The Titanic Essays - RMS Titanic, Canada, Edwardian Era,

The Titanic On April 14,1912 a great ship called the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. That night there were many warnings of icebergs from other ships. There seems to be a conflict on whether or not the warnings reached the bridge. We may never know the answer to this question. The greatest tragedy of all may be that there were not enough lifeboats for everyone on board. According to Walter Lord, author of The Night Lives On, the Titanic could have been saved in the very beginning of the crisis when the iceberg was first reported to the bridge. If First Officer Murdoch had steamed right at the iceberg instead of trying to avoid it, he might have saved the ship. The author feels there would have been a loud crash and anyone within the first one hundred feet would have been killed, but the ship would have remained afloat(82). This view was entirely speculation and we will never really know if this would have happened. In contrast, Geoffrey Marcus, author of The Maiden Voyage, suggests that the b ridge did not receive warning of the ice from the very beginning. One of the messages received was from the Masaba warning the Titanic of a mass of ice lying straight ahead. According to Marcus, the message never reached the bridge, but instead was shoved under a paper-weight (126). At 10:30 p.m. that evening, a ship going the opposite direction of the Titanic was sighted. This ship, the Rappahannock, had emerged from an ice field and had sustained damage to its rudder. The vessel signaled the Titanic about the ice and the Titanic replied that the message was received (Marcus 127). At 11 p.m. another ice report was received. This one was from the Californian. This liner had passed through the same ice field that the Rappahannock had reported to the Titanic. Like all the other warnings, this warning never reached the bridge though it was known to both of the Titanic's wireless operators (Marcus 128). By the time the bridge realized the ship was about to hit an iceberg, it was too lat e. Quartermaster Hitchens tried to turn the wheel hard to the starboard. Twenty seconds later, he had an order for full speed astern but the iceberg was too close. The starboard side hit the iceberg, bringing a block of ice onto the deck (Pellegrino 21). After the collision occurred, there was only one thing open for Captain Smith to do. It was almost midnight and he gave the order to take to the lifeboats (Lord, Lives On 82). This decision brought Captain Smith face-to-face with the fact that there were 2,201 people on board and enough lifeboats for only 1,178 people (Lord, Lives On 83). The Captain was going to have to make a choice as to who would be the first allowed on the lifeboats. Around 12:30 a.m. the bridge informed the crew that only women and children would be loaded on the lifeboats (Eaton,Haas,152). By 1:30 a.m., there was panic among some of the passengers. One example was on the port side of the boat. A group of passengers threatened to jump into a boat full of passengers. To scare them, one of the officers fired three shots on the ship's side. The warning proved to be successful. Nobody was injured and the passengers calmed down (Eaton and Haas 154). At the last moments with only forty seven available spaces on the last lifeboat, the crew instructed everyone to form a circle around the boat. Women and children were the only people permitted to pass through the circle. A little while after the last lifeboat left, the stern lifted clear out of the water with more than 1500 people still on board (Eaton and Haas 157-161). The climatic moment came at 2:20 a.m. The Titanic stood perpendicular to the water. As people in the lifeboats looked on, they noticed the ship stayed perpendicular for a minute and then disappeared to the bottom of the ocean (Lord, Lives on 137). Captain Rostron of the ship Carpathia determined the distance to the Titanic and quickly calculated the course to answer the Titanic's distress call (Eaton and Haas 177). Once the Carpathia

Conformity Essay essays

Conformity Essay essays Use some psychological studies of conformity to discuss reasons for conforming. According to Leon Mann, conformity means yielding to group pressures. Everyone is a member of one group or another and everyone expects members of these groups to behave in certain ways. If you are a member of an identifiable group you are expected to behave appropriately to it. If you dont confirm and behave appropriately you are likely to be rejected by the group. Like stereotypes, conforming and expecting others to conform maintains cognitive balance. There are several kinds of conformity. Many studies of conformity took place in the 1950s which led Kelman to distinguish between compliance, internalisation and identification. Compliance is the type of conformity where the subject goes along with the group view, but privately disagrees with it. Internalisation is where the subject comes to accept, and eventually believes in the group view. Identification is where the subject accepts and believes the group view, because he or she wants to become Leon Mann identifies normative conformity which occurs when direct group pressure forces the individual to yield under the threat of rejection or the promise of reward. This can occur only if someone wants to be a member of the group or the groups attitudes or behaviour are important to the individual in some way. Apart from normative conformity there is informational conformity which occurs where the situation is vague or ambiguous and because the person is uncertain he or she turns to others for evidence of the appropriate response. Thirdly, Mann identifies ingratiational conformity which occurs where a person tries to do whatever he or she thinks the others will approve in order to gain acceptance (if you make yourself appear to be similar to someone else, they might come to like you). The first major research into conformity was conducted ...

The Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China

The Fall of the Ming Dynasty in China By the beginning of 1644, all of China was in chaos. The severely weakened Ming Dynasty was desperately trying to hold on to power, while a rebel leader called Li Zicheng declared his own new dynasty after capturing the capital city of Beijing. In these dire circumstances, a Ming general decided to issue an invitation for the ethnic Manchus of north-eastern China to come to the countrys aid, and retake the capital city.  This would prove to be a fatal mistake for the Ming. The Ming general Wu Sangui probably should have known better than to ask the Manchus for help. They had been fighting one another for the previous 20 years; at the Battle of Ningyuan in 1626, the Manchu leader Nurhaci had received his fatal injury fighting against the Ming. In the years that followed, the Manchus repeated raided Ming China, capturing key northern cities, and defeating the crucial Ming ally Joseon Korea in 1627 and again in 1636. In both 1642 and 1643, Manchu bannermen drove deep into China, seizing territory and loot. Chaos Meanwhile, in other parts of China, a cycle of catastrophic floods on the Yellow River, followed by wide-spread famine, convinced ordinary Chinese people that their rulers had lost the Mandate of Heaven. China needed a new dynasty. Beginning in the 1630s in the northern Shaanxi province, a minor Ming official called Li Zicheng gathered followers from the disenchanted peasantry. In February of 1644, Li captured the old capital of Xian and declared himself the first emperor of the Shun Dynasty.  His armies marched east, capturing Taiyuan and heading toward Beijing. Meanwhile, further south, another rebellion led by the army deserter Zhang Xianzhong unleashed a reign of terror that included capturing and killing several Ming imperial princes and thousands of civilians. He set himself up as the first emperor of the Xi Dynasty based in Sichuan Province in southwest China later in 1644. Beijing Falls With growing alarm, the Chongzhen Emperor of Ming watched the rebel troops under Li Zicheng advance toward Beijing. His most effective general, Wu Sangui, was far away, north of the Great Wall. The emperor sent for Wu, and also issued a general summons on April 5 for any available military commander in the Ming Empire to come to Beijings rescue. It was no use- on April 24, Lis army broke through the city walls and captured Beijing.  The Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself from a tree behind the Forbidden City. Wu Sangui and his Ming army were on their way to Beijing, marching through the Shanhai Pass at the eastern end of the Great Wall of China.  Wu received word that he was too late, and the capital had already fallen. He retreated to Shanhai.  Li Zicheng sent his armies to confront Wu, who handily defeated them in two battles. Frustrated, Li marched out in person at the head of a 60,000-strong force to take on Wu. It was at this point that Wu appealed to the closest large army nearby- the Qing leader Dorgon and his Manchus. Curtains for the Ming Dorgon had no interest in restoring the Ming Dynasty, his old rivals. He agreed to attack Lis army, but only if Wu and the Ming army would serve under him instead. On May 27, Wu agreed. Dorgon sent him and his troops to attack Lis rebel army repeatedly; once both sides in this Han Chinese civil battle were worn out, Dorgon sent his riders around the flank of Wus army. The Manchu set upon the rebels, quickly overcoming them and sending them flying back toward Beijing. Li Zicheng himself returned to the Forbidden City and grabbed all the valuables he could carry. His troops looted the capital for a couple of days and then scampered west on June 4, 1644, ahead of the advancing Manchus. Li would only survive until September of the following year, when he was killed after a series of battles with Qing imperial troops. Ming pretenders to the throne continued to try to rally Chinese support for restoration for several decades after the fall of Beijing, but none gained much support. The Manchu leaders quickly reorganized the Chinese government, adopting some aspects of Han Chinese rule such as the civil service exam system, while also imposing Manchu customs such as the queue hairstyle on their Han Chinese subjects. In the end, the Manchus Qing Dynasty would rule China right up to the end of the imperial era, in 1911. Causes of Ming Collapse One major cause of the Ming collapse was a succession of relatively weak and disconnected emperors. Early in the Ming period, the emperors were active administrators and military leaders. By the end of the Ming era, however, the emperors had retreated into the Forbidden City, never venturing out at the head of their armies, and seldom even meeting in person with their ministers. A second reason for the collapse of the Ming was the huge expense in money and men of defending China from its northern and western neighbors. This has been a constant in Chinese history, but the Ming were particularly concerned because they had only just won China back from Mongol rule under the Yuan Dynasty.  As it turned out, they were right to worry about invasions from the north, although this time it was the Manchus who took power. A final, huge cause was the shifting climate and disruptions to the monsoon cycle of rains. Heavy rains brought devastating floods, particularly of the Yellow River, which swamped farmers land and drowned livestock and people alike. With crops and stock destroyed, the people went hungry, a sure-fire prescription for peasant uprisings. Indeed, the fall of the Ming Dynasty was the sixth time in Chinese history that a long-standing empire was brought down by peasant rebellion following famine.

