The Educated Man Essays - Essay, , Term Papers

The Educated Man ?The Educated Man? Period 2 John Henry Newman, the author of the essay entitled ?The Educated Man? begins his essay in a way that was very contradictory to his times. He opens his essay boldly declaring that ?A University is not a birthplace to poets or immortal authors, of founders of schools, leaders of colonies, or conquerors of nations.? In essence, what he is saying is that the university is not the birthplace of an educated man. This thought helps highlight his purpose for the remainder of the essay, to provide a pure definition, untainted by society, of what a true educated man is, as opposed to what he was considered in the Victorian Period. I strongly agree with his essay, and its function of requiring the paper-machier-and-chicken-wire educated man of the Victorian Age to become molded of real substance. The essay continues to say ? [A university] does not promote a generation of Aristotles or Newtons, of Raphaels or Shakespeares? Nor is it content on the other hand with forming the critic or experimentalist, the economist or engineer?. This statement helps defend Newman's case. The names mentioned were all men who in some way changed the world. Those of them who did receive a University diploma do not owe their success or education to the University they received it from. The task of the university was minimal, the true thing that made them become pinnacles of education was their own love for knowledge, and the traits they possessed as described throughout the rest of the essay. Today, men such as Martin Luther, Albert Einstein, and Charlie Chaplin can be added to the list. Albert Einstein, although considered on of the most educated men ever, never even finished middle school. These accounts all make a case for Newman in arguing that the general definition of and educated man- a ma n who has received diploma and graduation from a college, as incorrect. One trait of Newman's educated man is that ?he is at home with any society? and ?has common ground with every class.? This idea is also contradictory to the thought of the time- that an educated man relates only to other educated men. I side with Newman on this issue also. A true educated man knows he may learn more about the anatomy of a fish from a poor fisherman than a Harvard grad. He knows he may gain knowledge from all walks of life, and does not limit his knowledge imput to the ideas of just one class. Newman concludes his essay by saying, ?He has a gift which? without which good fortune is but vulgar, and with which failure and disappointment have a charm.? The fictional character Jay Gatsby, of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was proof of this. He was a man who had acquired good fortune without education, and it was indeed vulgar, as opposed to the charming life of Van Gough, whose artwork, although not rewarded with money during his lifetime, will forever be appreciated. This view of Newman's was also contradictory of a time who's men would acquire go to a university simply because they have wealth, and who would never see a day of lack because the good fortune of inheritance. The good fortune then becomes unappreciated and vulgar. In dispelling Society's definition, Newman took it upon himself to create a substitute; an unaffected spiritual definition pulled from the same well that the definition of man in the constitution was pulled. This essay is still valuable because the idea of an educated man is still a social title rather than a task to complete. He is still stereotyped by what they've done, rather than what he is. Perhaps the beginning of educated men will remain where it has always begun, in the small cleft of a rock- such as Stratford-upon-Avon or Urbino, Italy, where one learns to ask questions, in pursuit of their answers stumble upon new world's and ideas alike. English Essays

