Career in Financial Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Career in Financial Planning - Essay Example To be able to deliver that effectively, the scope that requires thorough understanding is listed below. A good financial planner understands investments, taxes, estate planning issues and strategies. In order to acquire adequate expertise, financial planners must be familiar with legal restrictions and laws concerning retirement plans, tax shelters, insurance, and trusts. There are several journals and other reliable sources that provide details which planners need to be aware of; few of the sources have been listed in forth coming sections. In order to succeed in financial planning one not only needs to know the details of various investments, tax law, estate planning strategies, but also needs to be an active listener, good at marketing oneself, above average interpersonal skills with an analytical mind that can work with numbers and budges, understand complicated financial and legal documents. In addition, they should be articulate, persuasive, and have fairly decent selling ability. While associating myself in knowing the significant elements of financial world, I have also kept myself engaged in developing the required skills. 4. Target Clients - High Net worth Individuals are a Key Target A growth area in financial planning and money management is targeting the high net worth individual. PSI, a financial services consultant, estimates that over 4 million US households have a net worth in excess of $1 million, which is encouraging enough to dwell more on this crowd to explore more opportunities for business and sales. 5. Sources There is benefit of attending local chapter meetings of financial planner organizations. The best way to find out the identity of a local chapter is through any of the three national financial planner organizations: (1) Institute for Certified Financial Planners (2) International Association for Financial Planning or (3) National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. I also plan to be updated from top trade magazines including Today's Realtor and Mortgage Banking Magazine and online at Inman News, the leading electronic broadcast service in real estate Informally I will also keep track of all the blogs veteran certified financial planners maintain, to develop some kind of competitive intelligence and be better facilitated with facts about the sector as a whole. Websites of leading firms that hire Financial Planners like AIG, Ameriprise Financial, Edward Jones, John Hancock. Primerica also will provide enough insights about the

Current Events Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current Events - Assignment Example My previous heads were ethical in their dealings and this culture was propagated to the junior staff members, who also choose to be ethical. The other was through the right checks and balances as far as monitoring of ethical behavior was concerned. This role was majorly delegated to the supervisors of junior and casual staff. An organization that has been faced with numerous allegations of irregularities is FIFA, the football governing body headed by Sepp Blatter. Over the years there have been various questions that have been directed towards how ethical Sepp’s decisions have been. This has tainted the image of FIFA around the world. At this point the company is working to repair this image. One of the ways in which it is doing this is by the appointment of Michael Garcia as the head of its ethics committee (BBC, 2013). The appointment of a lawyer to this post places the company in a position to secure public trust in two ways. One is that a change in the leadership of this body shows commitment towards becoming more ethical. Two is the fact that Michael has shown his commitment to this task by implementing measures that will restore public

Leadership Vision Paper Essay Example for Free

Leadership Vision Paper Essay The vision statement continues the expression of the desired service and the level of achievement necessary to achieve the mission. The values selected are those that support example of innovation-based mission, vision, and values statement (Porter-O’Grady Malloch, 2011.) My vision statement is: To treat all patients with dignity and respect at all times. To explain not only what I am about to do for them, but why. I will provide Evidence-based research, when available, for their knowledge. I will allow them autonomy, in their decisions. I will provide each patient compassion and empathy, at all times. I will remember they are a person not just a patient. We will come to understand the vision through the various sections of this paper. The sections are: Key concepts of vision, Critique of evidence, Importance in nursing and lastly, the Summary. Key concepts of vision I believe that when a patient is given the evidence-based information in a clear and concise manner, they are in a better position to make better medical decisions. While I am providing each patient with evidence-based research, I am proving them with the necessary tools to make the informed decisions. In turn, giving them the autonomy they deserve. Being respectful, showing empathy and compassion are all easy tasks to perform, when the patient is thought of as a person, not just a patient. An example would be when I explain why I am about to perform some task, not simply that I am going to perform the task. I need to ask permission of the patient, giving them the opportunity to reject the task. It may be in their best interest to have the task performed, but, if I respect them, then I will respect their decision. Critique of evidence In an article titled, Toward the ‘Tipping Point’: Decision Aids and Informed patient Choice, â€Å"there is strong evidence that patient decision aids not only improve decision quality but also prevent the overuse of options that informed patients do not value†. Which I believe aids in better patient satisfaction. Policymakers increasingly believe that encouraging patients to play a more active role in their health care could improve quality, efficiency, and health outcomes (Coulter Ellins, 2007). Another area that I have an important stance on is that the patient is a person, not just a patient. In an article by Danielle Ofri, she talks about a crowded waiting area where the medical assistant is yelling out the patient’s name, so cattle-like. â€Å"Nevertheless it feels horrible to me, so demeaning, like we’re in the DMV instead of a medical clinic. I want the environment to be more humane, more civilized, and so when I go out to call a patient, I use a much softer voice, with a tone that I hope conveys more respect.† Importance to nursing According to Lesly Simmons, a blogger for Georgetown University, the Nursing profession is the most ethical and honest profession for the 11th year in the Gallup survey. â€Å"Nurses have been the highest ranked profession for 11 out of 12 years.† So why is that? Nurses consistently capture patient and public trust by performing in accordance with a Code of Ethics for Nurses that supports the best interests of patients, families, and communities. They often are the strongest advocates for patients who are vulnerable and in need of support (Sachs Jones, 2012). Summary Treating the patient as a person shows the patient that I respect them as a person. When I respect them as a person, I have more compassion and empathy for them. When I have empathy, compassion and respect for them, I can help them make better choices. By giving them evidence-based research I am providing them with the tools so they can be more informed. By being more informed, they have a better understanding of their situation. By them understanding their situation, they will then have autonomy. Allowing the patient autonomy, gains respect from the patient for the nurse. Hence, making the nursing profession the most honest and ethical profession over the last decade. So, I continue to keep my vision statement close at hand. References Coulter, Angela., Ellins, Jo. (2007). Effectiveness of strategies for informing, educating and involving patients. BMJ 2007;335:24 O’Connor, A. M., Wennberg, J. E., Legare, F., Llewelllyn-Thomas, H. A., Moulton, B. W., Sepucha, K. R.,Sodano, A. G., King, J. S. (2007). Toward the ‘Tipping Point’:Decision Aids and Informed Patient Choice. Health Affairs. May 2007. Vol. 26(3) p716-725. Ofri, Danielle. (2012). Humanizing Medicine and Respecting the Patient. A Sweet Life. January 19, 2012. Retrieved on January 16, 2013 from http://asweetlife.org/feature/humanizing-medicine-and-respecting-the-patient/ Porter-Ogrady, T., Malloch, K. (2011). Quantum leadership: Advancing innovativion, transforming health care. Strategies to integrate and advance innovation. 3rd ed. p149. Sudbury, MA: Jones Bartlett. Sachs, Adam Jones, Jemarion. (2012). Nurses Earn Highest Ranking Ever, Remain Most Ethical of Professions in Poll ANA Urges Policymakers to Listen to Nurses on Health Care Policy, Funding. American Nurses Association. News Release December 4, 2012. Simmons, Lesly. (2011). Nurses Most Respected Profession for 11th Year. [ emailprotected] Blog. May 16th, 2011.