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel Essay

The father and son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel - Essay Example Ironically, the way in which this motif permeates the poem gives rise to nearly all of the stages of the story. This essay will argue that the father-son motif in Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel demonstrates the implicit vulnerability of all patriarchal relationships; more particularly, this essay will explain how Dryden employs the father-son motif in order to highlight the danger of a patriarch loving uncritically, the danger of a patriarch offering mercy and restraint to enemies, and the painful burdens that patriarchal figures must endure if they are to survive in such a role. The poem begins almost as an apology; it is apologetic because patriarchs and fathers are forgiven in advance for the miseries to be encountered in the current age. This reference to simpler times is introduced in the first few lines, when Dryden offers that, "In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before polygamy was made a sin; When man on many multiplied his kind, Ere one to one was cursedly confined; When nature prompted, and no law denied, Promiscuous use of concubine and bride;" (1-6). The implication is that there was a time when fatherhood implied no predominant obligation; indeed, this reference to pious times views the father-son relationship without the imposition of certain conditions or risks. Having a generalized duty to many people, being promiscuous and without the curse of being confined, the father may pursue his life freely. The patriarch, in short, may interact with others when nature prompts, he may choose and discard his relationships arbitrarily, and he wi ll not be judged a legitimate or illegitimate father by others. The pious times, in effect, were without negative consequences. These pious times, on the other hand, are at an end. The father-son motif, particularly with the birth of Absalom, demonstrates the most immediate vulnerability of patriarchy. Patriarchal consequences arise and vest most forebodingly with the birth of Absalom. The indifference notable in pious times is notably absent; quite the contrary, King David, was borne a son described as "So beautiful, so brave,Whether inspired by some diviner lust, His father got him with a greater gust; Or that his conscious destiny made way, By manly beauty, to imperial sway" (18-22). The "imperial sway" language is particularly significant; it is significant because King David is creating a special place in his heart and in his monarchy for Absalom. There is no longer any indifference; more interesting, the son has been elevated to a position higher than that enjoyed by either King David's other children or by King David's subjects. It is easy to ascribe the villainy to come to Achitophel, and yet the first sign of a faction is created by the father himself. To be more precise, rather than maintaining a strictly patriarchal relation to all men, King David instead elevated the s on whom would later become his enemy and the cause of much sadness. Thus, if Achitophel might be blamed for taking advantage of this father-son relationship, then King David must accept responsibility for having given so much favor to Absalom in the

Sustainable Development in Malaysia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sustainable Development in Malaysia - Essay Example In 1987, the Montreal Protocol enforces countries to avoid the usage of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) and different substances that lead to the ozone depletion. It is foreseen that CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) usage is reduced substantially then the ozone layer would probably be repaired itself by 2050. According to the Agenda 21, it is concluded that the ozone layer is essential for life. In the absence of ozone, no life would be possible on earth. In order to maintain and achieve increased sustainable development, it is essential to keep ozone layer protected. Sustainable development is referred as the way of determining and sustaining human needs. It also includes the preservation of environment for present life and future generations. Similarly, it is considered that the efficient use of available resources ensures their availability in the future. Sustainable development can be defined as the processes that ensures fulfillment of the present necessities without putting in danger the capacity of future generations to fulfill their own needs. In case of the targets being achieved, many problems will arise that can result in the reduction of capacity of generating anything new. The basic issues that the sustainable development projects are going through is that some times companies have to take actions and make decisions that seem to be non-profitable in the short term, but they ensure long-term sustainability. Similarly, the society should act in a responsible manner and make its efforts to preserve the environment by supporting plantati on that would probably help to reduce ozone destruction. Pusat Tenaga Malaysia was established on 12 May 1998, known to be Malaysia’s Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia). It is a registered as an independent and non-profitable organization that is responsible for green energy in Malaysia that is under the Ministry of

