Nokia †Internal Analysis Essay

Financial performance We start our internal analysis by looking at Nokia’s sales and profitability. Strong sales and profitability results can indicate that the previous strategies were successful and changes in either can implicate a change in the market viability (Aaker, Mcloughlin, 2007). In 2007, Nokia realized total sales of about 435 million units and a net profit of â‚ ¬7,205 million. Although it has only a market share of 9.8% in the United States market, Nokia has a worldwide market share of 37,8%. This makes Nokia the market leader in the telecom industry and hereby a dominant player in the market. Nokia has 10 manufacturing facilities in 9 countries, and from these locations she distributes her products to more than 150 countries and different segments. With sales growing considerably compared to 2006, Nokia’s large customer base has only increased. Assuming new customers will create loyalty, future earnings are brought in. However, growth in the industry is declining, making it a difficult task for Nokia to keep their customers with the company. In 2007, Nokia’s total assets were â‚ ¬35,599 million (annual report Nokia, 2007), resulting in a Return On Assets (ROA) of â‚ ¬7,205/â‚ ¬35,599 = 20.24%. Nonfinancial performance Financial performance measures are primarily a reflection of the short-term business results. Because of this, nonfinancial performance measures must also be considered. Nonfinancial performance measures often provide better measures of long-term business health (Aaker, Mcloughlin, 2007). Relative costs Since 2004, Nokia is offering cheaper phones for the emerging markets. By using her economies of scale, Nokia was able to lower her costs, resulting in an average building price of only 69 euros per handset. This was giving Nokia a dominant position because it was very difficult for Nokia’s rivals to keep up with this cost reduction. However, Nokia’s produces most of its production volume in high-wage countries, leading to considerable extra costs in the manufacturing process. Brand/firm associations Over the years, Nokia has created a strong brand by listening to her customers and understanding customer needs. Nokia is often associated with high quality phones and this isn’t going unnoticed. In 2011, Superbrands, the world’s leading independent arbiter of brands, declared Nokia the leading brand in China. And in 2010, Nokia won the Economic Times award for most trusted brand in India (Nokia.com). Effective marketing campaigns helped creating a strong brand Nokia nowadays is. Customer Satisfaction With sales increasing year by year, Nokia managed to create a large customer base which is expanding every year. Nokia produces a wide range of phones with great differences in price, design and features. Because of this, Nokia can offer products that suits different customers desires and keep every customer satisfied. New product activity Nokia is developing new products year by year. In 2007, Nokia improved her research and development department and introduced some mobile-related services and software. She also went in some partnerships with companies like Vodafone and Orange and integrated its Internet services under one brand, named Ovi. However, Nokia’s is really affected by her competitors bringing innovative products to the market. Products of companies like Apple and Samsung are far ahead of Nokia in some fields, which weakens Nokia’s position in the market. In an industry with a declining growth, it is very hard for Nokia to keep up with these innovations.

How will you measure your life? Essay

1. How can I be sure that I’ll be happy in my career? Some people assert that money is the most powerful motivator in their lives, and the more money they earn, the more happiness they will have. However, from my personal perspective, I believe that getting more opportunity to learn what I am not familiar with, taking responsible for my behavior, contributing to others in need in the society, and trying my best to achieve my goals in my career are the most happiest things in my professional career life. In addition, from my point of view, management is the most effective way to get these points, if management practice well. The author states that â€Å" No other occupation offers as many ways to help others learn and grow, take responsibility and be recognized for achievement, and contribute to the success of a team.† So, it is important for me to learn well about management. This occupation of management also help the managers improve their skills. Learning from the process of doing business , what I have learned, is able to mak e my career more successful. For me, it is the reason to enable that I will be happy in my career. 2. How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring sourceof happiness? In the business relationship, people invest to a program probably get reward immediately, but contributing to a family is not the same case of investment. For example, family may bring me what I need of happiness is a long-term process. In my case, the reason I try my best to work hard is to give my family members better lives and it is an indispensable goal of my life. In addition, I believe most individuals take the same responsibilities to hold a family. With the personal development, some people change their focus from families to their work. Consequently, they might forget the original purpose., so people should balance their work and family because of everyone’s limited resource, if not, people might make their lives to the different places what they previous intended to. Paying attention to what my family members need and how they feel about in this period is the most important thing for me.

Marx and Freud: Comparing Their Views Of Human Nature Essay

In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels present their view of human nature and the effect that the economic system and economic factors have on it. Marx and Engels discuss human nature in the context of the economic factors which they see as driving history. Freud, in Civilization and Its Discontents, explores human nature through his psychological view of the human mind. Marx states that history ‘†¦is the history of class struggles’ (9). Marx views history as being determined by economics, which for him is the source of class differences. History is described in The Communist Manifesto as a series of conflicts between oppressing classes and oppressed classes. According to this view of history, massive changes occur in a society when new technological capabilities allow a portion of the oppressed class to destroy the power of the oppressing class. Marx briefly traces the development of this through different periods, mentioning some of the various oppressed and oppressing classes, but points out that in earlier societies there were many gradations of social classes. He also states that this class conflict sometimes leads to ‘†¦the common ruin of the contending classes’ (Marx 9). Marx sees the modern age as being distinguished from earlier periods by the simplification and intensification of the class conflict. He states that ‘Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps†¦ bourgeoisie and proletariat’ (Marx 9). The bourgeoisie, as the dominant class of capitalists, subjugates the proletariat by using it as an object for the expansion of capital. As capitalism progresses, this subjugation reduces a larger portion of the population to the proletariat and society becomes more polarized. According to Marx, the polarization of society and the intense oppression of the proletariat will eventually lead to a revolution by the proletariat, in which the control of the bourgeoisie will be destroyed. The proletariat will then gain control of the means of production. This revolution will result in the creation of a socialist state, which the proletariat will use to institute socialist reforms and eventually communism. The reforms which Marx outlines as occurring in the socialist state have the common goal of disimpowering the bourgeoisie and increasing economic equality. He sees this socialist stage as necessary for but inevitably leading to the establishment of communism. Human beings, which are competitive under capitalism and other prior economic systems, will become cooperative under socialism and communism. Marx, in his view of human nature, sees economic factors as being the primary motivator for human thought and action. He asks the rhetorical question, ‘What else does the history of ideas prove, than that intellectual production changes its character in proportion as material production is changed?’ (Marx 29). For Marx, the economic status of human beings determines their consciousness. Philosophy, religion and other cultural aspects are a reflection of economics and the dominant class which controls the economic system. This view of human nature as being primarily determined by economics may seem to be a base view of humanity. However, from Marx’s point of view, the human condition reaches its full potential under communism. Under communism, the cycle of class conflict and oppression will end, because all members of society will have their basic material needs met, rather than most being exploited for their labor by a dominant class. In this sense the Marxian vie w of human nature can be seen as hopeful. Although human beings are motivated by economics, they will ultimately be able to establish a society which is not based on economic oppression. Freud, in Civilization and Its Discontents, presents a conception of human nature that differs greatly from that of Marx. His view of human nature is more complex than Marx’s. Freud is critical of the Marxist view of human nature, stating that ‘†¦I am able to recognize that the psychological premises on which the [communist] system is based are an untenable illusion. In abolishing private property we deprive the human love of aggression of one of its instruments†¦but we have in no way altered the differences in power and influence which are misused by aggressiveness, nor have we altered anything in its nature’ (Freud 71). Freud does not believe that removal of economic differences will remove the human instinct to dominate others. For Freud, aggression is an innate component of human nature and will exist regardless of how society is formulated. He sees human beings as having both a life instinct (Eros) and an instinct for destruction. In Freud’s view of human reality, the source of conflict, oppression, and destruction in human society is man’s own psychological makeup. Because of Freud’s view of human nature as inherently having a destructive component, he does not believe that a ‘transformation’ of humans to communist men and women will be possible. Marx’s belief that the current capitalist society will evolve into a communist society is not supportable under Freud’s conception of human nature because the desires of human beings are too much in conflict with the demands of any civilized society. This conflict does not exist because of economic inequalities, according to Freud, but rather because it is in human nature to have aggressive desires which are destructive to society. Freud’s approach to the possibility of reducing conflict among humanity focuses on understanding the human mind, the aggressive qualities of human nature, and how human beings’ desires can come into conflict with the demands of human society. He does not believe that the problems of human conflict, aggression, and destruction can be solved by a radical reordering of society as the philosophy of Marx suggests. Instead, Freud looks inside ourselves to explore these problems. At the close of his work, Freud states, ‘The fatef ul question for the human species seems to me to be whether and to what extent their cultural development will succeed in mastering the disturbance of their communal life by the human instinct of aggression and self-destruction’ (Freud 111). Freud does not offer any radical solutions to human aggressiveness, but rather sees it as something that humans must continually strive to overcome. He states ‘†¦I have not the courage to rise up before my fellow-men as a prophet, and I bow to their reproach that I can offer them no consolation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Freud 111). Freud can not offer some vision of a human utopia, but can only suggest that there is some possibility for the improvement of the human condition and society, but also warns that our success at overcoming destructive instincts may be limited. Marx offers a radical philosophy which also sees conflict as one of the constants of prior human existence. Unlike Freud, Marx believes that the aggressive and conflict-oriented aspects of human nature will disappear under the communist society which he sees as the inevitable product of capitalism. This is the hopeful element of Marx’s philosophy. However, if communism is not seen as inevitable or the possibil ities for reducing human conflict before a socialist revolution are considered, then Marx’s view of human nature locks humanity into constant conflict. If the future is to be like Marx’s version of history, then there is little hopefulness in this view of human nature. Works Cited Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and Its Discontents. Ed. James Strachey. New York: W.W. Norton, 1961. Marx, Karl and Frederick Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: International Publishers, 1994.