Strategic Management And Decision Making

Strategic Management And Decision Making When the benefits of actions are predictable, when the forces or variables that drives the firm are known and move in deterministic manner, when the deviations arent high , one can easily use standard decision making optimization techniques. But when the situations are unpredictable, forces are unknown and move in unpredictable and non-linear manner, and then optimization principles will not help much. And this is what we are facing today. The utter necessity of tactical, operational and strategic approach is the solution to such dynamic situations that can be achieved through making important decisions strategically. CHARACTERISTICS AND APPROCHES TO STRATEGIC DECSION MAKING Unlike routine decisions, strategic decisions are highly substantial and significant that has pervasive and long term effect on an organization life. Such decisions must have following characteristics to be considered as a direction for future actions throughout an organization, these are: Rare: Strategic decisions are rare and unusual and do not have any example or model to follow. Consequential: Since strategic decisions are substantial, therefore its demands lot of dedication from people at all levels. Percussive: Good strategic decisions serve as a role model and set standards for upcoming decisions in future. Also as stated by Cyert and March(1963) that in established organization, the scope for decision making is limited by prior decision, either explicit or implicit, as well as being limited by morally committed to resources and departments etc. According to Thompsons (1967) decisions has 2 major dimensions i.e. preference about possible outcomes and cause and effect relations. And the degree of certainty and uncertainty is defined by causation and outcome preference, as shown in figure below: Fig.1 Situation Certainty Uncertainty Certain Computational Compromise Uncertain Judgmental Inspirational Computational Decision Making: Computational decisions are the outcomes of linear relation between causation and preferred outcomes. For examples, if company wishes to increase its sales by 2%, it must increase its advertisement by 4% , and for 4% sales, it must increase advertisement by 8%, knowing linear relation exists between cause and effect. Thus increasing advertisement increase sales by double and this is called programmed decisions by Simon(1997). Judgmental Decision Making: It occurs when cause and effect relation is uncertain, but outcome preference is certain. For examples a company targets to increase its sales by 2% for the coming year, but is uncertain about how to much increase advertisement to reach such target. So some kind of experienced powerful individual of committee with high intuition is required for effective decisions. Compromise Decision making: Compromise decisions are the outcomes of situations where there is certainty about causation and uncertainty about preferred outcomes. From previous examples, if company knows from its historical data that for every 2% increase in sales, the advertising must be increased by double, this is causation certainty, but there is uncertainty about achieving desired goals with respect to increase in sales. Inspirational Decision Making: Such decisions are the outcomes of both uncertainty about cause and effect as well aS preferred outcomes. For an instance, a company isnt sure that how much advertising percent be increased to get certain percent of sales increment. So for such cases a entrepreneurial mode or well planned mode is required to make careful decisions. Because of uncertain business environment, decision makers face difficulty matching probability with outcomes, having many decision tools in hand. However, again despite of having such tools, lack of accuracy is also one of the biggest obstacles in making decisions strategically. In short we can summarize typical problems involved in strategic decision making are: Uncertainty: Dealing with excessive complexity and rapid changes Self-fulfilling prophecies: Coping with situations that external factors arent fixed, but are affected by decisions. Fragmentation: Working to connect regional functional groups. According to Mintzberg, there are different approaches to making strategic decisions, that could be done by one person or by team. Entrepreneurial Mode The strategy is developed by one individual with strong entrepreneurial capabilities, supported by the owners vision of direction. It is a good example of availing the available opportunities. Example AOL, Amazon.com. Adaptive Mode Unlike entrepreneurial mode, adaptive mode is the focus on the threats posed by external conditions, rather than search for opportunities. Planning Mode Planning mode is the combination of both entrepreneurial mode and adaptive mode, which consist of proactive search for opportunities and reactive solutions to current problems. It is a typical form of decision making where set alternatives strategies are presented and the best are chosen and implemented. Logical Incrementalism This philosophy of decision making is characterized by achieving organizational objectives by disseminating large organizational objectives into small steps for better focus. Though it is time consuming, but offers greater flexibility. STEPS IN STRATEIC DECISION MAKING PROCESS One of the distinguishing factor of strategic decisions from other decisions is context in which decision is made. The figure below represents this context in 3 Cs form i.e. Company, Competitor and Customer. This means that managers ( company) make decision within organizational context ,with influence from other players like customers and competitors .Thus we can say that managerial strategic decision is outcome of number of players like manager himself, customers, competitors, public, media etc. As we can also see from figure that many factors, both external and internal are involved in strategic decision making. There are modifiers, influencers, and controllers and so on that decides the viability of decision making. As mentioned before that most appropriate approach to strategic decision making is Planning mode, because it is more analytical, flexible in dealing with complex and changing environment, and consist of presenting set alternative strategies in response to solution for existing problems or looking for new opportunities. Following are the steps involved in strategic decision making process, shown in fig. 4 Evaluate current performance result: The first step in decision making is (a) evaluating current performance of the company in terms of various measuring tools of decision making i.e. NPV, ROI, profitability etc and (b) evaluating the current mission, vision, strategies and policies of the organization. Review corporate governance Assess the performance of the organizations board of directors and top management, and agency head. Scan and assess the external environment Analyze the external environment. i.e. Societal and Task environment, for opportunities and threats and weigh external strategic factors. Scan and assess the internal environment Analyze the internal environment i.e. organization Culture, Structure and Resources for example programs, IT needs, constraints and weigh strategic factors in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Analyze strategic (SWOT) factors Consider strategic factors in light of current department situation and review and revise the firms mission, vision, strategies and objectives. Generate, evaluate and select the best alternative strategy Keeping in view the previous step of analyzing strategic factors, operate and evaluate strategic alternatives and options and choose the best feasible options. Implement selected strategies Once the strategies are chosen, the next important step is to implement them keeping in considerations factors like budget, resources etc. Evaluate implemented strategies This is a very important step in decision making to check for any deviation from actual desired and pre- planned outcomes. CONCLUSION Strategic management is one of the very important areas in business environment and making decisions strategically is one of the biggest challenges in todays rapidly changing and complex environment. Strategic decision making is a process of generating alternatives and choosing the best feasible alternatives for achieving long run objectives of the organization. Good strategic decisions are rare, consequential and directive, that set standard for future actions. The context in which the decisions are made is very important, as mentioned; it is external players like customers, competitors, media etc along with internal input from managerial efforts that effect quality of decisions. And also it is very important to know how these factors influences the quality and effectiveness of strategic decision making and be proactive to convert threats into opportunities, rather than being re-active in finding solutions to current problems. REFERENCES http://www.dol.gov/cio/programs/ITStrategicPlan2006/decisionmakingprocess.jpg http://www.stratrisk.co.uk/about/execSummary/fig3x470x345.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management http://books.google.ae/books?id=c35YVifvGekCprintsec=frontcoverdq=strategic+decision+makingsource=blots=EPD5PfXGS-sig=WcXC9bk8R0bxKf1TZpZriuic-Ashl=enei=kLUhTKazFsaLONHUiTosa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false Raghbir S. Basi, University Professor of Management and Glenn and Eva Olds Professor of International Understanding, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, Alaska, Administrative decision making: a contextual analysis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management#cite_note-79 Understanding Managers Strategic Decision-Making Process, WILIAM BOULDING ~ Fuqua S «hool of B «Ã‚ «siness, Duke Universitv Box 90121, Durham, NC 27708-1020 Retrived from URL : http://www.springerlink.com/content/rg6770h0148641l7/fulltext.pdf (Mulcaster, W.R. Three Strategic Frameworks, Business Strategy Series, Vol 10, No1, pp68 75, 2009) Our book Wheelen T.L ( ) and Hunger J. D Strategic Management and Business Policy Strategic decision making : Applying The Analytical Herarchical Process Navneet Bhushan and Kanwal Rai Retrieved from URL http://books.google.ae/books?id=c35YVifvGekCprintsec=frontcoverdq=strategic+decision+makingsource=blots=EPD5PfXGS-sig=WcXC9bk8R0bxKf1TZpZriuic-Ashl=enei=kLUhTKazFsaLONHUiTosa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false

Proven Methods Of Child Discipline Essay -- essays research papers

The world we live in today is a very competitive place. There is a constant competition going on to find jobs and move up the ladder of success. As human beings we are naturally devoted to instilling some kind of success in our children. To ensure that children are successful in life they need to be well disciplined but also socially and morally developed human beings. It is the parent’s duty to keep their children well disciplined along with giving them the opportunity to develop socially and morally. But how is it possible to approach this task correctly? Using proven methods of discipline through reasoning, positive and negative reinforcement, and observational learning one can effectively discipline their children without risking damage to the child’s social and moral development. Research has shown that using reasoning as a method for discipline more often helps develop a child’s ability to conform to the standards of what is considered right or just behaviour. Discipline derives from the Latin word â€Å"disciplinare† meaning â€Å"to teach†. Thus, reasoning can be used as an effective tool to teach your children right from wrong. As opposed to the â€Å"We’re doing it this way because I say so method† through reasoning a parent is able to convey the importance of socially acceptable behaviour to the child. The main emphasis of reasoning is to provide your child with clear and straight forward guidelines of acceptable behaviour, to explain the consequences of good and bad behaviour and also to convey to your child why the consequences are necessary. 1 on 1 sit downs are important in helping your child to understand these concepts. A recent university study involving over 100 children and their parents showed that disciplini ng children i... ...ly is! Parents must motivate children to act correctly while giving them an understanding of why it is so important. Parents must increase good behaviour and decrease bad behaviour without risking any damage to the child’s moral development. This can all be achieved by parents through reasoning with children, by setting specific guidelines of good/bad behaviour and making sure children understand the consequences of their actions, through positive and negative reinforcement, by rewarding and praising good behaviour and reprimanding privileges for bad behaviour, and also through observational learning, where the parents themselves have to be role models of acceptable behaviour for the children. Punishment is not a proven method of child discipline. Although it is very effective in the short term it will lead to bigger problems in children’s development down the road.

The Origin of the Work of Art Essay -- Literary Analysis, Heidegger

In The Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger attempts to the answer the question of what art is, as well as try to find the origin of art itself. In his attempt Heidegger distinguishes between his ideas of â€Å"Work† and â€Å"Equipment†. While, central to his argument within The Origin of the Work of Art, these ideas are important within themselves in Heidegger’s Philosophy. In this essay I will define as well as compare and contrast these two concepts. I will also explain the ideas of â€Å"Earth† and â€Å"World† presented by Heidegger in order to facilitate this goal. Finally, I’ll conclude the paper by summarizing the key concepts and their relationship to one another. In order to accomplish the goal of defining and explaining both â€Å"Equipment† & â€Å"Work†; I’ll need to introduce and explain two other prevalent concepts in Heidegger’s work. These are the concepts of â€Å"World† and â€Å"Earth†. First I’ll start with the notion of â€Å"World†. Heidegger writes, â€Å"The world is not the mere collection of the countable or uncountable, familiar and unfamiliar things that are at hand† (Heidegger, pg.170). Heidegger is stating that the â€Å"World† isn’t merely an ontical concept that most of us perceive of, a totality of matter existing within the material conception of â€Å"World†. Heidegger clearly explains, â€Å"The world worlds, and is more fully in being than the tangible and perceptible realm in which we believe ourselves to be at home† (Heidegger, pg 170). Heidegger defines â€Å"World† as an ontological concept, in which a web of significant relations exists between Dasein and all that is ready-at-hand. For example, a coffee table exists in a web of significant relations for it points to those who regularly sit at it, which then can branch of to the various conversations ha... ...e work lets the earth be an earth† (Heidegger, pg 172). He then adds, â€Å"The opposition of world and earth is strife† (Heidegger, pg 174). We finally have the criteria of what â€Å"Work† is. Heidegger explains that work sets up a world and sets forth the â€Å"Earth†. â€Å"The work is an instigating of this strife† (Heidegger, pg 175). That strife opens truth or as Heidegger puts it, â€Å"Aletheia† to the observer of the â€Å"Work†. The struggle or â€Å"Strife† is the process of a work of art taking place within the art work itself. In conclusion, the concepts of â€Å"Work† and â€Å"Equipment† that Heidegger presents in The Origin of the Work of Art can be summarized as follows. â€Å"Equipment† defines itself by its use and â€Å"Work† is grounded upon the â€Å"Earth† and â€Å"World† it was created on. Whose essential importance cannot be understated in order to understand Heidegger’s message within the text.

