A Synopsis of the Kennedy Family

The Kennedy family has long been plagued by tragedy and scandal. The patriarch of the Kennedy’s, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, outlived five of his own children. Many Kennedy offspring grew up not knowing their father. Kennedy administrations have long been wracked with scandal. Despite all of this, the Kennedy’s have long been thought of as America’s â€Å"royal family†. What is it about the many misdeeds and tragedies of this particular family that has drawn America towards them? Why it is that America has been fascinated by the royal status of the Kennedy, and just what is it about this beleaguered dynasty that has mesmerized generations?The patriarch of the Kennedy political dynasty, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, better known as Joe, came from very humble beginnings. His father, Patrick Joseph Kennedy, came to America during the great potato famine in Ireland. He was in the U. S. only nine years when he died of tuberculosis. After the death of his father, Josephâ €™s mother Bridget began working at a saloon and was eventually able to earn enough money to buy her own saloon, which was quite prosperous. The money from this saloon went to support Joseph’s education at Harvard.After graduating from Harvard, Joe went into the liquor business, and from the liquor business he got into the movie business, all the while racking up large sums of money and making himself a very rich man. On October 7, 1914, Joe married Rose Fitzgerald and began the greatest political dynasty in American history. Joe used his fabulous wealth to further his own ambitious political career. He was able to earn favors from powerful politicians, and even formed a relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt by being one of his major supporters during his first bid for president.After FDR was in office Joe expected to be rewarded for his large contributions by being nominated for either Secretary of Treasury or Ambassador to England. Although it was the Secretary of Tre asury position that he really wanted, he was barely able to finagle the Ambassador position out of Roosevelt, and he only managed this by using his powerful influence in the media. Joe was a horrible politician, and many of the comments he made prior to World War II prevented him from ever holding a high public office, (The Kennedy Curse; page 43) including the one that was his ultimate goal, president. While ambassador to England, Joe made comments indicating that he sympathized with Nazi Germany and supported their extermination of the Jewish people.He also said that democratic countries should bribe dictator countries in order to avoid war, and also made many other statements that indicated that he did not support democracy. Soon after the war started Joe returned to the United States where he was relieved of his title and banished from all aspects of going-ons’ in Washington, D. C. After his aspirations of holding high office were dashed, Joe Kennedy placed all his expect ations on his eldest son, Joseph Kennedy Jr. Born on July 15, 1915, Joe Jr. received all the benefits of coming from a wealthy and influential family. He graduated from the best schools, and was almost through with law school when World War II broke out, which prompted him to drop out, join the navy and become a pilot. He was awarded his wings in May of 1942, and was sent to England in September of 1943. He flew many missions and collected many accolades.He was on the verge of being offered leave when his younger brother, John F. Kennedy won a heroic battle in the Pacific and stole his limelight. This upset Joe Jr. more than many people realized (The Kennedy Curse; page 36). Instead of accepting his offered leave and going home, Joe Jr. stayed in Europe and continued to fly, often taking more and more risks. In 1944 he volunteered for a top-secret mission, in which the odds of him living were only 50-50. His mission was to take a bomber loaded with 21,170 pounds of explosives and fl y over England to Normandy and crash-dive on a German V-2 rocket-launching site.Shortly after take-off on August 12, 1944, his plane exploded killing both Joe Jr. and his co-pilot. Joe was awarded the Navy Cross and the Air Medal posthumously (countrystudies. us). While World War II was raging in Europe, another Kennedy was frolicking in England. Kathleen (Kick) Kennedy was prominent in London society during England’s war era. She had succeeded in capturing the heart of William Robert John Cavendish, who was the son of Edward William Spencer Cavendish, who was the present Duke of Devonshire.By marrying William Cavendish, better known as Billy Hartington, Kick would secure a place at the top of British society and become a duchess in the process. Even though Billy was engaged to Sally Norton for a while, Kick was able to use her charm to win Billy’s heart. The only problem that seemed to exist was the fact that Billy was a member of the Angelican Church of England, whic h had a reputation for being notoriously anti-Catholic. However, Kick was a Kennedy and therefore everything would work out in her favor, because that’s what happened to Kennedy’s.Normally the Cavendish’s would never have allowed the marriage, but because of the fact that while the war raged on and taxes were increased and the fortune that was once the inheritance of Billy was slowly trickling away, the Cavendish’s were willing to allow the marriage due to the fact that Kick’s father was named the fourth wealthiest man in America. So even though Kick would be able to marry Billy, she would break many Catholic laws, and would be condemned to eternal purgatory. Billy made several compromises, such as getting married in a civil ceremony instead of an Angelican Church.However, one of Billy’s major stipulations was that his children would not be raised Catholic. After they were married on May 6, 1944, Billy offered Kick another compromise regardi ng the rearing of their children. He said that if Britain’s rigid class structure survived the war, then their children would have to be part of the Angelican Church; but if the class structure was gone then their children could be raised in the Catholic faith. Despite all these agreements, Kick’s entire family except for Joe Jr. condemned her decision, especially her mother Rose.Shortly after Kick and Billy married, Billy was called off to fight while Kick was left to her own devices. A few months after her wedding she received bad news; her favorite brother had been killed in a plane accident. She flew to the U. S. for Joe’s memorial service and remained there for several weeks. Subsequently, she was still in the U. S. when she received news that Billy had been killed in action on September 9, 1944. She immediately flew to England for the memorial service. She remained there even after his service, and was still prominent in British affairs.Even though she was no longer married to the future Duke of Devonshire, she still had several responsibilities, including planning balls and dances. It was at one of these dances that she first met Peter Fitzwilliam, a returning war hero and eighth earl. Pretty much everything Billy had been, but more exciting. For Kick and Peter it was considered love at first sight, although there were several obstacles, such as the ever-present problem of religion, and more importantly the fact that Fitzwilliam was married to Olive Dorothea.Even though Fitzwilliam was in the process of seeking a divorce when he first met Kick, he pursued a relationship with her while still being married to Olive. Kick’s relationship with Fitzwilliam, deemed a ‘scandalous affair’ by most prominent people, was violently condemned by her mother. Her mother threatened to cut off Kick’s allowance and pretty much kick her out of the family. Kick decided to seek her father’s support and arranged to meet h im in Paris. During their trip they ran into several delays, which caused them to run into bad weather.It was on May 13, 1947, that the plane carrying Kick, Peter, and two pilots crashed in the French countryside, killing all people on board (The Kennedy Curse; page 55). Even though he had lost two children already, Joe Kennedy still harbored aspirations of having one of his sons in the White House. Since his oldest son had died, the mantel fell on his next oldest son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. After returning to the United States, John Kennedy, also known as Jack, used his war hero title as a springboard to get into politics. His first victory was in 1946 when he was elected into the U. S.House of Representatives, into which he was reelected in 1948 and 1950. In 1956 he unsuccessfully tried for vice president on the democratic ticket, but was successful in winning the primary for the democratic presidential nomination in 1960. In campaigning for the presidency, he used his New Front ier Program to garner support. The New Frontier promised an extension of economic benefits, an increase in federal aid for education, better health insurance for the elderly, a new department of urban affairs, an end to recession and a restoration of growth, a tax cut to stimulate the economy, and also funding for the space program.Due to the fact that JFK had a narrow victory over Richard Nixon, he often faced opposition in congress, especially from conservative southern democrats (Encarta. msn. com). Even though he is today viewed by many people as an influential figure in American history, JFK’s administration was far from ideal. When he first took office he inherited a problematic situation with Cuba and its dictator, Fidel Castro. His failed attempt to overthrow Castro is known as the Bay of Pigs fiasco. The Bay of Pigs is actually the place where U. S. acked Cuban exiles unsuccessfully tried to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. The exiles were quickly defeated by Castro ’s forces, resulting in a very public embarrassment for the Kennedy administration.The Bay of Pigs fiasco almost in turn led to the Cuban missile crisis, which was a confrontation between the then U. S. S. R. and the United States, the closest the world has ever come to seeing nuclear war (Encarta. msn. com). The confrontation started when U. S. intelligence learned that the Soviet Union was supplying Cuba with long-range nuclear weapons, capable of hitting several U. S. targets. JFK was able to negotiate with the Soviet president, Khrushchev, and convinced him to take back the weapons from Cuba in exchange for the removal of several nuclear weapons located in Turkey that belonged to the U. S. Even though JFK was able to avoid nuclear war, one of his greatest legacies was his penchant for womanizing. This supposedly left him with chronic venereal disease, which is blamed for the death of his infant son, Patrick. JFK was able to cover up all his affairs because he had a close trusting relationship with most members of his secret service.This close relationship with his bodyguards was more of a hindrance than anything else because it prevented the agents from performing at their best. Security was very relaxed during JFK’s administration, which may have been one of the contributing factors to his assassination in 1963 (The Kennedy Curse; page 106). JFK originally went to Dallas in order to secure votes from this crucial state for his reelection. His approval rate in Texas was at an all time low, and JFK hoped a visit there would up his public opinion. Preparation work for his parade was sloppy; very few of the buildings along the parade route were inspected or secured.The night before his planned parade several of his secret service members went to a club where they drank and didn’t come back to the hotel until three or four o’clock in the morning (The Kennedy Curse; page 112). The next day, November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot in the head by Lee Harvey Oswald as his open car made its way down the parade route. The assassination of JFK has long been disputed as a conspiracy involving almost all of Washington and even the Mafia rather than just a mad act by a lone gunman. Evidence to support the conspiracy theory includes the trajectory of Oswald’s’ bullets.Many people say that the number of bullets and the directions of the wounds inflicted to JFK indicate another gunman (How Did It Really Happen? ; page 270). All these conspiracy theories sprang up after the murder of Oswald by Jack Ruby, which prevented Oswald from ever being questioned. Even though the family was still reeling from the death of the young president, life went on and there was still the push to have a Kennedy in the White House again. This time the mantel fell on the next brother, the former attorney general under JFK himself, Robert Kennedy, better known as Bobby.Bobby had begun his career much as his older brothers had, g raduating from prestigious colleges including Harvard and the University of Virginia. After completing his education he was made an attorney in the U. S. Department of Justice, where he worked for a year before leaving his post to become the manager of his older brother’s presidential campaign. After the election was over he was appointed to the position of attorney general where he gained prominence for his determination to crack down on organized crime.He is especially remembered for his investigation of teamsters David Beck and James Hoffa, as well as his activism for civil rights (Encarta. msn. com). After the assassination of JFK he resigned his post but remained active in politics, representing New York in the United States Senate. He continued working on civil equality and trying to improve the lives of the poor. In 1968 he began his campaign to be elected as the democratic candidate for president. His campaign was going well and many people thought that he would be th e next president and carry on the Kennedy name in the White House.However, when walking through the pantry in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 1968 he was fatally shot by Sirham Bishara Sirham, an Islamic extremist (Encarta. msn. com). He left behind ten children and a pregnant wife. As with the assassination of JFK many people suspected that there was a large complicated conspiracy behind the murder of Bobby Kennedy. Many witnesses say that there were more than one gunman in the pantry at the time that shots went off, and others say that they saw a couple running out of the hotel yelling, â€Å"We shot him, we shot him! † (homepages. com. cp. co. uk/~dlewis/crime. htm). However, as with the assassination of his older brother, we may never know the whole truth of the murder of Bobby Kennedy. One would think that after so many tragedies, the Kennedy’s would give up having their name in the White House. However, they still had one hope that lay in the youngest brother, Edward Kennedy, better known as Ted.Ted followed the same path as his brothers before him, graduating from the best schools and getting straight into politics. His career started off when he became district attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts in 1960 (Encarta. sn. com). In 1962 he was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by his older brother, JFK. In 1969 after his two older brothers had been assassinated, he made plans to begin campaigning for the democratic nomination for president. However, his plans were cut short, not because of another tragedy but because of a scandal that happened at Chappaquiddick Island. Ted Kennedy was driving to a rented beach house on the island with a young woman that had worked on Bobby’s campaign, Mary Jo Kopechne. The only way to the island was over a bridge that connected Martha’s Vineyard and Chappaquiddick Island.No one is sure if he was drunk or just inattentive, but either way he drove off the bridg e, killing Kopechne in the process. Instead of sticking around and waiting for someone he left the scene. Not only did he leave, but he also failed to report the crime until his car was found in the water several days later. He was convicted of leaving the scene of an accident, driving without a license, and reckless driving, as well as having to pay $90,000 to Kopechne’s family. Many people think that he should have received a harsher punishment, such as manslaughter charges, and that the only reason he was able to avoid these harges was the power and influence of the Kennedy name. Even though his aspirations for president were extinguished, Ted remained in the Senate, representing Massachusetts even to this day. The people discussed are only a small majority of the Kennedy family, and the incidents only a small portion of the numerous scandals and tragedies that plague the Kennedy’s. Even through so many tragedies, the Kennedy name remains an influential sound in pol itics, and the remaining members of the clan part of a royalty all their own.Bibliography †¢Reader’s Digest How Did It Really Happen? Copyright 2000 †¢Klein, Edward The Kennedy Curse oSt. Martin’s Press, NY, copyright 2003 †¢http://www.countrystudies.us/united-states/history-120.htm †¢http://www.sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/jfk.html †¢http://www.jpkf.org/BIOG.HTML †¢http://www.pbs.org/wgbn/amex/kennedys/peopleevents/p_joe.html †¢http://www.who2.com/josephkennedysr.html †¢http://www.encarta.msn.com †¢http://www.homepages.tcp.co.uk/~dlewis/crime.htm †¢http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-the-chappaquiddick-incident.htm