Reflection of "Slingshot assignment #1 AET Movie Review

Reflection of "Slingshot assignment #1 AET - Movie Review Example Tom, Jim and Tim introduce the video with facts about what used to take place during these historical times where drag racing took the better part of the entertainment. These experiences of people taking pleasure in drag racing, in the backyards during the World War II, gives me a clear insight of the tremendous changes that car racing has undergone. I was taken back by the extent that the spectators took the entire racing as a hobby. I have seen spectators making an event lively but, this one (drag racing) immerses spectators in far much undying feeling of entertaining speed and adrenaline. It is clear that the entire world adored drag racing, which could be a reason for the fast development and change of the sport. In this regard, the sport has seen the light of every new day with tremendous economic changes. These changes have made it even better than before, with many people sparing time to take part in the drag race. Previously, I was worried about the accidents that the drag racers would encounter while attempting to push maximum limits. I thought that this auto racing sport may be a bit unsafe for the racers. I noticed instances where the racers cause accidents. For example, cars exploding, considering that the racer is placed literally on the engine in such a case the results is fatal. Also, the neck breaking speed can easily shatter one into pieces considering the light weight of the machine.There is need for safety measures. If a racing machine can go extremely fast, then it is right to have specific safety measures employed, just in case something bad happens. This may include roll cages, safety clothing and harnessing or an entire modification of the racing machine. This is evident in the modern day racing where significant modifications have been put in place. As a result, safety has improved. From this experience, I learn that, in life, I can push an extra mile, as long as I have prepar ed well for the worst. I also had

Comparison between sudden fiction story The Country Where Nobody Ever Essay

Comparison between sudden fiction story The Country Where Nobody Ever Grew Old and Died by William Maxwell and the Garden of Eden from the Bible - Essay Example He/she claims that the story is in the Leipzig edition of the book; however, Beckford’s book does not have any reference to the case that told in the story. The major theme of the story, as its title also implied, is the question of immortality/temporality. In that sense, the story reminds â€Å"Garden of Eden† in the Bible. The aim of this paper is to compare how the theme of immortality/ temporality is interwoven into the fabrics of both stories. Firstly, a brief account on the theme of immortality in the â€Å"Garden of Eden† story will be given. Then, the stories’ differences in regard to the theme will be discussed. Before proceeding to the comparison, the question of immortality raised by the â€Å"Garden of Eden† story must be discussed. The question of what death is and whether Adam was made mortal holds a crucial place in biblical studies. The question of mortality/immortality is significant in a sense that it puts the authority of God in question while raising a suspicion that whether the snake was right. In Genesis 2: 15-17, God makes an arrangement with Adam and tells him that he will die if he eats of the tree of the knowledge: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying â€Å"You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, â€Å"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.† It is very clear from the above passage that if they disobey God’s command, they will be punished by death sentence. On the other hand, when the serpent and Eve converse (3:1b-5), the serpent says to the woman â€Å"You will not surely die† and contradicts God’s commandment of â€Å"You shall surely die†. However, although they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they did not die and God pronounces a different sentence in 3:14-19. The discrepancy between the

Case study about The Body Shop & L'occitane Essay

Case study about The Body Shop & L'occitane - Essay Example This is where design comes in as before a manager does any action, he will have to reflect on the intentions and then design an intervention or strategy, including structure and system. This will be useful in getting things done at the right time and at the right price (van Aken, in Huff et al, 2006). In addition, van Aken (Huff et al, 2006) suggested that â€Å"academic management research as a design science develops valid knowledge to support organizational problem-solving† (p 413). It provides direct, indirect or instrumental support as well as general enlightenment (van Aken, in Huff et al, 2006). The design sciences have been juxtaposed against natural or explanatory sciences and design sciences aim to develop knowledge to support the creation of solutions to field problems experienced by professionals such as in the medicine and engineering fields. This paper will try to identity the design process undertaken by The Body Shop & L'Occitane as a tool for corporate develop ment and provide comparison and contrast on their communication, clarification, confirmation, and evaluation process. The research method to be used shall be evaluation of communication materials, research on published data, and other materials that will determine the objectives of this paper. 1. Introduction into the two brands history The Body Shop Acquired by cosmetics giant L’Oreal in 2006, the Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick who had the aim to conduct business as a force of good which profit will not compromise principles (The Body Shop, 2009). The first The Body Shop store was opened in 1976 in Brighton, United Kingdom. It introduced ethical shopping by promoting health and well-being through innovative products that were not tested on animals, did not destroy the environment, and did not exploit the people who made them (The Body Shop, 2009). This was achieved through use of natural and traditional ingredients and recipes such as the babassu oil from Brazil by c ommunity people who are marginalised. Today, the Body Shop is globally known for its nature-inspired and ethically produced beauty and cosmetic products. It now has more than 2,500 stores in more than 60 countries with a product range exceeding 1,200. The Body Shop (2009) states that The Body Shop â€Å"We believe there is only one way to be beautiful, nature's way.† The company sought out wonderful natural ingredients from all four corners of the globe then brought consumers products that burst with effectiveness to enhance natural beauty. The company also strives to protect the planet and the people who depend on it not because it is fashionable but because it is the only way (The Body Shop, 2009). It went on to state â€Å"The Body Shop: Sustainable Design for The Body Shop† which hopes to achieve a natural balance of sustainability and beauty. The context of which is to â€Å"support and amplify its new brand positioning, Nature’s Way to Beautiful, evolve i ts existing retail formula for the launch of a premium, eco-friendly concept store in Singapore. The challenge is to evolve the brand’s retail formula specifically for their flagship outlet at Singapore’s newest premium mall—Ion Orchard with the aims: to enhance the brand’s beauty, but also reduce the environmental footprint of The Body Shop stores. Proposed solution has been to showcase eco-conscious retail design, employing sustainable materials and

Best Practice Approach in Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Best Practice Approach in Marketing - Essay Example Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. Marketing is a process in which an organization identifies the need of a customer and brings to the market a product which satisfied that need, the customer buys the product for satisfaction of the need which results in profit for the organization. It is mutually beneficial process. Marketing is very dynamic function and its definition has been evolving through time. In 1985, The American Marketing Association defined marketing as â€Å"Marketing is the process of planning and executing conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of goods, ideas and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals.† In 2004 the definition was changed to â€Å"Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing custo mer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.† And again as marketing grew into a broader term in 2007 the AMA defined marketing as â€Å"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.† This definition defines marketing as a process that creates something of value for anybody who has a need of that value. Target market is a very key marketing element. An organizational cannot produce enough to satisfy all the needs of all the people. It has to target the customers whom it feels it can satisfy through its organizational processes in a mutually beneficial way.... ting is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." This definition defines marketing as a process that creates something of value for anybody who has a need of that value. Elements of the Marketing Concept (200) Target market is a very key marketing element. An organizational cannot produce enough to satisfy all the needs of all the people. It has to target the customers whom it feels it can satisfy through its organizational processes in a mutually beneficial way. It has to evaluate itself and the market to find who it can cater too The second key element of the marketing concept is trying to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers of the selected target market. For this purpose 4 elements are identified and called the marketing mix. (Frederick Crane, 2003) These are controllable variables which are used to increase the level of satisfaction for the customer. These elements are: 1- Product- It is what the organization wants to sell to the customer considering the value and benefits it will produce for the customer. 2- Price- It is the price that the customer will have to pay to attain the product to satisfy his needs. 3- Place- It is where the product is going to be sold, in retail stores, in exclusive stores, what distribution channel will be used to make the product accessible. Place should always be selected as per the convenience of the customer. 4- Promotion- It is the type of promotional tools used to promote the product, like advertising, package design, sales techniques and personal relations tactics. Promotion should be able to communicate things that needed to be told to the customer, very well. Coordinated

Critical Awareness of Values and Ethics Case study Essay

Critical Awareness of Values and Ethics Case study - Essay Example All three key figures - the two deceased and the murderer - in the incident have a history of disrespect for the sanctity of marriage. Joe Korp was in two marital relationships before his affair with Tania Herman. Both Maria De Gois and Tania Herman did not consider having an affair with a married man a serious moral violation. The defence of Maria's consent to feature on an internet swinger's site by her relatives as an attempt to 'save' a troubled marriage is laughable. You cannot save a marriage by cutting it to pieces. The whole saga is testimony to the devastating effects of the neglect of family values and marital commitment. The second issue is the narrow materialistic viewpoint with which the whole incident was evaluated by the whole system - the families of the deceased, the media, and even the Supreme Court judge. Financial gain was definitely one of the motivations for Joe Korps conspiracy of killing his wife. Finally an issue that pops up is the propriety of removing life support systems for a patient who is not dead but is given up for dead by the doctors. There are various arguments both for and against mercy killing (Eckels,2005). This is an important issue, but I would not consider it central in this context. The deed had been done. Maria was never coming back. Whether she was living dead or 'dead' dead is a non-issue here although at another time or place it needs to be debated. Challenges to my values and morals: I cannot fathom the thought process of a self respecting man who decides to abandon his family for the sake of another lover. This is selfishness at its peak. To me this was the most devastating link in the whole chain of events that took place in Joe Korp's life. It opened him out to the possibilities that lay outside of the boundaries that one keeps for oneself. The murderous attempt on Maria was nothing but the logical conclusion of this thought process. When one chooses to rationalize to one's own self actions which are completely wrong, there is a whole paradigm shift in our own morality which leads to a vicious cycle resulting in even more grievous actions. Maria Korp was a tragic victim of her husband's financial aspirations and emotional hunger. No one deserves to be killed, but I cannot help thinking that somewhere a certain responsibility for her own undoing lays on her. Till she came along Joe Korp was a married man with a family. Wasn't it she who opened him up to the possibility of unfaithfulness Was there not insensitivity not just to the unfortunate Leonie but also to her children Maria Korp thought nothing of permanently destabilising the lives of three other people for her own sake. Steve Deegan defended his sister Tania by describing her as vulnerable and unlucky in love. However how can one accept anyone justifying an act of attempting to kill another person on these grounds Disregard for the life of another is unacceptable. Needless to say she too displayed the same insensitivity to the needs and rights of others. Although one can argue that she did not know Joe was married. How can one explain the fact that she not only stuck with him after having been lied to by him, but also aided him in his desire to murder his wife The financial gain

International Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International Finance - Research Paper Example In this case, we look at the injection of capital into the Indonesian economy by an American firm that seeks to invest in a clothing manufacturing firm in Indonesia. Indonesia is a state made up of a group of islands located between Southeast Asia and Oceania (Van Zanden and Marks 2). The country is the fourth most populous nation in the world with 252 million people (Van Zanden and Marks 2). The vast majority of the nationals speak Indonesian which is spoken by members of the largest ethnic group, the Javanese. There are 33 provinces in Indonesia and one Specially Administered region in the country. Indonesia was declared independent in 1945 after the Second World War but it was acknowledged by the Dutch colonizers in 1949. Indonesia is currently ruled by Joko Widodo who is the head of the unitary presidential constitutional republic. This section of the essay will evaluate the relevant elements of the political environment of Indonesia that can affect a clothing manufacturer from the United States, seeking to invest in the country. Indonesia is a republic that is ran as a unitary state; hence all the power is concentrated in the central government with a much lower level of autonomy to regional authorities (Central Intelligence Agency 307). The country’s 1945 constitution has gone through four amendments, and the most modern amendment occurred in 1998 when President Suharto was ousted (Central Intelligence Agency 307). There country has a bicameral parliamentary system which includes the People’s Representative Council which is the lower house and consists of 560 representatives and the Regional Representative Council made up of 132 members. They both monitor the affairs of the executive and pass laws. Indonesia has a GDP per capita of about $10,000 and the country has one of the fastest growing middleclass in the world (OECD 48). The country’s middle class is growing fundamentally because of the reforms made to

E-Commerce and its impact on the Global Marketplace Essay

E-Commerce and its impact on the Global Marketplace - Essay Example The main impact of E-Commerce is the fact that the global marketplace never sleeps and working 24/7, 365 days a year. It functions across different time zones as well as geographic boundaries. The integration of synergies leads to an extraordinary improvement in efficiencies. The presence of better and improved software enables the companies to conduct business online in an automated fashion leading to better productivity. It opens up a better competitive arena even to smaller companies with lesser resources at their disposal. It symbolizes the usage of the complete potential of the Internet and using it to gain profitability. Inter-business transactions or business-to-business (B2B) or e-commerce between businesses usually between manufacturers and suppliers. The other is the transaction between businesses and consumers (B2C) or electronic retailing. B2B type of E-Commerce is more common because of the usage of computer technology to a large extent by businesses, B2C in the form of online retailing has picked up exponentially. The success story of Wal-Mart has been extensively discussed and analysed. Sam Walton's guiding principles of "everyday low prices " have made Wal-Mart the world's largest retailer. The availability of the product when the customer looks for it on the shelf has to be accomplished, at the lowest possible cost without high overheads Using E-Commerce Supply Chain to Support Low Prices and Increased Customer Satisfaction "At Wal-Mart, we don't implement technology for its own sake," says David Flanagin, Director of Network Engineering. "It has to have a payback that helps the customer."(Quoted from http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/ibs/vertical/retail/Wal-Mart.PDF) So when the Wal-Mart network that unifies more than 100,0000 employees in more than 2400 stores and 100 distribution centres was undertaken, the Cisco network was chosen after great deliberation. Unifying and coordinating retailers and suppliers were of paramount importance. The number is staggering considering there are thousands of products and hundreds of suppliers and these are shipped to myriad destinations in the actual seasonal periods when they are sold. Wal-Mart ventured into EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) in 1980 and used it to transmit data to its suppliers. By 1990 Wal-Mart had its own application called "Retail Linka" and suppliers used modems to dial into the network for sales and inventory data. This enabled better forecasting and planning, producing and shipping. With the growing E-Commerce scenario, Wal-Mart utilized the power of the Internet and using the Cisco network, Wal-Mart updated and reorganized the "Retail Linka" to a greater level of competence and usability. Logins are password protected and each supplier has a level to which he is able to access the information. "We

FIRST and Second Amendment Assignment (CRJ 733) Essay

FIRST and Second Amendment Assignment (CRJ 733) - Essay Example In Virginia v. Black et al. certiorari to the supreme court of Virginia, no.01-1107 (2003) Justice O’Connor announced the following, â€Å"In this case we consider whether the Commonwealth of Virginia's statute banning cross burning with intent to intimidate a person or group of persons" violates the First Amendment. Va. Code Ann.  §18.2-423 (1996). We conclude that while a State, consistent with the First Amendment, may ban cross burning carried out with the intent to intimidate, the provision in the Virginia statute treating any cross burning as prima facie evidence of intent to intimidate renders the statute unconstitutional in its current form.† (Virginia v. Black 1) As a result of this prior decision made the appropriate decision at this time would seem to support the actions of the defendant and while the use of an effigy burning may be seen as a threat it does not by itself constitute a threat to said individual. The action of effigy burning is an approximation and does not promote violence in and of it. Additionally the burning of an effigy remains a political act and in concert with the prior decision in (Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397) which held that the desecration of the flag at this time while in violation of local state law is not in fact a violation of the First Amendment, meaning the conviction of Ms. Monique shall be overturned as a result as the law of the land is the Constitution and as such the actions taken by Ms. Monique are in line with the allowances for protest that are outlined in the First Amendment. Additionally in the prior case the as with this current case the individual has been convicted based on their engagement in expressive conduct and while the defendant may have disturbed the peace, they did not effectively violate the First Amendment. The expulsion should therefore be overturned. First Amendment, "United States Constitution, Bill of Rights." Cornell University Law School, Legal Information Institute. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Mar 2011. http://topics.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights#amendmenti TEXAS v. JOHNSON, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), "491 U.S. 397 TEXAS v. JOHNSON CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS No. 88-155. Argued March 21, 1989 Decided June 21, 1989." Find Law for legal professionals. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Mar 2011. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=491&invol=397 VIRGINIA v. BLACK, â€Å"Virginia v. BLACK et al. certiorari to the supreme court of Virginia No. 01-1107. Argued December 11, 2002--Decided April 7, 2003." Find Law for legal professionals. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Mar 2011. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=US&navby=case&vol=000&invol=01-1107 Opinion two, supporting the expulsion The Teaching Fellow Ms. Monique engaged in an act of civil disobedience that resulted in the State University President Max Piker feeling that his life had been threatened. While the initial action was meant as a symbolic statement a nd that is protected by the First Amendment it should be noted that threats or intimidation are not. The First Amendment specifically protects peaceable protest however, does not protect protest in which there is used threats and intimidation. In using an effigy that was