Why maths are rejected? by M. Moran

What is mathematics? Mathematics is a science, artistic expression of thought, a standard academic studying various concepts such as: space, structure, and change the amount; are a set of knowledge In progress, their objects of study are abstract and theoretical development is achieved through intuition, manipulating objects, and all forms of logical thought. What are we math? We used to be able to solve practical problems and daily life, understand the science, studying economics and an essential thing Is that it is very supportive and helps to develop the mind.In recent years, several teachers and educators have tried to fold an explanation to why mathematics has become one of the materials with the lowest averages in current societies. But not only are they concerned this problem, parents and guardians also Curious about this rejection and fear that children from an early age to show the numbers. Lately, parents have come to regard mathematics the main cause of school problems wit h their children, and have referred to them with the worst qualifying. Thus mathematics acquired a bad reputation for the home and children and grow with hat paradigm.One reason for the rejection of mathematics and the most important is the limited ability of some teachers to teach the subject; their teaching methodology Is not the best or correct; there are teachers who are not sufficiently trained to teach, especially In the primary which Is where the foundations of the art form; is how students they find it harder to understand a problem or solve a problem and qualify as â€Å"hard† or â€Å"boring†. Moreover, as the mathematical learning is cumulative, changing mathematics teachers each year during school or college stage an also be a problem, since the methodology of teaching is not the same in all teachers.Many people do not consider the Importance of this matter, as they fall to see or acknowledge you in all your daily activities make use of them, either conscio usly or unconsciously; that is why teachers should teach their students from the beginning the applications of mathematics in everyday life and for them to get to see them differently and achieve curiosity and interest in it. They can use them to note that in such simple activities Like starting a pizza or an Ice cream.Another major cause of this problem is that mathematics is a discipline that requires effort, concentration, dedication and patience; qualities that not everyone enjoys. So growing rejection, fear and hatred of math, because not all people are so disciplined in the art to be persevering in efforts to achieve and difficulty finding the desired result. Other causes of rejection are also stereotypes of teachers, and confuse or personality associated with the art teacher, If the teacher Is not to their liking them or saying that is difficult and even boring.A clear example of this problem the 10th world power with respect to mathematics, being the contributor 5% of articl es in scientific Journals in the world, but this has changed with the passing of the years living in Spain because certain mismatches have occurred over the years that have made new students from small will have little apathy to mathematics, among the highlights are: Training of teachers regarding the problem and motivation in the classroom. In this regard President SEEM (Spanish Society for Research in Mathematics Education) Bernard Gomez said that mathematics not only generate antipathy, but can provoke anxiety. Many teachers of the subject shows his annoyance about the academic to the decayed over the years but despite this level as Bernard Gomez, â€Å"There are great Spanish mathematicians. † But where is the problem? It is public knowledge that mathematics is considered one of the hardest if not the hardest materials, this causes very little enthusiasm in young people. The determinants of the lack of enthusiasm are lack of motivation, the teaching methodology of the stu dy program, the attitude that put the dents in learning and ‘climate' social adverse presenting this subject from parents towards their children.An example of this social problem is in the â€Å"avoid something I do not understand ask for fear of looking like a fool in front of my peers. † Besides this internal factor lies in what is itself the subject that is the complexity when reason and not Just read and try it once, deserves a longer effort because it should read several times to achieve a successful argument, as if they need a math problem on the proposed extended understanding and a little reflection, Just so you an achieve a successful resolution to exercise.We could see that there thinking skills that influence this paradigm aforementioned such as cognitive, affective and intentional skills are what create a negative atmosphere in most cases about the difficulty that can have mathematics through of their lives, this is due to a misconception that the person has in childhood as very young is not given good references to the child what is mathematics really like: â€Å"it's all about the math† . In this way we can help you make a concept car which is mathematics and the importance they will have in the future.It would help to eradicate this problem, you teach from small to having love, affection and respect to mathematics and its content is infinite but is one of the most beautiful and important sciences of the world. In my opinion, mathematics is rejected because since childhood listening to adults talk that mathematics is difficult, which is the subject to which you have to put more effort because of its difficulty; and somehow this leads to a mental block for some children and only a hard work of a master or willingly takes discard this paradigm hat many of the people who reject mathematics have been left out.

Compare the Wars and All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

During World War I, many soldiers were impacted by the mental and physical effects that have changed their lives in positive, but mostly negative ways. There are two novels that talk about two men in World War I, however each tells a different story on their struggles on the battlefield. On one of the books, The Wars by Timothy Findley, focuses on the protagonist Robert Ross, a Canadian soldier that joined the war. Robert Ross mainly joined to war because it was his way of isolating himself after his sister’s death, while on the other book, All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, in which the story is about a teenager named Paul Baumer. Paul Baumer is a German soldier who was influenced from his teacher that going to war was a courageous decision. War focuses us to sacrifice our humanity in exchange for survival, which leads us to our self-destruction, where we become like animals for the sake of our survival. The meaning behind this is that wars take our feelings and human instincts thus replacing them to animal instincts to survive. In the end, life becomes difficult to come back to which leads to our own destruction. The aspect from both novels is about â€Å"men who were destroyed by war† (Remarque 12) even when they have escaped the horrors of the war. Both authors express that they do not want to tell us about the experiences in the war, at least not just the war, but rather the destructive impact on the soldier; such as the inability of young people to go back to their life exactly like before the war. There is no doubt that the entire generation has been ruined by war and were unable to function afterwards. Paul Baumer returns home on his seven day leave, and describes those seven days as unhappy personal experiences. He fails to see an old major on the street, he is forced by another officer to go back to the major and salute him according to the etiquette of military soldiers. Paul feels as though it is petty harassment. For Paul it’s already embarrassing for his father to tell him to wear his uniform so that he could proudly show it to all his acquaintances. Just to show his uniform to all his father’s acquaintances, Baumer finds it as though as they are getting the wrong idea of what the reality of war was. Paul’s father wants him to use his experiences of the war as a demonstration but insists that it is to â€Å"dangerous† to remind him of the war because he cannot manage as though he was on the front-lines like before. This goes the same as for The Wars; many soldiers were destroyed after seeing how the war was like. †¦frozen fingers of nameless rivers, heralded by stream and whirling snow, the train returned him to his heritage of farms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Findley 46) The steam from the train could have signified the anger from all the soldiers after witnessing the death from all their fellow troops and just leaving their corpse unburied, while they move on to the hopes of winning the war. The topic of destruction in the novels is also caused by the older generation. The younger generations believed that the eld er ones had greater insight and wisdom but was later on destroyed by the first sight of the war casualties. The sight of how they have been betrayed, the soldiers also notice that it is the older generation that declares war and never physically fight in it; however it is the younger soldiers that are risking their own lives for them. An example of betrayal is also seen in The Wars, when Robert is betrayed by Taffler, whom was seen as a manly strong soldier to follow; however after the incident, Roberts view of him immediately shattered. Robert states that all the soldiers have been raped by their so called leaders. It has to be there because it is my belief that Robert Ross and his generation of young men were raped, in effect, by the people who made the war. Basically, their fathers did it to them. † (Findley 150-151) â€Å"Fathers† would be the people that are in powers who controlled the younger generation but who were also told to slaughter their so called enemy. All Quiet on the Western Front also contradicts the older generation because Paul feels as though he was betra yed by his own teacher. â€Å"For us lads of eighteen they ought to have been mediators and guides to the world of maturity†¦ to the future†¦ in our hearts we trusted them. The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds with a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief. We had to recognize that our generation was more to be trusted than theirs†¦ The first bombardment showed us our mistake, and under it the world as they had taught it to us broke in pieces. † (Remarque 78) In this quote Paul learns that the educators who were supposed to guide the younger generation to the â€Å"right† direction into the world have failed miserably. The older generation that is constantly mocking the younger generations for cowardice signs but even the older generation hasn’t actually experienced the reality of war and what the feeling of fighting is actually like. The younger generation need to make their own choices instead of always relying on the older ones between whether something is right or wrong whilst the older generation has been proved incapable of doing so. In the midst of wars many soldiers strive to survive and will do anything just for the sake of survival. Robert Ross does a good job on surviving the war on the battlefront; however, it is ironic to see the very same allies he fought with end up killing him. Robert doesn’t die in action but dies in a burning barn. He continuously sees destruction all around him wherever he goes and is always afraid that he may not live â€Å"On the far side he could see that the men and the wagons and the rest of the convoy were drawn up near fires and he just kept thinking: warm, I am going to be warm. † (Findley 82) This is desperation in order to remain alive. Similarly to The Wars, Paul and his friends also strive just to survive the war. In the first chapter Remarque jumps into the war action: â€Å"We were at rest five miles behind the front† (Remarque 3) He does not clearly specify whether or not the German army or Paul’s friends. Unlike The Wars where the main characters are athletic, strong like Robert and Taffler, Remarque doesn’t describe his characters as complete developed characters. Each of them is described as people who have regular human qualities. An example would be Tjaden who is the biggest eater and Westhus who continuously thinks about women. They feel as though, to survive they need to form a brotherhood that strives as much as possible to survive an arena of death. All other expressions they may show are unable to be shown as the only thing that you’re able to show is the sake for surviving the war. Hunger is a part of survival in All Quiet on The Western Front. Many soldiers that don’t come back to the camp receive the dead ones share of food from the first chapter. Because the soldiers were really happy to see the extra food and wasn’t sad or angry about the death of their comrades means that food was very uncommon. Dehumanizing is a necessary tool in order to survive the war. Dehumanizing is depicted in both The Wars and All Quiet on the Western Front, however, Robert is having trouble going to the stage of being dehumanized through the book, and isn’t until later he is to his limits and snaps making him do awful things; like shooting Captain Leather in the face. Referring back to All Quiet on The Western Front, Paul describes the psychological transformations that soldiers have when going into battle such as this quote. â€Å"We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation. It is not against men that we fling our bombs, what so we know of men in this moment when Death with hands and helmets is hunting us down†¦ We feel a mad anger. No longer do we lie helpless, waiting on the scaffold, we can destroy and kill, to save ourselves, to save ourselves and be revenged† (Remarque 113). The soldiers stop being good people and become beasts later on, so they may survive. It is necessary to sacrifice the thoughtful and logical part of their minds in order for them to become like animals to survive. However for Robert dehumanization becomes a problem. He is too sensitive for these sorts of things and this is seen through his thoughtfulness of the animals. Robert tries to find a role model to become manlier but doesn’t happen until he sees the horses being bombed, in which changes him. Robert has held in such anger to the point where he kills captain leather but the interesting thing is that Robert went to the point of becoming an animal himself in order to save animals. â€Å"His anger rose to such a pitch that he feared he was going to go over into madness. He stood where the gate has been and thought: ‘If an animal had done this – we would call it mad and shoot it’ and at that precise moment Captain Leather rose to his knees and began to struggle to his feet. Robert shot between the eyes. † (Findley 178) Wars had a huge impact to the younger generations and the physical involvement of war changes a person immediately. â€Å"I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. (Remarque 267) Soldiers such as Robert and Paul realize that they themselves have changed from the impact of the war experience, they are alienated, a feeling of no belonging, an inability to connect to the past. And feel as though they need to go back to the trenches because nothing else connects to them anymore. And so the broken soldiers, Paul and Robert, return to the frontlines and become an animal again, only this time, survival is short live d.