Things Fall Apart Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart Essay Chinua Achebe’s novel â€Å"Things Fall Apart† tells the story of Okonkwo, an ambitious man from the Igbo village of Umuofia, in modern day Nigeria at the onset of the Colonial era. Okonkwo is a rising member of the society until he inadvertently kills a kinsman and must flee for seven years to his mother’s clan so as not to offend the earth goddess of the village. During this time, British Colonialism reaches the Igbo people and quickly alters their traditional way of life. Through this tale of the Igbo Achebe seeks to illustrate the complexities of African societies and how deeply these African societies were affected by Colonialism. Many Europeans entering Africa during the colonial period viewed African society as â€Å"primitive† and lacking the depth of western society. Achebe’s novel seeks to illustrate that far from being unstructured and chaotic, African society was very complex. Umuofian society was not parceled into different spheres of practice but instead maintained a delicate balance in which all aspects of society, from religion to gender roles, are intertwined in order to keep the society running smoothly. The village was lead by elders or men â€Å"of title† who earned their status mostly through personal achievements rather than inheritance (Achebe, 7). Achievements, wisdom, and age all merited respect. Essentially, this respect was a type of social capital that the man could exchange for political capital in a informal power structure. At times this leadership structure was stronger than others. Sometimes the elders of the village were distinguished in their position of authority, such as the times they perform religious tasks for the community. However, even when the role of the village leaders if defined they feel a responsibility to the community, as the only members of the society qualified to fill such prescribed roles. These social responsibilities did not officially come with their titles. Umuofia seemed to function on a consent basis, meaning that each person had to choose to keep society running smoothly. It was not uncommon for all the men to be called together to make a collective decision. For example, all the men of Umuofia were called to one large corporate meeting to decide a course of action when a neighboring village murdered a woman from their village. At this meeting, the elders of the community had no official political distinction, however, the respect accorded them by their social position helped their voices to be heard. Consent and collectivity were major facets of the Umuofian society that allowed for informal leadership. For example it is said that the â€Å"the village [collectively] imposes† a fine on anyone who lets his cow loose (Achebe, 68). The reason that Igbo society could function with such informal structure was the importance and knowledge of traditions. These traditions were taught to the children and young adults so that they would be able to participate in the script of village life. It is almost as if these formal traditions allowed for the informal leadership structure by tacking the role as the backbone of society. Nearly all aspects of life in the village were run by such formal traditions. For example, upon receiving a visitor, the owner of the house always presented a Kola nut, which they ate together as a sign of hospitality. The meeting of all the men is an additional example of this tradition because it was organized by a system of drums and â€Å"callers† under the expectation that the people would be able to interpret the call (Achebe, 8). There is social power in knowledge of these traditions. Kinship was an additional level of social control in the village of Umuofia and had two social consequences. Kinship was traced through patrilineage, with great respect given to the eldest male members of the family. This familial hierarchy reproduced the traditions that dictated social interactions by instilling these customs in the younger generations. The second consequence was the ties of kinship that connected the nine Igbo villages. While descent and clanship was traced through the father’s line, intermarriage among the villages created ties to the mother’s village and connected multiple clans. In this way, the Igbo society maintained nine autonomous, though interlinked, villages without a direct formal hierarchy of social or political power such, as a head chief or king between them. The greatest of all elders were the ancient ancestors and founders of Umuofia. These ancestors essentially filled the highest political roles in the village. They resided as judges over disputes and gave advice in troubled times. In this way it was not necessary, and would in fact have been an insult to the ancestors, for a man to fill the highest political role in the village because the ancestors had the final power anyway (Achebe, 55-57). It was said that â€Å"the land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestor† and that â€Å"a man’s life from birth to death†¦brought him nearer and nearer to the ancestors† (Achebe, 73). The deep complexity of Umuofian society meant that colonialism’s effects were devastating to the village’s way of life. The British administration which colonized the area did not understand the Umuofian traditions and instead decided to treat them like children who needed to be taught the proper ways of society (Achebe, 109). The beliefs and practices of the Christian missionaries were especially in contradiction to the traditions and beliefs that structured Umuofian society because the missionaries considered the ancestors to be false gods. They preached against them and effectively left the society without leaders. The colonial administration always saw situations from their perspective. As Achebe says â€Å"they had built a court where the district commissioner judged cases in ignorance† (99). For example, the British punished the elders of the clan for destroying the missionaries’ church because they thought they had the responsibility to keep order in the colony, while the clan leaders had thought they too were keeping order in the community by avenging the death of an ancestor and had the right to do so because it was their community. To compare the political structures of these two cultural groups, in Britain one person had ultimate political power, and society enforced this power, while Umuofian society required cooperation of all members and thus, I believe, showed a greater level of social integration than Britain, which relied heavily on its chain of command in order to function. Because of the intricacies of Umuofian society Britain was able to destabilize the whole of Umuofian society simply by affecting certain aspects of the society. Inversely the Umuofians would have had to dispose of the Queen of England to bring down the colonialists.

