness can blind your intelligence. Depression is a pe rsonal barrier that runs in my family. With depression I have a hard time looking at the bright side of any situation, some days are better than others. The negative always outweighs the positive in my eyes. Stress is the last of my personal barriers I am going to share with you. Too much stress can cause a lot of psychological or physical strain on your mind and body. Stress comes in many shapes and sizes. My main stress triggers are work, school, family issues, boyfriend, and there are many more. I know it sounds silly, but stress contributes between 60 to 80 percent of diseases. Stress can obstruct our ability to make decisions. When I am under stress I have a tendency to snap at people when I do not mean to, I tend to cry a lot, and those things stress me out more. I work with people with developmental disabilities, and it is stressful, but it has also taught me patience. I work full-time and go to school full time. My boyfriend is in the Marine Corps and is currently stationed in California. Having a long distance relationship is extremely stressful and hard. I can overcome this barrier by thinking critically is the issue worth debating about? Does this directly affect me or my well being? Is it worth getting upset about? Many of these elements do not directly affect me, so these elements are not worth debating. I deal with my depression by spending time with my family and the few friends I have. I like to listen to music and spend time with my boyfriend when I am feeling depressed. I can overcome these emotional  barriers by stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. When I feel like my emotions are getting out of hand, step back, breathe, think about the situation rationally before things get out of control. I am beginning to overcome stress by working out. I work out about five to six times a week. When I work out it feels as if the stress completely disappears, and I feel so much better inside and out. The gym has become my escape from all the stressors in my life.

Representations of Illness and Recovery in ‘the Secret Garden’

â€Å"Explore The Secret Garden’s representation of illness and recovery. † The Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is a children’s story that has endured enormous popularity since its publication in 1911. The novel centres round a young and lonely protagonist, Mary Lennox. Mary’s journeys in The Secret Garden- both physical and spiritual- have been followed by child readers and often remembered long into adulthood.The text communicates to readers themes such as death, sickness, and recovery and it is largely because of this addressing of serious and sometimes relatable issues that the novel has been considered such a significant contribution to children’s literature. The notions that illness and unhappiness of all kinds can be ‘cured’ by positive thinking is a concept that runs through the text and is generally attributed to the authors own belief in Christian science.Burnett was known to have found comfort in spirituali ty and this ‘New thought’ ideology whilst dealing with the deaths that occurred in her own life and the resulting depression from them. By exploring the representations of illness and recovery within The Secret Garden readers are able to recognise the messages and lessons Burnett as an author was attempting to portray to children. From this, readers can also gain a greater contextual understanding of the kind of society Burnett- and in turn, her characters- would have existed within.In many works of children’s literature, it is common for parental figures to either not be present or to be removed from the story in some way, to allow the child protagonist to have their own ‘adventure’ without adult supervision. The Secret Garden is an example of this, but what stands apart from other children’s texts is the harshness of the situation that Mary as a character is immediately faced with. By the end of The Secret Garden’s first chapter, both Mary’s parents and any servants that provided care for her have been killed by an outbreak of cholera.Mary Lennox is instantly surrounded by death at the beginning of the story, and her sudden physical loneliness only draws attention from readers to the fact that Mary was very much alone and uncared for in the first place; as Burnett writes, as soon as there is an outbreak, â€Å"†¦She was forgotten by everyone. Nobody thought of her, nobody wanted her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  . Death and sickness are the themes that open The Secret Garden to readers and in turn give readers the first impression that these hemes are what largely define Mary Lennox as a protagonist. Before Mary is taken to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, she first stays in India with an English Clergyman and his family. What is interesting about where Mary is taken when she must leave her first home is that she is only seen as safe and away from disease when taken into a British setting- even if it is only made British by the people she is living with.It is decisions like this one made by Burnett that affirms to readers that India is seen to her as a ‘sickly’ place; the novel in fact opens with a paragraph stating Mary â€Å"had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another. † It is important to consider that the first outbreak of Cholera is seen in the servants- those who are native to India- which is the cause of Mary’s parent’s death. India is frequently suggested to be an unhealthy place, especially in comparison to England, which as The Secret Garden progresses is shown to be the place where character’s health improve.This apparent view of an English writer seeing England as a place of good health, whilst a foreign place to be somewhere that produces sickness and death, puts forward the question to readers of whether they are being presented with an accurate perception of settings, or if they are reading the descriptions of s omeone who is significantly biased. Understanding this, adult readers should consider if child readers could be negatively influenced by the writer’s own opinions.The locked away and hidden garden in Burnett’s The Secret Garden is seen to be the symbolic centre of the novel even before its discovery. It’s introduction through Martha, who tells Mary after some hesitation â€Å"One of th’gardens is locked up. No one has been in it for ten years. † is one that creates the first real mystery of the text, something to occupy Mary’s thoughts while she begins life in Yorkshire and stir curiosity in readers, suggesting to them that there are more secrets to be discovered than just the many shut away and forbidden rooms of the old manor house.Although Burnett claims the garden at Mary’s first sight of it to be â€Å"The sweetest, most mysterious place anyone could imagine†, the first description of the setting is decidedly centred round the fact that all the trees and flowers that were once there seem to no longer be alive. Like the opening scenes of The Secret Garden, this new scene is one largely defined by death. The garden has been hidden away and unwanted, much like Mary herself in the beginning of The Secret Garden, however, the situation is different in that pon discovery, someone wishes to care for it. Mary claims â€Å"Is it all a quite dead garden? I wish it wasn’t. † These words from the protagonist could be seen as a kind of positive development in character; Mary is learning to feel compassion for other things. It could be argued that Mary’s wish to look after this garden stems from an innate desire to ‘get better’ herself. Despite Mary’s interest in caring for the garden, it is believed to be lifeless until Dickon is introduced into the text.Mary confides in him and brings him to the garden, and almost immediately he is able to find traces of life in the other wise decaying surroundings, telling Mary it is â€Å"as wick as you or me. † Dickon as a character seems to represent both nature and health; Mary finds him surrounded by animals and the author describes him have â€Å"Cheeks as red as poppies†. The way he seems to portray both health and a close bond with nature suggests to readers that Burnett herself sees a strong connotation between contact with nature and good health.Nature is often used throughout The Secret Garden to describe healthy traits; The doctor at one point claims Dickon to be â€Å"as strong as a moor pony†. Nature even outside of the garden or Moors is seen to be intrinsically linked with being healthy in the text; both Mary and Colin’s wellbeing seems to depend on the changing of the seasons. It is only when spring arrives that Colin feels strong enough to sit up for breakfast with his cousin, claiming â€Å"I am breathing long breath of fresh air. It makes you strong. † The two c hildren’s health and progress seem to rely heavily on the matching progress of nature and the seasons outside.Considering this, readers could ask themselves if Burnett has intended this to be because of how she may see nature and health intrinsically linked- the two children must ‘bloom’ with the seasons and the flowers in the garden- or whether it is because she creates two characters so dependant on nature for their happiness. In the lonely, remote manor house with barely any other children around to play with, nature and the garden are some of the only things for Mary and Colin to build an attachment to. Colin is a character who is introduced to the text after much mystery; he is the cause of the crying Mary has been hearing every night.His character of the ‘invalid hidden away’ is one that has been seen before in other works of fiction- a notable example to draw parallels to is the character of Bertha in Jane Eyre. Colin and Bertha represent the kind of characters that were created in a â€Å"Victorian fascination with the â€Å"imaginative potential of disease† . Sickness was something that could define a character and make it interesting to readers; a kind of morbid fascination with things that were not yet entirely understood. Being unwell in the Victorian period was itself not seen as an entirely negative experience.Diane Price Herndl states in Invalid Women that â€Å" Invalidism has historically offered women a way . . . to achieve a kind of power when no other means opened up†. This in theory could apply to Colin as a child character. Children, like women in the Victorian period, gained a kind of power from being unwell, as others are forced to attend to them and oblige to them for fear of sickening them further. Certainly, being treated for being unwell is the only kind of attention that Colin is able receive until later in The Secret Garden.The way Colin is treated for his illness seems to resemble t he ‘rest cure’ treatment, a method that was developed in the 19th century. He is confined to his bed and isolated from other people, told to rest and never over stress himself, isolated from anyone around him. Until Mary meets him, there seems to be no foreseeable time when he will ’get better’. Colin says to Mary when they first meet â€Å"If I live I may be a hunchback, but I shan’t live. †. Colin has essentially resigned to waiting in his room to die.Whilst Mary as a character strikes readers as having a fierce will to live, and a kind of innate desire to become more healthy, at this point in the novel Colin seems to contrast against her in that he does not see himself living past childhood- as he has been told his entire life. However, hope for his improvement is created through the situation that he and Mary are first introduced to each other. Mary meets Colin at a point where she herself is starting to improve in behaviour and become mo re like a normal, healthy child.She is confused by the way that Colin acts, telling Martha later â€Å"I think he’s a very spoiled boy. †; scarcely recognising that she herself was not very different to him before she came to Yorkshire. The fact that Mary has found Colin whilst in the process of becoming more healthy herself is encouraging to readers, as if Mary can improve from being a spoilt, ‘sickly’ child, then it seems likely that Colin is able to as well. In addition, Colin appears in the text as Mary is slowly learning to want to are for things and nurture them, implying that Mary can in turn look after and help Colin become more healthy. Colin’s actual state of health in The Secret Garden seems debatable. There is never an assigned name to the illness that keeps him from being mobile, other than being told that he may one day develop a hunchback like his father. His bouts of cold and fever seem to be directly related to how hysteric he becom es in his ‘fits’, his weakness seemingly due to the fact that he has barely ventured outside of his bedroom during his lifetime.It is Mary who is the first character to dismiss the idea of his ‘sickness’ and in turn his unavoidable premature death, telling him â€Å"There’s nothing the matter with your horrid back- nothing but hysterics! †. It is almost as if Colin’s own belief in his ill health has been created through the negative beliefs of others, and Mary as a character who is new and unfamiliar with these negative presumptions if the only person who can see past them.This concept that Colin is not truly unwell, but made to think he is and therefore acts as if he is disabled in some way, seems to align itself with Burnett’s own beliefs in Christian science and New thought ideology. It also suggests to readers at this point in the novel that Colin is a character who can become better; he has willed himself into ill health, so there is no reason why he cannot similarly will himself into becoming more healthy.Despite the authors own apparent perceptions of sickness being based on Christian Science beliefs- that sickness can be cured through positive thinking- it has been suggested by some that real forms of illness are present in some of the characters in the text. Mary and Colin are seen as neurotic figures; Mary’s indifference to death and her solitary games have seen her diagnosed as pre-schizoid, whilst Colin’s obsession with his own imaginary hunchback has been seen to class him as a hysteric.Burnett admits herself that â€Å"Perhaps they were both of them thinking strange things children do not usually think†. She as an author seems to understand that the child characters she has created do not act as normal, healthy children would. Though the possibility of Mary and Colin’s mental illnesses are just theories, it brings the question to readers of whether the treatment, or rather lack of treatment, being provided to each child is entirely appropriate. After all, each child has dealt with a great deal throughout their short lifetimes.Mary has practically witnessed the deaths of all that she first knew, whilst Colin has been confined to one room for his entire life; perhaps most importantly, neither of them have ever had loving parental figures present, so would surely be psychologically affected by this in some way. Modern day readers must consider that treatment of illness was in the time Mary and Colin would have existed in, very different to what is used now- for example, the ‘rest cure’ of enforced confinement and bed rest has since been discredited as a treatment to any condition.Whilst contact with nature and other children obviously shows signs of improvement in Colin and Mary’s wellbeing, readers might ask themselves if this would be the case of ‘real’ children in the character’s places, and if by the fi nishing chapters of The Secret Garden, Mary and Colin can be considered entirely ‘cured’ of their past problems. Word count: 2,383 Bibliography * Lawson, Kate, The Victorian Sickroom in L. M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle and Emily's Quest : Sentimental Fiction and the Selling of Dreams, Volume 31, Number 3, 2007 (http://muse. jhu. edu/login? auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/lion_and_the_unicorn/v031/31. lawson. html) * Gohlke, Madelon, Re-reading The Secret Garden, vol 41 no 8 (JSTOR) * Carpenter, Angelica, In the Garden: Essays in honor of Frances Hodgson Burnett (http://chapters. scarecrowpress. com/08/108/0810852888ch1. pdf) * Hunt, Peter, An introduction to children’s literature, 1994, Oxford University Press * Hodgson Burnett, Frances, The Secret Garden, Puffin Classics, 1911 * (http://www. sciencemuseum. org. uk/broughttolife/techniques/restcure. aspx) (definition of rest cure) ————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 1 ]. Gohlke, Madelon, Re-reading The Secret Garden, vol 41 no 8 [ 2 ].