Chinese History Essay

The Tang dynasty came into existence after the collapsed of emperor Yangdi’s imperialist reign which unified China, and his death in the hands of his own trusted aid in 618 A. D. From the rubbles of rebellion and war against the emperor, a powerful General named Li Yuan; Duke of Tang and chief officer of Taiyuan City, emerged as the man of the hour. General Yuan joined the rebellion against the emperor and reestablished order and the authority of the central government when the smoke of rebellion had cleared. He became the founder of the Tang dynasty and reign as Tang Gaozu. Li Shimin (Tang Gaozong) on the other hand is the second son of General Li Yuan. Being thoroughly trained in martial skills and was very much acquainted of the administrative procedures he has acquired primarily from his exposure when his father was the principal commander of the Sue dynasty, appointed to command the army facing the Sue remaining forces, at the age of only nineteen. David Graff described his military skills as â€Å"one case where the use of the word genius does not seem at all inappropriate† Li Shimin was highly successful in his career as a military general and his military strategy according to Graff â€Å"is worth noting. † Before he became emperor in 626, he has displayed contrasting behavior with regard to his strategy, which was extremely cautious, and when he is in combat in which he always places himself â€Å"at the head of the final, decisive cavalry charge†¦. † How Well the Respective Career of the first two Tang Emperors fit to the Chinese Proverbs on Empire Building and Governance and Model to this Proverb. The proverb maybe fits rightfully to the first two Tang emperors in terms of the way they acquired the empire and how they built it to become the most prosperous and most powerful country in the world during this time. It was during the reign of these two emperors that China experienced its glorious period as their economy, culture, politics and military might attained an unequaled superiority level. Tang Gaozu seized the imperial power after a bloody rebellion that took the life of emperor Yang that mark the end of Sue dynasty, while it heralded the coming of a new dynasty under the able military leadership of Li Yuan. The reign of Tang Gaozu as the first emperor of the Tang dynasty spent its reign mostly in subduing the remaining forces loyal to Emperor Yang in different provinces and cities of the whole country. All throughout his reign he was facing major problems relating to the threat of war by the Eastern Turks and the Tibetans who posed serious challenges to China’s security, and major invasion was a constant possibility. Until his last moment in power however, Tang Gaozu’s hold in China was not sufficiently secure to risk committing the forces to war against the Turks, thus, his reign can be characterized as more on military maneuvering in order to survived the different challenges the empire were facing. The Emperor then being the chief of the military forces assigned his sons and relatives to command forces numbering thousands, and all throughout his reign, the empire did not perform political and economic activities; it was purely military that characterized this particular reign. That means, Emperor Tang Gaozu ‘conquer the empire on horseback’ but it was his son Li Shimin who ‘built the empire from horse back. ’ Tang Gaozu spent his reign in conquering the whole empire that was broken into many independent forces loyal to the former emperor. This situation has indeed proved to be difficult as the empire was unable to wage war against the Turks and the Tibetans. According to Warren Cohen, â€Å"Gaozu had little choice but to buy peace;† however, what Tang Gaozu had failed to accomplished, his son did. Tang Gaozong also known to most Chinese historians as Tang Taizong, came into power in 627. His ascendancy to the throne was not at all smooth and easy, rather marked by his murderous scheme in connivance with some of the high-ranking military officials particularly those in-charge of the palace gates. Xueshi Guo noted that Li Shimin found himself at a â€Å"disadvantage in challenging his brothers,† to be heir to throne. After getting support from some powerful military generals, he staged a military coup against his brothers in 626 after which he killed both his brothers. According Guo, bare two months after the successful coup, â€Å"Gaozu was forced to to appoint Li Shimin as his successor and two months later he handed over his power completely to Li Shimen. † Taizong Ascended to the throne in 627, which marked a new era for the Chinese society. Having warned by the officials who recalled the disastrous consequence of Sui Imperialism, they urged the new emperor to concentrate on domestic affairs. Warren Cohen noted that Taizong or Gaozong listened to their advice and implements a more diplomatic policy in relation to the Turks. Because of this diplomatic policies, Cohen Pointed out â€Å"in due course China was prosperous again, its people well fed and responsive to his rule. † Taizong was indeed a great leader but he was moderate in his expansion policies compared to his father who. Taizong had more time to economic activities that bolstered China’s growing prosperity, he re opened trade routes, and the eliminations of tolls once exacted by those who had previously controlled passage across central Asia. Cohen further noted, â€Å"Student of Tang history will note the peaceful expansion of China’s contacts with rest of the world during Taizong’s days on the throne and China’s power and wealth attracted people from all over Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. † Based on these historical accounts, the implication of the Chinese proverbs rightly fits these first two Tang emperors. They were both powerful military ruler. Li Yuan curved out the empire on ‘horseback’, that is; through rebellion and war, and reestablishing the empire through conquering every forces that challenges the new power, while Tang Gaozong or Tang Taizong, the successor, strengthened the empire and brings more prosperity, stability and peace through a more enlightened civil and military administration. They may have some difficulty to be model of this Chinese proverb, for some reason. Both had acquired imperial power through violent means. Li Yuan had staged a rebellion against the emperor Yang and had perhaps connived with some palace officials to murder the emperor. Tang Gaozong on the other hand, conspired with some powerful military generals and orchestrated a coup against his own brothers and killing them and forcing his own father to hand over to him imperial throne. Nevertheless, on the ground of their accomplishment, they can fit to be model of this proverb. Gaozu was able to curve out a new empire that has more regard to its citizens, unlike with its predecessor who was ruthless and oppressive. An empire that was willing to take on new economic challenges that brought stability, peace and prosperity to its citizens. These two Tang emperors must be credited in their efforts that has brought enormous prosperity, and respect to Chinese people all over Asia, and to the world and if making them heroes will be a compensation of their achievements for the Chinese society, then they were very much deserving of such compensation. They deserved to be model of the proverb.