Free Essays on A Dolls House: Marital Lessons :: Dolls House essays

Marital Lessons from A Doll's House    Divorce has become widely accepted throughout the world. In today's world, the violent shredding of a family is shrugged off like the daily weather.   The Norwegian play A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, is a prime example of a marriage that didn't work. The marriage of Torvald and Nora Helmer had many problems because the husband and wife couldn't discover the secrets of marital bliss. To keep a marriage alive and growing it must hold true to four qualities: love, communication, trust and loyalty, and perseverance. With the incorporation of these qualities any marriage would work.    Without love a relationship would probably not even begin. Two people meet, a friendship forms, and soon a romance blossoms. Though the basis for Nora and Torvald's relationship appeared to be centered around love, the needed balance was not obtained. Torvald didn't really love Nora; to him she was just another child to mind. He said, 'And I wouldn't want you to be any different from what you are-just my sweet little song bird. But now I come to think of it, you look rather-rather-how shall I put it? -rather as if you've been up to mischief today' ( 151). Calling his wife names such as 'skylark,' 'squirrel,' and 'spendthrift,' Torvald does not love his wife with the respect and sensitivity a man should. The main area where Torvald showed his lack of love for Nora was in the way he managed his house. Torvald was the owner of what he believed to be a perfect doll house. This doll house was first controlled by Nora's domineering father, and once Nora entered marriage, the titles and dee ds to this doll house were handed over to Torvald. Torvald manipulated Nora, and then the children through her according to his wants, sure that he could never lose control over his precious doll house. This lack of love and imperious attitude would eventually ruin their marriage. Nora was the only one of the two partners who showed love for the other in this play. Going against all the odds a woman faced in the late nineteenth century, Nora went behind her husband's back, borrowed a large sum of money, forged her father's signature, and went on to pay it off with hopes of Torvald never hearing of it. She refused to be a doll, and would alternate personalities between 'Torvald's little skylark,' and 'Nora the intelligent and strong woman.