An Environmental Analysis Essay

An environmental analysis of the constraints in both the host and home countries is of primary significance in determining the conditions of the host market, thus giving the home country the option to adjust according to the conditions in the host country. There are several important factors that should be considered in the environmental analysis, specifically of the host country, Turkey, and of the home country, the United States of America. The factors for both the host and home countries include but are not limited to the political environment, the judicial and legal environments and the economic environment. The current political environment in the United States is primarily led by the Republican Party headed by President George W. Bush. However, the presidential elections are scheduled November this year where Senators Barack Obama and John McCain from the democratic and republican parties respectively will represent their political affiliations and seek office in White House. America’s structure of government is a representative democracy and the system of government is a federal republic where there are contiguous states. On the other hand, the legal environment in America is basically pegged on the country’s system of governance. That is, the laws of the country are created by the bicameral Congress composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, apart from the state and local laws created by the state and local levels of the government. The judicial system is basically comprised of the lower federal courts and Supreme Court which is the ultimate arbiter of the American laws. There are also appellate courts where cases can be filed for appeal and where decisions can be overturned depending on the merit of the case filed. In general, business in the United States in the context of the legal and judicial systems is healthy as there is a very minimal government control of the market, key private players in the economy are given the freedom to decide for themselves on a micro level as far as the market is concerned, and some of the laws are created to actually foster foreign and local trades. The United States economy has recently encountered a major setback primarily in the stock market, thus becoming a major cause of concern for the local corporations operating in the local economy. Nevertheless, the U. S. Federal Reserve System has been consistent in adjusting the interest rates so as to resolve the problem and bring the economy back on its feet (Guha, 2008, p. 9). On the other hand, the host country, Turkey, is nonetheless a regional power with influence reaching Europe, the Caucasus and beyond, and whose membership in the European Parliament is a key step towards becoming a full member of the European Union (Mooradian, 1995, p. 3). But even though there have been significant advancements in the economy of Turkey in more recent years, the country â€Å"cannot consider itself a true democracy† since it â€Å"does not tolerate the freedoms of speech and expression (Angacian, 2004, p. 3). † The country has been under military rule, and that there have been previous business threats from the ruling government aimed at France and Canada after the two latter countries recognized the Armenian Genocide. After both countries recognized the genocide, the Turkish government implemented a boycott in French wines and textiles as well as a boycott on Canadian products and enforced changes in the business contracts entered into by Canada with Turkey. Two of these changed contracts are contracts worth approximately $335 million and one that is close to a billion dollars worth of investments (Angacian, 2004, p. 3). But even though there are negative sides to the history of Turkey, it can hardly be denied that the country’s economy has been on the rise in more recent times. In 2004, Turkey’s economy has posted an eight percent growth with inflation rates dropping down to single digits. However, the recent developments in the country have substantially diminished its chances of joining the European Union as Turkey has become the â€Å"primary culprit† in the Union’s livelihood as Turkey has become a nation â€Å"stealing manufacturing work while delivering an influx of indigent job-seekers (Goodman, 2005, p. D. 01). † on the positive side, the home country, United States, can opt to venture into the rising industries in Turkey given the fact that the production costs in Turkey such as manpower is lower than its neighboring countries. Since the goods of the country primarily find their way to the rest of Western Europe, the advantage is that the investing foreign company has little to worry about production cost and market reach. On the other hand, the negative side of the market environment in Turkey is that the interest rates in credit are high, thereby resulting to higher prices of products which also results to limited exportation and new investments. Thus, it is significant for the company to consider relying on its capital resources rather than investing by financial borrowing as doing the opposite will most certainly result to higher prices of products manufactured. Moreover, it appears that the business environment in Turkey is not entirely friendly when the context of military rule is solely considered. In more recent years, Turkey has also experienced a steady growth in its technology sector although a large par of the country remains agricultural. The apparent diversity in culture, especially the Kurds and Turks, has resulted to differences in access in technology among the population as most Kurds are situated in the outskirts of the country. Some cultural considerations that should be addressed are the variations in the local purchases of goods depending on the financial capabilities of the local residents as well as the prospect of export in Western Europe where more cultural varieties are present, the strategies molded from the cultural context in Turkey and the leadership style of the company needed to address the economic and political concerns faced by the country and its people. References Angacian, S.(2004). The Undemocratic Democracy of Turkey. Armenian Reporter International, 36(48): 3. Goodman, P. S. (2005). Turkey’s Evolving Economy: Country Ties its Fortune Closer to Global Trade, Putting Pressure on Western Europe. The Washington Post: D. 01. Guha, K. (2008). Blowing in the Wind: America Braces Itself for the Risk of a Second Dip. Financial Times: 9. Mooradian, M. (1995). Political Analysis—Turkey: A Regional Power. Armenian Reporter International, 29(12): 3