Conventional Books vs E-Book Essay

As past times go, there’s little that is more old-fashioned, quiet and basic as reading a book. Or, at least, that used to be the case. But with the competitive flood of electronic readers, or e-readers, hitting the market as well as e-reader applications for smartphones, the reading experience has been getting a progressively modern makeover. The stats are in and the fight is on. Overall book sales have dropped in 2008 and 2009, according to the American Association of Publishers (AAP). While adult hardcover books actually increased by over 6% in 2009, eBook sales, which account for 4% of all book sales, have increased a whopping 176%. Are these figures telling the tale of the tape as the publishing industry struggles to regain their status as a recession proof industry? Are eBooks on their way to eliminating traditional books altogether? Most of us love to read and most of us have our preferences for the platform we read from. Will you be a traditionalist and stand behind the old guard? Bill McCoy, executive director of International Digital Publishing Forum, based in Seattle, Washington, said that while it’s hard to gauge just how the sale of digital books (e-books) is growing, it’s clear that the sales, as a percentage of the overall market, are in the double digits â€Å"and on a fast-growing vector†. â€Å"Amazon is saying that they’re selling more e-books than hardcover books. And in many cases, depending on the title, they might be selling more e-books than physical books. † A relatively new phenomenon is that e-reader, be it Kindle, ipad or a number of other new competitors coming into the marketplace. When we think about our environment, these devices seem to be more environmentally friendly than our typical paper and cardboard book, even a paperback. There are certain tactile to real book, just feeling the paper, turning the pages. But on the surfaces, the e-reader would seem to be much greener. E-reader vs. conventional book is a provocative question. Actually, right now, there are some major problems with conventional book publishing, of which you should be aware, if your goal is to get this community to acquire and then to issue your work. The first one is distribution through bookstores has never been tougher. Most publishers sell to stores on consignment. If books don’t fly off shelves into the hands of buyers, they’re returned to publishers, very quickly. Your title doesn’t get very long exposure or time to establish itself. Other than that, books used to be kept â€Å"in print† and available for longer periods of time, in many cases, for years. Now, they’re put to death quickly, if initial sales are anything other than brisk. Besides that, we live in an era of the celebrity book. If Oprah wants to write a diet book, it will be a monster hit; you know that. But the most exciting, up and coming, highly credentialed nutritionist may not have a chance of breaking into print. Next, publishers expect authors to make them profitable through personal promotional efforts. â€Å"What are you going to do to sell this book? † is the major question they ask, and agents will tell you, without a personal commitment to sell your own copies, stated in your book proposal, you won’t get a publisher to bite. Otherwise, publishers are clueless, themselves, about what to put out there. Reluctant to lead, and reluctant to follow the success of others, they are like the proverbial deer in the headlights. It used to be the case that if you wanted information on a subject you either went to your library or to your local bookstore. Not anymore. By going to the Internet, you can assemble the equivalent of a book, fast and more or less, for free. Publishers haven’t figured out how to sell content at a premium, in an environment in which so much of it is available, instantly, for nothing. There are alternatives to conventional book publishing, including self-publishing and using media alternatives such as audios and videos. A regular book is better. Not only is it more reliable and you don’t have to worry about it dying, but there is just something special about feeling the smooth front cover and the rough edges of the thick, coarse pieces of paper that have been read by so many. If you get an e-book you click, download, and read. There’s nothing like the feeling of finishing a really good book. You want to share it with someone! You can’t share an e-book. E-books are really only good for travel. Most of the people refuse e-books either but prefers reading conventional books. Readers like to read in bed so it’s easier the conventional way; they always find it’s easier on the eye to read a conventional book. It seems that our eyes feel more tired for reading e-book. Reading in the internet really hurts people’s eyes. Anyway, we should protect our eyes. There are people who read both but by far prefer a real book. In the technology era, there are some advantages and bright future for e-book. The first one is from the finding the book from the bookshelf. Depending on how many books readers have, and how organized they are, this can be a fairly daunting task for traditional books. Some people used to have organized the books by the name of author, type of the books or alphabetically by title. That fell by the wayside the last time they moved. While they arranged it, they are completely random within the way they organized. That may not sound like trouble, but for someone who has a lot of books, for instance, it can make any one book tricky to find. While searching for a book on the virtual bookshelves within the e-book application is only slightly easier. Using e-book application, making it easy to find a book by typing the title, by author or by how frequently people read the book. Secondly is travelling with books. Some people used to travel a lot and it was all they could do to fill the boredom of those long journeys with reading. It meant readers had to bring a lot of books with them, which weighed down their luggage. Travelling with e-books is something that they call heaven. They can close to 200 books and 30 or 40 magazines on their e-book application. The traditional books stack lot of kilograms but then using the e-book just only a few grams. From this side, people more prefer to using e-book rather than conventional books. In many circumstances, reading an e-book is far superior to reading a traditional paper book. Firstly, the portability of e-book. The wonderful thing about electronic text is that it takes up virtually no room, in both a physical and digital sense. If readers have a storage card, they can walk around with at least a dozen books, and probably many more than that. Even if they don’t have a storage card, they can still walk around with a fair collection of three to six books (again, depending on book size and available memory). In many situations it’s hard to carry even one book around with people. The storage abilities of most e-books allow readers to carry a reasonable collection of reading materials and/or reference texts. Because they probably carry their handheld around with them everywhere anyway, the convenience factor increases nearly exponentially. Because e-book is digital, not only are they super-portable, but they also open up the possibility for some really useful features. For starters, since most e-book is in some form of digital text file, readers can search the text for words or phrases. This is helpful when readers want to find a quote or another specific section of the book. This can cut minutes, if not hours, off of wild goose chases for particular passages. Additionally, digital formats are assuming copy protection doesn’t get in the way that can be duplicated forever without decay or any real expense. We’ll dig deeper into the specifics of this issue later in the series, but if the e-book allows it, this duplication ability can make it possible for people to share books with their friends without ever having to actually give up one of their possessions. This is good for publishers (and hopefully writers as well), who don’t have to pay any production costs. This in turn should drive the prices down for the readers. While the digital nature of the e-book in theory raises the effectiveness of e-book, it also brings up a few ideas that are interesting and worth perusing in this series. E-book also easy to be read. The electronic format offers readers even more benefits over traditional paper books. E-book can be read in a variety of lighting situations, and due to the back lighted screens that most palm computers have, people can read an e-book in most low or no light situations, such as on the subway, during nighttime road trips, or in bed when they don’t want to disturb their partner. Advantages of conventional books over electronic is resale value. Like music downloads, people will never actually be able to resell electronic books. If they are into collectable books, this is a particularly big problem and they should only use physical titles. Reading ease is also one of the advantages of conventional books. This one is only really a benefit for those that would otherwise read e-book on their computers or phones. If readers buy a commercial e-reader, it will probably use ink technology that will not hurt their eyes with backlight. Never the less, readers don’t need to worry about this problem with a physical book. Other than that, no devices needed. If readers find themselves in a small town without their cell phone or computer, they won’t be able to download a new title for your e-book, but they can always stop by a local bookstore and pick up a new paperback. Conventional books have no batteries. While most readers have a good battery life, there will still be times where readers forget to charge it and then can’t read at all. Readers will never have this problem with a standard book. No warranties needed when readers choosing conventional books. If their e-reader breaks, they will have nothing to read until they receive a new one. Some devices let them read the titles they have saved on their computer, but it’s just something readers will never have to worry about with a physical book. Best of all, if a book does get damaged to where people can’t read it, they can just go to the bookstore and buy another copy, rather than worrying if it is still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Next is tradition. Let’s face it; people are never going to get that comforting smell of paper or the weight of a good book in their hands when they read an e-book. And while people can flip ahead in an e-book, readers can’t do so in a matter of seconds and flip right back to the page. Amazon recently announced that its June 2010 Kindle e-book sales nearly doubled its hardcover book sales (180% higher). Many of those e-books were self-published books priced under a dollar; however, data indicates e-books may become the dominant long-form format in not too many years. Are low-overhead e-books better for authors or publishers than their print counterparts? Forrester Research says retailers will sell 6. 6 million e-readers in 2010. Apple has already sold 3 million iPads, which are capable of reading Amazon Kindle e-books as well as Apple’s iBooks. At average prices, one would need to buy 15 e-books to offset the $189 price tag of a Kindle, 12 e-books to pay off a $149 Barnes and Noble Nook, and 39 e-books to justify a $499 entry-level iPad (assuming price is the only factor). E-books are up 200% from 2009, according to the Association of American Publishers; however, they still only represent 3-5% of total sales for publishers, according to the New York Times. Hardcover books are also up 40% since 2009, indicating that while e-books are undoubtedly a big part of the future of long-form publishing, people will still be turning paper pages for a while. (Sources: PrintingChoice, NYTimes) The tactile pleasure of worn pages between reader’s fingers is hard to replace. But when it comes to encouraging people to embrace the written word, e-readers trump their physical counterparts. According to the infographic below, people who own e-book devices say they read more than people who don’t, at a rate of 24 books per year to 15. Education, escape, relaxation and entertainment rank as people’s main motivations to plow through books — proving that, whether electronically or via dead tree, reading remains a popular pastime. E-readers are also rising in popularity, signaling that it may not be impossible to imagine a world without traditional books sometime in the not-so-distant future. From December 2011 to January 2012, e-reader ownership nearly doubled, from 10 percent to 19 percent, among American adults. And that stunning surge in just one month’s time doesn’t even account for tablets or other mobile electronic devices people use to read books and long form content. Worldwide, meanwhile, e-reader sales rose by nearly 3 million between 2010 and 2011. It’s also interesting to look at the relationship between actual e-book consumption and ownership of a device that enables users to read books electronically. According to one study, 29% of American adults own a personal e-book device, tablets included. But just 21% of adults had actually read an e-book in the past year as of February 2012. It’ll be interesting to see if and when experiments on the potential impacts of e-readers on memory and cognition are done, as the market has definitely reached a point of no return in terms of moving away from printed pages. Stephanie Mantello, senior public relations manager of the Kindle group at Amazon. com, gave answers that didn’t include specifics, but implied massive quantities. For instance, when asked how many Kindles the company has sold since the product was first introduced in 2008, Mantello simply said, â€Å"Millions. Millions of people are reading on Kindle. Kindle is also the best-selling product in the history of Amazon. com. † It is the most-wished for on the â€Å"wish list† function account holders have on the company’s site. It’s given as a gift more often than any other single product. It has the most 5-star reviews. She did say that between April 1 and May 19, for every 100 print books the company sold, it sold 105 Kindle books. â€Å"This includes sales of hardcover and paperback books by Amazon where there is no Kindle edition. Free Kindle books are excluded, and, if included, would make the number even higher,† said Mantello. The reasons for the slow acceptance of e-books vary but a constant reason given was not being comfortable with reading using personal computers, laptops and palm pilots (Helfer, 2000; Andersen, 2001). Other reasons included: finding it difficult to read on small screens, problems with browser, slow loading time, difficulties in navigating (Gibbon, 2001; Chu, 2003); and preferring to read printed text (Ray and Day, 1998; Holmquist, 1997; Gibbon, 2001). Summerfield and Mandel (1999) indicated that library users at the University of Columbia would use e-book in some depth when they are required to do so by courses they are following. The studies above indicated that the degree of acceptance of e-book is on the rise but the preference for printed text remained. A high percentage of students indicated that they used e-book because it was available online (64. 2%), provided faster and easy access to new titles (45. 7%) and did not require physical visit to the library (40. 7%) (Table 1). Bodomo†¦et al’s (2003) respondents gave similar answers and his respondents recognized that digital libraries were very convenient since they did not need to go to libraries and could still read and download books or journals from home. Similarly, Chu (2003) also reported that â€Å"available around the clock† and â€Å"searchable† were valued the most by students at a library and information science schools in the USA. Table 1: Reasons for Using or Not Using e-book Table 1 (b) shows that almost half (45. 6%) of the non-users indicate preference for paper format as a barrier for them from using e-books service. Holmquist (1997) found that the main reason for his respondents’ non-use of e-journals was their preference to read articles on paper, not on the computer screen. Other non-users have mentioned factors such as little knowledge on how to use or access e-books, the print copy is convenient to use, the lack of Internet connection, difficulty in browsing and reading, having no interest, and perceiving the need for special software to be able to use e-book as being cumbersome. When the non-users were asked whether they would use the e-book in the future, only 30% (38) gave a definite â€Å"yes† while the majority (61%, 76) indicated â€Å"probably† or â€Å"not sure or â€Å"probably not†Ã¢â‚¬  (6%, 8; 2%, 2). â€Å"While university students operate in a world immersed in digital text, they have not simultaneously abandoned print. It is not true, as Steve Jobs stated and as Nicholas Carr implied, that they like the iPad because they don’t read. In fact, for their university studies, students prefer to read on paper, although they also want the convenience of online digital text. † Cull, 2012 There is no doubt that new forms of publishing are becoming increasingly popular across the world. Their benefits are those that the traditional  printed book could never imagine to surpass, and they fill a gap in a rapidly increasing market of readers dictating portability and mass storage as necessary to the current lifestyle. However, evidence shows that readers are not entirely convinced that e-readers are books of the future. They have not caught on as other recent technology trends have, and the consistent theme of simulating e-readers to resemble traditional books, indicates that consumers are not prepared to relinquish the time-honored form for this new technology. As such, the chance of books becoming redundant or obsolete in the near future is improbable. â€Å"The history of communications media tells us that new media often do not replace old. At most, they redefine the purposes and functions of older media† (Cope & Kalantzis 2001:5). Of more value to consumers then, is a co-existence of the two, amalgamating the benefits of each to accommodate for the needs of all, rendering neither redundant nor obsolete.