Case Garuda Indonesia Essay

In spite of the rapid growth in both passengers the traffic and fleet during the oil boom of the 1970’s, thus making it the â€Å"largest airline in the Southern Hemisphere†, Garuda, as it was known then, had been plagued by a bad reputation as well as heavy losses year after year. Having been a member of Mr. Lumenta’s management team of Garuda since November 17, 1984, Mr. Soeparno had the opportunity to involve himself with the management in its efforts to develop and implement new strategies to turn around the airline, which posted a net loss of U.S.$7 million in 1984 (exhibit 9), into profitability. He was therefore very pleased to see the company making a profit for the first time in more than a decade, to the tune of a modest rupiah 300 million (exhibit1). This result confirmed Mr. Soeparno’s confidence in the effectiveness of the policies adopted by Mr. Lumenta upon the latter’s appointment as President Director of Garuda in 1984. As the newly appointed President of Garuda, Mr. Soeparno is caught in the middle of a dilemma of whether to continue Mr. Lumenta’s successful policies or to formulate a new set of policies which would enhance the company’s ability to deal with the challenges it may face during his term and beyond. I. CENTRAL PROBLEM The weaknesses of their system were the manually produced passenger tickets and failure of reservation system. II. AREAS OF COSIDERATION a. Strength †¢ Good management †¢ Their business was expanding †¢ Higher Economic growth †¢ Biggest airlines in the Southern Hemisphere b. Weakness †¢ System weakness †¢ Not customer oriented TIME CONTEXT: January 6, 1988 SUMMARY: On January 6, 1988, Mr. Mohammad Soerparno (50) was appointed by the c. Opportunities †¢ Better condition of world’s economy †¢ The progress in business climate in Indonesia d. Threats †¢ Uncertain economic situation †¢ Increasing competition ANALYSIS Mr. Lumenta is a very hardworking and a responsible business man. He is a role model of the business industry, he find ways to settle the problems of the company, maintaining the stability the airlines is his one objective. Maintaining the stability of a company is not that easy, they encounter up’s and down. But in the case of the Garuda Indonesia they are the most prestige airlines in the country, they are the top among their competitors. III. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION I have therefore conclude that the best solution to the problem is In every business, negative and positive feedback of customer is always there. It is one of the reasons why company’s relay’s on their feedback, to know what the other ways are their going to accomplish just to satisfy their customer wants. Satisfying customers is one of the important, because your business cannot stand alone without them. Through them your business will evolve. As a recommendation, in order for that your customer will be sincere in your company you should show nice treatment to him, always prioritize you customer and new offers or new environment is one of the reason why customer is always constant to your company.

Allegory or Reflective Metamorphic Essay on What Ways I am a Prisoner

Waking up in the morning is may be the easiest part of my day. Going through the whole day, every day of my life is the hardest. This is the life of a prisoner, but I am not the typical behind-the-bars crook; I am a prisoner of my own life, with just a peephole as my only chance of escape. It’s not that I hate my life or people around me, it’s just that, I think I could be more than what I am today, that continuing this kid of life that I have is like wasting precious sands of the hour glass.This is not some wild imagination, not just some long shot hope, for I am now creating away out of this prison, making the peephole wider, so that my body could go through. I am currently employed full time, living a life with my family of three kids, one is 8 years old, another 2 years old, and the youngest is just 10 months old. I can say that I can go by everyday with what I do for a living, but still, there are some things missing in my life. I can feel it – even though I can’t see it, I know that it does exist.That’s the point where I realized that I am living my life in prison. Something is hindering me from freedom, from fully discovering myself and my potentials. Even though I have a happy family, it is like its being overshadowed by that desire to break free from prison. A life in prison for me is a typical day doing the same things over and over again. I wake up; spend a little time with my beloved family, and eventually spending the biggest chunk of my day at the work place. Sometimes, I ask myself, does everyone feel like this.Am I supposed to be doing the same things over and over again, spending my time alone, away from my family in order to make some money? I kept asking this question for so many times, but still, the answer just won’t pop in my head. What do I need to do? I feel like I am behind the cold steel bars, locked up away from the real world, forced to live a life under a routine, doing the same things over and over again for so many days. Not a day was different, with no means of escape, no way to fight for my way out.I was living a life of a free man struggling to be freed from an unknown prison which only he knows about it. By the end of the day, I am exhausted, drained to the bones. I can’t spend more time with my family because I have to sleep in order to wake up early for tomorrow’s work. I wanted to spend more time with them, but I can’t; I think this is a consequence of being a prisoner (Anonymous). You can’t decide on the things you really want to do. You have to go by the routine, or else you’ll suffer. For me, suffering is hard because it will not be felt by me alone.It will also affect my family, my loved ones, because they depend on me for sustenance so that they could grow into healthy, normal, free people. I think about them so much, and then I realize that I can’t stop now. I shouldn’t be selfish; if I only think about my self, then my family will suffer. I think a lot, maybe this is what prisoners do with their spare time. Unfortunately, thinking a lot also has its consequences. It keeps me from falling asleep, which is very bad in my case. You see, sleeping has been the only luxury that a prisoner can enjoy.He can be at peace with himself and with his surroundings. He is at ease, blissfully resting the night through, wishing that it would be longer so that his tired body will regain its energy to the fullest. It also gives the prisoner something that he could hold on to for a while, something that he could really treasure. Being in prison you learn to value sleeping because it is where his dreams are made. Dreams for me come in different forms. It could be about the things that make me happy, or be about my family’s happy moments.Sometimes, it could bring about nightmares, but I’ve learned that if you live a life of a prisoner, you learn not to fear these nightmares. Sleeping is only about dreams, and these dreams not only bring about happiness, it can also give you a little bit of hope, and maybe a glimpse of what lies ahead in the future. There was one time when I dreamt about my life, about being a prisoner (Brians). It gave me a clear view of what my real problem was, the reason I became a prisoner in my own life. It was because of my lack of education which has brought me behind bars.It gave me a clear mental picture of what it’s like if had finished schooling. I could be someone else, be someone better. I could have a chance in landing a better job, and possibly a better life. I can make the most of what I do, and I can make my family happier. It wasn’t just a dream because it showed me the way. It is reality – I can make everything real. Everything is possible, as long as I believe that I can. Armed with the dream of finishing school, I packed up everything I need. It would require all of my wits, my confidence and my willingness to p ursue this dream. Luckily, I have everything I need with me.That’s why I took the step which I know would take me out of this prison. Through the small peephole of my dream, I will make a larger hole, in which I can pass through and be free from this prison. It was the lack of education that has kept me well behind bars. It’s now my time to escape. Works Cited: Anonymous. â€Å"Prison Vs. Work†. 2007. September 15 2007. . Brians, Paul. â€Å"Plato: The Allegory of the Cave, from the Republic†. 1998. September 15 2007. .

buy custom Digital Literacy essay

buy custom Digital Literacy essay Computer literacy in the work place requires prove through numerous certifications (EDC, 2005). The certifications to prove digital literacy include ICDL, ECDL, IC, and GDLC. The curricula for certification often changes with the changing technology making it necessary for people to re-certify in order to remain competitive with the changing technology (Bawden and Robinson, 2008). The major aspect of digital literacy to consider is the impact it has in the society today. Digital literacy has profound benefits in the world today and in the countries where the level of digital literacy is high. Most of the jobs today require the knowledge to use computers and use the internet to perform basic functions. Companies recruiting people in the workforce therefore require people with this knowledge and require certifications from those they are to employ. People with digital literacy therefore will be more likely to get employment in the growing number of companies using digital technology (EDC, 2005). A growing number of companies are dealing with innovations, development, and maintenance of digital technology. The companies are requiring employees who must be proficient with the digital technology. Job recruiters mostly look for potential employees in the internet. People with digital literacy are therefore more likely to be economically stable as compared to those who are illiterate in egards to digital technology (Bawden and Robinson, 2008). Countries with the high level of digital literacy, e.g. China are doing well in terms of economy while the countries with low level of digital literacy are struggling with their economy, e.g. most third world countries (Gilster, 1997). Digital literacy has had major impacts on the education sector (Bawden and Robinson, 2008). Students need to get information on the current technological advancements in the world. In order to get the information students require digital literate teacher and the use of computers in classrooms to make sure the students get the right and adequate information on the matter (Bawden and Robinson, 2008). Digital technology has made research done by students easy, students are able to access millions of databases found online on the subject of research using search engines such as Google. Libraries are also increasingly hosted online making access of information easier to students. Students are also able to interact with students worldwide exchanging ideas, which help in the advancement of education and innovations (Education Development Centre 2005). Digital literacy has enhanced communication between different people. Mobile phone technology has made it possible for people to communicate at any given time, anywhere in the world (EDC, 2005). A social network such as Facebook helps friends and family reconnect and stay in touch with each other. Social networks have provided the avenue where people pass timely important information. News also spread faster with the use of digital technology. Digital technology has also made it possible for the digital literate to buy and sell goods easily through the internet. Digital literacy therefore improves on the social life of the digitally literate persons. Digital literacy has also some negative effects on the society. Digital technology resulted to crimes such as cybercrimes. This includes cyber bullying and computer piracy among others. Digital literacy has also made it easier for crimes like fraud and conning (Bowden, Robinson2008). The major factor affecting digital literacy is the access to digital technology (Bawden and Robinson, 2008). Improving on the development of the digital technology and thus providing access of the technology would be the major boost towards digital literacy. Conclusion Digital literacy has many benefits to a country as it generally helps in improving the economy of a country. Countries where digital literacy is high do well economically (Gilster, 1997). Although digital literacy has its disadvantages, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, it should be a duty of every individual and country to seek digital literacy. Buy custom Digital Literacy essay

Analysis Of Learning Style And The Implications For Teaching Education Essay

Analysis Of Learning Style And The Implications For Teaching Education Essay This piece of writing is designed to explore how I learn as a student Radiographer and how this could potentially affect the way I teach future Radiographers upon graduation. This will allow me to understand, rethink and improve my methods of teaching that will benefit and not hinder learning of the students I would be teaching. Learning is all about new skills and new information, through purposeful change or through new experiences (Reece and Walker, 2003). Kolb’s experiential learning theory was designed in order to stage learning and understand how people perceived and processed new knowledge. Kolb created a learning cycle that consisted of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation which could be entered at any point in response to a learning activity depending on the individual preference (Kolb and Kolb, 2005). According to Honey and Mumford (1992) learners can be placed into four categories, Activist, Reflector, T heorist and Pragmatist. The usual outcome is that learners are a part of all four but dominate more in one. It is even possible to adapt to different learning styles to cope with different learning situations (Fatt, 2000). In order to discover how I perceive challenges, interact with them and respond to them it is important to outline what my learning style is as people can perceive learning experiences in many different ways. Having completed the structured approach to learning styles questionnaire, it shows that I dominate more in the reflective learning style and closely followed by theorist (see appendix 2). As a reflective learner I tend to reflect on my experiences and think hard before finishing any work. I consider any implications before the activity and like to listen to and observe other people before doing it myself (Honey and Mumford, 1992) and this is exactly how I learn in practice and everyday life. This is not the ideal type of learning in some situations especially in practice. As stated above reflectors learn better when they can be allowed to stand back and observe, allowed to think, prepare, then review what has happened afterwards. An example of when this can be detrimental to reflective learners is when radiographers have to modify their technique for plain film examinations. I cannot begin to modify a technique until I have seen it being performed; this is also true of learning how to use radiographic equipment which will be a disadvantage for when I qualify in the fact I would need to consider the technique for a while before doing it. In a busy department reflective learning cannot always happen, this type of learning takes time which is not always possible when there are time constraints and when staff are very busy. Another problem that could occur is that staff may think that the student does not want to participate or learn and that they are shying away but in reality the student wants to observe something before they participate which is not the fault of the student. In clinical practice this learning style can actually be a learning barrier to students and will take longer to learn new experiences. Although sometimes in a busy environment, just being able to observe from afar is sometimes more helpful to the reflective learner. Other barriers to learning for reflectors in practice is past negative experiences, lack of time within a busy environment, lack of support from the radiographers, lack of clear intent of what the learner is supposed to be doing, high expectations of knowledge and technique and being within a hostile environment (Downie and Basford, 2003). These barriers can prevent reflection so this learning activity will remain negatively in the reflective learners mind (Downie and Basford, 2003). But being in a clinical environment is still the best way to learn such a skill as radiography and this will still benefit reflective learners and indeed all learners despite the few barriers that exist (Gopee, 2008).

Reflecting imaging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reflecting imaging - Essay Example Cameras form the central part in understanding the image formation processes. The analogue forms the start of modern imagery with components remaining the same over the years. The principle of using reflected light from the object still forms the integral part in image formation. Some cameras such as those used at night in infrared radiation detection are one of the few types that do not use the same principle of reflection target object. Significant similarity between human eyes and digital cameras is very clear. Capturing, storage and display of the images has improved overtime with current images store in data form and displayed on the camera.in the article, an explanation of digitisation and the processes involved such as quantisation and sampling has remained elaborated. The article further explains terms and problems associated with this digitisation. Imaging is a form of visual representation of an object or reproduction of the same visual object. Reflection is the property of waves changing direction by bouncing off the surface of object as they cannot pass through or get absorbed. The bouncing of light is the most common and it is important in image formation even to human eyes. Reflected light imaging is the process of forming images when electro-optical waves bounce from the target to the camera or recording device. However, transmission imaging involves waves passing through the object before reaching the camera or recording device. In this imaging technique, the images produced depend on the absorption and reflective properties of the object at the specific wavelength of the incident light. Classification of images leads to an image being a digital or analogue image based their properties. Digital image relates to visual illustration of an object in an electronic form that can remains manipulated and stored by electronic devices, which are 2D image I[r, c]. These kinds of images are tangible but have