How Does Culture Affect Meaning and Communication Essay Example for Free

How Does Culture Affect Meaning and Communication Essay Nowadays we live in what is considered a â€Å"global village†, over time we have collectively worked towards this end. The need and desire to create a closer global community is not only seen as a technological advantage but an economic benefit. The world as we know it gets smaller every day, thanks to a new generation of social media applications such as facebook or twitter, which links vast communities together; communities and cultures are no longer cut off or remote. Take facebook for example, it has over 1 billion users, if it were a country it would be the third largest by population. (www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2013/012313.htm) Whether you live and work in remote Antarctica or bustling Hong Kong, technology and the studies of inter-culture communication ensures that people, governments and organizations can work effectively together in a harmonious and beneficial way. Naturally, this is an ideal situation, but as experience tells us, nothing is ever as simple. This essay explores how cultural differences effect meaning and communication. In doing so it will look at the definition of culture, what it is, and how it affects meaning. Furthermore, it will look at the acclaimed Dutch researcher, Geert Hofstede’s four dimensions of corporate culture as a framework to define and categorize cultural differences. Finally, it will raise potential problems raised in the field of inter-cultural communications and provide suggestions to overcome them. What is culture? Currently there are over â€Å"7 billion human inhabitants living on this planet. Each of these earth dwellers comes from a specific culture. (geography.about.com/od/obtainpopulationdata/a/worldpopulation.htm) As the world becomes smaller, not physically, but by the use of new media and technology, as they traverse earth looking for new or better opportunities, so must they face the modern conundrum of understanding firstly, what is culture, and secondly, how the differences between cultures effect meaning and communications. Without an understanding of different cultures, the potential for misunderstanding is high, with the ever-present possibility of a breakdown in relationships and opportunities. (Dostine, 2008, pg 58) text book suggests that all humans can be broadly defined by our culture. In essence, we are all born into a culture that over time has been passed down from previous generations, bestowing a rich history, significant culture defining traits such as its religion, its values and ethics, its ceremonies, rites and rituals, languages, customs, laws and business practices. Moreover, verbal and non-verbal communications practices that differ from one culture to the next. Therefore, suffice to say that the more we know about each other’s cultures the more effective our communication and co-habitation of the planet will be. How does cultural effect meaning? At the best of times, communication between individuals can be somewhat challenging. Add to that mix, communicating with people from another cultures and suddenly, the propensity for misunderstanding and in some cases offence can very easily take place as a result of the differences between the cultural backgrounds, understanding and meaning between the sender and receiver can be in stark contrast. This can be due to the increase in variables in the communication mix, therefore making global interaction more complex. Furthermore, people’s perception or way of thinking, hearing or seeing can vary quite extensively from one culture to the next. It could be strongly argued that it would be highly advantageous for both parties to be aware of the differences and therefore the potential for problems that arise from inter-cultural communication. Nowadays, many multi-national organizations, governments and educators have training and education programs in place. They see the importance in creating a clear, concise and respectful flow of communications between cultures. An example of this could be the department of foreign affairs and trade (DFAT) in Canberra. One of its main functions is to liaise internally and externally to better position itself to and for greater opportunity. It would be highly likely that the department has educated its employees in the science of how to deal effectively with other cultures (governments, organizations, businesses). One of DFATs main objectives is to â€Å"work with other government agencies to ensure that Australias pursuit of its global, regional and bilateral interests is coordinated effectively†. (dfat.gov.au/dept/what-we-do.html) In the field of organizational cultural studies, a Dutch researcher known as Geert Hofstede went on to publish his highly regarded findings. These findings have become a highly influential and acceptable way in which modern organizations can asses the difference between national culture and organizational culture. Hostede, seen as a pioneer in area of corporate culture, created a framework in which to asses national cultural groups and how they may affect or influ ence behaviors within an organization. Hofstede’s research in the 1980s, included the survey and analysis of hundreds of thousands of employees across fifty countries, to further increase the validity of his findings he followed up several years later by re-surveying these workers. In his work Hofstede asserted that the values that differentiated counties from each other fell into four dissimilar categories or clusters. Through the process of his study in corporate culture, Hofstede’s created a framework whereby he classified culture into four different dimensions. These dimensions looked at four anthropological problem areas that societies tend to handle differently to one another. Such as, ways in which they cope with inequality, uncertainty, the relationship between the individual and their primary group and implication of the persons sex. Born from this was Hofsteds four dimensions of national culture. They become knows as Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism versus Collectivism, and Masculinity versus Femininity. (www.geerthofstede.nl/dimensions-of-national-cultures) In discussing the Four Dimensions of Culture, Hofstede claims that: Power Distance Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. This represents inequality (more versus less), but defined from below, not from above. It suggests that a societys level of inequality is endorsed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Power and inequality, of course, are extremely fundamental facts of any society and anybody with some international experience will be aware that all societies are unequal, but some are more unequal than others. Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty avoidance deals with a societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. It indicates to what extent a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth: there can only be one Truth and we have it. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are also more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. People within these cultures are more phlegmatic and contemplativ e, and not expected by their environment to express emotions. Individualism Individualism on the one side versus its opposite, collectivism is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side, we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after her/himself and her/his immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) that continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. The word collectivism in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Again, the issue addressed by this dimension is an extremely fundamental one, regarding all societies in the world. Masculinity Masculinity versus its opposite, femininity refers to the distribution of emotional roles between the genders which is another fundamental issue for any society to which a range of solutions are found. The IBM studies revealed that (a) womens values differ less among societies than mens values; (b) mens values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from womens values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to womens values on the other. The assertive pole has been called masculine and the modest, caring pole feminine. The women in feminine countries have the same modest, caring values as the men; in the masculine countries they are more assertive and more competitive, but not as much as the men, so that these countries show a gap between mens values and womens values. (www.geerthofstede.nl/dimensions-of-national-cultures) Whilst Hofsted’s four dimensions are highly regarded, further research has highlighted other areas that effect intercultural communication and understanding. These include context, language and non-verbal communications. Firstly, it is almost impossible to investigate research into the cross-cultural issues without making mention of Edward Hall’s research in the area; he asserted that cultures are defined by context. (Hansen Lee, pg,30) A person’s behavior can be affected by its cultural context. (Dostine, 2008) From here, he broke context down into low context cultures; these prefer direct verbal interaction with minimal regard to context. Examples include Australia, USA, Germany, Switzerland, and Scandinavian cultures.

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay

Effects Of Climate Change On Vietnamese Agriculture Environmental Sciences Essay In the last decade, an overwhelming consensus has emerged among the worlds most reputable climate scientists that the world has entered a period of rapid global climate change, much of which is accountable to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (NSAC 2009). The agreement is demonstrated in the 1996 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of leading natural and social scientists sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. According to the panels report, an equivalent doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration will force a rise in global average surface temperature of 1.0 to 3.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. It will result in an increase of sea level by 19 to 59 cm. Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, average precipitation also will go up as much 10 to 15 percent (IPCC 2007). Agriculture is highly sensitive to climate variability and weather extremes, such as droughts, floods and severe storms. Even warmer climate may give positive effects on food production, the increased potential for droughts, floods and heat waves will pose challenges for farmers. Global climate change is also expected to impact agriculture by causing shifts in precipitation, soil quality, pest regimes, and seasonal growth patterns (NSAC 2009). The exact nature and degree of these changes for any given region will be difficult to predict. CASE OF VIETNAM Situated in South East Asia in the Indochinese Peninsula, Vietnam territory is lasting from 8Â °15 to 23Â °22 latitude and between 102Â °8 to 109Â °30 longitude (ADPC 2003). It has 329,314 sq. km of natural area, in which 7,348.5 thousand hectares (22.2 percent) is arable land, with population about 83 millions (WHO). Viet Nam lies in the region of tropical monsoon climate with a high temperature. The average temperature varies between 21Â °C and 27Â °C, rainfall volume of 1800-2000 mm/year and is not evenly distributed among the months of the year (Tran 2009). Versatile and various climates of the regions create a variety of vegetation and domestic animals which originated in the temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions. Being an agricultural country, 75 percent of Vietnamese labor-force is engaged in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. This sector contributes roughly 20 percent to the GDP. The output value structure of agriculture, forestry and fisheries was 77 percent, 4 percent and 19 percent, respectively (Tran 2009). Vietnam is likely one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, because of its geographical location (Oxfam 2008). During the last 50 years, Viet Nams annual average surface temperature has increased by approximately 0.50 0.70 C, while the sea level along its coastline has risen by approximately 20 cm (ISPONRE 2009). The El-Nino and La-Nina phenomena have caused increasingly adverse impacts to Viet Nam. Changes in climate can have serious implications for economic development, especially in the agricultural sector, due to its direct exposure to and dependence on weather and other natural conditions. Studies for the Southeast Asian region show that climate change could lower agricultural productivity 2-15 percent in Vietnam (Bingxin et al. 2009). It is very likely that global warming is leading to an increase in weather extremes like heat waves and heavy rainfall. Droughts will occur more often, and that tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense. Vietnam has always been suffering from extreme weather events and is struck by typhoons annually. Strong winds and sea surges cause death and destruction along the narrow and low-lying coastal area, while heavy rains hit the mountainous hinterland and river deltas with floods and landslides (Vietnam Red Cross 2007). For example, the river flood in Mekong Delta in 2000 killed 548 people; it flooded and damaged 401,342 ha of rice fields. An estimated loss of this flood is about 250 million USD (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). The peak occurrence for typhoon landfalls has been during the month of October in the Central region and November in the South. A partial explanation of this lies in the sea surface temperatures (SSTs), which decrease later in the season. T yphoons are generated where SSTs are 26 Â °C or above, and by September, this is only found in those ocean areas further south where the SST remains around 25-28 Â °C throughout the year (ADPC 2003). Climate change may lead to an increase in sea surface temperatures in higher latitudes and a resulting increase of typhoon activity in North Vietnam. An increase of extreme events, both in intensity and duration, will be the most catastrophic preventing the agriculture development. Flood damage is expected to be aggravated because of a predicted increase in daily rainfall of 12 19% by 2070. In other times of the year, an increase in evaporation and the variation in rainfall will intensify drought problems about 3 percent in coastal zones and 8 percent in inland areas by 2070 (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Climate change impacts on agriculture are also channeled through changes in temperature. According to the third assessment report of IPCC, the temperature in this century will increase by 4-50 C. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) modeler determined that, as a general rule, yield of rice will decrease by 0.5 ton per hectare for every 10C increase in growing seasonal minimum temperature (Javellana 2007). According to the medium emissions scenario, the average temperature is expected to increase by nearly 2Â °C in the southern regions of Viet Nam and up to 2.8Â °C in the northern regions by 2100. However, in the high emissions scenario this could be as much as 3.6Â °C in the North Central Coast region (United Nation 2009). So, it is predicted that yields of summer rice will decrease by 3 6% by 2070 when compared to the 1960-1998 period. The impact on spring rice may be more serious, especially in the north where yields are expected to decrease by 17% (Chaudhry Ruyssc haert 2007). The evapotranspiration rate will also increase due to increasing temperature, depicted in figure 1 2. Rainfall in the dry season will decrease by 2070 in Central parts of Viet Nam and droughts would occur more frequently, because rainfall would be concentrated in the rainy season (WHO). Figure 1: The projected change of mean daily maximum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Figure 2: The projected change of mean daily minimum temperature since 1980s to 2070s (Le 2010) Climate also creates a shift in amount and pattern of precipitation. It will affect hydrology and runoff, which will alter the availability of water for irrigation and other uses. The projected runoff changes for the two major rivers from three organizations show different trends. In the Red River, the IPSL scenarios show decreased wet-season flow. GISS and MONRE projections show increased dry season flow. In Mekong River, major flow reduces under IPSL projection, depicted in figure 3 (Ringler 2010). Significant rice yield decline is observed in all scenarios, ranging from 4.2 percent in MONRE-2030 to 12.5 percent in IPSL-2030. The impact is especially large in the Central Highlands and the northern zones, highlighting the enlarged gaps in food supply in these regions. Although the impact of climate change is relatively moderate in the major rice-producing region of the Mekong River Delta, the average rice yield is projected to drop by 1.4-8.3 percent by 2030 (Bingxin et al. 2010). Figure 3: Percentage of Basin Runoff Changes (Ringler 2010) Besides increasing average temperature, global warming also raises the sea water level which has resulted in salt-water-invasion and land loss. A recent study on the potential impacts of sea level rise in 84 developing countries suggested that Vietnam would rank among the top 5 affected countries. About 43 million Vietnamese or about 55% of the countrys population are living in vulnerable low elevation coastal zones (LECZ) (38 % of Vietnams urban population) (Waibel 2008). In Vietnam, the sea level has risen between 2.5 to 3.0 cm per decade in the last 50 years, but with regional variations (Oxfam 2008). According to ADPC report, sea levels may increase by 9 cm in 2010, 33 cm in 2050, 45 cm in 2070, and 1 meter in 2100 (ADPC 2003). If sea level rises 1 meter, a national potential land loss is predicted of 12% which will expose about 17.1 million people or 23.1 % of the population (Schaefer 2002). The Mekong River Delta will be the most affected region with 1.77 million ha of saline l and, accounting for 45 percent of the land (Chaudhry Ruysschaert 2007). Land loss and sea water invasion in the Mekong River Delta and parts of the Red River Delta, which are the most important agricultural areas in Vietnam, will cause serious risks to farmers as well as agricultural exports, and possibly to national food security. In summary, climate change is a very real threat to Vietnamese socio-economical development. Higher temperatures, the rising of sea water level and extreme weather events will all have significant impacts across the nation. However, the concept of climate change and its effects are just well known by experts and management agencies. Dealing with the serious implications of climate change will be a major challenge for Vietnam in the next decades.