Merkel or Woman in Politics Essay Sample

Merkel or Woman in Politics Essay Sample Woman in Politics Essay Sample Woman in Politics Essay Sample The greatest German Chancellor was born on 17 of July, 1954 in Hamburg, Germany. She was the oldest child of Kasners family children. The girl was given a name Angela Dorothea. Later on, she was joined with her brother, Marcus, and sister, Irene. Angela Merkels Life and Career Angela was raised in the provincial town of Templin that is located near to Germany’s capital, the city of Berlin. Her father was a Lutheran pastor and shared the communist ideology that dominated at that time in German Democratic Republic. Naturally, as a Lutheran pastor he enjoyed the freedoms and rights that were denied to the representatives of other confessions, even the Christianity-oriented ones. Living in GDR meant that one should have necessarily belonged to the socialist-led movements. The future European leader joined one of them, namely Free German Youth movement. For the first time her leadership skills and ambitions were realized through this organization, as she became a representative of the district board. She also actively participated in the Agitprop, the campaign aimed at promotion of youth movements. Despite little success in leadership abilities, Angela did not chose politics as her major. Instead, after finishing her studies in Templin, she entered the University of Leipzig and started to master her knowledge in physics. In 1978 she graduated and earned her doctorate. The next step in her career led to the employment at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry in Berlin where she spent 2 years researching various physic-related concepts. Angela was married twice. Her first attempt was made to Ulrich Merkel, the physician, in 1977. However, it ended up with divorce five years after. In 1998 Merkel remarried to Joachim Sauer who is a professor in chemistry. The central mystery of Merkels life is her decision to enter the world of politics. She rarely refers to those vulnerable times when the Wall felt and the new opportunities opened. Perhaps, a few reasons, both external and internal forced this woman to make a decision that led to such a turning point in her life. Reflecting on the facts provided in her biography list, Packer (2014) considers that once Merkel had founded herself a single woman in her thirties employed at the East German institution with no future, she realized that for woman with her ambitions the world of politics is a new challenge. She must have realized that the politics would be the key realm in the recently united German Republic. With the reunification of Germany a lot of doors, indeed, had opened. A lot of governmental positions were offered to the representatives coming from East Germany. Merkel joined the newly formed Democratic Party. During the first democratic elections, held in East Germany, voters chose Merkel for a position of deputy spokesman for the new government. Shortly after the reunification the party, which Merkel belonged to merged with the Christian Democratic Union Party. During the first post-unification democratic elections held in the entire Germany Merkel was elected to Bundestag. A few months later Merkel was appointed as the Minister for Woman and Youth. From 1998 she occupied the position of the Minister of Environment and Reactor Safety. In 1998 Merkel became a Secretary General at CDU party. Finally, after a series of financial scandals within the party she was elected as a chair of CDU party and came to the position in 2000. Merkel has brought a range of meaningful changes to the party. First of all, she was an Ossi, e.g. coming from the East Germany. Secondly, she was a woman, a scientist with strong Lutheran views on religion. The party she was going to lead mainly consisted of conservative men with deep roots in Catholicism supported primarily by the constituencies in the southern Germany. Such a contrast helped Merkel to won the hearts of the German voters as she was considered as the main candidate for the CDU and Bavarian Christian Social Union during the general elections held in 2002. However, these elections seemed to be less favorable for Merkel than it was expected to be. She lost mainly due to the lack of support of her own party. Another party leader Eldmund Stoier undermined her positions having won the candidacy for CDU ticker, though he did not manage to won the Chancellorship. Despite the misfortunes, Merkel shortly after became a leader in the lower chamber of Bundestag. She headed the conservative opposition to the ruling government and promoted a few economic changes that were crucial for the future of German economic well-being. Among others, she advocated the deregulation policies, which could let the market laws regulate the economy. Despite strong public opposition she supported the U.S. government in invading Iraq and insisted on the necessity of building strong diplomatic and economic relationships with the American government. However, even though Merkel often shared the views that somehow contradicted to the ones of her co-citizens, the support of her never grew weaker. It eventually resulted in electing her as a Germanys first female Chancellor. She also managed to head the Grand Coalition of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, CDU and CSU while emphasizing on the strategic importance of building strong ties with the USA, redesigning of the healthcare system in the Germany as well as on revising its taxation policies. Currently, there are no threats detected in Merkels political future. Recently, she has been re-elected as a leader of the CDU party. Nearly 97% of the voters chose her to head the party. In accordance with the political experts, there are few or none who is sufficient enough to fill Merkels shoes. The debates are now held around the question of will Merkel run again in 2017. In case she does, she will break the political record of Kohl who has led German government for 16 years. At the same time, some experts suppose that such a Merkel-addiction of CDU might have negative consequences in the future when Merkel will decide to withdraw. Merkels powerful position, though, is strongly supported by the image of the country she is in charge of. It seems that once a politician manages to keep things in order, in his or her own state, then he or she might be potentially ale to ensure peace and well-being over the entire European continent. The sky, however, has not always been as cloudless as it is now for Merkel. The challenges that Merkel had to face while climbing political mountains were of diverse character: First of all, she came from the depressing region of East Germany, which, as seemed, had no future on the contrary to the developing West Germany. In comparison with the Western politicians she was usually underscored because of her origin. Secondly, she was a woman. Even in the progressive Germany and Western Europe women had not been perceived seriously. Thirdly, despite her leadership initiatives in the youth movements Merkel had little experience in the world of politics. She was a scientist, a true one. And the latter trait, perhaps, determined her future significantly. The experts as well as observers of Merkel’s career stress that she possesses strong analytical abilities. She often views the same problem from different paradigms and perspectives. Additionally, she is extremely curious about the things surrounding her. Perhaps, such features have transformed and contributed to the success she experiences now. Reflecting on challenges that Merkel faces one should mention her role of the European leader. It is not a secret that for years she advocates the idea of creation of political union within the territory of Europe with strong economic ties in order to ensure peace, stability, development and prosperity of the nations living here. However, currently the European integrity is at the stage of stagnation due to the financial crises and overall economic problems existing within the Euro zone. Merkel, as an unofficial political leader of the united Europe is currently considering the ways out from the situation that currently prevails in Europe. Additionally, she has to ensure the united position of the EU in the Ukrainian question, which remains to be rather challenging, uncertain and hard to resolve. The unity in this regard is often undermined by the efforts of national governments, for example, the Hungarian one which acts in the contradiction with the European position as to the conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Merkel is often viewed as woman with strong emotion. Indeed, she passes political decisions waiving all the emotions she has and solely with the reason switched on. Packer (2014) emphasizes that she treats politics as scientist. When she has an opinion it seems to be found and non-revisable. Every issue is approached methodically, with drawing comparisons, risk weighting, reactions anticipation etc. Even when the decision is passed Merkel sits for a while before taking action.

Accounting Rules and Joint Ventures in Europe

Accounting Rules and Joint Ventures in Europe Bridging the GAAP The International Accounting Standards (IAS) was supposed to be a unifying conceptual framework which would bring accounting practices of various firms and industries under a single umbrella of standards. No matter if it is a Greek shipping magnate or an Italian fish processing plant, the EU envisioned that they would work within a single standard to better facilitate trade amongst various nations. Indeed, the EU attempted to achieve this through the means of directives, which were soon abandoned. Directives, aimed at forcing compliance with EU accounting standards and practices were discarded because of complaints such as those voiced by the 2003 Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes with regards to the Czech Republic that â€Å"The wording of primary and secondary legislation suggests that the Czech Republic’s real priority is compliance with EU directives, rather than adoption of IAS.† Indeed, these two seemed to be not only different goa ls, but mutually exclusive ones- companies could either sate the directives issued or the requirements of the IAS, but rarely both, especially in Eastern Block nations where both concepts were fairly new. Now, however, a new complication is on the horizon in the form of bilateral trade with the U.S. and U.S.-E.U. joint ventures. Obviously the directives, which have been scrapped in any case, would have no force of law in U.S. courts. But nevertheless, there has been considerable movement on this issue as of late. In 2006, the IASB issued a paper called â€Å"A Roadmap for Convergence between IFRSs and US GAAP- 2006-2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the FASB and the IASB†. The memorandum, based upon work done during a 2002 meeting between the FASB (U.S.) and the IASB, as well as subsequent meetings in 2005, stated that â€Å"the FASB and the IASB reaffirmed their commitment to the convergence of US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and International Fi nancial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).† Nevertheless, this is bound to be a complicated venture because it can not be resolved by boards or government agencies. As the memorandum itself recognized, â€Å"the ability to meet the objective set out by the roadmap depends upon the efforts and actions of many parties—including companies, auditors, investors, standard-setters and regulators.† In other words, bridging the gaap is not merely a matter of ironing out a combined framework of accounting practices. It is a matter of a company in Los Angeles following the same accounting standards and practices that a company in London would. It is also a question of training assessors and auditors in this new standard so that they can ensure compliance with it. For these reasons, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently put forth a proposal which would allow U.S. listed companies to choose between IFRS and the U.S. GAAP. While some in Europe and the U.S. fear that a llowing companies to make this choice would hinder the process of converging the two systems (Johnson, 2007) it is nevertheless a practical solution which should be given serious thought and consideration. The European Union, an offspring of NATO, was fifty years in the making. The idea that uniform standards can be achieved on both sides of the pond between thousands of individual companies is fanciful. As a pragmatic matter as well, people are often leery of change- especially change that is being forced upon them, which was another reason the Directives approach previously discussed failed. While the ultimate goal of uniformly adopting the IFRS may well be desirable, it is certainly not something that can or will happen overnight. Allowing a choice between GAAP and IFRS for U.S. companies should not be viewed as an effort to â€Å"halt or slow the convergence process† (Johnson, 2007) but rather as an acknowledgement of the real world difficulties inherent to any large-scal e transitions.

Considering Definitions of Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Considering Definitions of Community - Essay Example In my experience, the need to be identified as part of a community because of where you are is at best aimed at preservation of the status quo, and at worst a means for people to tie you into controlling relationships, in which they can be sure that they remain in charge. The sharing of a common cultural or ethnic identity may not necessarily mean that people gravitate to the same places anymore, but the combination of these common characteristics and a closed, inescapable location, even if it is just in the mind, can be deadly. Little villages across the world force their inhabitants to think, to look like, to feel, even to believe the same as everyone else in the village. Cities are often identifiable by the apparently common behaviors of their inhabitants – New Yorkers are businesslike, driven, and high achievers, for example. And we go even further – the Italians are romantic and stylish, or the Canadians are parochial and eco-conscious. On the face of it, this idea of being in the same place seems to lend us a sense of security, and a way to identify with others. Just, for a moment, however, consider the full implications of thinking this way. â€Å"In this neighborhood, we take care of each other† – just another way to indicate that we are all similar here, hold the same values, and are very likely to persecute and eventually get rid of you if you are not exactly like we are. â€Å"Our community is a caring one and we will always reach out to others, to make their lives easier and better† – so, we are better than others morally, our lives are superior to those of others, and we will emphasize the fact that we have more materially than anyone around us. Someone cynical would argue that living in the same place exposes you to the danger of becoming the same as everyone else in that place: and that means taking on the good and the bad, the prejudices and the preconceptions; the loves and the hates. Perhaps this is wh at happened when Nazism engulfed Germany, or genocide destroyed Rwanda. So, I think that we are losing the idea that a common location is needed to define community, and not a moment too soon. Not that we have rid ourselves of the dangers of strictly identifying ourselves as part of a community, however. The community of right-wing white supremacists is now connected across the world, through the Internet. But so is the community of â€Å"green activists† focusing on the planet’s continued healthy existence. â€Å"Place† has been replaced by common ethics, points of view and, of course, prejudices, in forming a sense of community, thanks to globalization and the spread of communications technology. Communities now identify themselves in the same ways as they have throughout history. Individuals who share religious points of view define themselves by that religion no matter where they are in the world. A community of women, opposed to oppression by men exists int ernationally. A community of human rights activists is able to exert pressure in every corner of the globe, with support for causes independent of location. A central European, aware of human rights abuses in Tibet can make his or her voice heard to the government of China, even if it is just by signing one Internet petition. I can form my own community – and the OED supports this definition – by starting a blog, and finding that the people who read my blog in effect from a

Rational Frame Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rational Frame Theory - Essay Example This paper looks at the concept of relational frame theory based on the tutorial developed by Dr Eric J. Fox, Ph.D, in his website. It will be based on the explanation of a hierarchical representation (given below) of Dr Fox’s views on this area. According to Dr Fox, language can create both problems and solutions. Any situation, whether it is positive or negative, is directly related to the language and emotion used. It can be used to instruct, to give praise or heap insults. It can be used to judge people and it can be used to make laws. It can be used to educate people and can be used to dictate actions. Words used in a certain context can even result in violence and wars. On the other extreme, it has the ability to bring about peace among nations. These few examples of the power of language show how much it can influence a society and its individuals. It should be stated here that language studies can help in understanding human behavior and actions to a large extent. It can help psychologists to provide solutions to problems faced by individuals. Traditional theories on the field believe that words used in language have symbolism and generativity. Symbolism refers to the power of a word to signify other meanings or thin gs even though a particular word has a specific meaning. For example the word fire may evoke different emotions in people. For one person fire can mean warmth, for another it can mean pain, and for a third person it can mean food. This power of the word can have diverse effects on people in the context they are used. A combination of words, in other words a sentence, has generativity. According to Dr Fox, â€Å"generativity means that we can create and understand an infinite number of meaningful sentences or utterances† (Fox, 2002).The sentence ‘An apple is a blue fruit that is found in the North Pole’ may be absurd and incorrect, but it has meaning. In

Engaging Students during Instruction Essay Example for Free

Engaging Students during Instruction Essay Differentiated instruction is the critical element of effective education. Differentiated instruction guarantees that the learning needs of every student are satisfied. Bloom’s taxonomy can be used to determine the level of individual learners’ thinking, while Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences can help evaluate the level of learners’ knowledge and determine the ways to enhance this knowledge by using differentiated instructional strategies. Engaging Students during Instruction Differentiated instruction is the critical element of effective education. Differentiated instruction guarantees that the learning needs of every student are satisfied. Bloom’s taxonomy and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences are the two complementary models that can be used to develop differentiated instructional strategies in any type of learning environment. Out of many educational researchers, B. Bloom is considered one of the most prominent education professionals in the 20th century. â€Å"Bloom and his colleagues undertook the daunting task of creating taxonomy of educational objectives† (Tomlinson, 1999). It should be noted that Bloom has initially concentrated his attention on differentiating the learning objectives; thus, his taxonomy can be successfully applied to differentiate between the learning outcomes for different groups of learners. Howard Gardner was deeply involved into researching human creative abilities (Gardner, 1993). The result of his profound investigation is reflected in the discovery of eight levels of intelligence (knowing). Each of these multiple intelligences can be used to determine the level of knowledge for a particular learner, and to develop the set of strategies to address the most significant knowledge gaps. In many instances, the combination of the two learning theories will serve the basis for the creation and implementation of effective instructional approaches that will satisfy the learning needs of all types of learners. In reality, both Bloom’s taxonomy and Gardner’s multiple intelligences create a stable framework for successful learning. Each lesson must have individualized learning objectives, a clear set of instructional strategies, and a choice of evaluation criteria, but these elements cannot be developed and applied without sound knowledge of Bloom’s and Gardner’s learning theories. Each lesson should be characterized by â€Å"a variety of teacher techniques aimed at reaching students at all levels† (Skowron, 2001), and by engaging all students into discussion. Here, Bloom’s taxonomy will be used to determine the level of individual learners’ thinking, while Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences will be used to evaluate the level of learners’ knowledge and the ways to enhance this knowledge using differentiated instructional strategies. Gardner pays special attention to non-linguistic intelligences, including bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, musical, and naturalist learner abilities (Gardner, 1993). Gardner’s theory can be used to â€Å"convey learning experiences with understanding of the many different ways individuals gain mastery in their learning processes† (Tomlinson, 1999). However, Gardner’s approaches are limited to knowledge and comprehension areas of instructional design, while Bloom’s taxonomy further expands to setting clear objectives and evaluating the learning outcomes through the prism of six different levels of learning. Gardner’s multiple intelligences and Bloom’s taxonomy form a detailed observation of the learners’ style, needs, abilities, and knowledge. The two theories create an excellent combination that will motivate students to learn. â€Å"With the outcomes clearly defined for students, the possibility exists that they will feel more challenges; they may motivate them to push on to the next levels of understanding† (Skowron, 2001). At each level of student intelligence, a variety of instructional strategies can be implemented to satisfy the widest range of the learning needs, and to ensure that each of Bloom’s learning outcomes is achieved by all groups of learners. When learners are aware of the six groups of learning outcomes (Bloom’s taxonomy) they may also choose, whether they need to work on their strongest intelligences, or whether they should concentrate on their weaker intelligence sides to achieve the anticipated outcomes in particular learning process. Thus, the combination of Bloom’s taxonomy and Gardner’s learning theory offers substantial freedom for student participation in the learning process (Tomlinson, 1999). Bloom’s taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences offer better choice and independence to students, creating favorable conditions for developing and implementing differentiated instructional approaches in classroom. References Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice. New York: Basic Books. Skowron, J. (2001). How to differentiate instruction. In J. Skowron, Powerful lesson planning models, Arlington Heights, IL. Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom responding to the needs of all learners. ASCD. Paper responses Daniel’s paper Daniel is very correct: there is no â€Å"one size fits all† in education. Differentiated instruction should stem from the optimal combination of learning theories and approaches. Piaget’s epistemological theory and Gardner’s multiple intelligences form a good combination of differentiated approaches toward instruction, and Daniel uses a simple and effective mathematical example to illustrate his findings. However, Daniel’s work also implies that there is unlimited number of theoretical combinations that can be used to differentiate instruction. I think and agree with Daniel that by using only one theory, instructional professionals risk losing significant learning benefits that each learning theory offers.

Coal :: Energy Resources Fossil Fuels Essays

Coal In the world today, Coal is one of the most used Fossil Fuels in America. The black gold, which I like to call it, affects America in so many different ways. Have no worries coal is no where from becoming extinct or replaced. "Coal will be popular big time, in 2005," says Jim Thompson, who edits the weekly report U.S. Coal Review out of Knoxville, Tenn. "There will be more test bums than ever." In Wyoming alone they shipped out over four hundred million tons. I can’t even imagine how large that quantity is. Coal is so useful and America depends on coal greatly (Gransbery). Coal is utilized for combustion, which benefits the Residential areas and Power Plants. The coal used for that is known as Bituminous coal. That can be found in the Appalachian Mountains and even some central states. This type of coal is used due to its high heating value and high sulfur content Coal is also capable of being converted into gaseous or liquid fuel. Before any of thi s can happen, we need to find the mother load of the coal. Another word for that is the reserves. The major reserves in America for coal are found in the Northern Great Planes, Texas and Gulf of Mexico. Fossil Fuels are known for making a mess and causing a lot of environmental problems. They can create some serious pollution to the environment. One of the worse air pollution episodes occurred in 1948. In Donora, Pa twenty were found dead and over six thousand became quite ill quickly. The main cause of this disaster was the due to the high concentrations of SO2. That is why it is important to do whatever you can to eliminate as much as the pollution factor as you can. Cleaning the coal before combustion pretreatment will reduce pollution and even when your done cleaning you can clean the stack gases after combustion. This is an often-missed step in the pollution elimination process. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has a new idea why to clean the coal. This isn’t just for environment safety but he believes that it will be a major source of hydrogen in the years to come.