Colin Ferguson and the Long Island Railroad Massacre

Colin Ferguson and the Long Island Railroad Massacre On Dec. 7, 1993, Colin Ferguson, a man long bothered by what he considered racism, boarded a Long Island commuter train and began shooting at the passengers with a pistol. The incident, known as the Long Island Railroad Massacre, resulted in six people killed and 19 injured. Background Ferguson was born on Jan. 14, 1958, in Kingston, Jamaica, to Von Herman and May Ferguson. Herman was the managing director for Hercules Agencies, a large pharmaceutical company. He was highly regarded and one of the most prominent businessmen in Jamaica. Colin and his four brothers enjoyed many of the privileges that come with wealth in a city where extreme poverty is common. He attended Calabar High School and, from all appearances, was a good student who participated in sports. At the time of his graduation in 1974, his grade average was in the top third of his class. Fergusons idyllic life came to an abrupt halt in 1978, when his father was killed in a car crash. His mother died from cancer not long afterward. Soon after both parents died, Ferguson had to cope with the loss of the family fortune. All the losses left him deeply disturbed. Move to the United States At 23, Ferguson decided to leave Kingston and move to the U.S. on a visitors visa, hoping for a fresh start and a good job on the East Coast. It didnt take long for his excitement to turn to frustration: The only jobs he could find were low-paying and menial, and he blamed racism in America. Three years after his arrival in the U.S., he met and married Audrey Warren, an American citizen of Jamaican descent who understood the cultural differences that affected her husbands ability to get along. She was patient and understanding when he lost his temper and went into rages, expressing his racial bigotry toward white people who he felt stood in his way. The couple moved to a home in Long Island, where he continued to rage about the mistreatment and disrespect he was shown by white Americans. He had been born to one of the top families in Kingston, and government and military luminaries had attended his fathers funeral. But in America, he felt he was treated as nothing. His hatred toward white people was deepening. Married bliss didnt last long for the couple. Warren found her new husband to be hostile and aggressive. They fought regularly and more than once the police were called to their home to break up a fight. Just two years into the marriage, Warren divorced Ferguson, stating differing social views as the reason. Ferguson was emotionally crushed by the divorce. He did clerical work for Ademco Security Group until Aug. 18, 1989, when he fell from a stool on the job, injuring his head, neck, and back and losing his job. He filed a complaint with the New York State Workers Compensation Board, which took years to come to a resolution. While he waited for their decision, he attended Nassau Community College. Disciplinary Problems at College He made the deans list three times but was forced to quit a class for disciplinary reasons after a teacher filed a complaint that Ferguson was overly aggressive toward him in class. That prompted him to transfer to Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, in 1990, majoring in business administration. Ferguson became very outspoken about black power and his dislike of whites. When he wasnt calling everyone around him a racist, he called out for violence and a revolution to overthrow white America. Ferguson alleged that a white woman at the library shouted racial epithets at him when he asked about a class assignment. An investigation found that no such incident had occurred. In another incident, Ferguson interrupted a faculty member giving a presentation about her trip to South Africa, allegedly shouting, We should be talking about the revolution in South Africa and how to get rid of the white people and Kill everybody white! After fellow students tried to calm him, he chanted, The black revolution will get you.   In June 1991, as a result of the incident, Ferguson was suspended from school. He was invited to reapply after satisfying his suspension, but he never returned. Brush With the Law In 1991 Ferguson moved to Brooklyn, where he was unemployed and rented a room in the Flatbush neighborhood. At the time it was a popular area for West Indian immigrants, and Ferguson moved right into the middle, but he kept to himself, rarely saying anything to his neighbors. In 1992 his ex-wife, who had not seen Ferguson since the divorce, filed a complaint against him, claiming he had pried open the trunk of her car. Anger was boiling up inside Ferguson, and he was nearing the breaking point. In February he was taking the subway when a woman attempted to sit in an empty seat beside him. She asked him to move over, and Ferguson began screaming at her, pressing his elbow and leg against her until the police intervened. He attempted to get away, calling out, Brothers, come help me! to African-Americans on the train. He was arrested and charged with harassment. Ferguson wrote letters to the police commissioner and the NYC Transit Authority, claiming the police had brutalized him and were vicious and racist. The claims were later dismissed after an investigation. Worker's Compensation Claim Settled It took three years for his workers compensation case against Ademco Security Group to be settled. He was awarded $26,250, which he found unsatisfactory. Stating that he was still suffering from pain, he met with a Manhattan attorney, Lauren Abramson, about filing another lawsuit. Abramson later said she asked a law clerk to join the meeting because she found Ferguson to be threatening and uncomfortable to be around. When the law firm rejected the case, Ferguson accused members of the firm of discrimination. During one phone call, he referenced a massacre in California. Many at the firm began locking their inner-office doors. Ferguson then tried to get the New York State Workers Compensation Board to reopen the case but was rejected. However, Ferguson was placed on a list of potentially dangerous people because of his aggressiveness. Fed up with New York City, Ferguson moved to California in April 1993. He applied for several jobs but was never hired. Gun Purchase That same month, he spent $400 on a Ruger P-89 9 mm pistol in Long Beach. He began carrying the gun inside a paper bag after he was mugged by two African-Americans. In May 1993, Ferguson moved back to New York City because, as he explained to a friend, he didnt like competing for jobs with immigrants and Hispanics. After he returned to New York, he seemed to be deteriorating quickly. Speaking in the third person, he went on rants about blacks striking down their pompous rulers and oppressors. He showered several times a day and chanted continuously about all the black people killing all the white people. Ferguson was asked to vacate his apartment by the end of the month. The Shooting On Dec. 7, Ferguson boarded a 5:33 p.m. Long Island commuter train leaving Pennsylvania Station for Hicksville. On his lap were his gun and 160 rounds of ammunition. As the train approached the Merillon Avenue Station, Ferguson stood up and methodically began firing at passengers on both sides, pulling the trigger about every half second and repeating Im going to get you. After emptying two 15-round magazines, he was reloading a third when passengers Michael OConnor, Kevin Blum, and Mark McEntee tackled him and pinned him down until police arrived. As Ferguson lay pinned to a seat, he said, Oh God, what did I do? What did I do? I deserve whatever I get. Six passengers died: Amy Federici, a 27-year-old corporate interior designer from MineolaJames Gorycki, a 51-year-old account executive from MineolaMi Kyung Kim, a 27-year-old New Hyde Park residentMaria Theresa Tumangan Magtoto, a 30-year-old lawyer from WestburyDennis McCarthy, a 52-year-old office manager from MineolaRichard Nettleton, a 24-year-old college student from Roslyn Heights 19 passengers were injured. The Note Police searching Ferguson found several scraps of notebook paper in his pockets bearing headlines such as reasons for this,  racism by Caucasians and Uncle Tom Negroes, and a scribbled reference to his February 1992 arrest that referred to the false allegations against me by the filthy Caucasian racist female on the #1 line. Also among the notes were the names and telephone numbers of the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, and the Manhattan law firm that Ferguson had threatened, whom he referred to as those corrupt black attorneys who not only refused to help me but tried to steal my car. Based on the notes, it appeared that Ferguson planned to delay the killings until he was beyond the New York City limit out of respect for outgoing Mayor David Dinkins and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. Ferguson was arraigned on Dec. 8, 1993. He remained silent  during the arraignment and refused to enter a plea. He was ordered held without bail. As he was escorted from the courthouse, a reporter asked him if he hated whites, to which Ferguson replied, Its a lie. Investigation, Trial, and Sentencing According to trial testimony, Ferguson suffered from extreme paranoia involving many races but mostly centering on the feeling that white people were out to get him. At some point, his paranoia had pushed him into devising a plan of revenge. To avoid embarrassing Mayor Dinkins, Ferguson had selected a commuter train headed to Nassau County. Once the train entered Nassau, Ferguson had begun shooting, selecting some white people to gun down and sparing others. The reasons for his selections were never made clear. After a circus-like trial in which Ferguson represented himself and rambled on, often repeating himself,  he was found guilty and sentenced to 315  years in prison. As of November 2018, he was in the Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, New York. Source:The Long Island Railroad Massacre, AE American Justice