Residential Schools in Canada

Residential Schools in Canada The Canadian government and the Christian churches formerly introduced residential schools with the purpose of assimilating Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture. This research report will provide a brief background on the origination of residential schools in Canada. The report will examine the consequences of residential schools, the parties involved in negotiations, the outcomes of the negotiations and its impact on independent parties. Canadas first residential school- The Mohawk Institute located in Brantford, Ontario, opened in 1831. In residential schools, enrollment of girls started in the year 1834. In the eyes of the Bagot Commision, Mohawk Institute made the perfect model for all other schools. The commission also recommended separating Indigenous children from their families in order to accomplish an effective assimilation. In 1884, various modifications to the Indian Act of 1876 permitted the formation of residential schools across Canada. Simultaneously, traditional Indigenous ceremonies were prohibited by the Canadian government. By the year 1896, in totality, 45 residential schools were operating across the country. Such detrimental enforcements caused conflicts between the parties involved- the Canadian government, churches, and the Indigenous communities. Issues were to be discovered and negotiations were to take place between the parties. The Canadian Government The Christian Churches The Canadian government and the Christian churches are the parties that ignited the conflict with Indigenous people. Government funded the residential schools as it felt the need to civilize Indigenous peoples and controlling education served as the prime approach. In 1857, under the Gradual Civilization Act, Indigenous men who were 21 years of age, had to be literate in either English or French. Churches and key leaders like Sir John A. MacDonald (Canadas first Prime Minister) were set to end the cultural differences faced with the Indigenous communities. Just over 130 residential schools were active across the country from 1831 to 1996. Indigenous Communities Indigenous communities include Metis, First Nations (also known as Indians), and Inuit. The children of these communities were being converted to Christianity against their will. Not attending residential schools put the future of Indigenous families at stake. Next, the issues caused by the residential schools and issues faced by the Indigenous children and their families will be examined. Residential school system was responsible for cultural genocide. Historisca Canada, defines the term cultural genocide as, the intentional eradication and destruction of cultural artifacts and structures, the banning of cultural activities, and the obliteration of social structures rooted in unique cultures. Likewise, the prime goal of residential school system was to segregate Indigenous children from their families and communities in order to conform them into Euro-Canadian culture. The attempt of forceful assimilation caused Indigenous people to terminate their distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada. This was made possible by compulsorily isolating Indigenous children from their communities and enrolling them in residential schools. Students were banned to speak in their mother tongue and perform their traditional art forms, such as dance and music. As residential schools were underfunded, the living conditions were very poor. The residential sc hools were getting overcrowded as The Gradual Civilization Act started awarding 50 acres of land to any Indigenous male who were willing to under the pressure of running a family, give up tribal membership. Residential students were facing starvation, and students suffered through abuse in terms of physical, emotional, and sexual, on a daily basis. The immeasurable damage caused by the residential schools resulted in intergenerational trauma that continues to affect Indigenous people even today. It is evident that there is a severe conflict between the parties; so did anyone try to initiate a negotiation? Or even bring forth the conflict publicly and speak up? The next section covers key people who publicized the conflict and initiated a negotiation. Key Influential People Dr. P. H. Bryce In 1907, Dr. P. H. Bryce was the first to officially without any bias examine the conditions of residential schools. In Canadas Department of the Interior and Indian Affairs, Dr. Bryce was the chief medical officer in the years 1904 to 1921. After having examined the conditions at residential schools, he announced that the Indigenous childrens mortality rate was approximately 42%. It was the first time in the history of residential schools that, the government was exposed of its suppression of statistics on Indigenous peoples health. It was extremely brave of Dr. Bryce to expose the government in his 1922 publication- The Story of a National Crime. Chanie Charlie Wenjack Chanies death had raised questions on the Indian education and its philosophy at the time. On November 17, 1966, a jury declared their verdict of holding an autopsy for Chanie Charlie Wenjacks death. Throughout 1960-1980s, residential schools had started to close down. In the year 1969, the agreement between the Canadian government and churches had officially ended. As a result, the Department of Indian Affairs was in charge for the remainder of schools running. With the immense responsibility in the hands of the Department of Indian Affairs, in 1979, the remaining 12 residential schools were evaluated. An initiation was in place by making school administration more culturally aware, keeping in mind the requirements of Indigenous children. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was instigated by the respective Prime Minister Brain Mulroney, in the year 1991. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples consisted of seven commissioners who would generate a report regarding the effects of residential schools on generations. The final report was concluded in 1996. The report made 440 recommendations as to how the relationships between Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people and Canadas government could be resolved. As far as negotiation was concerned, the Royal Commission had proposed to take on the accommodative approach in order to keep peace and encourage mutuality in the future. During the 1980 and 1990s, previous students of residential schools held campaigns to get the churches and the government to acknowledge the schools exploitations and to receive some form of compensation. In the year 1998, a Statement of Reconciliation was finally issued by the Canadian government. The statement recognized the cruelties suffered by former Indigenous students by establishing the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. In an attempt of using the negotiation tactic of Give Something to Get Something, in 2003, the Alternative Dispute Resolution process was put in place. This process allowed for an out-of-court mechanism in providing compensation and psychological support. The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) In terms of negotiation, the residential school conflict deals greatly with the cultural context. When it comes to culture in negotiation, there are three main rules. First is to learn the other sides culture. Second, never to stereotype. Third is finding ways to bridge the culture gap. The third rule is exactly what the Canadian government was offering by establishing the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2007. Under the IRSSA, survivors of residential schools are offered compensation. Part of the IRSSA is the Common Experience Payment, which is paid out on the basis of how many years the victim has attended residential school. Not to forget the Independent Assessment Process through which every statement of sexual, psychological or physical abuse, was resolved on case-by-case basis. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) June 1, 2008, marked the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Reportedly, $60 million had been put aside for TRC. The TRC has been put in effect for a span of five years to manuscript the truth regarding the conditions of residential schools and rightly inform all Canadians. The TRC is a great platform for victims and their families to vocalize their experiences. Through national events held in different parts of the country such as Winnipeg, it becoming easier to raise public awareness of the truth. TRC is an effective tool in order to create a comprehensive historical record on the residential schools. It is the least to say that residential schools produced immeasurable damage by disrupting healthy Indigenous communities and causing long-term intergenerational problems. However, with the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in effect both parties have come to peace with each other. Not to forget, the apology made by the former Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2008, on behalf of the Canadian government to the former students of residential schools. It would be correct to say that Indigenous people no longer would feel like outsiders after seeing the recent progress made by the TRC. In 2015, in the final report of TRC Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, is officially the documentation consisting the awful experiences of the past residential school students. Keeping in mind the ultimate goal of resolving conflicts with the Indigenous communities, the final report states 94 Calls of Action. Having said that, their is great hope for the success of the Indian Residential School Settlement. References CBC News (2016, March 21). A history of residential schools in Canada. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280 Historica Canada. (2015, December 31). Residential Schools in Canada: Education Guide. Retrieved from http://education.historicacanada.ca/files/103/ResidentialSchools_Printable_Pages.pdf Kennedy, Mark. (2015, December 14). Residential schools to blame for problems plaguing aboriginals: Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/residential-schools-to-blame-for-problems-plaguing-aboriginals-truth-and-reconciliation-commission Marshall, Tabitha (2016, September 29). Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-residential-schools-settlement-agreement/ Rice, Joanna. (2011, March). Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commision of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/indian-residential-school-truth-and-reconciliation Taylor, Adam. (2015, June 5). Did Canada commit a cultural genocide?. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/06/05/did-canada-commit-a-cultural-genocide/?utm_term=.90bc697961bf The Critical Thinking Consortium (2015, December 31). Background to residential schools. Retrieved from https://tc2.ca/uploads/backgroundbriefs/BBResSchools.pdf