Research Critical Appraisal Article Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critical Appraisal Article - Research Paper Example However, studies were selected with relevance to the various difference in culture, policy making, marginalization and difference in nursing practices among the groups. Demographic and methodological characteristics of study were used. Moreover, the use of methodical searches through the cumulative index to medicine and sociological abstract as a selection of study was used. During the study, the researchers should ensure that the outlined procedures can successfully help in achieving the objectives of the study. In order to achieve this, the list should be narrowed down to point only on specific facts and admirations (Xu, 2007). Further, during the study, the list was narrowed down into four main parts including the difference in nursing performances, discrimination, marginalization and exploitation, challenges in communication and the cultural differences. Documenting and examining of the experiences in pre-dominant subgroups contributed to reduction on the number of group members. Further, the list was narrowed down in relation to gender, race and culture that affect the work and life understandings. While carrying out research, appropriate selection of findings and facts is necessary. Appropriate section will always determine the type of the results possible to be achieved. Due to the fact that the study involved study in a strange land, the selection was based on the nurses from Asia and western countries. In order for the visitors to coop with cultural difference challenges, it was necessary for the selection to be made up of real members and the visitors. This could help in learning some cultural practices (Xu, 2007). Moreover, since there was limited level of experience among the immigrants nurses, the selection could be based on the immigrant’s nurses and the Asian nurses in order to share knowledge and understanding between them. Selection based on language

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report Research Proposal

Hovey Insurance & Financial Services Final Report - Research Proposal Example The company is adopting a new approach that is the technology approach which will help the company to fulfill and achieve the objectives that it wants to achieve. It hired a designer to create their company website which would inform the people of all the products and services that the company provides. Along with the new marketing strategy, the company faces a number of challenges that it has to overcome in order to create awareness about their website. The company is using different approaches which would help them to achieve a greater market share and also increase their sales (Admin 2010). 1.1 Purpose I was asked to perform two tasks by the company. Firstly, I had to search for a website designer who would make a plan to create a website for the company. I was responsible for creating the contents of the website and also work with the designer so that there exists collaboration between both of us. Secondly, I had to create a marketing plan which would attract the consumers toward s the website of the Hovey Company. I was given a time of two months at the most for the completion of the tasks. In order to complete the work in the given time, I took out time every week in order to see the amount of time that the execution can be carried out and also check if the plan needed any kind of reform or change(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The New Brunswick province is considered to be a niche market and is the main target of the company. Huestis Insurance Group is the parent company of Hovey company which manages the Atlantic Provinces and the Hovey company can also be understood to be an agent or the broker for the Huestis Group (Nijssen & Frambach 2001). A road map was constructed which would help to complete the work and fulfilling the major objectives and plans of the tasks. The first task as mentioned before was to design the company’s website. For this, I selected the three major areas of the company namely life, personal and commercial insurance. Each of the topic had a different color different than the others and consisted of all the information about that type of program of insurance. Every category would have a sub-category for example liability insurance and commercial insurance under it. I also added some details about every category of insurance in order to motivate and attract people to buy the insurance(Nijssen & Frambach 2001). The home-page of the website will consist of the slogan of the company which is ‘Insurance is the Solution’ that will give an overall idea of the company to the people. The website will also consist of the contact numbers of the company as well as their toll free number. The next step was to meet different designers and claim the best design and offer for the website. These steps were important in order to create the marketing strategy for the company on the internet. The first task for me to fulfill was the online marketing for the company (Berry & Wilson 2001). The next objective that i had to fulfill was to create a plan by attracting potential consumers so that they go through the website of the company and come to know about the current services and products(Berry & Wilson 2001). Once to website is fully constructed, I would need to look for different strategies on how to let the customers know about the website and its services. 1.2 Stakeholders The insurance agencies and the brokers mostly sell similar services and prod

The benefit of drag race Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The benefit of drag race - Research Paper Example Since the development of motorcycles and automobiles, the drag racing has existed as a form of motorsport. It has also being existed as street racing. The form of street racing is regarded as illegal. This is mainly due to the fact that Street racing can violate the rules and regulation of society. Bracket racing and heads-yup are the two forms of drag racing. This research paper will analyze and discuss about the benefits of drag racing. The exciting new sport named drag race has grown more popular among the new breed of racers. People who are fond of racing are most interested to travel fast rather than slow. There are certain basics of drag racing. Before the start of every drag racing, racers using advanced motorcycles and automobiles are permitted to execute burnout. The process of burnout improves the traction and heats the tires. It is vital before every race that tires are heated so that it can help to grip the surface for better control. It can also benefit to sets the rubber down. Christmas tree is a system that can help to start drag race automatically. This system consists of six light, one green, one blue, one red and three ambers. There are several racing organizations around the world that oversees the drag racing. Several organizations are located at South Africa, Australia, North America, Europe, Caribbean and New Zealand (Scott, 2010). The Australian National Drag racing Association, the National Ho t Rod Association, the New Zealand Hot Rod Association, etc. These are some organizations and there are many more around the world that helped to start drag racing events. Mickey Thompson was inventor of first slingshot. This is not a normal race. Each details of the race are effectively measured to be advanced from other competitors. Speed, reaction time and elapsed time of the car are measured by the experts to notify the period of time taken by cars to cross the finish line. Drag racing can benefit economically and technologically.

Week 5 Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 5 Discussion - Assignment Example Changes can be made to the physical appearance of the product to appeal to the customers. Product’s design and styling are changed in order to make it more attractive. Packaging of the products in a new and innovative way also contributes in extending the lifecycle of the product (Pride and Ferrel). New innovations can be added to the product to meet the increased expectation of the customers. New and improved features will make the product more attractive and assists in ensuring that the product remains or goes back to the growth stage. Pricing is also another effective tool that can be used by the marketers. The product can be priced lower than the earlier prices to increase the sale. Even though this will reduce the profit margins but will increase the life cycle of the product. Increasing the promotional spend on the product will help to reach wider audience and lead to extending the life cycle (Pride and Ferrel). An example of this is Apple’s iPhone 4S. iPhone 4S is an extension of iPhone 4 with added features. Even though the design of the 2 are very similar, iPhone 4S has come with better features to attract the customers. iPhone 4S was released when the customers were expecting an entirely new product – iPhone 5. But iPhone 4S came out as a extended and better version of iPhone

To what extent was a US Civil War inevitable in the event of a US Research Paper

To what extent was a US Civil War inevitable in the event of a US CIVIL War, to what extent was a Union victory inevitable - Research Paper Example from the American Revolution to the adoption of the Constitution, no one ever doubts that Americans, whether in the South or the North, had a common interest of establishing a prosperous nation. The means to achieving that very end, however, proved contentious, with sectionalism creeping in to widen the rifts between a people that fought their independence together barely a century earlier. To be sure, the origins of the civil war had roots in the first miserable boatload of African slaves into the American soil. The doubtful, as Sydney E. Ahlstrome notes, would be at pains to refute claims that slavery and the sustained mass moral condemnation of the institution was at heart of the conflict (649). Indeed without slavery, the war wouldn’t have occurred. In the 100 years or so of independence, the Southern states remained on an economy largely founded on cotton plantation agriculture aided by the institution of slavery. The North, though had own agricultural resources, was more advanced commercially and industrially, that one state after the other felt the need to abolished slavery. For a time it, it appeared that slavery was on its way to extinction with the remarks of Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson defining the South’s peculiar institution as a â€Å"necessary evil† (Roberts 53). To some, slavery was in every sense a â€Å"positive good† that generated a great deal of foreign exchange at no or low cost for the southerners. So intense were the gridlocks that when the Tariff legislation was finally introduced in the Congress and passed with the aid of Northern politicians, in effect raising the prices of imported goods in favor of the North produ ced goods against the wishes of Southerners long used to shipping their cotton to Europe in return for inexpensive boatloads of European goods, including clothes made from their own cotton, the southerners furor rose to near conflict 30 years to its actual dates. With the new tariff putting foreign goods out of financial

Nonprofit organization pepar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nonprofit organization pepar - Essay Example There are innumerable nonprofit organizations throughout the world working for the society, environment, and governments. These nonprofit organizations produce a deep impact on the lives of many people, societies and environment through their dedication, focus and selfless service. These organizations continually set examples for other societies and cultures, which get conceptually copied or become the source of inspiration for other entities in different parts of the world. One such initiative is ‘SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd’ by Harish Hande, an Energy Engineer from India, in partnership with Neville Williams, the founder of Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF). SELCO Solar Light Pvt Ltd clearly has all the characteristics of a nonprofit organization as outlined by Ashcraft (2005). SELCO is headquartered in Bangalore, a southern city of India and has about 25 energy centers across two states within India. It employs about 170 employees and has sold over 115,000 solar systems in a span of 15 years. SELCO is registered as a private limited company and adheres to all business laws including employee wages, compensation etc. However, SELCO operates on exclusively designed policies, programs and services. SELCO can be contacted through its numbers available from its website, www.selco-india.com. Although SELCO is solely private in nature, it has partnered with different groups including technology, finance, carbon trading companies, community based organizations, international setups for community development, and other nonprofit organizations across India and other countries. SELCO is governed by a group of board members that are highly educate d and experienced in the field of nonprofit and rural development work (SELCO, n.d). Hande studied Masters Degree from the University of Massachusetts after acquiring an undergraduate degree in Energy Engineering from

English literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

English literature - Essay Example Although Sci Fi may have a rendered a physical presence in our society, gothic fiction portrays social evils, educates us on our inner or hidden personalities, makes us realise about the dualities in our roles and educates us on our double standards. All that in a way that it entertains us as well (Ellis, 2001). One read on the book Dracula tell us about this character or breed of beings that live on human blood and are immortal. But the values behind this fiction are much more than that. Dracula represents the social evil in us of never ending greed, hunger and power. His immortality may be referred to as the dynamic economy society that may have transformed society us all into being slaves to the system (Watt, 2005). The same ideas that came from the book â€Å"1984†. The idea of â€Å"big brother watching. Dracula may be thirsty for blood only but it does portray how we all are made to sacrifice our lives for the good of someone else. Psychology, sociology and philosophy- all are integral pieces in gothic literature. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide in Stevenson’s book are the two characters that teach us about us. How we have an inner self for greater glory and how we can accidentally or intentionally with limited knowledge do evil with the intentions of good. How science may have created more monsters for us in our lives than do more good. How we perceive ourselves to be Gods and seek immortality through our work. Stevenson’s work is not just about monsters and dark forces, but it explains values of society. It explains how we as human have our limitations as humans and what we have done to exceed those (Hogle, 2002). Gothic literature makes us learn of our inner selves. It makes us realize the animal instincts that guide us when we need to eat, sleep and mate. Since the topics of discussion in gothic literature are many a times metaphysical and explore our subconscious, the characters depicted in gothic literature are supernatural

Levi Strauss Essay Example for Free

Levi Strauss Essay As one attempts to assess the business ethics of Levi Strauss and Nike in this writing assignment, we are again compelled to revisit the critical distinction of conduct that is legal, yet still unethical. In both instances, Levi Strauss and Nike behaved with the parameters of legal conduct, yet few would argue that profiting from exploitive work conditions is an ethical behavior of any socially responsible organization (broad view social responsibility). Obviously, it’s very tempting to just condense this argument to the point of â€Å"bad companies boosting profits from lower labor costs via exploiting foreign workers in sweatshops†. I am going to take a much broader approach here in my assessment, as complete fairness to the two corporations here requires a bit of an indictment of the legal, regulatory, political, and socioeconomic environment that they operate in. So, let’s start there †¦ how is it that both of these large corporations are permitted (and driven) to outsource (with relative impunity) labor to countries with poor labor laws? In order to fairly assess their conduct, one must first examine the system under which they operate. How has corporate America gone down this path? Why do so many large U. S. corporations outsource labor en masse, which costs the U. S. economy so many jobs domestically? Let’s start by looking in the mirror and by that I mean you and I †¦ the U. S. consumer. Our thirst for cheap merchandise made overseas knows no limits. Do any of us look at the country of origin for goods, and if it’s non-U. S. do we even pause for a second to consider boycotting said goods due to loss of American jobs? Or boycott due to the nation of origin’s reputation for worker abuse? Of course we don’t. We want that Japanese high definition television from Wal-Mart that costs $100 less. We want the clothing from China or Indonesia that is 30% cheaper than similar brands made here. So, my first premise in this entire argument is that American consumers are NOT socially responsible in their purchasing habits. This lack of social responsibility on the demand side is a catalyst for Levi Strauss and Nike to seek cheaper labor overseas – for if they do not, their competitors assuredly will and they will be at a competitive disadvantage. Now, let’s assess the legal and regulatory environment under which both entities operate in the United States. Has Congress made it illegal to outsource labor to countries that they know are abusing their labor forces? In general, of course not. Congress maintains a blind eye to the problem, debating it over the years here and there in a politically motivated, half-hearted effort to occasionally placate certain voting segments (labor unions; displaced workers). Do they tougher their stance? Do they for one minute say to themselves, â€Å"this is really wrong, and socially irresponsible†? By inaction Congress is tacitly approving this practice, which of course is what powerful corporate lobbyists want. The profit motive has large U. S. corporations addicted to cheap labor now; Pandora’s Box has been opened and no one has the political will to attempt to close it. So let’s recap so far: we’ve indicted the U. S. consumer and our lawmakers in the legislative branch of the U. S. government (Congress) as major cultivators of the pro-outsourcing environment for which Levi Strauss and Nike must successfully operate under. Next on our list of socially irresponsible contributing parties – the judicial branch of the U.S. government. When the U. S. Supreme Court found in 2010 that the formation of so called â€Å"Super PACs† for campaign donations was legal, this gave corporations new powers under the law to, in effect, buy our government via opulent and obscene campaign spend funneled to candidates. The end result of this ruling is that corporations that profit greatly from outsourced labor are now able to pay for the elections of our Congressmen – and gee, wonder how this economic â€Å"favor† will be repaid when attempts to rein in outsourcing come up in Congress? Let’s move on to our two protagonists in this debate: Levi Strauss and Nike. Now that we’ve got the backdrop well in hand, and a reasonable person would agree that a massive systemic failure in the U. S. has allowed and promoted unchecked outsourcing of jobs, it’s time to discuss these two corporate giants and their respective behaviors here. Do these two corporations have a responsibility to monitor the conduct of the companies they do business within particular, their contractors and suppliers? As a personal believer in the broader view of corporate social  responsibility, I believe that they do. Notwithstanding the fact that all of this outsourcing is legal, and despite the mitigating factors that I’ve argued above that do alleviate these two companies of all of the blame – I still believe that they need to take the higher moral ground. Levi Strauss overall has conducted itself with far greater corporate social responsibility than Nike has, in my judgment. Strauss for many years withdrew from China due to their notoriety as a non-democratic country with abusive labor conditions. Regrettably, it had to re-enter China eventually to keep pace with competitors. Also, witness the way that Strauss treated its displaced U. S. workers as it (with some remorse) eventually had to close all its U. S. plants due to competition from outsourcers. Strauss gave generous severance and retraining dollars to the affected workers. In my estimation, Strauss has had to compromise its socially responsible corporate culture due to pressures from the warped competitive environment that was designed around them. It became a matter of survival for their corporation; their management had to adapt or risk failure and loss of the shareholders’ investments in the company. That is why I authored the overview above – I think it’s highly relevant to assessing Strauss’s conduct here. The system failed Levi Strauss – they wanted to behave under the broad definition of corporate social responsibility, but the demand for cheaper outsourced goods by consumers and the legality of outsourcing jobs (Congressional oversight failure) forced an adaptive change against their moral grain. Nike, however, is no apologist when it comes to their outsourcing. In fact, they are proud of it – even boasting that they pay outsourced workers higher than average wages for their region. To me, this is tantamount to bragging that â€Å"we don’t abuse those workers as badly as others do†. Frankly, that attitude offends my sensibilities and my personal set of ethical standards. I also deem it to be in direct conflict with the broader definition of corporate social responsibility. Lastly, I think that corporations have the obligation to take the ethical high ground and behave in a socially responsible manner (broad definition). That said, however, I do not believe that it’s a fair expectation to demand that high standard if adhering to same places the company’s very existence at risk due to systemic failures beyond their control. Levi Strauss attempted to â€Å"do the right thing†, but poor rules and oversight make competing in a broad ethical manner quite dangerous to its ultimate survival. Strauss’s example should serve as a wakeup call to U. S. consumers and our Congress: systemic change is needed, and it’s needed NOW.

Ideal school for international education

Ideal school for international education Before to start talking about international education, it seems appropriate to give a definition from experienced researchers in this sector: The interest in the field of international education has never been more intense a rapidly increasing number of schools world-wide have been established specifically to meet the demands of those parents who, through their own global professional activities, wish to have their children educated in programmes based on international values and often in contexts other than their home country. Such schools have embraced the promotion of international education as one of their major goals.(Hayden, Levy and Thompson 2007:1) We also want to draw the readers attention to the fact that another researcher named Skelton also defines international education and international curriculum in relation to international schools. This is obviously only one vision and one definition of international education but these are the ones we are interested in investigating with this assignment because we will analyze whether an international school, namely St Andrews International School Bangkok, is close to the ideal school for international education. Our School St Andrews International School Bangkok is, as stated in the first definition above, a school that is established (in Thailand) to meet the demand for expatriate parents and wealthy local families who want their children educated in programs based on international values. St Andrews International School Bangkok, offers the international IGCSE and IB Diploma programmes ( we will explain later what are these IGCSE and IB programmes), and has, as main purpose, to promote international education as its mission statement says: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We will, of course further analyze the mission statement in later chapters when we will speak about ideologies, values and global citizenship education. What will we analyze? We defined above our focus, which is The International Schools. With this starting point, we must look at what are the components of an international school. We will focus on the following: the Values and Ideologies, the Curriculum, The Students, The Teachers, The administrators, the Board and the role of English language and other languages; compare and criticize all these points with what is said in the literature and our own experience in the field. What we are going to analyze is, of course, not all the elements of an international school, but those most important to analyze, in order to answer our assignments question. The values and ideologies In the syllabus, we read that Watson and Ashton (1995) point out that Society does not wait for consensus before transmitting values, and neither do schools. They convey values every day, knowingly or unknowingly, both at the more explicit level of what is taught, and at the less openly acknowledged level of how the school is administered (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Education cannot be value-free. Indeed, we believe that the official curriculum and also the hidden curriculum (what happens in the classroom, the relationship between teacher and student and how they interact) will automatically transmit values. In our school, the IGCSE curriculum transmits, clearly, the values of the Western World and more specifically, Great Britain. Even if the IGCSE allows adaptation to the context, the curriculum is there, with the knowledge to be transmitted, and that knowledge comes from Great Britain. The values transmitted, are humanists as we can read in our syllabus: Humanism as an ideology places a high emphasis on knowledge. Some forms of humanism (think classical humanism, conservatism, traditionalism, academicism) advocate the restriction of high status knowledge to an elite minority: the selective grammar school/secondary modern school system of pre-1960s England, for instance, typifies a classical humanist approach. Other forms of humanism, such as liberal humanism for instance, while still placing a great emphasis on knowledge advocate that high status knowledge should be accessible to all. We find that, indeed, the IGCSE curriculum focuses generally on knowledge. We also feel that they want this high status knowledge (a knowledge that comes from Cambridge University) to be accessible, if not to all, to the biggest number of students, abroad, especially in International Schools. Regarding the IB curriculum, it also transmits values, the values of openness, world mindedness, the child is the center of his learning, the child must be knowledgeable, balanced, Inquirer, etc. (IBO website, learner profile) These values are clearly progressivist because we can read on the IBO website: Progressivism as an ideology is essentially child-centered, with the emphasis clearly on the individual child. Curricula such as the International Baccalaureates Primary Years Programme (2008) are examples of a progressivist (or constructivist) approach to education. (Syllabus) Although we still do not teach the PYP program, these values are the same in the IB Diploma and are implied throughout the schooling of students until they pass their diploma examinations. In the syllabus, we read: Halstead (1996), meanwhile, argues that The values of schools are apparent in their organization, curriculum and discipline procedures, as well as in the relationships between teachers and pupils. Values are reflected in what teachers choose to permit or encourage in the classroom, and in the way they respond to childrens contributions to learning. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Even the seating arrangements in a classroom convey certain values. It is true that this transmits values as well. In our school, students are always encouraged to ask questions and to come to find the teacher after class for further explanation. The students are sitting in the classroom in a circle, to allow the exchange during the class. It is clear that in this case, the teacher is not the master of knowledge delivered to the student, but the students are encouraged to take control over their learning and there is a form of trust and closeness between the student and the teacher, to allow an o ptimal construction of the knowledge. To conclude this point, we read the mission statement of our school: Our mission is to provide an inclusive, international education in a happy, supportive and stimulating environment, where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential enabling them to become responsible global citizens. We note that the school wants to be inclusive which shows we put a high value on the acceptance of others. The mission statement also says we want our students to be happy to learn and, when learning, they receive all the necessary support from the staff. This is a value our school wants to transmit to the students. We can finally see that we place a great importance on the individual and their learning, and we hope our students to become Global Citizens. This shows that we give importance to the individuals but also to the overall population, which gives an international perspective to the values we try to instill. The Students St Andrews International School has a student population of more or less 680 children. There are about 40 percents of Thai students, 15 percents of Japanese, 10 percents of Indians and a large German and French community. One of the advantages of the international schools is the teachers students ratio, which is 1:25 by schools policy. It allows space for individual care. Anyway, by the Thai law, in an International School, there cannot be more than 30 students per class. The Thai students Regarding the huge percentage of Thai students, they are mostly from rich families, the countrys elite families or possessing businesses. These families have the choice of National Education (which is not highly regarded because there is a huge disparity in terms of quality) and International Education, which is very popular with families of these elites, as they want their children to have access to foreign universities in order to have more chances of success in this globalized world. These children will have an advantage over other local children. Their parents put them in these schools as an investment for the future. Langford says concerning these students, that they may feel isolated and different, living on the local economy rather than enjoying the many benefits shared by their expatriate classmates. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) or they may dominate the community to the extent that the school has to adjust practices to suit their interests and the expatriates are made to feel outsiders. (2002:48) This is true in the sense the Thai students at St Andrews International School, live in Thailand and many of them have never lived abroad, unlike their friends who often have lived, in most cases, in more than two countries. On the other hand, the Thai students are so much in majority (40 percent) compared with other nationalities; that, indeed, this may be the expatriate students who feel like outsiders, especially those Thais students often come from very wealthy families. That said, after what I saw, it seems the Thais students and those from other nationalities mix well, talk and play together, through a family atmosphere which the Head of School, Mr Paul Schofield was able to install. It should also be noted that students from our school have been there at least 5-6 years and feel, with the time, part of a family. The Expatriate students The expatriate students are, in the vast majority, Globally Mobile Children that Eidse and Sichel define as having parents who are educators, international business people, foreign service attaches, missionaries and military personnel. The children shuttle back and forth between nations, languages, cultures and loyalties. They live unrooted childhoods. (2004:1) In our school, most students are from families as described above and I would add, in many cases, their parents work for NGOs or in embassies. These children are also often better adapted to the teaching style of international schools in general. They also learn languages more easily than Thais students due to the fact they have lived in several countries and had to learn local languages each time. The Special Needs students Another important facet of the population of students in our school is the Special Needs students. As our mission statement says, our school is an inclusive school inclusive where all the needs of the individual learner are met and students are inspired to achieve their full potential. We have a Special Needs student population of about 10 percents and we also have in place, a wonderful learning support program for these students, with qualified, dedicated teachers and coordinators for several different Key stages. The Special Needs students are divided into two categories, those with learning difficulties and those with physical problems or syndromes such as autism or Down syndrome. It should also be noted that each student has a Special Needs individual tutor who accompanies them in the mainstream classroom. Our philosophy is that every child has the right to education. At the same time, we must emphasize that to be accredited by a body such as the CIS (Council of International Schools), if accreditation is to be given, that provision is made for the initial identification of the learning needs of students and for the subsequent addressing those needs. Therefore, did the school really have a choice to implement such a program? It is clear that, from the beautiful philosophy of we accept everyone, even if they have learning needs and the reality, that, to be accredited, we must implement a program of Special Needs, there is a gap. The relationship between the two is not very healthy. We think there is a market issue because, nowhere else than St Andrews we can find a school with an inclusive policy. Looking at this, we realize that International Schools, in general, are businesses with the purpose of finding a market and making money. In the case of our school, for the special needs children, it is beneficial, but it is not always the case of other I nternational School focusing on making money and not caring the students well being. With regard to the Gifted Children, St Andrews International School has no program in place, which is, in my view, inconsistent with the mission statement saying that all the students must realize their full potential. How can a student with superior capabilities than others realize its full potential? We have only the differentiation as a tool to work with the brightest students. The transition for students, from one school to another Another area of concern for students in international schools is the transition from one school to another. Regarding our school, unfortunately there is no transitional program for students from other countries or other international schools. Only teachers of these students can help them to integrate successfully into their new environment with techniques inspired by the mission statement: our teachers are fully trained in teaching methods that promote an interactive approach to learning within a stimulating and structured environment where the highest premium is placed on self- discipline and motivation and our children are confident communicators where they realize their full potential in an atmosphere of calm cooperation, tolerance and understanding. The teachers At St Andrews International School, we have a population of teachers around 90 people. From these 90 teachers, 70 are from Great-Britain, six teachers are from New-Zealand and the remaining teachers from Japan, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Thailand etc. The reason there are so many British teachers is certainly related to the fact that St Andrews is a British school, following the British curriculum as well. These Britannic subjects are teaching the core subjects at the school, such as Math, Science, History and Geography while teachers of Japanese, French, and Swiss etc., teach their native languages. All the teachers though, British or from another nationalities must hold at least a Bachelors Degree, a teaching certificate with, usually, a minimum of a two years full-time teaching experience. British International School, British teachers? M. Hayden cites Richards (1998: 174) who highlights a good point about this subject in a passage from a promotional brochure of an international school. He wrote: Over 70 teachers share a broad international experience, coming from such countries as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. Can we infer from the above, Richards asks, that no teachers are employed (or employable?) from so-called less developed regions of the world? Or merely that advertising such teachers would not be a positive selling point for the school? When Richards says no teachers from developing countries are hired, this is almost true in our school as well, as 80 percent of the teachers are from developed countries. Maybe if the school hired teachers in developing countries, it would not have a good image for the school because it is a British School. We think that one of the reasons is the parents from local families would not appreciate paying an expensive international school instead of a local school for teachers to be hired from less developed countries than theirs. At the same time, it is in contradiction with our philosophy of internationalism to show a good example of tolerance and openness. We teach our students to be people with a global vision of the world, tolerance and a world mindedness, and the school sets a poor example by discriminating against the hiring of teachers, choosing only teachers from so-called developed countries because it looks good. Others will say it is normal for a British school to hire a majority of British teachers and that is what parents expect. Both views can be justified but there should be a right balance between pragmatism and ideology. The expatriate overseas hired, the expatriates locally hired and the host national teachers Another point we want to address here is, at St Andrews, there is no segregation between the expatriate teachers hired overseas and expatriate teachers recruited locally. There is no difference in contract or salary, or extras such as return flights and health insurance, which does not create jealousy among teachers and we think it is a good thing. On the other hand, host country national teachers are paid two times less than teachers from other countries, which sometimes creates a feeling of injustice because they teach the same number of hours as teachers who are expatriates and they are paid less. Again, this is a pity to notice that we, as an International School should promote equality between citizens of the world and, in practice, we do not really do what we say. Some will say that if there was not an advantageous package for those expatriates, they would probably not leave their home country to come to teach abroad, when, for instance, host country national teachers do not ha ve to leave their families behind and the comfort of their own country. So, again, the two views can be justified. The penelopes I just wanted to add that, at St Andrews there are a lot of Penelopes (who have been at the school for more than seven years), as Hardman says they are those teachers who remain faithful to the country they have adopted. I think it is a good thing for the students as a gage of stability, where in some other International Schools in Thailand, teachers cannot stay more than seven years. The induction Speaking about teachers, we must also mention the phase of induction of new teachers when they arrive at an international school. M.Hayden said:  « Any teacher who moves from one school to another within the International Schools system could reasonably expect some form of induction in at least the early stages of a new appointment.  » (2006: 82) Regarding St Andrews International School, the induction is four days. The Head of School spends four whole days with new teachers, explaining all aspects of the school and the culture shock that awaits them from the Thai culture. This allows a smooth start in the new host country. However, the induction is not going further. Never again, ones organizes any meeting with new faculty to ensure that everything goes well. To conclude this point we cite here Hayden who says that The question of how best support new recruits in a new cultural environment is by no means an easy one to answer. (2006:83) The teachers appraisal Dimmock and Walker say Teacher appraisal is a contentious and divisive issue regardless of the context within which it operates (2005: 143). It is true there is no recipe to make a good appraisal, it is a difficult process to implement. At St Andrews, the appraisal system is fairly simple and does not put too much pressure on the shoulders of teachers. Once a year, the head of department comes to visit the classroom for two lessons. At the end of the observation the head gives his feedback to the teacher and they set two targets for the following observation, the year after. The head of school come to observe the teacher once per contract to give his consent for its renewal. The method is simple, do not stress too much the teacher, but at the same time, is it a good tool to evaluate the staff? Coming to observe a lesson and give two targets for next year means that everything else is not important; the teacher will focus only on one aspect of his teaching. The Turnover In our school, the latest statistics, which date back two years and cover a period of five years, show that teachers remain at St Andrews about five years. There are about four to five teachers, from a number of ninety, who leave each year. We think this is a good sign because if a teacher stays five years in a school, we think it shows he is happy to work there. Another factor may be that the teacher cannot find a job elsewhere or he is married to a Thai person and therefore has no choice but to stay at the school, but our experience and discussions with teachers at St Andrews have shown us that teachers are generally very satisfied with working at this place. To be more complete, we should conduct a survey on why teachers stay but it would be difficult to the lack of time. The Administrators At St Andrews, there is a British Head of School who administers the school of a budgetary standpoint and oversees other heads such as the Head of Keystage1, the Head of Keystage 2 and the Head of high school with his Deputy. These people belong to the so-called Senior Management. In the Middle Management, there are the heads of departments. Under the Thai law, the sole Head of School must be a Thai national. This is indeed the case at our school. There is a Thai Head whose role on paper is very different from its role in practice. On paper, she has to take academic and budgetary decisions but in reality she does only take care of the Thai teachers and the Thai curriculum. We find that it is not fair because the law states that a person in charge must be a Thai Head of School. Our school lies on paper to meet the Thai law and to meet the demand of parents who want to see a foreign Head of School. On top of that, the Thai Head is also paid as a local teacher, that is to say, four times less than the foreign Head. The Board Littleford writes Schools with healthy boards do not have crises, and we must agree with him regarding our school. In our school, the board is only composed of a family, Thai and very rich. They are the only ones to make big financial decisions for the school development. They always follow the recommendations of the Head of School and never intervene in the daily running of the school. There never was any crisis between the Board and the Head of School since the inception of the school and we welcome that fact. The Accreditation St Andrews is currently accredited by CIS (the Council of International Schools), the Thai Ministry of Education, and is in the process of being accredited by CFBT. The fact our school is accredited by the Ministry of the host country and by an internationally acclaimed body shows that we are in the standards of international education. We read on the website CFBT Accreditation with CfBT shows that your school demonstrates high standards of student achievement with an effective curriculum, good use of resources, a successful leadership team and strong partnerships with parents. CFBT therefore focuses on quality of student achievement, curriculum and relationships with parents. We may wonder whether the failure to look at the results of pupils is not just elitist. Should not International schools give students a chance to improve? Another aspect that CFBT looks at is the curriculum, which is normal, but they should also look at internationalism, the values, etc. The last point CFBT looks at is the relationship the school has with parents. In our school we have a very active group of parents who organize events of all kinds at school and are much supported by our Head of School. To return to accreditation with CFBT, we feel that our curriculum deputy encourages us to only look at the CFBT criteria to satisfy them. We can therefore ask whether the accreditation system is not a little hypocritical. Yet we do a great job, professionally, but we offer something completely prepared to CFBT, just to satisfy their criteria, which does not seem very ethical or honest. On the other hand, accreditation can be useful tool, to give us the time to reflect on our practices. The English as a Second Language and Mother-Tongue languages English as a Second Language Hayden says: Many International Schools offering an English-Medium education provide language support for non-native speakers of English () the extent and nature of support clearly vary. It is true that in our school, support comes down to putting these students in an ESL class a few times per week, while other students have classes in French or Japanese, and these ESL students follow the rest of the courses in mainstream class where they understand almost nothing. In my old school, Hanoi International School, we had ESL classes and on top of that, for mainstream courses, an ESL support teacher came into class to help students understand the instructions or what the teacher explained. We believe this latter approach is more effective because students receive constant support and feel less stressed towards the English language because there is always someone to help them understand what is said in class. After a while, of course, if the students made significant progress, they join the mainstream class, without any ESL support anymore. Mother-Tongues About the provision of other languages, Murphy is in favor of a greater provision of support for the childs first language in order to support cognitive development in that language, which would make the second language less difficult to acquire (Murphy, 2003: 36-7). That is exactly what our head of School think about the fact that a student cannot have a good cognitive development with a language he does not control at all if he does not master his own language. Children need intellectual development in their own language before they can grow intellectually in a different language. In our school, that is why we have an extensive program of mother-tongue language. It is obvious that such a program is not easy to implement, especially for smaller schools that have limited financial resources. Carder said: There are certainly scheduling and administrative problems in mother-tongue in finding teachers, and financial difficulties about whether to add it to the payroll or to the parents to pay extra. At St Andrews, it is certain that it is not easy to administer the program of mother tongue and foreign language as it creates a lot of clashes in the timetables. It is not easy either to find language teachers for French, Japanese and German in Thailand. From a financial standpoint, the school request parents wishing to enroll their children in the first language program, a supplement to the school fees of about 300 U.S. dollars. This program meets over the years, more and more success because kids love to speak their mother tongue at school, a few hours per week; and parents are reassured that their children can more easily reintegrate school in their home countries if they move back there. Écouter Lire phonà ©tiquement Dictionnaire Afficher le dictionnaire The Curriculum In the world, there are several international schools curricula. The most common are the British connoted IGCSE, and IB which claims to be more international. Before considering in more detail the two mentioned curricula, we will dwell a moment on some definitions of curriculum. Hayden cites Bulman and Jenkins in her book International Education, International Schools and their communities, which describes the curriculum, following three aspects: The academic curriculum or what is formally taught in schools, the pastoral curriculum which includes social skills, study skills, careers and counseling for the hidden curriculum that all these practices are not explicit in the official curriculum, such as teacher-student relationships, the rules in the classroom, the structures rewards etc. We will come back to these aspects later on this chapter. At St. Andrews, the academic curricula are the IGCSE and the IB. Our Head of School says that we teach the IGCSE in the middle school because it gives more importance to academic skills and therefore prepare well for the IB which has an approach to the whole child and preparing students for university and has a globalized world. To corroborate these claims, we will read what the IGCSE and IBO say on their websites: The IBO: On the IBO website, we can read: Our challenging Diploma Programme assessment is recognized by the worlds leading universities. The IB diploma is not recognized in all universities, but by the world leading Universities. Does that mean, as some people think that the IB is elitist? They also write: We encourage international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. All IB students learn a second language and the skills to live and work with others internationally-essential for life in the 21st century. At St Andrews, we encourage students to learn their culture and their first language. We have a large program such as First Language: Japanese, German, French and Thai, which allows these students to stay in touch with their languages and cultures within the international school. On the other hand, we do not provide first language courses for all nationalities, creating a division between the languages called important and others, which results in a risk of partitioning students between important and not important languages, which can cause frustrations. At the same time, all students, without exception, learn a second language. They can choose between Japanese, Chinese (very popular with Thai students), German, French and Thai. The range offered is wide enough for second language courses, allowing students to sample a different culture or language of their choice, enabling them, as stated by the IBO, to live, to communicate, to understand and to work with others, internationally. At St Andrews, we organize an international day, which allows students to see how their friends from other cultures dress (thanks to the international fashion show), what are the typical dishes of other countries (through the international buffet), which languages are spoken, and thus learn to know each other, which leads to some form of international friendship and tolerance. On that matter, we believe that our school reflects well the values of international IBO. On the IBO website we can also read: We encourage a positive attitude to learning by encouraging students to ask challenging questions, to reflect critically, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn. We encourage community service because we believe that there is more to learning than academic studies alone. The curriculum is, as stated above, child-centered. The child is responsible for their learning, encouraged to ask questions, think critically, research, and to learn how to learn. All this forms the learner profile that the IBO tries to promote. This approach is progressivist, as described in the syllabus. The IBO also encourages community service through the program, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service), since the IBO says that academic studies are not enough and we have to consider educating the child as a whole, it is therefore, without a doubt, different from the IGCSE which just consider the academic side of the learning process. We personally believe that the CAS programme is beneficial for students because it allows them to be more open t

Platos Meno :: essays research papers

The questions of what exactly knowledge, virtue and the soul are, are among the most important problems of philosophy The soul may be defined as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and exist. If there is life after death, the soul must be capable of an existence separate from the body. The mysteries of birth and death, the lapse of conscious life during sleep, even the most common operations of imagination and memory, which abstract a man from his bodily presence even while awake; all such facts suggest the existence of something other. The quest to put a solid definition on what exactly knowledge and virtue was the basis of Socrates' life. Socrates discusses these things all the time but they seemed to be better explained in two specific dialogues The Meno and The Republic. In the Meno, Plato justifies the possibility for one's mind to uncover knowledge. Plato presents a valid theory on how our minds can obtain knowledge. Socrates asks â€Å"What is virtue?† , when questioning Meno on the single definition of virtue, Socrates was never satisfied. He never accepted Meno’s answers because Meno gave â€Å"virtuous† definitions, not the definition of â€Å"virtue.† For example, Meno claimed, â€Å"A man's virtue, consists of being able to manage public affairs and in so doing to benefit his friends and harm his enemies and to be careful no harm comes to himself." Meno does not know what virtue really is, so he cannot apply which characteristics associate with virtue and which do not. So when Socrates asks, â€Å"Does anyone know what a part of virtue is, without knowing the whole?†, Meno agrees this is not possible. This presents a logical argument against Meno’s definition of virtue. Socrates believes th e conversation to search for what virtue really is should continue although they achieved no success in their first effort to form a definition. Meno questions Socrates, â€Å"And how will you inquire, into that of which you are totally ignorant? What sort of thing, among those things which you know not, will you put forth as the object of your seeking? And even if you should chance upon it, how will you ever know that it is the thing which you not know?†. Socrates explores the subject that one not only obtains knowledge through perception but can also obtain knowledge through reason and hard work. Socrates then tells Meno of the theory of recollection.

Confucianism Essay -- Religion Religious Essays Papers

Confucianism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucianism is a system of thought based on the teachings of a Chinese man named Kung Fuzi. Which is latinaized as Confucius, he lived from 551 to 479 b.c.e. Confucius claimed that he was not original and neither were his teachings, but believed himself to be a â€Å"creative transmitter of wisdom from the past†. He created a moral code on based on ethics, humanity and love. Confucius philosophies emphasize the ideals of order and harmony. With the idea that people should live in harmony both with each other and with nature. To achieve this, Confucius created a system of human relationships and good government. Government to Confucius was the highest profession. He believed that if one had a good government everyone would be happy. In addition, Confucius esteemed education in high regards believing that through it, one could reach the high standard of a gentleman..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a religion Confucianism is very different from any other. Due to the fact that the Chinese see religion as a form of education. The purpose of Confucianism was mainly to instill moral values in a person. There is no organized church or structure, no priests, no sects, and no creed for any follow. There is no worshipping or personal relationship with god but did recognize heaven as a force of human concern. Confucius did believe that men should direct their own destiny. Confucius taught that harmony begins in the family, which was a minuet of society. In which the man of...

Invent a Writing Technology :: Writing Technology Technological Papres

Invent a Writing Technology â€Å"And-O Tempora! O Mores!-to lose the soft warm touch of sheepskin, the knowledge that some lamb chop had died to create this beloved writing surface! Let us weep.† (Tribble& Trubek, pg. 9) Some of us may have wept over this project, weeping over how might to do this writing project. Many of us succeeded in coming up with a unique way to write with natural materials, a few of us cheated to by using limited technology and some of us failed to do the project. All of benefited because we were exposed or unexposed to our element, the writing technologies we as writers use everyday. I cheated since there cannot be found in nature a magnifying glass, which I used. My ultimate method was to burn the letters, words and sentences into leaves from a tree. Though I did not weep, I did think twice about plucking the greenery from the tree. (Hey, those environmentalists have been hitting us hard since birth with idealistic guilt trips.) There can be a quite powerful little beam of light produced by the focusing of sunlight through glass, but since the magnifying glass cannot be found in nature it was considered cheating even if it is very simple and primitive. I could argue that it could have been an innovation of writing. I really entered my imagination for this project; pretending that this was a desire or goal of mine, to invent this technology or advancement as if it had never been invented before and was necessary. Since the first words were created, the technology has been advancing. Since I was a young boy, I have been using that technology and this project helps me to realize what struggles and what successes I have encountered. We do not even need pen and paper. I learned to write with paper and pencil. Now, we use computers and voice-mail. These are technologies we did not have a few years ago. I have become so accustomed in such a short time with these brand new technologies. I struggled to find what would be acceptable for the assignment and while I was contemplating, the conclusions teetered between the real significance of the project and the silliness I felt because of not using the conventional, more superior, available technology.

Information Technology; How It Affects Our Lives

Along with the advancements of mankind, although some might disagree it is not technology, the telegraph became he telephone; the telephone became the cell-phone and; wired services became wireless (pallbearer, university of Phoenix, 2012). It Is a fascinating concept that a person can go to the far reaches of not just earth, but into space as well, and still we can share information with those aboard the International Space Station, or relay information to the Hubble Space Telescope, to look for certain objects in space.Personally I find it fascinating; the ability to communicate with friends and family around the world, the first words of a child, seen or heard through the use of audio r video devices. Technology, with all it has to offer, Is a key element to our future and the future of our children. It Is now possible through both audio and visual help, and the introduction of computers, students are learning at a somewhat more equal pace. Children at home, providing the home has one, using a computer or even a handheld device, are learning the alphabet and numbers at an earlier age.Albeit to say that even many video games the children play using this technology, helps to develop eye-hand coordination. Information shared between professionals In the deiced Industry, both current and previous physicians Is great as It can determine how a patient may recover from an illness, or colleagues can look over the same information and diagnose a patient. Technology and all its advancements are beneficial in the fields of medicine and science and help to save lives.Through personal observations and research material it is quite clear that many people have become or are becoming more dependent on the internet and information technology. We have a need to have contact every waking moment with our 964 friends online. We have the need to sit home with our children and explore the internet instead of the outside world. While Information Technology is a key element to our f uture, excessive time wasted can result in physical and mental health risks; as well harming us socially and economically.With the introduction of Information Technology, many people are finding themselves without Jobs to go to tomorrow. Economically speaking several major corporations are closing their doors, as there are many places one can access on the internet to purchase goods such as e-books; digital downloads of movies, music and television; one can even make use of purchasing their weekly groceries and having them all delivered to the doorstep. Information Technology, although useful in the field of education, has also had some major drawbacks.Students have gained a vast amount of knowledge from the internet, which if searched properly can help in the student's education. However what has happened is that ‘Plagiarism' has shown an increase over time as well. Instead of utilizing time wisely, many students are known to have done nothing on their essays but copy and pas te information someone else may have worked so hard to obtain to get a fair grade themselves(What is Plagiarism? , 2012)..Plagiarism is by far not the only form of theft that takes place in information technology either. Piracy involving illegal downloading of books, audio and video files has also increased over time. Many retailers have lost revenue due to little or no sales in the market for CDC, DVD's, and book sales. But here, some of that lost revenue stems from websites that offer downloads for a lesser cost, than it would be to drive to a local retailer. The worst part in theft of information in the technological aspect is the theft of personal information.Everything from a single credit card or bank account number to complete identities are stolen and sold on the black market and in vast quantities every day. People's lives are ruined. There is no trust in each other anymore. Worse yet, some of this stolen information might take place on a major scale. Without the proper up to date security software, TX Max had information stolen concerning numerous customer accounts. This not only created headaches for the consumer, but think how much it cost TX Max over time.They had to spend millions of dollars to first compensate the losses; design and implement a better security program; spend money in marketing, not only convincing existing consumers, but future customers as well, this breach of security would never happen again (Essentials of Management accomplished from the comfort of your favorite chair, sofa, or lying in bed, with devices such as a laptop, wireless keyboard (using your flat-screen TV as a monitor) or your cell phone.With the introduction of social websites, a hug is now a poke; pictures are sent via, again from the cell phone for the entire world to see and share. Writing letters and sending them to friends and relatives, also is impacting us negatively. Over-dependence on Information Technology, because of people's inactivity, can result in physical and mental health risks. Sitting at a computer desk an lead to serious health issues early in life with obesity listed as number one.Based upon 52 independent studies, there seems to be statistically, a relationship between body fatness and TV viewing among children and adolescents, due to the increase of sedentary leisure activities. With the increased usage of information and communication technologies, so has obesity in both adolescents and children, reached a new high over recent years. â€Å"This study confirms that the global epidemic of overweight and the use of new technologies may be related phenomena: weight tutus is associated with computer and possibly cell phone use (Lacunae, H. Seeks- Reawaken, A. , Plinking, L. , Rose, R. J. , Risen, A. , & Capri, J, 2007). † Other risks might include diabetes, high blood pressure, pinched nerves, and even atrophy of the muscles for lack of exercise. Spending too much time on the internet can result in too little sleep in both adults and teens. Mental health can deteriorate, even though we think we are learning something and gaining ground. By staying awake all hours into the night and depriving ourselves of needed sleep, it makes it virtually impossible to fully function the next day.Mentally, we can be affected also because most of the answers we search for, are given to us; again all with little to no effort, physically or mentally. â€Å"Using electronic devices before bedtime was common, with 60% on average overall watching TV, 39% using cell phones, 36% laptops or other computers, 21% phone, 8% video games, and 29% music devices. Devices meant to make life easier and more entertaining often make us sleepier, according to the latest poll by the National Sleep Foundation (Kathleen Doyen, 2011). † Having 964 friends on some social web site can only mean one thing.We are spending so much time trying to catch up on their updates, while researching that school paper; downloading the latest music; watching our favorite TV show; all the while depriving ourselves from a real hug and kiss; nodding off at the keyboard; and perhaps sooner than later; winding up in the hospital with a blood clot in the right leg before we have reached the age of 25. Although the Information Technology has many legitimate uses, many have become inactive due to excessive time wasted in front of the computer, on the phone, or sending texts via a mobile phone; therefore we should omit the time we spend in doing these things.Time periods should be assigned for all members of the household to eliminate health problems or mental distress. Take time off as a family and spend one or two days at the park or walking along the beach front if that is possible. If a Job's requirements are to sit all day in front of the computer screen, go outdoors during a lunch break or coffee break. Fresh air will do you good. It is nice to have opportunities to shop online, but by going out, you get fresh air; and wha tever it is you wish to purchase, by being up close and personal oh get to feel, see, and possibly hear it before you buy it.

Qualities that a ‘good’ teacher should have Essay

Task 1 – List 5 qualities that a ‘good’ teacher should have and give reasons for your choices. Which of these qualities do you consider to be more important, and why? 1. a good teacher should really love teaching because in my opinion you cannot be a good teacher if you do not like what you do. 2. a good teacher should be lively and entertaining because children do not like boring teachers, they need somebody who changes learning into pleasure. as my experience schooled children love games and it is one of the best way of encouraging them to take part in the lesson. 3. a good teacher is able to motivate learners as motivation is one of the most important aspects while learning. children who are well motivated are eager to learn thus they learn more. 4. a good teacher should have good rapport and interaction with the class because it is crucial to have a nice atmosphere in the classroom. I believe that children cannot be scared of the teacher, they must like him/her and then they are open and more involved in the lessons. 5. a good teacher should be able to correct student without offending them or affecting their motivation as if he/she does it then the children do not want to take part in the lessons because they are scared of making mistakes. i always tell my students that they shouldn’t be scared of making mistakes as nobody is perfect and I’m there to correct them. and explain that they are learners so they can’t know all of the answers correctly. As far as I am concerned, I really believe that all of the qualities I chose are equal. you really need to have all of them to be a good teacher. it is really difficult for me to decide which one is more important and which one is less important. Task 2 – State what you consider to be the five most important roles of a teacher. Describe each role and say why you think it is important. 1. organizer – teacher organizes to do various activities. it is important as children need instruction, need to be organized into groups or pairs. teacher must initiate and finish activities and give feedback. 2. participant – teacher participates in the lesson as an equal. it is good  method as children can see that the teacher wants to be a part of the class so it is a good way of gaining trust. 3. observer – teacher monitors what is going on in the classroom. it is important as teacher must know the improvement of the students and what needs to be revise. 4. model – teacher (native speaker) is the source of real, live English. it is important because sometimes it is the only way for the students to encounter foreign language with foreign accent. native speaker is also a good source of cultural information. 5. assessor – teacher gives feedback, correction, evaluates and grades. children want to know whether they make mistakes or not, as they want to improve their skills and try not to make the same mistake again. Task 3 – List 5 qualities you would expect to find in a ‘good’ learner. Which of these qualities do you consider to be more important, and why? 1. a desire to learn – it is crucial to want to learn a language as if the students find learning language useless they simply don’t want to take part in any activities and they don’t want to study. 2. a willingness to ask questions – students must ask questions as it is the way of finding more information and also practise their speaking skills. 3. a willingness to listen to the language – listening to the language can improve not only listening but also speaking skills. it also helps to gain foreign accent. 4. an ability to think about their own learning process and methods – every students is different and prefers different methods of learning. it is important for students to realize which method is the most helpful and useful for them while learning language. 5. an acceptance of error correction – students must realize that when teacher corrects them he/she does it not to embarrass them but to improve their learning. students should try not to make the same mistakes over and over again. Task 4 – What are some of the major differences you would expect to find between adult and young learners? Young learners are sometimes less motivated than adults. what is more, young learners are more receptive to the new sounds and grammar. it is widely known that young learners can acquire foreign language faster than adults.  adults has longer history of learning experience than young learners, and they believe they can succeed with the language. Task 5 – List the levels of language ability that learners are often grouped into and give a brief summation of each level: beginner – from zero knowledge of English to a very basic one which cannot be quickly or easily activated. elementary – students are able to form basic sentence structures and communicate on simple topics. low/pre-intermediate – able to communicate and understand a great variety of topics but lacking general fluency and depth of language awareness. still likely to make many errors even with basic structures. intermediate – able to understand and communicate on a wide range of issues using limited vocabulary store but still lacking in accuracy and fluency. upper intermediate – should be able to actively communicate on almost all topics using a great range of language but still lacking in accuracy. advanced – students should have a very good knowledge of the English language and now will be studying more suitable language items. Task 6 – Give as many reasons as possible why students are motivated to study English. The reasons that you give do not have to be in the unit reading material. students are motivated to study English because they realize that English is an international language and you can communicate with almost everyobody all over the world using this language. they know English can improve their future career prospects. they realize it can make their travel abroad much easier. they also want to study English to improve their grades and achieve success in exams. they study because they want to communicate with prints, parents, colleagues. very often they just want to learn language because they are interested in English and English culture.

Edgar Allan Poe’s Influence on Literature Essay

Edgar Allan Poe’s influence on American literature was nothing short of great; not only was he the creator of the detective story and the horror thriller, but he also influenced many great writers, among those William Faulkner and Fyodor Dostoevsky. While Poe is best known for his horror thrillers, being the creator of that particular genre, he has also fashioned two other literary genres, like the detective and the science fiction genre. Throughout his life, Poe read, reviewed, and critiqued many books for various magazines and papers. Poe did not hesitate to attack what he deemed inferior. â€Å"Is purely too imbecile to merit an extended critique,† he once wrote of a novel. Because of his readiness to attack what he believed to be unworthy, Poe helped set high standards for American literature (Meltzer 64). Poe had an influence on both American and non-American writers, like William Faulkner, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Faulkner, who is considered to be the South’s most renowned novelist, will be forever linked to Poe. Both writers were fanatically obsessed with what made mankind good and what made it evil. Their writings also dealt with common elements, like narcissistic doubling, vengeance, and violence (Wyatt-Brown). In Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, the incestuous relationship between two of the characters, Quentin and Caddy Compson, draws a parallel between Poe’s own incestuous relationship with his first cousin, Virginia (Wyatt-Brown). Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Russian novelist, was also greatly influenced by Poe. Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment depicts a man who commits murder and becomes increasingly guilty throughout the novel because of it, until he is finally urged to confess by the woman he loves. The novel’s plot was prefigured in Poe’s A Tell Tale Heart, which portrays a man who commits a murder and is driven insane by the guilt as he hears the heart beating from underneath the floorboards, where he had stored the body. Dostoevsky once declared that Poe: â€Å"almost always takes the most exceptional reality and endows it with such details that the reader is convinced of its possibility, of its reality, when objectively the event or situation is impossible. † (Wyatt-Brown) Dostoevsky’s opinion on the matter relates exceptionally with Poe’s A Tell Tale Heart. One would not believe the story to hold even a semblance of reality, as Poe has infused the short story with the most absurd of details that make it so obviously impossible; however, while reading one becomes entirely immersed in the story that it does not seem so absurd anymore. According to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the famous detective series, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allan Poe is the father of the detective story (Meltzer 83). Doyle was of the opinion that Poe had covered the genre’s limits so completely, that he could not see how his followers could find any fresh ground of their own (83). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s very own character, Sherlock Holmes, was inspired by C. Auguste Dupin, the detective of the stories who began the detective genre (Binns 114). Among many of Edgar Allan Poe’s writings is The Murders in the Rue Morgue, one of the Dupin stories. This story was the first ever detective story to be printed, which made it the archetype for the modern detective story (Meltzer 83). Although The Murders in the Rue Morgue was the first ever detective story to ever see print, Poe did incorporate new elements into other works that writers of detective fiction still make use of. For example, in The Purloined Letter and Thou Art the Man, Poe introduced post-mortem examinations, ballistic evidence, and the frame-up (104). Many believe Poe had begun the science fiction genre (Binns 114). His first attempt was Hans Pfall, a story in which a man travels to the moon on a revolutionized balloon. Poe included actual facts into his story, mixing it with entirely false scientific â€Å"facts† to make the story believable (Meltzer 64). Poe’s innovations would later expand the modern science fiction genre. His vivid imagination veered off from scientific facts to create believable details to incorporate into his stories. These details anticipated later discoveries in both geography and astronomy (64). Science fiction writers like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne learned a great deal from Poe, which they integrated into their own writings. The belief that Poe began the science fiction genre may also be attributed to Poe’s complicated piece of writing which explained his own view of the universe. Eureka: A Prose Poem was published in March of 1848, and in it, Poe introduced his theory, a mixture of science, theology, and intuition. Poe theorized that: â€Å"God existed before matter. God created the first atoms. They scattered to create the universe. They are all trying to join back together, but when they do, they will be scattered again. † Poe’s theory caused an upset in society, as it was not Christian; however, others believed it to be brilliant, as it showed both insight and clear thought (Binns 100). Poe’s influence has not limited itself on just literature. Alfred Hitchcock, director of classic suspense films like Vertigo and Psycho has stated that Poe was the reason he began directing films (Burlingame 100). And, as Hitchcock has become an influential being himself, with many other directors using elements from his films, Poe has indirectly influenced them as well. Aside from literature and films, Poe’s name and lyrics have been used among many musicians. Thirty Seconds to Mars uses a quote from The Raven: â€Å"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. at the end of their video for Hurricane. The quote seems entirely fitting, as the video, which embraces some of Poe’s own elements, like vengeance and violence, is entirely surreal and evokes a sense of fear as they’re being pursued by masked men. However, they fight back, not letting the men take control of them, refusing to become martyrs. Like many of Poe’s writi ngs, the video seems ambiguous, open for many interpretations. Although Poe has long passed away, he still continues to influence today’s society. Writers will continue to use the elements he created in their stories. Film directors will continue to use his stylistic elements to portray a sense of Poe into their films. Musicians will continue to use Poe’s lyrics in their music, as well as use different aspects of his writings in their videos. Not only will Poe continue to influence them, but he will also continue to communicate with people through his works. People will continue to connect with Poe, just like previous generations have, through the themes of his writings, and through the understanding that Poe was just as misunderstood and criticized as the rest of us.