Learning Style Inventory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Learning Style Inventory - Essay Example Personal style inventories can be referred as a very essential tool in the development of an educational program. To gain an improved understanding as a learner, one needs to evaluate the preferred way to learn or process information of an educational program. By doing so, the evaluator will be able to build up strategies which will enhance his/her learning potential. There are a lot of personal styles or evaluation techniques that are used to assess the effectiveness of learning. There is a number of short and quick way of assessing an individual’s learning style. Based on the multiple intelligences inventory, the individual primary strength has been identified to be verbal and intrapersonal strengths as scores of 70 each have been obtained in each of these two sections. Potential verbal strength is a prerequisite in the nursing (health care) sector where patients need to be treated with great care. Good verbal speech facilitates to motivate patients through which they can gain significant morale boots which in turn can aid them to recover quickly. On the other hand, nursing staff worki ng in a medical based industry would certainly be at a better place with strong intrapersonal skills which include interaction with the others, a sense of feelings, values and attitudes in order to maintain cordial and positive relationship with the patients. The survey has illuminated a relatively commendable score in logical intelligence (reasoning & problem solving) which can also be treated as a significant strength. In the emergency circumstances at medical institutions, nurses will be required to think logically which can save lives of their patients by a considerable extent (McKenzie, n.d.) In accordance with the performed multiple intelligences inventory survey, it can be said that every candidate of the nursing education program generally possess a number of

CRIMINAL LAW 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CRIMINAL LAW 2 - Essay Example Such an action shall be construed as theft regardless of whether the thief has taken it for gain or for personal benefit. Sections 3 to 6 of the Act define the terms â€Å"appropriates†, â€Å"property†, â€Å"belonging to another† and â€Å"with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it†. (Theft Law 1968, n.d.). Since criminal law deals with accusation and punishment for offenders, it is important that a correlation be established between blameworthiness and criminal liability for serious illegal activities. This argument is more applicable for theft because in this offence the other elements related to the appropriation are not properly defined, and so it is only the element of dishonesty that is assessed for punishment under law. In case the other elements related to the appropriation are judged to assess their wrong culture, it is however not possible to establish criminal liability on the defendant without some kind of judgement on the mo ral perspective of the defendant’s actions. ... ding is for a period and in circumstances making it equivalent to an outright taking or disposal.† (Theft Law 1968, n.d.) For example, if a person takes a cinema ticket from its owner and returned it after the completion of the movie, then it is as good as depriving the owner permanently of enjoying the interest of the ticket because when returned the ticket has no usage value left (Clarkson, 2005, p.238). Fraud Act 2006 The Fraud Act 2006 was implemented to â€Å"make provision for, and in connection with, criminal liability for fraud and obtaining services dishonestly.† (Fraud Act 2006, n.d., p.1) The Fraud Act has revised the Theft Act 1968 in many respects. Some sections of the Theft Act have been removed in Schedule 1 of the Fraud Act and they are section 15, section 15A, section 16 and section 20(2). Section 15 is about â€Å"obtaining property by deception†, section 15A is about â€Å"obtaining a money transfer by deception, section 16 is about â€Å"obta ining pecuniary advantage by deception†, and section 20(2) is about â€Å"procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception†. (Fraud Act 2006, n.d., p.7) The principle objective of the Fraud Act was to present the previous criminal law in a reformed manner so as it make it more acceptable for juries and practitioners. In this modern world of technology, fraudulent activities are rapidly becoming sophisticated and complicated by enhanced use of technology. It is increasingly becoming tough to catch the fraudsters and then prove their offence in court. Therefore the purpose of the Fraud Act is to form a â€Å"modern and flexible law of fraud† that is suitable to combat the increasing complications of fraudulent activities (Post-legislative assessment of the Fraud Act 2006, 2012, p.3). The Fraud Act associates

To what extent does the success of E-Learning depend on the nature of Essay

To what extent does the success of E-Learning depend on the nature of an organisations culture - Essay Example In accordance with a report published in 2009 by CIPD, e-learning is a term, which appeared for fist time in 1999. As noted in the above report, two are the key forms of e-learning, as identified in organizations globally: ‘the web-based training and the Supported Online Learning’ (CIPD 2009). Current paper focuses on the examination of a particular aspect of e-learning: its relationship with organizational culture. Emphasis is given to the potential dependency of e-learning on the nature of an organization’s culture. The role of e-learning within modern organizations is critically reviewed. Then, the interaction between e-learning and the culture of each organization is critically discussed, taking into consideration the findings of studies that have been published in the particular field. 2. E-Learning as an element of the organization In accordance with Rosenberg (2006) e-learning is likely to provide solutions in ‘informational or instructional organizational problems’ (Rosenberg 2006, p.72). The above description of e-learning is, partially, opposed with the most common role of this framework, as a tool covering various organizational needs, as analyzed below. On the other hand, Cross et al. (2002) note that the quality of e-learning, as part of an organization’s plans, is not depended on the funds invested on the relevant project. Rather, it is an issue of managing effectively the resources available and being aware of current challenges of the organization’s internal and external environment. However, the following problem should be highlighted: the term e-learning is often too vague (Servage 2006, p.304), i.e. the parts and the role of the relevant schemes are not clearly explained. This fact can have the following implication: the targets set by the scheme’s initiators are n ot achieved while valuable time and funds are spent without having the chance to be paid back. Despite the value of e-learning, its use in organizations is still limited, mostly because of its requirements. In accordance with a series of statistics published in CIPD, e-learning is mostly used in large organizations, at a percentage of 79% than in medium organizations – the organizations with less than 250 employees are likely to use e-learning just at a percentage of 39% (CIPD 2008). It should be noted that the benefits of e-learning have not been made clear to employees. This problem is reflected in the following fact: in organization where e-learning schemes are available, the percentage of employees participating in these schemes is not over 60% (CIPD 2008). Moreover, the use of e-learning as the unique learning process within organizations seems to be avoided. In a relevant research developed by CIPD (2008) it was proved that most organizations (95%) prefer a blended lear ning scheme, i.e. a learning scheme in which e-learning is combined with other e-learning processes (CIPD 2008). The research developed by Servage (2006) led to the following finding: ‘cost and technology are the most common challenges of e-learning’ (Servage 2006, p.304), a problem which cannot be easily resolved. The use of e-learni

The Role of the United Nations in Defending International Human Rights Essay

The Role of the United Nations in Defending International Human Rights - Essay Example The United Nations is an organization which was founded in the year 1945, at the signing of the United Nations Charter by 50 countries, and it replaced the League of Nations, which was founded in 1919. Since 1948 there have been 60 UN peacekeeping missions, and thus far, close to 130 nations have contributed personnel at various times. As of the year 2007, there are now 192 United Nations member states, thus encompassing almost every recognized independent state. â€Å"From its headquarters in New York City, the UN and its specialized agencies decide on substantive and administrative issues in regular meetings throughout the year. The organization is divided into administrative bodies, including the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Additional bodies deal with the governance of all other UN System agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nationâ€⠄¢s Children Fund (UNICEF). The UN’s most visible public figure is the Secretary-General† (Wikipedia, 2007). The purpose of the United Nations from the very beginning was to maintain international security and peace, seek to develop friendly relations amongst all nations, try to tackle economic and social problems as well as humanitarian issues, and act as a hub for all nations to be able to act together so that as a result their actions could then be directed towards achieving good for the whole of the world.... The organization is divided into administrative bodies, including the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, Trusteeship Council, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Additional bodies deal with the governance of all other UN System agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation's Children Fund (UNICF). The UN's most visible public figure is the Secretary-General" (Wikipedia, 2007). The purpose of the United Nations from the very beginning was to maintain international security and peace, seek to develop friendly relations amongst all nations, try to tackle economic and social problems as well as humanitarian issues, and act as a hub for all nations to be able to act together so that as a result their actions could then be directed towards achieving good for the whole of the world. One of the most major goals of the UN is to defend international human rights, and they are by far the most representative and influential organization in the world in this regards. They have worked dutifully and consistently in order to provide the most stable and secure international human rights and they are constantly striving to even further improve in these areas. The importance of this particular role of the UN has always been evident and present, however more so than ever it has been in recent years, particularly in regards to the complexities and troubles that have been taking place internationally. One of the most recent and significant troubles is that of the invasion of Iraq by the United States, which occurred on March 20, 2003, and which resulted in the winning of a quick military victory and the ousting of the government of Saddam Hussein. Although both the United States and the

Strategy management - HBR Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategy management - HBR Article - Essay Example Companies which gained economies of scale across the borders have been encountered with a strategic shift where a company needs to adapt to the local conditions. Demand would be low for many years and companies needs to be well aware of the emerging competitors and constantly upgrade its reputation. The developing countries provides the best opportunity for companies but now the companies needs to focus more on customized products for that segment of richer countries that are underserved. This would facilitate more of product innovation at lower prices. The companies would even need to manage a diverse work force that would require more investments in new communication technologies and a powerful corporate identity. Any strategy formulation is done by a company in order to gain competitive advantage in the competitive business environment. There exits certain criteria’s that needs to incorporated in the process of strategy formulation. These criteria’s are based on market and products, operations and innovation, people and organization, and identity and reputation. The strategy formulated should encompass the factors of identification of emerging market competitors, investment in appropriate positions, and adaptability to the local differences (Clarke, Bennison and Guy, 1994, pp. 11-20). The component of market and products focus on those segments in every other country that is underserved, the price pressures should be recognized carefully so that the strategy do not only encompass premium pricing strategies rather the prices should be set on the basis of competition and the purchasing power of the consumers of the particular market segment, and addition of more innovative variet ies in the product offerings (Acur and Bititci, 2004, pp. 388-408). The operations and innovation factor deals with simplification of the supply chain activities, exploring the opportunity of off-shoring activities, shift the R&D activities where there exist the market

Human Resources Development in Qatar Petroleum Research Proposal

Human Resources Development in Qatar Petroleum - Research Proposal Example On the other hand, there are some difficulties that are commonly experienced by all employees and they have difficulties in dealing with such issues. Such difficulties include but are not limited to limited funds of the organization, unequal distribution of resources at all levels in the organizational structure, and the criteria of eligibility established by the organization to consider providing the employees with opportunities of development. The target of this report is to offer a clear and practicable technique on managing career development in the organizational context of Qatar Petroleum (QP). QP has developed a Strategic Qatarization Plan where employees within the organization can be trained and developed so that they are equipped with the skills needed to achieve the goals of the business and address the needs of competencies and capabilities in Qatar labor market. It will be a quantitative research in which data will be collected from the employees of QP through questionna ires consisting of both open and closed questions. Closed questions would be used to collect the demographics of the survey respondents whereas open-ended questions will be asked to explore their views about effective ways to manage career development (Qatar Petroleum, 2013). Qatar Petroleum (QP) is a well-known organization in Oil and Gas industry. QP is focusing on achieving their objectives; such as long-term strategic targets such as developing their employees in order for them to achieve higher positions and improve their performance in work. To achieve this, QP offers good opportunities for employment and development to all employees in general and the Qatari employees in particular because they have been highly recommended by H. H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani who is the Emir of the state of Qatar and upon the recommendation the Minister of Energy and Industry (Qatar Petroleum, 2013). The idea started when the numbers of Qatari employees serving at

Cross Listing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cross Listing - Coursework Example The company obtains benefits by the economic activities of that foreign country especially from the financial market’s ability to provide greater strength to the market value of that domestic company. Cross listing is also one of the methods of diversifying the investors’ risk profile. By investing in a company which is not a domestic company, allows much more diversification to the local investors as they are now subject to different sorts of risk exposures as compared to their other counterparts. These investors are subject to the risk of the economy of that cross listed company’s country. In short, cross listing provides another avenue of financial resources to the domestic company as well as provides a safeguard from a likely hostile takeover. It also provides a greater opportunity and flexibility to the foreign investors in managing and maintaining their portfolio of investments in a diversified manner. Essar Energy plc is one of the best private groups of India which have substantial investments in both the oil & gas sector as well as the in the power sector. Established in 1989 with petroleum sector only, the company has made remarkable achievements such that the company remained highly successful even in diversifying its operations by investing in refinery and later on, in the power generation and distribution sector. In June 2010, the company cross listed itself in London Stock Exchange after already having a presence in the local stock exchanges in India. The company managed to raise net proceeds of around $1.8 billion from the UK investor. This had been the largest IPO subscription in London Stock Exchange after 2007 by any company. Currently, the company is a constituent of FTSE 100 index of London Stock Exchange. After a tremendous turnaround and interest of the foreign investors in the stakes of the Essar Energy plc, the company

Explain Anselm’s Ontological Argument Essay Example for Free

Explain Anselm’s Ontological Argument Essay Explain Anselm’s ontological argument. The ontological argument was put forth at first as a prayer by the eleventh century monk and philosopher Anselm of Canterbury. In his Proslogion, which means discourse, he presented this argument as a prayer for believers to substantiate their belief in god. Anselm uses ‘a priori’ (which means before experience) reasoning, which conveys that it does not rely or depend on experience and so an argument of this sort is more plausible and likely to intrigue and attract philosophers, by not depending on experience or acquaintances it can be understood and derived purely from logic. Furthermore its truth doesn’t depend on anything apart from logic and can be deduced purely from the meaning of the words used in the argument. The ontological argument uses deductive reasoning, which means its conclusion is contained within the premises presented, and if one accepts these premises to be true then one must accept that the conclusion is also correct; an argument of this sort would be: 1. Men are all mortal. 2. Renà © Descartes was a man. 3. Consequently Renà © Descartes is mortal. From this example if we accept the premises (12) then logically we must accept the conclusion (3) so in some form this argument presents a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion. Anselm’s argument said ‘God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived’, by greater he means perfect and by conceived he means to think of, so we can put in other words: God is that than which nothing more perfect can be thought of. When Anselm first wrote this in the Proslogion, his intentions for this were not for it to be used as an argument to prove God’s existence but just a mere prayer for believers, but due to his reliance solely on reason and logic it has become popular and has overcome the test of time as it is still relevant today and is being studied. The argument can take this form: 1. God is that than which nothing more perfect can be thought of. 2. Even a fool can understand this definition. (By fool Anselm most likely meant someone who does not believe in god, and so he said this to show that  this argument is nothing of a complex sort but of a simple nature which can be comprehended by anyone, even a fool as Anselm said.) 3. This fool says that god ceases to exist in reality, merely as an idea. 4. It is greater to exist both in the understanding and in reality, than essentially just in the understanding. 5. The greatest possible being, for it to be the greatest must truly exist in both modes: reality and understanding. 6. Hence god does exist both in reality and in the understanding; therefore we can also conclude that the fool in reality is actually a fool. (The fool is denying the existence of the greatest possible being, this being must exist for it to be the greatest possible being, and if he wasn’t the greatest possible being then surely we could conceive of something greater.) Anselm starts the argument with a definition, and uses this definition to prove god into existence, however this argument relies on a particular definition and analysis of a particular one. There are two fundamental and paramount facets to this argument: one is the understanding of the definition, this is an integral part of the argument, because the argument arises from this start point, and also that it is greater to exist both in reality and in understanding. Anselm understood god in an analytical sense, analytic sense is where the whole meaning of a word or statement is transferred through the words only, like for example, Tom has a brother, you wouldn’t say he has a brother who is a male because the fact that he is a male is already conveyed through the meaning of the word brother. And so likewise, Anselm understood god in the same way, so it isn’t necessary to say ‘god, you know exists’ the aspect of existence is already given away from the word god, and so in a way could be perceived as inseparable from god. This argument mentioned hitherto was found in Proslogion 2, which tried to prove gods existence. A contemporary of his, Gaunilo of Marmoutier who was a monk and also a theist, replied to Anselm’s Proslogion, with a work titled ‘On Behalf of the Fool’, he was truly also a Christian and had a firm belief in god, but he rejected the jump from the definition that god is the greatest being to the conclusion that he must exist. Gaunilo claimed that through Anselm’s reasoning we can potentially prove anything one wishes into  existence by proposing it’s the greatest thing or maximally perfect in its calibre. He used the example of an Island, that if we were to say that there existed an island which was the most excellent and possessed an inestimable wealth, we can easily understand this; even a fool can comprehend this. And therefore it is the most excellent, and it is more excellent to exist both in reality and in understanding moreover this island must exist. He argued even a fool is right to be sceptical about Anselm’s argument, as evidence is required for a matter as great as god. Furthermore he went on to claim that Anselm’s argument is a ‘reducto ad absurdum’, this is Latin for reduced to absurdity. As Anselm was aware of this criticism during his lifetime, he wrote a Reply to Gaunilo, in this he defends his argument and draws up another aspect. He says ‘God cannot be conceived not to exist†¦ That which can be conceived not to exist is not god’. This introduces another matter; Anselm asks whether a god is greater who can be thought of as not existing or a god which cannot be thought of not existing. Furthermore he claims that it is a contradiction for a god who can be thought of not existing if he truly is the greatest possible. Anselm created a dichotomy between the concepts of things: necessary and contingent existences. Anselm himself didn’t use these aforementioned terms himself but were later applied by philosophers but Anselm did split the two as he described the island as physical and therefore he could easily propose that it could cease to exist due to other physical causes like for example the sea levels rising could eradicate the island completely. However he said that it is impossible to imagine the greatest being not existing or ceasing to exist, and then surely it would not be the greatest being. Necessary existences do not depend on any other thing for it to exist, as it is the greatest thing so it is not predisposed to anything else. On the other hand, contingent existences do depend on other things and also there was a time when they didn’t exist, like for example humans, who are a perfect example of a contingent being. However Anselm argued that god was a necessary being, and it cannot be thought of as not existing, it has always exists and always will. It is rather hard to conceive of another necessary being or existence  apart from this. Anselm put forward this proposition in Proslogion 3, that god has a necessary existence, and this is the type of god that he is, in this way Anselm shows that Gaunilo was a fool as he didn’t understand the type of god that Anselm discussed.

Hamlets Madness Essay Example for Free

Hamlets Madness Essay I do not believe that Hamlet is going mad nor insane. I think that he was just putting on an act of madness to convince people he was going insane in order to carry out his revenge on Claudius. If it wasnt for Hamlets feigned madness the Claudius would have obviously known that something was up and would have possibly had Hamlet killed. Hamlet only acted mad or insane around certain people. In his private conversations with Horatio there was no signs of insanity with the way he was talking to him. Hamlet tells Horatio How strange or odd soeer I bear myself, As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet To put on an antic disposition on, That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, With arms encumberd thus. Or this headshake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase. (Ham. 2. 5. 170-175). In this phrase He is telling Horatio that he is going to feign madness, and that if he notices any strange behavior that he is putting on an act. This is proof that he is neither mad nor insane. He basically has stated he is going to act mad. As soon as someone appears, whom he wants to convince he is mad, he changes his behavior to put in his or her minds different explanations of his irrational behavior. He changes from rational speech to irrational conversations with those he wishes to convince he is mad. With Rosencrantz and Guildenstern he makes them believe that the reason for his behavior is frustrated ambition. In act 2 scene 2 Rosencrantz says Why, then, your ambition makes it one; tis too narrow for your mind. (Ham. 2. 2. 241-242). Then Hamlet says O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams. (Ham 2. 2. 243-244) Then Guildenstern states Which dreams, indeed, are ambition; fro the very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream. (Ham. 2. 2. 245-246). Hamlet wants to make the King and Queen believe that the death of his father and their marriage is the reason for his madness. The Queen states I doubt it is no other but the main, His fathers death and our o hasty marriage. (Ham. 2. 2. 56-57). Hamlet want s to make Polonius and Ophelia believe that it is his love for Ophelia that has driven him mad. This is revealed when Ophelia speaks with Polonius about Hamlets encounter with her (Ham. 2. 2 75-108). In the phrase I am but mad north by northwest, when the wind is southernly I know a hawk from a handsaw(Ham. 2. 2. 347-348) Hamlet is stating that North is normal and that North by Northwest means that he is only slightly insane. Once Claudius thought he was insane he was safe to carry out the rest of his plan. In the Soliloquy, To be or not to be (Ham. 3. 1. 56-90) Hamlet knew that he was being watched by the King while talking to Ophelia. This was his chance to convince the King that he was insane. I believe that Hamlet may have crossed the line into true madness a few times. For example when Hamlet slays Polonius he has no feelings of remorse. This is evidenced by Hamlets words Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! I took thy fortune thou findst to be too busy in some danger(Ham. 3. 4. 32-34). After Hamlet kills Polonius he will not tell anyone where the body is. Instead he says not where he eats, but where he is eaten, a certain convocation of political worms a een at him(Ham 4. 3. 20-21). Hamlet also is aware of his dissolving insanity as he tells Laertes that he killed Polonius in a fit of madness(Ham. 5. 2. 236-250). In the scene where he is with his mother he also has a violent out burst. He is very cruel towards he and clenches her throat in anger. He sees his fathers ghost while with his mother. His mother does not see him. All of the other times someone has seen the ghost when it has appeared. This may be a sign that Hamlet experiencing true madness. On him, on him: Look O you how pale he glares! His form and cause conjoured, preaching to stones would make them capable (Ham. 3. 4. 126-128. In conclusion I believe that Hamlets madness or insanity throughout the play is being acted. However I do believe that in the end Hamlet drives himself over the edge when he kills Polonius and his true anger shows. Hamlet crossed that line into true madness a few times in this play. I believe that this was not a good way to go about getting revenge on Claudius. There was too much of a delay and in the end Hamlet lost by losing his life too.

Adaptation To Climate Change In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay

Adaptation To Climate Change In Mauritius Environmental Sciences Essay Climate change has been the most debated environmental issue in the political ecology arena in the last two decades. After initiating global discussions in 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, the United Nations established the Framework Convention in 1994 on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Subsequently, the Kyoto protocol was signed in 1997 by nations except the United States. Many rounds of negotiations have been going on to combat climate change since then. Among other problems resulting from climate change, sea temperature rise in addition to modifications in the intensity and extremes of precipitation patterns and storms are of great importance. Consequent floods and droughts as well as rises in sea level are affecting water quality and aggravating water pollution. Observational records and climate projections provide abundant evidence that freshwater resources are vulnerable and have the potential to be strongly impacted by climate change, with wide-ranging consequences for human societies and ecosystems.(Bates et al., 2008, p.3). Mauritius forms part of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which are among the least responsible for climate change (UNFCCC, 2005, p.2.) but are more prone to suffer from its adverse effects. The UNFCC report also reveals that 60 per cent of the water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes in Mauritius comes from groundwater and boreholes found near the coast might be adversely impacted by saltwater intrusion (UNFCCC, 2005, p.17). Current solutions to climate change impacts vary from mitigation, which implies reducing the level of human activities that cause climate change, to adaptation, namely by finding ways to lessen vulnerability and minimise harm caused by the impacts. While mitigation is the most suitable solution, it will not bring immediate results and adaptation is consequently a heavily discussed option. As an institutional endeavour to handle adaptation to climate change in Mauritius, the government has an ongoing project under the Africa Adaptation Program, the ultimate goal being revision of policies and identification of adaptation measures for further implementation. However, for successful achievement of policy measures about adaptation to climate change, much public acceptance, understanding and participation is needed. The aim of this research is an understanding and analysis of the perception of undergraduates in Mauritius regarding climate change and adaptation to it, principally with regard to the water resources sector. The findings are meant to help the ongoing governmental program of adaptation to climate change in Mauritius by exploring in particular the perception of young academics with regard to the water sector, identifying their preferred adaptation options and assessing their willingness of participation in implementing measures. Introduction The threat from further global warming has catapulted the environment to the summit of the political agenda with climate change as a major concern. The environment envelops an extended range of inter-reliant troubles: flood, drought, desertification, water shortage, deforestation, storm surges, food and malnutrition, species extinction, human health, soil erosion and waste to name a few. As such, the link between the natural and social magnitude of environmental problems can be clearly made. The degree of impact of climate change upon different bionetwork and state economies will depend not only on the sensitivity of those systems to the problem, but also on their aptitude to climate change adaptation. Climate change in itself is a massive crisis and encapsulates several spheres such as impact on Food and Agriculture, Land usage for settlement, tourism, the fisheries sector, Human health, and water resources among others. Water is indispensable to human life and many activities. Our climate, our biosphere and our socio-economic systems are interconnected in an intricate fashion, such that a change in any one of these induces a change in another. Anthropogenic climate change adds a major pressure to nations that are already tackling the issue of sustainable freshwater use. The challenges related to freshwater are: having too much water, having too little water, and having too much pollution. Each of these problems may be aggravated by climate change. For that reason, the correlation between climate change and water resources is of primary concern and significance. So far, water resource issues with respect to climate change have not been adequately tackled pertaining to policy formulations. Consequently, adjusting to or dealing with climate change will become necessary in certain regions and for certain socioeconomic and ecological systems. The need for adaptation may be scaled by ever growing populations especially in areas susceptible to these extreme events. Adaptation now appears to emerge as a new potential solution to the climate change but is not always very comprehensive. From definitions, adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts (IPCC, 2007). In other words, it refers to changes in normal processes, customary practices, and structures to restrain likely damages or to profit from opportunity related with climate change. It should be however highlighted that adaptation to environmental change is not a new concept. Our civilization has demonstrated throughout History a strong adaptation capability to different weather conditions and natural changes. T his recent global and local issue of adaptation requires a scientific, economic, political, social and cultural approach and is a multifaceted situation that calls for understanding and recognition by all stakeholders, including decision-makers and the society in general. The island of Mauritius forms part of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with special needs and concerns and is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. Human induced climate change such as global warming as well as natural disasters like tsunami and storms have a direct impact on the water resources of SIDS. Being categorized as high priority, freshwater quality and quantity in addition to management and planning demands urgent adaptation action and financial resources to support such action. (WGII TAR Chapter 17). According to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDFC) established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries should prepare and submit a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) which enumerates ranked priority adaptation activities and projects to facilitate the development of proposals for implementation. Under the Water Sector priority, SIDS which have already submitted their NAPA (as at Septembe r 2008) have been taken into consideration, to be able to derive similarities and consequent adaptation and mitigation actions to climate change planned by them. This will be used as a basis to analyse their applicability in Mauritius, which has not yet documented its NAPA. SIDS taken into consideration are : In the region of Africa: Cape Verde, Comoros, Guinea Bissau, and Sao Tome e Principe In the region of Asia and the Pacific: Kiribati, Maldives, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu In the region of Latin America and the Carribean: Haiti Analysis have resulted into specific key problem areas namely, the unavailability or limited availability of drinkable water due to changing weather conditions and the lack of proper infrastructures to manage and sustain water resources, the deterioration of the quality of potable water owing to several factors (for e.g. saline intrusion from sea level rise, soil erosion, unplanned sewerage development, bad waste water management amongst others in underground water sources), poor agricultural production and the negative effects on food security (for e.g production shortages, disruption in the vegetative growing, traditional irrigation methods etc) and other problem factors related to water specific to each SIDS (for example airports of Maldives suffered significant damages due to flooding in addition to impending threat of sea level rise, tsunami caused destruction of the poor sewerage systems, use of traditional sources of water for eg in Sao Tome e Principe) Various global and SIDS adaptation options being either implemented or proposed and which can be considered for implementations in the local context are listed below: Development of water harnessing, collection and storage infrastructures by building reservoirs and dams, encouraging use of individual water-saving devices and promoting safe rainwater harvesting through ground catchment and roof catchment systems, Elaboration of decentralized management plans on water production and distribution infrastructures, Elaboration and implementation of legislation and regulation, with practical modalities of application very defined, Design and construction of suitable sewage treatment and disposal systems to safeguard water resources, Establishing modeling maps and an information and monitoring system on water resources Institutionalization of management system, with the purpose of putting in practice the national politics of the water resources, Reducing leakage in supply systems, Carrying out participatory research on the knowledge of traditional practices of adaptation to the variations of the water cycle. As an institutional endeavour to handle adaptation to climate change in Mauritius, the government also has an ongoing documentation project under the Africa Adaptation Program, the ultimate goal being revision of policies and identification of adaptation measures for further implementation. However, according to Breton et al. (p.15), political measures regarding climate change will require a certain degree of acceptance and public understanding to be able to be implemented. What is climate change in the eyes of the public? What do citizens believe can be done to lessen damages caused by adverse impacts? A study by Leiserowitz in 2007 on international public perception states that social scientists have found that public risk perceptions strongly influence the way people respond to hazards (p.1). Thus, comprehension of how the public perceives climate change and adaptation is a key element in directing the actions that enable both raising awareness and motivating behavioral changes in the population at large. The study of public perception on climate change is of major importance nowadays, as Leiserowitz confirms Since 1988, numerous public opinion polls have found that Americans, Europeans, and Japanese are increasingly aware of and concerned about global climate change and supportive of a wide range of mitigation and adaptation policies (2007, p.3) and different international studies agree on the point that citizens concern for climate change is high. If we look again at the study carried out by Leiserowitz, the conclusion is that large majorities worldwide already believe that climate change is a very serious problem and are growing more concerned (2007, p.34). Globescan (2000 cited in Leiserowitz 2007, p.29) adds that on rating the seriousness of eight environmental issues, water resources ranks first and the results of a survey of 34 countries demonstrate very high levels of public concern about a wide range of environmental issues, from local problems like water and air pollution to global problems like ozone depletion and climate change. In a new survey of 30 countries, Globescan (2001 cited in Leiserowitz 2007, p.11) also finds that Worldwide, the potential impacts of climate change on human health were the single most cited, followed by drought and water shortages, species loss, and extreme weather events whereby drought and water shortages hold a second place as being one possible impact most concerning people personally. According to findings of another survey carried out on climate change belief in Britain (Poortinga et al., 2006, p.19) in 2005, an overwhelming majority of respondents (91%) believe that the worlds climate is changing. The survey concludes that a clear majority of respondents (62%) also indicate that every possible action should be taken against climate change (2006, p. 19), and almost half of the respondents would be prepared to take part in a public discussion or hearing about climate change (2006, p.13). A study by Maddison in 2007 of the public perception of agriculturalists in 11 African countries regarding climate change mentions that When temperatures change farmers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ practice increased water conservation (p. 2). This research will be focusing on the perception of Mauritian university undergraduates on the topic of climate change and adaptation to it, particularly with regard to the water resources sector. The findings of the research would be made available to policy-makers to enable them to propose more practical, focused policies and measures and to deal with the priority level that academics give to adaptation. The background of the proposed study is of great interest because the university students will be required in the future to participate in the implementation of various adaptation and mitigation measures both as citizens and decision makers. Aims and objectives The aim of this research is an understanding and analysis of the perception of undergraduates in Mauritius regarding climate change and adaptation to it, principally with regard to the water resources sector. This research is meant to help an ongoing governmental program of adaptation to climate change in Mauritius by exploring in particular the issue of perception of young academics. Awareness of the perception of climate change and adaptation as well as attitudes and preferences of young academics in Mauritius can help in setting up adaptation priorities specific to the island. Fostering the involvement of young people can facilitate better design of guidelines to adapt to the concerns of the population and aid in producing more effective communication policies. The objective of the study is to discover the view of the university students with regard to climate change and its associated events and whether they perceive implementation of any adaptation measure in the water resources sector to have taken place by now. Another objective will be to ascertain the preferences of those youngsters on the subject of adaptation and mitigation options with respect to the water resources area. The paper will also target to find out whether academic youngsters notice any obstruction to adaptation and will attempt to discover the proportion of youngsters that are aware of climate change but have not yet reacted. Matters considered would be whether they believe climate change to be a very serious problem, their extent of concern for climate change, their view on the duty of institutions to overcome barriers to adaptation, their level of knowledge and information and their preferences regarding different adaptation options. Their rating of seriousness of wa ter resources compared to a range of environmental issues will also be assessed in addition to which extent they consider droughts and water shortages to be a personal concern. The research therefore endeavors to improve our understanding of the links between undergraduates perceptions on climate change and its impacts with regards to water-related issues on one hand, as well as adaptation and mitigation response options preferred by those youngsters, on the other hand. The research will also be carried out in an attempt to inform policymakers and stakeholders about the implications of climate change and climate change response options for water resources, in order to facilitate better design of guidelines to adapt to the concerns of the population and aid in producing more effective awareness campaigns and education policies if necessary. . List of hypotheses Based on several researches that have been done at global level regarding the public perception of climate change and adaptation in the field of water resources, our first hypothesis for this study is that large majorities worldwide already believe that climate change is a very serious problem and are growing more concerned (Leiserowitz, 2007, p.34). The second hypothesis of our study is that when rating the seriousness of a range of environmental issues, water resources problem is ranked first, as confirmed by the findings of the survey of 34 countries carried out by Globescan (2000 cited in Leiserowitz 2007, p.29). The third hypothesis is based on the survey of 30 countries carried out by Globescan (2001 cited in Leiserowitz 2007, p.11) whereby among a list of possible impacts of climate change, drought and water shortages ranked first and second respectively, as being one most possible impact concerning people personally. Methodology The study will be based on a structured questionnaire survey to be carried out at the University of Technology, Mauritius, and the University of Mauritius. The targeted respondents would include some 240 fulltime students, equally divided between each university. A batch of 60 undergraduates studying environment and sustainable development subjects at Level 1 will be selected, as well as a group of 60 level 1 students following other courses, as a pre-survey tactic. To get data on their level of knowledge, another set of level 3 students, 60 learning environment and sustainable development subjects and 60 studying other subjects will also be interrogated. The respondents will be selected considering gender equality and there will be no age limit, so long that the students are either at Level 1 or level 3 of their studies. The questionnaire will be prepared by considering the significance of the knowledge of the academics and to ensure that our objectives will be met. The feedback form will be in English language, which undergraduates will have no difficulty to understand. The interviewers will assist the participants by discussing all questions in the survey document. Survey questions will cover several topics linked to climate change and adaptation in the water resources sector, including: Awareness of climate change and its associated events; Awareness of adaptation measures that exist or can be proposed in the water sector; Perception that implementation of any adaptation measure in the water resources sector has already occurred; preferences regarding adaptation and mitigation options with respect to the water resources area; perceived obstruction to adaptation; Perception of the duty of institutions to overcome barriers to adaptation; Perception on degree of availability of knowledge and information on the matter; Degree of agreement to participate in public debates on the issue of water resources, and Proportion of youngsters that are aware of climate change but have not yet reacted to that, including grounds for action and non action. Open-ended questions will be used regarding grounds for action and non action as well as to gather any personal adaptation proposal not listed in the feedback form. The data obtained during the questionnaire survey will be summarized by making use of computer software for statistical analysis. Benefits of the research Policy-makers at the level of the State and local Government and local authorities will benefit from the findings of the research as they will be able to propose more practical, focused policies and measures which will help in solving the problem of adaptation to climate change in the water resources sector locally. The study will also help in setting up adaptation priorities specific to the island. The Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities, the Central Water Authority and the Waste Water Management Authority will benefit from the findings of the study when drafting their policy document regarding water resource and its sustainable management. The undergraduates themselves and the academic society in general would benefit from the findings which will indicate the priority level tertiary level students give to this question of adaptation in the field of water resources. Fostering the involvement of young people can also facilitate better design of guidelines to adapt to the concerns of the whole population and aid in producing more effective communication policies, which will be advantageous to the general public. The future generation would gain from the study as the findings would help the current generation in devising practical solutions which will foster sustainable development, given that adverse climate change impacts, if not mitigated, prevent a country from succeeding in the implementation of its sustainable development goals. Time plan The duration of the project is of 12 weeks starting as from Saturday 13 March 2010 till the Saturday 29 May 2010. Figure 1 shows a Gantt chart that has been prepared in this respect to illustrate the project task duration against time. The Gantt chart allows up to date monitoring of the project at any point in time and should the project digress against final plan, remedial actions can thus be taken without delay. Figure 1: Gantt chart for research project Cost Estimates Project Component Total Costs 1 Questionnaire Printing: Photocopy costs Rs 1500 2 Questionnaire distribution and Collection: Transport costs Rs 1000 3 Communications Rs 3000 4 Miscellaneous costs (stationery and others) Rs 500 Total costs estimates Rs 6000

Celie :: essays research papers

Celie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In section three of The Color Purple, the main character is Celie. In this section she gains a little more control over her life, begins to express herself through creativity and also becomes more free and independent. Her decision to leave with Shug to go to Tennessee and begin her own pants business is good examples of these things. This section shows how much progress she has made in herself. We learn about Celie through different situations and dialogues she has throughout this section.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On page 183, Celie decides to leave with Shug Avery to go back to her home in Tennessee. Previously in one of the lost letters from her sister Nettie in Africa, she read that her Pa wasn’t really her Pa at all. All of a sudden her world is shook when she discovers the real truth about her parents. â€Å"My daddy lynch. My momma crazy. All my little half brothers and sisters no kin to me. My children not my sister or brother. Pa ain’t Pa (Walker 183).† She realizes that everything she was told since she was a child was a lie and decides to just get away from it all with Shug. No one was there to hold her back. In leaving, she is gaining more control of her life. She is moving on to do better things for herself for once in her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also in this section, Celie begins her own pants business. Making these pants is more than just simply constructing pieces of fabric together for her. For Celie it’s a new road to her own freedom and independence. We learn through her that she has a creative flair and is actually quite good at making theses pants. She uses her creative abilities to make a living. We see that she begins to that she begins to feel that she has more of a purpose. She isn’t so dependent on Shug as she used to be and learns to depend more on herself. Shug says to Celie at the end of this section, â€Å"You making your living. Celie, she say, Girl, you on your way (Walker 221).† We can obviously see that she definitely is on her way to being more self-reliant and independent.

walden journal :: essays research papers

Walden Journal  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Author – Henry David Thoreau o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D.O.B- 07/12/1817 o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Date of Death- 05/06/1862  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Date of Publication: 1854  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Literary Period: Realism  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plot: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first chapter its announced that Henry David Thoreau spent two years in Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its devoted to discussing how people try to acquire wealth, but doesn’t lead to happiness o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He likes to enjoy nature, and explains that those who own a lot have to take care of things, but those who don’t can do whatever they want o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discusses the energy that it took for him to build his house. Finished in spring of 1845, moved in July 4th o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Borrowed/salvaged building materials from other sites nearby. The land that he built his house belongs to Ralph Waldo Emerson o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thoreau makes a bean field for extra money, occupying his mornings, Thoreau leaves the afternoon for reading, writing and his thoughts o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He believes in being a minimalist, simplicity and solitude. Contrasts his life with those who are materialistic o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thoreau ponders the power of technology because the Fitchburg Railroad passes Walden pond, and it interrupts his thoughts. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discusses his contact, Alex Therien, a Canadian Woodcutter who is grand and sincere in his character, though modest in intellectual attainments. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Makes constant trips to Concord for meeting his friends, and scattered business. Spends the night in jail on one of his trips. Refused to pay bail, because the gov’t approves slavery. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often spends his time paying attention to nature, the changing of seasons, and creatures that share the woods with him. The idiot that he plays hide and go seek with for instance, becomes a symbol of the playfulness of nature and its divine laughter at human endeavors. Another example of animal symbolism is the full-fledged ant war that Thoreau stumbles upon, prompting him to meditate on human warfare. His observations of nature are not like a biologist/scientist, he doesn’t observe them scientifically, but gives them a moral/philosophical view, as if they could teach him something. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Starts to prepare for winter as it becomes fall. Listens to the rabbit, squirrel, and the fox, as they gather food. Thinks about how the ice will melt and come back to Walden Pond. Watches ice fisherman cut ice blocks and send them to larger cities. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the most part Thoreau is alone but receives visits from William Ellery Channing or Amos Bronson Alcott. o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As he becomes more knowledgeable about Walden Pond and neighboring ponds he wants to measure their depths, and map their layouts. Discovers that Walden Pond is no more than 100 ft.

Americans Must Give Up TV Violence For The Kids, Or Else :: essays research papers fc

Americans Must Give Up TV Violence For the Kids, Or Else   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To the unsuspecting eye, this nation’s response and reaction to the rise in number of violent acts committed by teenagers could be described as appropriately overwhelming, but when examined more closely, does America really care? When examined in a general sense, violence has declined overall in the US but has risen among teens (Hunt 651). Who is to blame and how are we trying to prevent youth crime and teen promiscuity? A New York Times poll in 1995 reported only 21 percent of those who were surveyed actually put the blame on television (Hirschorn 643). Both those who cite TV and popular music as the source of teen aggression and those who disagree have reasons to do so. There is valid proof behind both points of view but I firmly believe there is a direct cause/effect relationship between what children view on TV and how they act in the real world. Research, which I will discuss, conducted in both England and the US proves to me beyond reasonable doubt that violent television programs either directly or indirectly effect children and I think the government should take a more active role in youth crime prevention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though some of the evidence that supports my beliefs has been viewed as circumstantial, it is too valuable to be ignored. Brandon Centerwall, a professor at the University of Washington, summarized some of the evidence in an article in the Spring 1993 issue of The Public Interest. His research findings focused on instances circa 1975 when television was introduced to rural Canadian and South African communities. In both countries, there was a significantly noticeable increase in violent crime committed by the young (Kristol 641). â€Å"Professor Centerwall also notes that when TV was introduced in the United States after World War II, the homicide rated among whites, who were the first to buy sets, began to rise, while the black homicide rate didn’t show any such increase until four years later† (Kristol 641). Such facts highlight the probability that what children watch, they copy. It is unadmirable to count such evidence as circumstantial, but those who examine the facts in a broad sense, look over the specific fields in where the increases or decreases occur. According to Centerwall, if television was never invented, the United States would have 10,000 fewer homicides (Kristol 642).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A study conducted in England also supports that violent television has an effect on children. English Parliament introduced legislation to limit the availability of violence-rich videos in 1994 after the study, conducted by a professor from Nottingham University, was released.

Technical communication in english

Ping Dunn Technical Communication – definition ETC is the theory and practice of effective info exchange at work- working communication ETC is a sub-discipline of communication studies (CSS) that deal with the processes of transmitting or exchanging info other sub-dish. Mass communication, mass media com, business com, health com, etc. ETC Is more general In theory than other sub-disciplines of CSS mass, health and business com deal with only one profession ETC is widely applied to the com. Activities In many professions except literature The reminisces and skills of ETC Is also applicable In other languages, not only English The purposes: 2 major – to inform- enables audience to understand info -to persuade – to convince audience to accept Idea ETC is not for the purpose to appreciate art or literature or drama What is effective communication? II. Features of modern communication Our age is the age of info. No technology – no work, life.Typical features o f MS – we have too much Info to deal with – we have to handle multidisciplinary info that we do not understand We cannot hanged the features in modern communication But we can change out language to make it work for us. We can make It simpler and easier. How to improve our language for effective communication? Ill. Pragmatic rules In ETC Deft: Rules of Language in use concerning the application of language audiences – in specific contexts – for particular purposes These rules work In specific conditions – to intend Rule 1: Follow the time order in process description: what happens first, comes first. OFF There exist different pragmatic rules of language in specific contexts. Sentences of he same meaning but different structures may affect the efficiency of communication. The objective of ETC is to put the pragmatic rules into practice so as to increase the efficiency of communication at work. IV. Three Essential Criteria of ETC 1. Comprehensibility 2. Usability 3. Accessibility 1 .Comprehensibility (easy to understand) Expressing info so the audience can understand it quickly and accurately English thinking process is lenient – like a line – easier to understand the Active better than the Passive Passive voice slows down thinking process and decreases efficiency Rule 1: Avoid using passive voice whenever possible Rule 2: Avoid using the â€Å"weak-verb + multinational† structure Rule 3: Avoid using noun-string pre-modifiers To increase comprehensibility of info you should learn technical rhetoric in writing. . Usability (Easy to use) Definition: Expressing your idea in a way that the audience can follow it to complete the task. Readers of MAT fall into three categories – professionals of the discipline – professionals of related disciplines – general readers or average people Technical writing is a writer-responsible writing It is the writers' responsibility to make their writing easy for all readers to use.To make your writing useful to the reader, you should conduct audience analysis: audience's education: write according to the lowest level education of your predicted audience; professional experience, cultural background, emotion and motivation: be reader-friendly, know your audience 3. Acceptability (Easy to find) Definition: Enabling your audience to find what they want quickly and accurately from large amounts of info. 1. A world-wall writing 2. A structured-writing or info-map

Importance of operational management in BMW Essay

An effective operation can give four types of advantages to the business: Operations management can reduce the cost of products and services by being efficient. Operations management can increase revenue through increase customer satisfaction in producing quality goods and services. Operations management can reduce the amount of investment (capital employed) necessary to produce the goods and services by being effective and innovative in the use of resources. Operations management provide the basic for innovation by building a solid base of operations and knowledge. IMPORTANCE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT FOR BMW For diverse firms such as BMW, the field of operations management is extremely important. Following points stress the importance of operations management in BMW: Team Management: Team management is an important aspect of Operations Management as it outlines the working methodologies of an organization (McDonald, 2005). Further, this aspect gains even greater importance in context of multidimensional organizations like BMW as it largely supports cross functional teams in order to better solve problems (McDonald, 2005). BMW believes that just by looking at it, cross functional teams often look inefficient and messy but they are extremely efficient at solving problems that require diverse thinking. Change Management: Change Management forms another important aspect of Operations Management in an organization related to the automobile sector. This is in order to manage the lightening fast changes that are currently taking place in the auto  industry. BMW predicts that currently, around 20 percent of a car’s value is driven by electronics (this level is continuously raising. Strategic Management: This category of operations Management concerns itself with various strategies that are formulated by an organization in operational context. The importance of this category in BMW lies in the effectiveness of strategy implementation and the efficiency with which various organizational processes work. Process Management: The importance of process management in BMW lies in maintaining effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. BMW when dealing with the efficiency aspect concerns itself with optimum utilization of human, financial and other resources (this deployment is irrespective of the original purpose of bringing these sources into the organization). Product Management: This category of Operations Management concerns itself with managing a product (or service) right from the stages of idea generation to providing after sales services. According to the management at BMW, there are various aspects to product or service management. Quality Management: The field of Quality Management refers to meeting the pre-defined standards in terms of products and services. This category holds its importance for BMW as the organization is extremely critical about the various products that it develops for customers in the marketplace. Having appropriate operations management strategies is important in order to make a steady progress and continuous improvement to match the tastes and preferences of its consumers. BMW has recently made advances in quality management by implementing changes in operations management such as adopting total quality management and benchmarking, reengineering and outsourcing. Through the implementation of these activities BMW is aiming for market leadership. For BMW, the process of benchmarking serves as an internal audit and is employed to diagnose the weaknesses and then turning them into strengths of the company (Payne, 2005). Management control and coordination: In an organization like BMW coordinating management functions is extremely important in order to make various organizational functions work in an efficient and transparent manner. In essence, these functions are utilized in order to keep a track of its goals and the extent to which they are achieved. Other organizational activities that form a part of coordination and control are product evaluation, distribution, promotion and advertising. With appropriate operations management strategies in place, BMW continually ensures that its products are in the minds of customers while they are making a purchase (Payne, 2005). For this purpose, BMW continuously uses advertising and promotion.

Plate tectonics Essay

Ever since the beginning on time, Humans believed the ground is solid and immobile. But this is not true whatsoever. The Earth is every-changing and continually in motion. The stability of the Earth is not at all what we think it is. Thinking about the rotational axis of the Earth, and possibly of what the Earth may become at a certain point in time, has a great influence on understanding all aspects of living things, either in the past, present, or future. The study of Plate tectonics is accredited to most of the creations of Mountain Ranges, the drifting of continents, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. Plate tectonics and mountains also play a big part in the geological features of our planet or any planet for that matter. Geophysics, which studies the physics of the Earth, has led to many important findings about the Earth and how it is made. Seismologic studies of planet Earth have revealed new information about the inside of the Earth that has helped to give new openings in understanding plate tectonics. The Earth is made of several significant layers. Each one of these layers has its own properties. The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth. The crust is made up of the oceans and continents. The crust has a fluctuating thickness, being thirty to seventy-five kilometres thick in the continents and ten to fifteen kilometres thick in the ocean basins. The crust is made up mainly of alumino-silicates (Fowler p472). The layer underneath the crust is the mantle, which is made up mainly of ferro-magnesium silicates. The mantle is approximately two thousand, nine hundred kilometres thick, and is separated in to the upper and lower mantle. It is in the mantle where most of the centralized heat of the Earth is located. Big convective cells in the mantle disperse heat and produce the plate tectonic processes. The core is the last layer of the Earth, which is broken down into the liquid outer core and the solid inner core. The inner core is about thirteen hundred kilometres thick and the outer core is about twenty-three hundred kilometers thick. A nickel-iron alloy mixture makes up the outer core, and the inner is almost all composed of iron. The Earth is separated in layers based on composition and mechanical properties. The top layer is the lithosphere, which is comprised of the solid upper mantle and the crust. It is divided into plates that move due to tectonic forces. The lithosphere floats on top of a semi-liquid layer that is called the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere allows the lithosphere to move around since it is much weaker (Tarbuck p605). Early scientist believed that one huge supercontinent existed over two hundred million years ago. The name for this supercontinent is Pangaea. Pangaea was broken in to several pieces, and each piece was a part of the lithosphere. They believed that the pieces of Pangaea formed the continents that we know of in present day geology. When Pangaea existed, the rest of the Earth was covered by an ocean called Panthalassa. Eventually, Pangaea split into two land masses, Laurasia to the north and Gondwanaland to the south. The theory of plate tectonics does in fact have an explanation for the movement of the Earth’s crust. The fact that Pangaea did exist could be quite plausible. Scientist also believes that as the Pacific Ocean is closing, a supercontinent may form in millions of years to come. In present day geology, we can consider Eurasia as a supercontinent because the Ural Mountains separate Europe from Asia and make a line of compression and change where the two continents smashed in to each other (Tarbuck p606). In 1620, Sir Francis Bacon wrote in his book Novan Organum and noted that the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean seemed to be parallel to one another. However, the plate tectonic theory really started to begin in 1915 when Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift. Alfred Wegener believed that the continents bulldozed through crust on the ocean basins, which would explain why most of the coastlines look like they could fit together. Wegener was not the first one to realize that the continents looked like they could fit together because Magellan and other early explorers noticed this also. However, he was the first person to realize that the Earth’s surface has changed over time, and that continents that are not together now could have possibly been joined together at some point in the past (Twiss p532). Many people were against Wegener’s theory because he did not really have an explanation for why the continents moved. During that time, geologist believed the Earth possessed these features because the planet went through periods of cooling and heating. Anti-mobilists were people that were against Wegener’s theory. People who were in favor of Wegener were known as mobilists because they had seen proof of continental movement in the Alps (Fowler p475). In a few short years, Wegener’s theory was denied. However, his theory was the first time the idea of continental movement was announced to the science community. His theory laid the foundation for the advancement in twenty-first century plate tectonics. Years would pass and more evidence became available to support the idea that plates were in fact in motion and changed over a period of time (Fowler p476). After the Second World War, more information was discovered which supported the theory of plate tectonics. In the sixties, a bunch of seismometers were installed to collect data on nuclear bombs, and these instruments sparked curiosity among geologists. It showed that volcanoes, earthquakes, and other features were along the Pacific Ocean and ran along the continents edges for the most part. It turned out that all of these edges became known as tectonic plates (Kearey 2009). Further studies showed a pattern of magnetic fields in the ocean basins. The rock basalt contains a lot of magnetic minerals called magnetite. The lava forms and cools and the magnetic minerals align with the North Pole. This proves that the Earth has gone through several magnetic reversals; this would not be possible if the lithosphere was not in motion. Since all of this has been discovered, plate tectonics has gained acceptance as the Earth processes (Kearey 2009). Plate tectonics is made up of the study the motion and change in the Earth’s crust. This is based on the theory that the lithosphere is divided into seven major plates and several minor plates, and they all move in accordance with each other. They also move in relation to hot spots, which is where mantle material comes up. The plate tectonic theory tries to tell us that the Earth’s crust moves over a period of time. The crust moves in a rigid way, which explains the change that we see. The theory is based on a few beliefs. New material is made by the spreading of the ocean floor and eventually become part of a plate, and motion of plates occurs only at plate boundaries. Plates are rocks that pretty much float on top of the asthenosphere. The crust has two types, the oceanic and continental; they both differ because of composition. The continental crust is made up of mostly granite. This brings us to the conclusion that the rocks have a lot of quartz and feldspars. However, most of the oceanic crust is made up of basalt. Basalt usually has other minerals like olivine and mafic minerals (Fowler p477). There are three types of plates, divergent, convergent, and conservative. Wide places of change are usually around plate boundaries because of the two plates colliding. We know that these boundaries exist because of their motions. One sort of plate is the divergent boundary. At this boundary two plates move apart. As they move apart it creates a crack in the crust and magma comes in to the ocean and cools. When the plates move, more and more crust is formed. Divergent boundaries are believed to be the reason for the plates moving. The formation of the new crust pushes the two plates apart, this is apparent in the mid-ocean ridge, which helps to move Europe and North America further and further apart. Mid-ocean ridges are mountains under water. They can even be as tall as mountains that are on land, this process is known as convection. Magma is pushed up by convection currents. Some magma erupts through the crust and some moves under the crust away from the ridge crest. The magma flows and helps move the plates away from each other to allow more crust to be created and to grow; this is called convection cells. We know this to be sea-floor spreading. The mid-ocean ridge plays a big part in the plate tectonic theory because of the minerals uniqueness within the basalt. It contains a lot of magnetic minerals that align with the Earth’s magnetic field when it crystallizes. In the past, scientist has known the Earth’s magnetic field to change. When the magnetic minerals align scientist can use it to date the crust. This plays an important role in the theory because it is first proof that plates were in fact moving and have been for almost Earth’s existence. We can use the magnetic information to prove that the plates are moving, and we can also determine that new crust is being formed and that the old crust was erased in a continuous process that has been going on for all of Earth’s past. The oldest crust ever dated is approximately one hundred million years old, which is quite recent in geologic time. This may lead you to question, where did all of the old crust go (Fowler p478). This brings me to my next discussion which is convergent boundary. A convergent boundary is when another plate overrides another plate, causing one plate to go underneath it. Most of the boundaries can be found in island systems and trenches. Most of the old crust goes in to these systems as new crust is formed at spreading centers. This explains why scientist cannot find any crust that date past the Cretaceous period. The old crust was destroyed by the process of subduction. Earthquakes are very active in subduction zones. The earthquakes occur because one plate slides under another. Although this movement is not visible, it has very strong effects on the Earth. The outer edges of the Pacific Ocean are referred to as the â€Å"Ring of Fire† because the subduction zones go all around the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic activity is also caused by subduction zones because when one plate goes under another it gets hotter. The reason it gets hotter is because it is closer to the mantle. When the old crust gets close to the mantle, it melts and forms in to magma. The magma eventually runs up through the crust and forms volcanoes. One good example of a subduction zone surfacing is the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska (Twiss p536). When two plates collide, subduction zones do not always occur. Continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust, and when they collide, they do not run over each other. Instead, they kind of plow in to each other and create mountains. This type of boundary is called a collisional boundary. An example of two plates colliding is the Himalayas in India. The third type of boundary is the transform boundary. It is called this because plates are not destroyed or created, but they slide past each other. A good example of a transform boundary would be the San Andreas Fault in California. In California, the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate are sliding past each other. This is why many earthquakes occur in that region. The earthquakes occur because of the strain that the two plates exert as they slide past each other (â€Å"Historical perspective). The Earth changes in many ways, however there are three forces the cause change within the Earth. When these forces act, they create stress and they change the volume and shape of a material. The three main types of stress are shear, compressional, and tensional. Stress puts a lot of strain on the Earth which causes the change in rocks and the Earth’s crust. Compressional forces may cause a rock to compress or shorten. Tensional forces may cause a rock to become longer and pull apart. Shear forces can cause rocks to slip past each other (â€Å"Historical perspective). Faults are places where rocks have been broken and have been changed. There are three big types of faults. These are strike-slip, normal, and reverse. The stresses caused by motion of the plates build up over a course of time and ultimately cause the Earth’s crust to break when the rocks rub past each other. Usually when a fault happens, an earthquake occurs. Every plate boundary has some characteristic of a type of fault. Normal faulting can be affiliated with crustal extension. Normal faults can usually be found at divergent boundaries. Crustal shortening can be affiliated with reverse faulting. Reverse faults can usually be found at convergent boundaries. Strike-slip faulting is affiliated with sideways movement of the crust. These faults usually form at transform boundaries (Twiss p538). Even today, we are constantly reminded that the plates are in motion. One recent catastrophe caused by plate tectonics was the earthquake that happened in Haiti. Studies suggest that the earthquake occurred due to a strike-slip fault. The Caribbean sits on its own little plate and is surrounded on three sides by the bigger North and South American plates. Scientists believe that the North and South American plates are moving westward at approximately two to three centimeters per year. Based on the recordings of the earthquake, the Haitian quake seems to have occurred close to the Enriquillo Fault. The Enriquillo Fault is a big strike slip fault that runs across the southern border of Haiti. Scientists presume this is the fault that most likely ruptured because it is closest to the epicenter of the rupture. Although this was a big catastrophe for human life on the island of Haiti, it was not really unusual given the plate tectonic activity in that area. Unfortunately for Haiti, it is one of the most poorest and underdeveloped countries in the world. Its government was not really in the position to have any preparations in line for such a huge earthquake, and this caused thousands of people lost their lives (Kearey 2009).