A Tale of Two Cities Essay: The French Revolution and the Legacy :: Tale Two Cities Essays

The French Revolution and the legacy of A Tale of Two Cities It is a commonplace of Dickensian criticism that the writer was influenced by Carlyle's The French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities. Taking Dickens's comment that he read Carlyle's history "five hundred times" (I. Collins 46) as a starting point, many critics have discussed Carlyle's influence on several aspects of the novel, such as the narrative technique (Friedman 481-5), the imagery associated with the Revolution (I. Collins 52; Baumgarten 166; Lodge 131-2), and the narration of the historical episodes (Lodge 134; Friedman 489). And yet, Dickens's outlook on revolutionary violence differed significantly from that of Carlyle. As Irene Collins points out, Dickens "dislikes the violence of the revolutionaries, both in its popular form (the mob) and in its institutionalised form (the Terror). Unlike Carlyle, he can no longer see justice in the violence" (53). Moreover, it is Dickens's novel, rather than Carlyle's history, which is responsible for the popular ima ge of the French Revolution in England in our century, not least due to the popularity of A Tale of Two Cities on film and television. The most famous adaptation of the novel is the 1935 MGM production, directed by Jack Conway. The film capitalised particularly on scenes depicting the revolutionary mob: the film critic Derek Winnert describes it as "a wildly extravagant production" with "17000 extras in the Paris street scenes" (1009). The novel was again filmed in 1958 by the British director Ralph Thomas. This production again used a "lavish staging" (Winnert 1009). The novel has proved to be a popular source for television adaptations as well: it was adapted in 1980 and 1989, the first being an ATV production directed by Jim Goddard and the latter an Anglo-French production directed by Philippe Monnier. A Tale of Two Cities promoted the image of a stable England by using revolutionary France as a setting to highlight the contrasts between the two countries, although Dickens seemed to believe in the eighteen-fifties that England was heading towards an uprising on the scale of the French Revolution. In the twentieth century, we see the French Revolution used as a 'lavish' setting in film and TV productions of A Tale of Two Cities. In the preface to the novel, Dickens says "It has been one of my hopes to add something to the popular and picturesque means of understanding that terrible time" (xiii). A Tale of Two Cities Essay: The French Revolution and the Legacy :: Tale Two Cities Essays The French Revolution and the legacy of A Tale of Two Cities It is a commonplace of Dickensian criticism that the writer was influenced by Carlyle's The French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities. Taking Dickens's comment that he read Carlyle's history "five hundred times" (I. Collins 46) as a starting point, many critics have discussed Carlyle's influence on several aspects of the novel, such as the narrative technique (Friedman 481-5), the imagery associated with the Revolution (I. Collins 52; Baumgarten 166; Lodge 131-2), and the narration of the historical episodes (Lodge 134; Friedman 489). And yet, Dickens's outlook on revolutionary violence differed significantly from that of Carlyle. As Irene Collins points out, Dickens "dislikes the violence of the revolutionaries, both in its popular form (the mob) and in its institutionalised form (the Terror). Unlike Carlyle, he can no longer see justice in the violence" (53). Moreover, it is Dickens's novel, rather than Carlyle's history, which is responsible for the popular ima ge of the French Revolution in England in our century, not least due to the popularity of A Tale of Two Cities on film and television. The most famous adaptation of the novel is the 1935 MGM production, directed by Jack Conway. The film capitalised particularly on scenes depicting the revolutionary mob: the film critic Derek Winnert describes it as "a wildly extravagant production" with "17000 extras in the Paris street scenes" (1009). The novel was again filmed in 1958 by the British director Ralph Thomas. This production again used a "lavish staging" (Winnert 1009). The novel has proved to be a popular source for television adaptations as well: it was adapted in 1980 and 1989, the first being an ATV production directed by Jim Goddard and the latter an Anglo-French production directed by Philippe Monnier. A Tale of Two Cities promoted the image of a stable England by using revolutionary France as a setting to highlight the contrasts between the two countries, although Dickens seemed to believe in the eighteen-fifties that England was heading towards an uprising on the scale of the French Revolution. In the twentieth century, we see the French Revolution used as a 'lavish' setting in film and TV productions of A Tale of Two Cities. In the preface to the novel, Dickens says "It has been one of my hopes to add something to the popular and picturesque means of understanding that terrible time" (xiii).

The study of Massage/ Kinesiology Essay -- essays research papers

There are many aspects on the study and meaning of kinesiology. Some of these ways are; applied kinesiology, kinesiology medicine research, and specialized and energy kinesiology. The study kinesiology and massage therapy is believed to go hand and hand. Many will say that without the proper knowledge of kinesiology and muscle movements, you can not provide a patent with all that is needed for a proper massage. As we approach new years, many individuals are increasing their concern in health. With the healing arts increasing in popularity, individuals don’t understand the need for well-rounded therapist. Who are trained in the science of kinesiology, which includes the technique of massage to enable them to be proficient in their field. During the early 1900s, the practice of medical science became accepted in our society. Many of the Swedish massage was mingled in with those of medical doctors and medical practices. (A type of â€Å"mechano-therapy† emerged of a combination with other therapist preformed by a physician or a nurse’s assistant.) Over time, these practices were absorbed into what would be general medicine. In the 1920s Masseurs and Masseuses had lost most of their market to doctors. They mainly found work with wealthy individuals who wanted a general, relaxing form of massage. After World War ll, a group of massage operators formed the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses. This later became the forerunner of today’s American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The goal of these associations is to raise the status of massage as a unique and effective treatment for healing. In the 1980s the AMTA was formed. The first thing they did was establish a code of ethics and change their titles from masseurs and masseuses to massage therapist. Now the profession of massage is enjoying renewed vigor and influence in alternative medicine. Recent trends have pointed the continuing promise and growth of massage therapy as a health care career. Applied kinesiology is the scientific study of muscular movement, physical activities and the anatomy, physiology, and mechanics of the movement of body parts. Kinesiology was first created by the American/Italian chiropractor Anthony Gil in Milano, Italy. This relatively new study has many different branches of specialized studies. Many similar goals of kinesiology are to: restore normal nerve functions, have... ...ning again. I believe that the medical aspects of life and quality in general are much more looked at today then they have been in past years. The work of massage along with the knowledge of kinesiology has improved our modern medicines and is one of the best impacts we have today for healthier lifestyles. The way physical touch in massage keeps your body and mind more together is on of the best ways to impact not only the person receiving the massage, but therapist also. If a person has never had a massage, and was to get on for the first time, I believe they will go more often, just because of the feeling you have after opposed to the feeling you had before. There is such a large amount of individuals who are looking for massage therapist. Having a natural talent will really benefit our society with a healthier and relaxing state of body and mind. I truly know that with massage/kinesiology you are able to open your bodily needs better ,and become more capable of enjoying the time you have with people you work with to make your own personality complete. These alternative medicines are the best ways to get the flow of energy moving to able yourself to feel like your own utopia.

First Chapter of Lord of the Flies Essay

The first chapter of Lord Of the Flies introduces Ralph at the very start roaming the jungle. This contributes to the mysteriousness of the literature. Not telling you where he came from or why he is there makes the story enticing and entertaining. The author was adding to the rising action. The setting in the very beginning was the Jungle. After Ralph walks for a small amount of time, a voice calls out to him asking for help, and to wait up. This is another way to make the story seem mysterious. He learns it is a boy with the nickname Piggy. Piggy joins Ralph and they walk to a lagoon. There they find a conch shell and Ralph blows through the conch which then calls on an large amount of boys. The author most likely added this to make another curve to the story. To show how much about the place Ralph and Piggy didn’t know. When the large group arrived, a boy named Jack Merridew asked where the ship was, and where an adult was. This showed how ignorant Ralph was because he had no clue what the conch sound meant to the people that were already there. Then Johnny and the twins Sam and Eric arrived along with many other younger and older boys. They talk as if they all have an education which shows they were also put here, not born here. The dialog seems modern and easily understandable, which shows that the setting is more recent than historical. Ralph is voted leader and commands that they explore to see if where they are is an island. Accompanying Ralph is Simon and Jack. Piggy is left behind to log names, which upsets him. The reason the author wrote about the exploration is to show the others don’t know where they are either. Throughout the venture, the boys are faced with a series of things in their path. They push a boulder off a cliff. The author most likely added this to show they weren’t hopelessly stranded on the island. The end of the chapter the boys realized they were hungry. They searched for food and found a pig, in the grips of the ‘creepers’. The author didn’t explain what the creepers were and it made it much more elusive. Jack fails to stab the pig quick enough and he made up excuses as to why he couldn’t. It shows that he isn’t nearly as tough as he lead on to be. He slams his knife into the tree to show he is in fact still the alpha male. The first chapter left many unanswered questions.