3 Cases of Inconsistent Wording in Lists

3 Cases of Inconsistent Wording in Lists 3 Cases of Inconsistent Wording in Lists 3 Cases of Inconsistent Wording in Lists By Mark Nichol Whether items are listed in line (within a sentence) or vertically, the syntactical structure of the items should be consistent. In the following three examples, discussion and revision illustrate this point. First Example 1. Integrity to the Discipline 2. Constructive Board Engagement 3. Effective Risk Positioning 4. Establish a Learning Culture 5. Set Appropriate Incentives In this list of topics, the first three are written as phrases, while the last two are imperative sentences (meaning that they tell the reader to do something). Every item should follow the same organization, one way or the other: Option 1: Phrases 1. Integrity to the Discipline 2. Constructive Board Engagement 3. Effective Risk Positioning 4. Establishment of a Learning Culture 5. Setting of Appropriate Incentives Option 2: Imperative Sentences 1. Bring Integrity to the Discipline 2. Enable Constructive Board Engagement 3. Promote Effective Risk Positioning 4. Establish a Learning Culture 5. Set Appropriate Incentives Second Example 1. Appearances are everything. 2. Tell the story. 3. Keep it short. 4. Speak with authority. 5. Respond directly to questions. 6. Be a team player. In this set of statements, all items are complete sentences, but the first one is a declarative statement (one that states a fact or idea). The easiest solution here is to alter the outlier (though in certain cases it may be more appropriate, or otherwise preferable, to retain the syntactical structure of the minority item(s) in a list): 1. Remember that appearances are everything. 2. Tell the story. 3. Keep it short. 4. Speak with authority. 5. Respond directly to questions. 6. Be a team player. Third Example Management complexity is significantly reduced. Tool sprawl eliminated. Scalable, resilient infrastructure. Each of the three items in this list is different; the first is a declarative statement, the second is also declarative but, as is sometimes done in lists, it has (unlike the previous item) been truncated by omission of a helping verb, and the third item is simply a phrase. Again, unless there is a good reason for structuring list items to match the exception or exceptions, go with the majority: Management complexity is significantly reduced. Tool sprawl is eliminated. Infrastructure is scalable and resilient. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowAcronym vs. InitialismPractice or Practise?

All Money, All the Time essays

All Money, All the Time essays In Richard Brookhisers article All Junk, All the Time, Brookhiser explores elements of rock music which will never change because as he states it is so easy to do well enough (Brookhiser 607). He claims that popular culture rock music, or pop, is inferior to the musical stylings of classical, jazz, and show tunes. Contrary to these superior forms of music, rock music requires no talent, it uses repetitive lyrics to play to listeners with inferior intellect, and above all there is easy money to be made. Brookhisers viewpoint may appear haughty or altruistic, but in reality his statement is fact. This type of satirical commentary has existed for generations and will for many more. His claim that drumming is easy and can be faked mirrors Voltairian commentary of long past. He argues that the guitar is not a refined instrument and in support offers that this instrument does not require years of training and is not used as curriculum in university musical studies. Unrefined instruments beget unrefined music, which begets unrefined dancing. This idea elicits sighs of relief from men around the world. After all, who has time to take dance lessons? Rock lovers can do well enough by gyrating in place, bumping and grinding. Come dance, its easy! Perhaps Transcontinental Records CEO, Lou Pearlman, accentuates the most egregious offense of the pop music industry. According to Jim Slotek of the Toronto Sun Pearlman is, in short, the guy who created The Backstreet Boys and Nsync in a blimp hanger in Orlando, Fla., and watched his bright ideas generate more than $2 billion in sales (Slotek 1). Since his creation of the two most profitable cookie cutter boybands Pearlmans boyband factory has, in concert with ABC, begun work on the next big thing to hit screaming teenyboppers everywhere, O-Town. This m ...

The eNotes Blog Decembers Teachers Corner Column Are We Expecting Too Much, TooSoon

Decembers Teachers Corner Column Are We Expecting Too Much, TooSoon Teacher’s Corner is a monthly newsletter from just for teachers. In it, experienced educator and contributor Susan Hurn shares her tips, tricks, and insight into  the world of teaching. Check out this month’s Teacher’s Corner column below, or sign up to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox at . I recently read an article by Laura Katan  in which she shares an anecdote I keep thinking about. At a fair, Katan saw a ten-year-old boy and his mom pass a massage vendor, and she heard the mother ask her son, â€Å"Do you want a massage? It may relax you.† Katan recalls she was â€Å"incredulous† as she overheard the comment. â€Å"Since when do 10-year-olds need to relax?† she asks. Well, apparently now. In fact, there seems to be a lot of kids who need to relax, and most of them are in our classrooms.    A growing body of research indicates that we are demanding too much of kids, too soon. In the name of â€Å"rigor† and in the pursuit of high scores on standardized tests, we’re often getting ahead of their natural growth and development- and by â€Å"we,† I don’t mean teachers. Teachers know how the fallout from too much, too soon impedes learning, but their judgment rarely influences educational policy and administrative mandates. Classroom teachers, however, aren’t the only ones who are ringing alarm bells. According to the Alliance for Childhood, a nonprofit that advocates for children, pushing kids too far, too fast is evident now even in kindergarten curriculums. Consider this passage from Crisis in the Kindergarten, a 2009 report released by the Alliance: Children now spend far more time being taught and tested on literacy and math skills than they do learning through play and exploration . . . . Many kindergartens use highly prescriptive curricula geared to new state standards and linked to standardized tests. In an increasing number of kindergartens, teachers must follow scripts from which they may not deviate. These practices, which are not well grounded in research, violate long-established principles of child development and good teaching. It is increasingly clear that they are compromising both children’s health and their long-term prospects for success in school. A friend of mine summed it up succinctly: â€Å"The kids don’t get to color anymore.† Here’s the full report, Crisis in the Kindergarten.  In â€Å"Reimagining Kindergarten,† Elizabeth Graue raises the same concerns and arrives at the same conclusions. â€Å"Kindergarten is now built on a model of content,† she writes, â€Å"rather than on the needs of children.† Read her article at this link. So, kindergarten has become first grade, first-graders are now expected to read, second grade focuses on third-grade testing, and to make more time for instruction in chasing test scores, recess has been eliminated in many elementary schools. One encouraging development, however, is that the push to get rid of recess is losing steam. This report from Scholastic  on how recess makes kids smarter  offers an update. Middle school and high school? Lots of middle schoolers are taking classes once reserved for the high school curriculum, and many high school kids are taking so many Dual Credit and AP courses that essentially they are going to college before graduating. When you go to college in high school, when do you go to high school? And what is the goal here? To have kids with Ph.D.’s by the time they’re twenty-two? Seriously! When can kids be kids and teenagers teens? It’s no wonder the mom back at the fair offered to buy her ten-year-old a massage to alleviate his stress! Many students are developmentally mature enough to do fine and even excel when pushed to the max in the classroom. Many, however, are not, and even though they can’t articulate that they’re overwhelmed, they express it- in the inability to concentrate or stay on task, in rowdy behavior or quiet withdrawal, and in passive-aggressive self-defense. Some kids simply shut down and refuse to engage until prompted, and prompted, and finally reprimanded. What appears to be a discipline problem is often a manifestation of academic demands getting ahead of natural growth and development. For instance, why do some kids persist in taking their mechanical pencils apart and playing with the pieces? Just to drive their teachers crazy? Probably not. Things being what they are right now, what can be done in the classroom to alleviate students’ stress? Here are a few suggestions: On the board, list what will be done in class; the unknown can be scary. Give kids â€Å"brain breaks,† a time-out to process information; let them talk it over with a partner, write a brief response, or sketch a simple picture, chart, or graph. Incorporate some humor in lessons, activities, and tests. Cartoons are fun and can be subject-appropriate. Allow for movement and fidgeting; give kids hands-on activities with things to hold and manipulate; let them build something or create a physical product. Build in transition time between lessons rather than racing from one to another. Use some activities that call for students to visualize something they enjoy or find restful. Eliminate extraneous noise, and play quiet background music during work time. Lots of kids are not used to silence, and it makes them uncomfortable. Beat the system! Design activities you know are good for your students, and then work backwards to find some standards they meet. For more tips, check out www.stressfreekids.com  and â€Å"5 Easy Ways to Reduce Student Stress in the Classroom† at www.teachthought.com And here’s a suggestion to relieve your own stress. Forget about school and have a great winter break! Happy Holidays! Susan