Urban Renewal

What is Urban renewal? Discuss the issues and strategies of urban renewal of a state capital. Urban renewal is a program of land re-development in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. It can be envisaged as the physical and infrastructural changes in land use, built environment or intensity of the use of land or building that could be considered as inevitable outcome of the action from economic, social, political, technical and environmental forces acting upon urban areas at different times of its existence.It is a program designed to help communities improve and revitalize areas that have deteriorated, are unsafe and/ or show signs of economic or physical conditions that are detrimental to the community as a whole. Urban renewal could be in the form of: -Physical change: Part of land is developed as a multistory building. -Infrastructural change: widening of roads, introduction of metro-rail, etc. -Change in land use: function of building changes, keeping the structure same eg residential to commercial -Change in built form: increase in no. of storeys. Change in environment: congestion on road cleared, trees planted , garbage removed, etc. In the second half of the 20th century, renewal often resulted in the creation of urban sprawl and vast areas of cities being demolished and replaced by freeways and expressways, housing projects, and vacant lots, some of which still remain vacant at the beginning of the 21st century. Urban renewal's effect on actual revitalization is a subject of intense debate. It is seen by proponents as an economic engine, and by opponents as a regressive mechanism for enriching the wealthy at the expense of taxpayers and the poor.It carries a high cost to existing communities, and in many cases resulted in the destruction of vibrant—if run-down —neighborhoods. Urban renewal in its original form has been called a failure by many urban planners and civic leaders, and has since been reformulated with a focus on r edevelopment of existing communities. Over time, urban renewal evolved into a policy based less on destruction and more on renovation and investment, and today is an integral part of many local governments, often combined with small and big business incentives.But even in this adapted form, Urban Renewal projects are still widely accused of abuse and corruption. Behind the idea of urban renewal was a belief that if the government removed people from such places and put them in better places, it would improve not only their lives and their self-image, but also their behavior. This idealistic philosophy became common in America by the end of World War I. IMPORTANCE OF URBAN RENEWAL Urban renewal is critical to the success of local communities and the long-term prosperity of citizens living in urban areas.Without urban renewal, there would be no incentive for developers to tackle the challenges associated with redevelopment, and deteriorating downtown areas would be subject to increase d crime and safety problems, while continued growth on the fringes of communities would add to the problem of urban sprawl. NEED FOR URBAN RENEWAL – Rise in land value – Expansion of service centers – Change in transportation mode – Latest realization of global energy scenario. BENEFITS OF URBAN RENEWALProviding matching funds for money from other sources (such as state or federal grants) Funding infrastructure, which brings additional funds to the community through permit fees, system development charges (SDCs), water and sewer hook? up charges, etc. Increasing the value of property next to the urban renewal district. Improving the quality of life through new or renovated parks, roadways, civic and cultural facilities, and expanded economic development OBJECTIVES OF URBAN RENEWAL – To eliminate sub optimal uses To create conditions for efficient and economic use of scarce and costly urban infrastructure. – To improve the efficiency of urban system – To reduce social cost of urban development and arrange for cross financing Urban renewal also took hold in medium sized cities, many of which used urban renewal laws to pay for public housing, new bridges, and new thoroughfares. There was a time when the phrase â€Å"urban renewal† was a popular one. But today it often carries a negative connotation, regardless of the truth, however, urban renewal did a lot to change cities.Chicago's now demolished Cabrini-Green housing project, one of many urban renewal efforts. Issue: -Cities unfortunately with some exceptions, have not been enabled to look inward and build on their inherent capacities, both financial and technical, and instead are still being seen in many states as ‘wards’ of the State governments. -A major failure of city governance has been our inability to address the needs of the poor – basic services like drinking water supply, sanitation, housing and social services are not availa ble to an increasing share of urban population. The latent creativity and vitality of our cities and the people who live in them must be tapped to facilitate higher economic growth. -Substantially upgrade the delivery of basic and other urban services which are in bad state. -Understand the cost and impact of providing poor basic services in the urban areas, so that efficient services can be planned. -Plan for generating gainful employment opportunities and environmental safeguarding adopting community centered approach.Provide opportunities and funds for capacity building, skill development, vocational training, and flow of micro- credit. -The Development Commission (PDC) uses urban renewal as a tool to help specific areas of the city realize capital projects – parks, streetscape improvements, community centers, and the like that would not happen on their own. A house in Nashville before urban renewal URBAN RENEWAL SCHEMES Components of Urban Renewal: – Urban redevelo pment – Urban Rehabilitation – Conservation: – Preservation – Rebuilding – Reuse – Replication Urban renewal funds can be used for . . .Infrastructure (including such basic improvements as curbs and sidewalks, streets, sewers, flood control, and utility relocation and improvement) Public improvements (such as parks and open space, pedestrian and bike trails, landscaping and streetscaping, parking lots and parking structures, transportation improvements, helping to construct public buildings and facilities) In certain cases, redevelopment assistance for housing or commercial uses (such as land acquisition and site preparation or other public improvements) Planning and engineering (such as design, traffic and engineering studies); technical assistance to property owners and developers, and staff support from the renewal agency SITE SELECTION – Should be around or within prime location – Should intervene problem areas – Lan d should be easily available – Utility plan showing linkages with offsite infrastructure – Landscape proposals SEQUENCE OF PROJECT FORMULATION – Preparation of survey maps. Types of survey maps are: -Tourism map – 1:100000 – City map – 1:50000 – Police station map : 1:63366 ( 1† to a mile) Revenue survey map : 1:600 (plot size and built up spaces) – Identification of project area and influence area – Conduct field survey to collect socio economic data – Land maps, land holding pattern, building height , building edge etc. – Traffic information – Utility services – Financial status – Scheme/ concept preparation – Land use distribution – Future built form – Circulation plan EXECUTION OF THE SCHEME – Land acquisition – Payment of compensation – Construction of rehabilitation structures – Clearance of site and site development – Removal of under-gound utilities and relaying of utilities – Development of roads and other open areasWhen the site is ready for construction , it is either leased out to promoters or Development authorities themselves start the construction. The urban renewal of a state capital involves: Working: The basic idea behind urban renewal is simple: future tax revenues pay for revitalization efforts. The City Council, acting on the recommendations of a community based steering committee and PDC, draws a line around an area (the urban renewal boundary) and identifies desirable improvements within that area (the urban renewal plan). The city issues urban renewal bonds to pay for the identified improvements. As property values increase in the area due to new investment, the rise in property tax revenues (called â€Å"tax increment†) is used to pay off the urban renewal bonds.This financing method is called tax-increment financing, and it is the most common method of paying for improvements in an urban renewal area. Kind of projects : Urban renewal funds can be used for a variety of capital investments, such as: Redevelopment projects, such as projects near light rail that combine retail and residential components. Economic development strategies, such as small-business loans or loan programs tied to family-wage jobs. Housing loans and other financial tools for ownership and rental housing which serve a variety of income levels. Streetscape improvements, including new lighting, trees, sidewalks, pedestrian amenities, etc. Transportation enhancements, including light rail, streetcar, intersection improvements, etc. Parks and open spaces.Roots of urban renewal : Urban renewal emerged in the late 1940s as an attempt to revitalize central cities, which were losing population and resources to new post-war suburbs. Until the 1960s, urban renewal was a federal program used to clear large areas of land largely to provide what was then considered to be improved hou sing conditions for thousands of people. It also funded large projects such as hospitals, highways and civic centers. The funding mechanisms and purposes of urban renewal changed in its early decades, but the term broadly referred to a set of programs and policies meant to counter inner-city disinvestment and reinvigorate declining downtown areas. Criteria : Urban renewal areas must show evidence of some degree of blight, demonstrated by conditions such as poorly constructed buildings, faulty planning, lack of open spaces, deteriorated properties, an incompatible mix of uses and improper utilization of land. -Urban renewal areas, their principles and the specific projects funded by them are conceived in consultation with citizen committees who represent a broad spectrum of community interests. In addition, three public bodies must approve any new urban renewal area: the Portland Development Commission, the Portland Planning Commission, and City Council. -In urban renewal areas, publ ic investment is used to stimulate private investment on a much larger scale.The amount of urban renewal funds invested in any one area is small compared to the private investment that follows. -Urban renewal is primarily used to update and improve an area's infrastructure — through capital expenditures on transportation improvements and parks for example — and to provide incentives for desired development such as affordable housing, family-wage jobs and building refurbishment. -Urban renewal is designed to benefit all people within the urban renewal area, in surrounding neighborhoods and throughout the city and metropolitan area. -The urban renewal plan, which guides all public spending in the area, is conceived by citizens who are best able to make decisions about how to improve their neighborhood. Urban renewal can be a strong and effective tool to protect long-term affordability in revitalizing neighborhoods by financing the construction of affordable housing. -Urb an renewal works to revitalize communities within the existing built environment. -Promote livelihood opportunities through skill building and enhancement of entrepreneurship. Enable public private partnership arrangement covering infrastructure development and service delivery. -The realization of the overall programme goal of improving the quality of life for all is possible only through the framework of long term development plan, replacing the narrow project based approach.

The Day the Earth Stood Still – 1951 vs 2008

â€Å"The Day the Earth Stood Still†, (1951) vs. â€Å"The Day the Earth Stood Still†, (2008) From the 19th to the 20th century there have been many changes in film. Movies went from silent features in black and white, to color with surround sound, and now to digital 3D. One of the biggest changes occurred with special effects and the help of CGI (Computer Generated Images), which enhanced movie scenes and brought imagination to life. History has shown us that technology dictates where and how we watch movies, and it is continually evolving. In the 1950’s, television started drawing people away from the movie theatres, until the introduction of technical innovations such as â€Å"Cinerama, Cinemascope, and 3D, reversed the trend.† (Art Institute of Pittsburg Online) Since then, digital technology has brought movies back into the living room once again, delivered on DVD to our HDTV’s. These changes have had a huge impact on society, the way we view our lives, and the prospects of the future. â€Å"The Day the Earth Stood Still† compares two versions of the same movie made 57 years apart: the original was produced in 1951, and the remake was made in 2008. The original movie is one of the first alien invasion movies ever made and has become one of the classic sci-fi thrillers of our time. The alien in this movie, Klatuu, comes to Earth to issue a dire warning about its inhabitants' aggressive nature. He states that man’s constant violent nature against one another has raised the attention of â€Å"an alien species, which is now threatening to exterminate all of mankind.† (â€Å"The Day the Earth Stood Still†) The premise of the 2008 movie is that humans are destroying earth at an escalating rate, so they have to die in order to save the planet. â€Å"If humans die, earth lives. If humans live, earth dies.† With the melting of the polar ice caps and the threat of global warming, there are real-life consequences that give plausibility to this modern plot. Klatuu requests a meeting with the leaders of all nations. In the older movie, this was redefined as â€Å"a meeting between the 2 super powers; the United States and Russia.† In the early 1950’s when this movie was produced, a meeting between the U.S. and Russia would be unthinkable. World War II had just ended and we were in the middle of the Cold War. McCarthyism was at its height and the paranoid fear of Soviet domination was an obsessive national past-time. The movie was influenced by the use of the atomic bomb and our wars against each other. In that time period, there was a test of the atomic bomb of out in the Yucca Flats in New Mexico. It was believed that if one day these bombs could be strapped to rockets, it would destroy the earth. Unfortunately, there are still wars going on around the world and in our own back yard. In the 2008 movie, the U.S. government sends a woman to represent the president and gives her full authority to act on his behalf. She immediately orders the use of restraints and with the aid of a lie-detector test attempts to extract information from the alien. In another over excessive show of force, she orders all military forces to attack and destroy the alien ship. Klatuu manages to escape through the use of mind control and a lengthy visual display of electrical forces – alien style. In this part of the movie I found the special effects to be less than convincing. Special effects were a very important part of the film remake, so the original story was modified in part to accommodate them. I noticed some of the differences in content are in the language and scenes. The 1951 version had more dialog and placed more emphasis on the meaning and lesson to be learned. Early era movies were more idealistic, with little to no objectionable content or language. They may have implied a situation, but didn't show anything explicit. The 1951 version had the clean-cut charm of an old â€Å"Leave it to Beaver† episode. The 2008 version had more violence and scenes that were highly graphic in nature. The close-up surgical procedures in this film are not atypical of many of today’s shows and with the use of high density graphics, we get every gory detail. Klatuu, comes to earth in human form in the 1951 movie, along with a robot that was obviously just a tall man in a rubber suit. In the newer movie, with the aid of special effects, he morphs from alien into human form right before our eyes. The robot in the newer movie is several stories high and much more compelling as an enforcer of peace for an entire planet. The acting in the original movie seemed overly dramatized, which was a characteristic that was often used in the earlier films of this genre. Early attempts to simulate believable alien creatures and moving spaceships were crude at best. The first movie comes with a long list of revealing mistakes; wrinkles in metal and zippers in alien attire, while the space ship moving through the sky looked crude at best. The most obvious errors were in the scenes that show the â€Å"crowds running away in panic,† obviously created by speeding up the film. (Janson) In contrast, by 2008 special effects are widely used, portraying realistic action without the overdramatic characterization. Because special effects were not available during the earlier version, actors were much more athletic, usually performing their own stunts. Another industry change that cannot be overlooked is budget. For example, the 1951 movie had an estimated budget of $1,200,000, while the cost of the 2008 movie soared to $80,000,000. This can be attributed in part to the cost of special effects, but we also have to consider that most of the earlier films were usually shorter in length than their modern counterparts. Another consideration for the rising cost in some of today’s movies is found in epic films which have crowd scenes that employ a very large number of actors at union wages. In the final scene of both movies, Klatuu recognizes that the human race is worth saving after witnessing the heartfelt interactions between a woman and her young son. The story ends with Klatuu sacrificing himself to stop the planet’s destruction process and save the human race. This part of the story gives a human quality to the film. In some ways, the old classic movies and today’s movies are the same. They all have a story line and are aimed at a select audience, whether it’s a particular age bracket, ethnicity, social status other special group. Some of the content in movies can also be related to one’s life, such as the relationship between mother and child, fear of the unknown, and the struggles between good and evil or the strong and the weak. Movies often share a common theme about human nature and bring a message home to the audience that is relative to its time. Since the making of silent films to the movies of today, the emphasis has been on entertainment, making it a favorite family pastime throughout the years. It has created a multi-billion dollar industry that serves its creators as well as the public, because it does more than just entertain. It also educates and informs, gives hope, happiness and inspiration, raises awareness in individuals and creates a higher consciousness among people of all origins. As the movie industry gets older and wiser, it gets better at its craft. As it harnesses technology on all levels, we can look forward to future remakes of today’s movies and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Nature in Literature Essay

Nature is one of the most powerful forces that has ran through literature throughout human history. Ever since the first recorded dramas and philosophical works, man could not avoid being in contact with the world around him, and so his connection to the earth must inevitably be part of his story. In literature, when nature is addressed, it is often in praise or awe, of its terror or of its beauty. Nature can represent the real and visceral as well as the sublime and the mystic. If one examines the work of the Transcendentalists, the Romantic Poets, and certain novelists, it is evident that the underlying feeling is that Nature provides inspiration and bliss, as well as a much-needed refuge from society. One of the best known schools of thought which dealt with Nature in literature is Transcendentalism. The Transcendentalist movement began in America in the 1800s. Transcendentalists believed that the divine could be reached through nature, by any man. The hallmark work of the movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature. The most famous section of the work is when Emerson recalls an experience he had in the woods, and says â€Å"I become a transparent eye-ball. . . . I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God. † (Cromphout 210) Emerson tapped into an experience of non-being, connecting on a purely spiritual level through nature, without need of church or religion. Equally famed is Henry David Thoreau’s work Walden. In this classic, Thoreau captures the spirit of nature, solitude, and finding joy in both. As an experiment, Thoreau left society and went to live in a cabin on Walden Pond. In this famous statement, Thoreau sums up the mission of his experiment: â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. .. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms. † (Thoreau 5)He was making a stand against the materialism and convoluted nature of society- â€Å"Our life is frittered away by detail, simplify, simplify,† he says. For him nature represented the bare essentials- trees, rock, hunger, thirst; the things that lay behind the trappings of society. He took immense joy in the solitude and beauty of his life at Walden Pond. He farmed, observed, and lived in harmony with nature. Walden opened people’s eyes and inspired them, and might be the most classic example of nature in literature. Another Transcendentalist, the most radical and wonderfully incendiary, was Walt Whitman. His most famous work, Leaves of Grass, was written in free verse and was seen as controversial and even obscene by the uptight intellectuals of the day. The essence of his work is a deep oneness with nature, having no shame in being, and joy in what can be seen and felt. In Song of Myself, he says, â€Å"I am satisfied†¦ I see, dance, laugh, sing. † â€Å"The play of shine and shade on the trees as the supple boughs wag†¦ The feeling of health†¦ the full-noon trill†¦ the song of me rising from bed and meeting the sun. † (Whitman 12) For Whitman, nature is all he needs, he takes endless joy in being, tempering the intellect with natural physical pleasures. An equally important school of thought was the Romantic movement in Europe. Romanticism grew out of a rebellion against the Enlightenment and its stark intellectualism. Instead, romanticism revolves around passion, emotion, nature, mystery, turmoil, and all the qualities of life that were not constrained by reason. â€Å"Nature mysticism† was one of the most important aspects of the movement. (Micale 140) The romantics preferred the country and the wilderness to the city, and loved both gentle, pastoral landscapes as well as the turbulent, sublime, dramatic, and exotic. (Micale 150) Of course, literature was at the core of the Romantic movement, and the love of nature is reflected in its works. An excellent example of the â€Å"sublime† side of nature is found in the work of the mysterious literary figure Ossian, who influenced so many of the romantic writers. Ossian was actually the Scottish poet James Macpherson(1736-1796) who wrote a collection of ancient Scottish poems, claiming to be word-of-mouth folk tales, but it is supposed that he wrote them himself. (Simonsuuri 192) The poems involved misty, windblown, rocky landscapes and moonlight, and the romantic images and ideas he brought about captured the imagination of society and of individuals such as Goethe, Napoleon, and Jefferson. (Simonsuuri 287) People were drawn to this exotic, wild side of nature and the worlds that it conjured. An example of the green, pastoral side of nature in romantic literature is found in William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience. In the poem Laughing Song, he says:â€Å"When the green woods laugh with the voice of joyAnd the dimpling stream runs laughing by,When the air does laugh with our merry wit,And the green hill laughs with the noise of it. † (Blake 28) In Songs of Innocence, Blake connects the lovely landscape with youth, joy, and happiness. In his poetry, the countryside represents â€Å"innocence† and all things good, while the city represents â€Å"experience† and disillusionment. In conclusion, nature is one of the strongest forces found in literature. Men have written about the natural world and how it affects them for centuries, and will continue to do so. In Europe, Nature was at the core of the Romantic movement. Their works reflect both the stormy and sublime side of nature as well as the peaceful and pastoral. Either way, the romantics were moved to bliss and rapture by the beauties they saw around them. In America, a similar movement took place with the Transcendentalists, who believed that the unifying spirit in all things could be reached directly through nature. In literature, nature is often perceived with some amount of mysticism. To man, nature represents all that is not machine and society, it represents a state of freedom, passion, and beauty. If one examines the work of the Transcendentalists, the Romantic Poets, and certain novelists, it is evident that the underlying feeling is that Nature provides inspiration and bliss, as well as a much-needed refuge from society. Word count: 1100.