Presidential Bill Signing Statements - Purposes and Legality

Presidential Bill Signing Statements - Purposes and Legality A bill signing statement is an optional written directive issued by the President of the United States upon signing a bill into law. Signing statements are typically printed along with the text of the bill in the United States Code Congressional and Administrative News (USCCAN). Signing statements typically begin with the phrase â€Å"This bill, which I have signed today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and continue with a synopsis of the bill and several paragraphs of often-political commentary on how the bill should be enforced. In his article Imperial Presidency 101-the Unitary Executive Theory, Civil Liberties Guide Tom Head refers to presidential signing statements as being documents in which the president signs a bill but also specifies which parts of a bill he or she actually intends to enforce. On the face of it, that sounds terrible. Why even have Congress go through the legislative process if presidents can unilaterally re-write the laws it enacts? Before flatly condemning them, there are some things you need to know about presidential signing statements. Source of the Power   The presidents legislative power to issue signing statements is based in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that the president shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed... Signing statements are considered to be one way in which the president faithfully executes the laws passed by Congress. This interpretation is supported by the U.S. Supreme Courts 1986 decision in the case of Bowsher v. Synar, which held that ... interpreting a law enacted by Congress to implement the legislative mandate is the very essence of execution of the law. Purposes and effect of signing statements In 1993, the Department of Justice attempted to define the four purposes for presidential signing statements and the constitutional legitimacy of each: To simply explain what the bill will do and how it will benefit the people: No controversy here.To instruct the responsible Executive Branch agencies on how the law should be administered: This use of signing statements, says the Justice Department, is constitutional and is upheld by the Supreme Court in Bowsher v. Synar. Executive Branch officials are legally bound by the interpretations contained in presidential signing statements.To define the presidents opinion of the laws constitutionality: More controversial than the first two, this use of the signing statement typically has one of at least three sub-purposes: to identify certain conditions under which the president thinks all or parts of the law could be ruled unconstitutional; to frame the law in a manner that would save it from being declared unconstitutional; to state that the entire law, in the presidents opinion, unconstitutionally usurps his authority and that he will refuse to enforce it.Through Republican and Democrati c administrations, the Department of Justice has consistently advised presidents that the Constitution gives them the authority to refuse to enforce laws they believed to be clearly unconstitutional, and that expressing their intent through a signing statement is a valid exercise of their constitutional authority.On the other hand, it has been argued that it is the president’s constitutional duty to veto and refuse to sign bills he or she believes to be unconstitutional. In 1791, Thomas Jefferson, as the nation’s first Secretary of State, advised President George Washington that the veto â€Å"is the shield provided by the constitution to protect against the invasions of the legislature [of] 1. the rights of the Executive 2. of the Judiciary 3. of the states and state legislatures.† Indeed, past presidents including Jefferson and Madison have vetoed bills on constitutional grounds, even though they supported the bills’ underlying purposes. To create a type of legislative history intended to be used by the courts in future interpretations of the law: Criticized as an attempt by the president to actually invade Congress turf by taking an active part in the law-making process, this is clearly the most controversial of all the uses for signing statements. The president, they argue, attempts to amend legislation passed by Congress through this type of signing statement. According to the Justice Department, the legislative history signing statement originated in the Reagan Administration. In 1986, then-Attorney General Meese entered into an arrangement with the West Publishing Company to have presidential signing statements published for the first time in the U.S. Code Congressional and Administrative News, the standard collection of legislative history. Attorney General Meese explained the purpose of his actions as follows: To make sure that the Presidents own understanding of whats in a bill is the same . . . or is given consideration at the time of statutory construction later on by a court, we have now arranged with the West Publishing Company that the presidential statement on the signing of a bill will accompany the legislative history from Congress so that all can be available to the court for future construction of what that statute really means. The Department of Justice offers views both supporting and condemning presidential signing statements through which presidents seems to take an active role in the lawmaking process: In Support of Signing Statements  Ã‚   The president has a constitutional right and political duty to play a integral role in the legislative process. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires that the president shall from time to time recommend to [Congress] Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. Further, Article I, Section 7 requires that to become and actual law, a bill requires the presidents signature. If he [the president] approve it he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated. In his widely acclaimed The American Presidency, 110 (2d ed. 1960), author Clinton Rossiter, suggests that over time, the president has become a sort of prime minister or third House of Congress. . . . [H]e is now expected to make detailed recommendations in the form of messages and proposed bills, to watch them closely in their tortuous progress on the floor and in committee in each house, and to use every honorable means within his power to persuade . . . Congress to give him what he wanted in the first place. Thus, suggests the Justice Department, it may be appropriate for the president, through signing statements, to explain what his (and Congress) intention was in making the law and how it will be implemented, particularly if the administration had originated the legislation or played a significant part in moving it through Congress. Opposing Signing Statements The argument against a president using signing statements to alter Congress intent as to meaning and enforcement of new laws is once again based in the constitution. Article I, Section 1 clearly states, All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Not in a Senate and House and a president. Along the long road of committee consideration, floor debate, roll call votes, conference committees, more debate and more votes, the Congress alone creates the legislative history of a bill. It can also be argued that by attempting to reinterpret or even nullify parts of a bill which he has signed, the president is exercising a type of line-item veto, a power not currently bestowed on presidents. Tough the practice pre-dates his administration, some of the signing statements issued by President George W. Bush were criticized for including language that too extensively changing the meaning of the bill. In July 2006, a task force of the American Bar Association stated that the use of signing statements to modify the meaning of duly enacted laws serves to â€Å"undermine the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers.† Summary The recent use of presidential signing statements to functionally amend legislation passed by Congress remains controversial and is arguably not within the scope of powers granted to the president by the Constitution. The other less controversial uses of signing statements are legitimate, can be defended under the Constitution and can be useful in the long-term administration of our laws. Like any other power, however, the power of presidential signing statements can be abused.

10 Facts about Christchurch, New Zealand

10 Facts about Christchurch, New Zealand Christchurch is one of the largest cities in New Zealand and it is the largest city located on the countrys South Island.  Christchurch was named by the Canterbury Association in 1848 and it was officially established on July 31, 1856, making it the oldest city in New Zealand. The official Maori name for the city is Otautahi.Christchurch has recently been in the news due to a large magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the region on the afternoon of February 22, 2011. The massive earthquake killed at least 65 people (according to early CNN reports) and trapped hundreds more in rubble. Phone lines were knocked out and buildings all over the city were destroyed - some of which were historic. In addition, many of Christchurchs roads were damaged in the earthquake and several areas of the city were flooded after water mains broke.This was the second large earthquake to hit New Zealands South Island in recent months. On September 4, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit 30 miles (45 km) west of Christchurch and damaged sewers, broke water and gas lines. Despite the earthquakes size however, there were no fatalities reported. 10 Geographic Facts About Christchurch It is believed that the Christchurch area was first settled in 1250 by tribes hunting the now-extinct moa, a large flightless bird that was endemic to New Zealand. In the 16th century, the Waitaha tribe migrated to the area from the North Island and began a period of war. Shortly thereafter however, the Waitaha were driven out of the area by the Ngati Mamoe tribe. The Ngati Mamoe were then taken over by the Ngai Tahu who controlled the region until Europeans arrived.In early 1840, whaling Europeans arrived and established whaling stations in what is now Christchurch. In 1848, the Canterbury Association was founded to form a colony in the region and in 1850 pilgrims began to arrive. These Canterbury Pilgrims has goals of building a new city around a cathedral and college like Christ Church, Oxford in England. As a result, the city was given the name Christchurch on March 27, 1848.On July 31, 1856, Christchurch became the first official city in New Zealand and it quickly grew as more E uropean settlers arrived. In addition, New Zealands first public railway was constructed in 1863 to make moving heavy goods from Ferrymead (today a suburb of Christchurch) to Christchurch quicker. Today the economy of Christchurch is based largely on agriculture from the rural areas surrounding the city. The largest agricultural products of the region are wheat and barley as well as wool and meat processing. In addition, wine is a growing industry in the region.Tourism is also a large part of Christchurchs economy. There are a number of ski resorts and national parks in the nearby Southern Alps. Christchurch is also historically known as a gateway to Antarctica as it has a long history of being a departure point for Antarctic exploration expeditions. For example, both Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton departed from the port of Lyttelton in Christchurch and according to Wikipedia.org, the Christchurch International Airport is a base for the New Zealand, Italian and United States Antarctic exploration programs.Some of Christchurchs other major tourist attractions include several wildlife parks and reserves, art galleries and museums, the International Antarctic Centre an d the historic Christ Church Cathedral (which was damaged in the February 2011 earthquake). Christchurch is located in New Zealands Canterbury region on its South Island. The city has coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and the estuaries of the Avon and Heathcote Rivers. The city has an urban population of 390,300 (June 2010 estimate) and covers an area of 550 square miles (1,426 sq km).Christchurch is a highly planned city that is based on a central city square that has four different city squares surrounding the central one. In addition, there is a parklands area in the center of the city and this is where the historic Cathedral Square, home of the Christ Church Cathedral, is located.The city of Christchurch is also geographically unique because it is one of the worlds eight pairs of cities that have a near-exact antipodal city (a city on the exact opposite side of the earth). A Coruà ±a, Spain is Christchurchs antipode.The climate of Christchurch is dry and temperate that is highly influenced by the Pacific Ocean. Winters are often cold and summers are mild. The average January high temperature in Christchurch is 72.5ËšF (22.5ËšC), while the July average is 52ËšF (11ËšC).To learn more about Christchurch, visit the citys official tourism website.SourceCNN Wire Staff. (22 February 2011). New Zealand City in Ruins After Quake Kills 65. CNN World. Retrieved from: cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/22/new.zealand.earthquake/index.html?hptC1Wikipedia.org. (22 February). Christchurch - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch