Television Destructive Or Instructive Essays -

Television: Destructive or Instructive? A boy sits on the floor, his eyes glued to the television screen. His mother calls him for dinner and there is no movement, he is so drawn into what he is watching that he has blocked out reality. Is this a familiar picture? This situation is becoming an all too common scene for American families. I believe television is becoming the center of too many people's lives. Television causes inactivity, promotes violence and questions morality. First of all, according to Postman, "The average American child watches 5000 hours of television before he or she ever gets to school." Television causes people to become lazy and inactive. Watching television consists of sitting on a couch and focusing on the images brought to live on the screen. Viewing television programs takes away time that could be used for physical activity. For example, take what a child's daily schedule used to consist of years ago before television was so popular. Children would spend countless hours outdoors: playing games, running, and interacting with neighborhood friends. When their mothers would call them inside for dinner or for the night, they would give the response, "Just five more minutes, please?" Nowadays, it is a struggle for parents just to get their children away from a television set and go outside for a few minutes. These children become "housebound, inactive, and solitary", according to Kael. Also, people that spend more time in front of t he television spend less time reading and doing work that needs too be done, such as homework and errands. Watching television does not make up for the time that should be spent improving reading and writing skills. Secondly, television promotes violence. Sure, some television programs have a few educational aspects; however, many are made just for the entertainment. And violence, to many, is the most entertaining feature of television. When networks see how much people enjoy viewing programs with violence and profanity, they put more of it on. Viewers exposed to this type of activity are more apt to imitating it. There have been many cases where television is blamed for violent acts. For example, Dr. Leonard Eron of the University of Illinois found that people who had watched the most violent TV between birth and age eight had committed the most serious crimes by age 30. Watching violent television programs teaches aggressive attitudes and behaviors. People become desensitized to real world violence. Because heavy viewers watch so much violent acts on television, they come to see violence as a normal and accepted way of life. People become drawn into what they are exposed to on the television s creen, and it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction. As Doerken states, "So much TV is based upon illusion and fantasy that it becomes very difficult at times to know what is truth and what is not." This is especially true for those children that have yet to learn that television is not always what it seems. Also, surprisingly, the programs that are especially designed for children, such as cartoons, are the most violent of all programming. As well as violence, profanity is also very easy to imitate. Viewers, children especially, hear all the profanity used on these programs, and think it is okay to use too. For example, many sport's figures use foul language constantly. Children see their role models using these words, and think it is cool and appropriate. Also, talk shows are filled with profanity, and there is always a talk show on in the after school hours of the day. Children are exposed to this type of behavior everywhere, and want to imitate it. Another bad aspect of television is its affect on a person's morals. Television erodes the traditional morals of American families by the poor example it sets forth for the nation's youth. Some television programs teach all the wrong lessons, and children think what they see on television are the right things to do. Television also corrupts our own personal beliefs at times. Watching something can get a person to go against his or her own beliefs in order to be like everyone else. If the majority of the population thinks one way about an issue, the average

Idioms with Compare

Idioms with Compare Idioms with Compare Idioms with Compare By Maeve Maddox The verb compare comes from Latin comparare, â€Å"to pair together, couple, match, bring together.† It occurs in four common English idioms. to compare someone or something to someone or something to compare someone or something with someone or something to compare notes on something or someone to compare apples and oranges compare with or to Many speakers use â€Å"compare to† and â€Å"compare with† interchangeably; doing so is not an error. However, many writers observe a difference between the two. The Chicago Manual of Style does not state the difference as a rule, but does mention it in the section called â€Å"Good usage versus common usage: To compare with is to discern both similarities and differences between things. To compare to is to note primarily similarities between things. For example, in the context of discussing the history of wartime nursing, one might compare Clara Barton to Florence Nightingale and be done with it; both women are noted for caring for wounded men on the battlefield. Compare with would be reserved for a detailed comparison that notes differences between two people who are similar in some respects, but not in others. compare notes â€Å"To compare notes† means â€Å"to compare observations.† For example, friends attending a conference might go to different sessions and later talk to each other about what they learned. Students reading the same novel might compare notes on their individual impressions. compare apples to oranges â€Å"To compare apples and oranges† is usually used in a context in which two things are so different from one another as to defy meaningful comparison. For example, the tiny country of Finland is often held up as a model for U.S. public education, but American educators protest in such statements as this: â€Å"Finland has free health care and preschool. We don’t. You’re comparing apples to oranges.† Related post: Compared to or compared with? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Handy Expressions About HandsTime Words: Era, Epoch, and Eon20 Ways to Cry

Coordinate Geometry on ACT Math Strategies and Practice

Coordinate Geometry on ACT Math Strategies and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Coordinate geometry is a big focus on the ACT math section, and you’ll need to know its many facets in order to tackle the variety of coordinate geometry questions you’ll see on the test. Luckily, coordinate geometry is not difficult to visualize or wrap your head around once you know the basics. And we are here to walk you through them. There will usually be three questions on any given ACT that involve points alone, and another two to three questions that will involve lines and slopes and/or rotations, reflections, or translations. These topics are tested by about 10% of your ACT math questions, so it is a good idea to understand the ins and outs of coordinate geometry before you tackle the test. This article will be your complete guide to points and the building blocks for coordinate geometry: I will explain how to find and manipulate points, distances, and midpoints, and give you strategies for solving these types of questions on the ACT. What Is Coordinate Geometry? Geometry always takes place on a plane, which is a flat surface that goes on infinitely in all directions. The coordinate plane refers to a plane that has scales of measurement along the x and y-axes. Coordinate geometry is the geometry that takes place in the coordinate plane. Coordinate Scales The x-axis is the scale that measures horizontal distance along the coordinate plane. The y-axis is the scale that measures vertical distance along the coordinate plane. The intersection of the two planes is called the origin. We can find any point along the infinite span of the plane by using its position along the x and y-axes and its distance from the origin. We mark this location with coordinates, written as (x, y). The x value tells us how far along (and in which direction) our point is along the x-axis. The y value tells us how far along (and in which direction) our point is along the y-axis. For instance, take look at the following graph. This point is 4 units to the right of the origin and 2 units above the origin. This means that our point is located at coordinates (4, 2). Anywhere to the right of the origin will have a positive x value. Anywhere left of the origin will have a negative x value. Anywhere vertically above the origin will have a positive y value. Anywhere vertically below the origin will have a negative y value. So, if we break up the coordinate plane into four quadrants, we can see that any point will have certain properties in terms of its positivity or negativity, depending on where it is located. Distances and Midpoints When given two coordinate points, you can find both the distance between them as well as the midpoint between the two original points. We can find these values by using formulas or by using other geometry techniques. Let’s breakdown the different ways to solve these types of problems. May you always have fast vehicles (or at least sturdy shoes) for all your distance travel. Distance Formula $√{(x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2}$ There are two options for finding the distance between two points- using the formula, or using the Pythagorean Theorem. Let’s look at both. Solving Method 1: Distance Formula If you prefer to use formulas on as many questions as you are able, then go ahead and memorize the distance formula above. You will not be provided any formulas on the ACT math section, including the distance formula, so, if you choose this route, make sure you can memorize the formula accurately and call upon it as needed. (Remember- a formula you remember incorrectly is worse than not knowing a formula at all.) You will have to memorize each and every ACT math formula you'll need and, for those of you who want to learn as few as possible, the distance formula might be the straw that broke the camel’s back. But for those of you who like formulas and have an easy time memorizing them, adding in the distance formula to your repertoire might not be a problem. So how do we use our formula in action? Let us say we have two points, (-5, 3) and (1, -5), and we must find the distance between the two. If we simply plug our values into our distance formula, we get: $√{(x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2}$ $√{(1-(-5))^2+(-5-3)^2}$ $√{(6)^2+(-8)^2}$ $√{(36+64)}$ $√100$ 10 The distance between our two points is 10. Solving Method 2: Pythagorean Theorem $a^2+b^2=c^2$ Alternatively, we can always find the distance between two points by using the Pythagorean Theorem. Though, again, you won’t be given any formulas on the ACT math section, you will need to know the Pythagorean Theorem for many different types of questions, and it's a formula you’ve probably had experience using in your math classes in school. This means you will both need to know it for the test anyway, and you probably already do. So why can we use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the distance between points? Because the distance formula is actually derived from the Pythagorean Theorem (and we'll show you how in just a bit). The trade-off is that solving your distance questions this way takes slightly longer, but it also doesn’t require you to expend energy memorizing any more formulas than you absolutely need to and carries less risk of remembering the distance formula wrong. To use the Pythagorean Theorem to find a distance, simply turn the coordinate points and the distance between them into a right triangle, with the distance acting as a hypotenuse. From the coordinates, we can find the lengths of the legs of the triangle and use the Pythagorean Theorem to find our distance. For example, let us use the same coordinates from earlier to find the distance between them using this method instead. Find the distance between the points $(−5,3)$ and $(1,−5)$. First, start by mapping out your coordinates. Next, make the legs of your right triangles. If we count the points along our plane, we can see that we have leg lengths of 6 and 8. Now we can plug these numbers in and use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the final piece of our triangle, the distance between our two points. $a^2+b^2=c^2$ $6^2+8^2=c^2$ $36+64=c^2$ $100=c^2$ $c=10$ The distance between our two points is, once again, 10. [Special Note: If you are familiar with your triangle shortcuts, you may have noticed that this triangle was what we call a 3-4-5 triangle multiplied by 2. Because it is one of the regular right triangles, you technically don’t even need the Pythagorean Theorem to know that the hypotenuse will be 10 if the two legs are 6 and 8. This is a shortcut that can be useful to know, but is not necessary to know, as you can see.] Midpoint Formula $({{x_1+x_2}/2}$ , ${{y_1+y_2}/2})$ In addition to finding the distance between two points, we can also find the midpoint between two coordinate points. Because this will be another point on the plane, it will have its own set of coordinates. If you look at the formula, you can see that the midpoint is the average of each of the values of a particular axis. So the midpoint will always be the average of the x values and the average of the y values, written as a coordinate point. For example, let us take the same points we used for our distance formula, (-5, 3) and (1, -5). If we take the average of our x values, we get: ${-5+1}/2$ $-4/2$ 2 And if we take the average of our y values, we get: ${3+(-5)}/2$ $-2/2$ −1 The midpoint of the line will be at coordinates (−2,−1). If we look at our picture from earlier, we can see that this calculation makes sense. It is difficult to find the midpoint of a line without use of the formula, but thinking of it as finding the average of each axis value, rather than thinking of it as a formal formula, may make it easier to visualize and remember. So what kinds of point and distance questions are on your horizon? Let's take a look. Typical Point Questions Point questions on the ACT will generally fall into one of two categories: questions about how the coordinate plane works and midpoint or distance questions. Let’s look at each type. Coordinate Plane Questions Questions about the coordinate plane test how well you understand exactly how the coordinate plane works, as well as how to manipulate points and lines within it. This can take the form of testing whether or not you understand that the coordinate plane spans infinitely, or how well you understand how negative and positive x and y coordinate values will be, or how well you can visualize points and how they move within the coordinate plane. Let's take a look at an example: We know from our earlier chart that if x is positive and y is negative, then we will be in quadrant IV, and if x is negative and y is positive, we will be in quadrant II. Quadrant I will always have both positive x values and positive y values, and quadrant III will always have both negative x values and negative y values. These do not fit our criteria, so we can eliminate them. This means that our final answer is E, II or IV only. Midpoint and Distance Questions Midpoint and distance questions will be fairly straightforward and ask you for exactly that- the distance or the midpoint between two points. You may have to find distances or midpoints from a scenario question (a hypothetical situation or a story) or simply from a straightforward math question (e.g., â€Å"What is the distance from points (3, -5) and (4, 4)?†). Let’s look at an example of a scenario question, Becky, Lia, and Marian are friends who all live in the same neighborhood. Becky lives 5 miles north of Lia, and Marian lives 12 miles east of Lia. How many miles away do Becky and Marian live from each other? miles 12 miles 13 miles 14 miles 15 miles First, let's make a quick sketch of our scenario. Now, because this is a distance question, we have the option of using either our distance formula or using the Pythagorean Theorem. Since we have already begun by drawing out our diagram, let's continue on this path and simply use the Pythagorean theorem. Now, we can see that we have made a right triangle from the legs of distance we have already. Becky lives 5 miles north and Marian lives 12 miles east, which means that the legs of our triangle will be 5 and 12. Now we can find the hypotenuse by using the Pythagorean theorem. $5^2+12^2=c^2$ $25+144=c^2$ $169=c^2$ $c=√169$ $c=13$ [Note: if you remember your shortcuts for right triangles, you could have saved yourself some time and simply known that our distance/hypotenuse was 13. Why? Because a right triangle with legs of 5 and 12 means we have a 5-12-13 triangle, which means that the hypotenuse will always be 13.] The distance between Becky’s house and Marian’s house is 13 miles. Our final answer is C, 13 miles. On very rare occasions, you may also be asked for something slightly more peculiar on a midpoint or distance formula, such as the product or the sum of the coordinates. This just requires that you take an extra step once you’ve found your new coordinate points, so don’t get thrown by this scenario. We know that our midpoints are the averages of our individual coordinates. This means we can work backwards from our one pair of given coordinates and from our midpoint coordinates to find our second pair of original coordinates. Our first set of original coordinates is at (1,−5), so these will act as our $x_1$ and our $y_1$. And we are told that our midpoint is at (4,−3), so let us set up the problem. First, let us find the value of our $x_2$ (the x-coordinate of point B). ${x_1+x_2}/2=4$ ${1+x_2}/2=4$ $1+x_2=8$ $x_2=7$ Second, let us find the value of our $y_2$ (the y-coordinate of point B). ${y_1+y_2}/2=−3$ ${-5-y_2}/2=-3$ $−5+y_2=−6$ $y_2=−1$ Now we just need to add our two coordinates. $7+(−1)$ 6 Our final answer is C, 6. Now let's talk strategy, strategy, strategy. (Pretty sure saying things three times makes 'em lucky. Or just conjures Beetlejuice. Either way.) ACT Math Strategies for Solving Point Questions Though point questions can come in a variety of forms, there are a few strategies you can follow to help master them. #1: Always Write Down Your Given Information Though it may be tempting to work through questions in your head, it is easy to make mistakes with your point questions if you do not write down your given information. This is especially the case when working with negatives or with absolute values. In addition, most of the time when you are given a diagram with marked points on the coordinate plane, you will not be given coordinates. This is because the test makers feel it would be too simple a problem to solve had you been given coordinates. So take a moment to write down your coordinates and any other given information in order to keep it straight in your head. #2: Draw It Out In addition to writing down your given information, draw pictures of your scenarios. Make your own pictures if you are given none, draw on top of them if you are given diagrams. Never underestimate the value of marking information on a sketch- even a rough approximation can help you keep track of more information than you can (or should try to) in your head. Time and energy are two precious resources at your disposal when taking the ACT and it takes little of each to make a rough sketch, but can cost you a lot more of both to keep all your information in your head. #3: Decide Now Which Formulas You Want to Use If you feel more comfortable using a variety of formulas for a variety of scenarios, then go ahead and memorize the distance formula in addition to all your other need-to-know formulas. But just remember that memorizing a formula wrong is worse than not remembering it at all, so make sure that you memorize and practice all your formula knowledge between now and test day so you can lock it in your head. If, however, you are someone who prefers to dedicate your study efforts elsewhere (or you simply feel that you won’t remember more than a handful of formulas correctly on the day of the test), then go ahead and forget all your â€Å"optional† formulas. Take the time to memorize and use the Pythagorean theorem instead (since you’ll need to know it for a multitude of other types of problems anyway) and wash your hands of the rest of them. You’ll have to know at least a few formulas to do well on the ACT, but you can absolutely get by with only needing a handful, rather than needing to know them all. Test (about to be) in progress. Test Your Knowledge Now, let’s test your point knowledge on a few more real ACT math questions. 1. In the standard $(x,y)$ coordinate plane, a line segment has its endpoints at $(3,6)$ and $(9,4)$. What are the coordinates of the midpoint of the line segment? A. $(3,-1)$B. $(3,1)$C. $(6,2)$D. $(6,5)$E. $(12,10)$ 2. 3. 4. What is the distance between coordinates $(4, -2)$ and $(-4, -6)$? A. $4√5$B. $5√3$C. 8D. $9√3$E. 14 Answers: D, G, F, A Answer Explanations: 1. Here, we have a simple midpoint question, so we just need to find the averages of our coordinates. We are given $(3,6)$ and $(9,4)$, so let us first find the midpoint $x$-coordinate. $${3+9}/2=12/2=6$$ We know our answer must be C or D, since those are the only options that gives us our midpoint $x$-coordinate at 6. Now let us find our $y$-coordinate. $${6+4}/2=10/2=5$$ Our midpoint coordinates will be at (6,5). Our final answer is D, (6,5) 2. If we make a right triangle between the points we are given, we can see that it will have leg lengths of 8 and 8. Because the distance will be in proportion to the legs and the distance between E and D is $1/4$ the distance between E and F, we can take $1/4$ of the distance of each leg. So if we count 2 up from the $x$-coordinate and 2 up from the $y$-coordinate, we get a new coordinate point at (8,6). Our final answer is G, (8,6). 3. This is a question that may appear at first to be a beast to solve, but the principle behind it is not as complex as it looks. Once we've parsed the text, we can see that we are essentially just being asked to find the square root of the sum of the squares of our coordinate values ($√{x^2+y^2}$). The easiest way for us to do this is to plug in our own estimated values for our $z$ points. Because we are not given exact coordinate points, we know we will be able to solve the problem without exact coordinates, which means that a rough estimate will do just fine. So let's give each coordinate point a rough value and say that they are: $z_1=(−5,6$) $z_2=(−3,1)$ $z_3=(−3,−3)$ $z_4=(3,−2)$ $z_5=(5,2)$ Now we need to find the square root of the sum of the squares of our coordinate values ($√{x^2+y^2}$). This means that the squares will cancel out any negative coordinate values (because a negative times a negative is a positive). So we are just looking for whichever $z$ coordinate has the largest absolute value of its coordinates, and these would be $z_5$ and $z_1$. It looks as though $z_1$ will have the largest modulus value, but let's test them both just to be sure. $z_5$ $√{x^2+y^2}$ $√{5^2+2^2}$ $√{25+4}$ $√{29}$ 5.4 And $z_1$: $√{x^2+y^2}$ $√{(−5)^2+6^2}$ $√{25+36}$ $√{61}$ 7.8 The point with the greatest modulus value is $z_1$. Our final answer is F, $z_1$ 4. This is a typical distance question and we can, as always, either use the Pythagorean Theorem or the distance formula. In this case, let's just use the distance formula. $√{(x_2−x_1)^2+(y_2−y_1)^2}$ Our coordinates are: (4,−2) and (−4,−6), so let's plug that into our formula. $√{((−4)−4)^2+((−6)−(−2))^2}$ $√{(−8)^2+(−4)^2}$ $√{64+16}$ $√{80}$ $√16*√5$ $4√5$ (To understand how to reduce roots like this, check out our guide to advanced integers.) Our final answer is A, $4√5$ Oh yeah! You've earned some lasers! The Take-Aways The basic building blocks for coordinate geometry are understanding how the coordinate plane works and how points fit in and can be manipulated in it. Once you've grasped these fundamental concepts, you'll be able to perform more complex coordinate geometry tasks, such as finding slopes and rotating shapes. Coordinate geometry is not an insignificant ACT math topic, but luckily success is mostly a matter of organization and diligence. Be careful to keep track of your negatives and all your moving pieces and you’ll be able to dominate those point questions and all the coordinate geometry the ACT can throw at you. What’s Next? Want to brush up on any of your other math topics? Check out our individual math guides to get the walk-through on each and every topic on the ACT math test. Been procrastinating on your ACT studying? Learn how to overcome your desire to procrastinate and make a well-balanced study plan. Running out of time on the ACT math section? Our guide will help you how to beat the clock and maximize your ACT math score. Trying to get a perfect score? Check out our guide to getting a perfect 36 on ACT math, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: {{cta('999536b9-3e8d-43b1-bb4b-469b84affecc')}}

Water security among Egypt ,Ethiopia and Sudan- subject is Essay

Water security among Egypt ,Ethiopia and Sudan- subject is international relation - Essay Example 98). The river originates from mainly two countries. The White Nile from Burundi joins the Blue Nile from Ethiopia to form the Nile Basin. The Nile Basin is the major source of water for this region supplying ten countries with water. Egypt is the traditional user of the water and has almost exclusive rights for extracting water from the River Nile. Though a non-contributing country, Egypt benefits from a bilateral 1959 agreement that gives it the largest allocation in the utilization of River Nile’s Water. Sudan, another noncontributing country, gets the second largest share of the river’s resources. Other nations especially, the contributing ones have, for a long time, suffered water scarcity due to the unequal distribution of this water. This has created animosity between neighboring countries and was a source of conflict amongst the countries in this region. Countries upstream have, in recent time, considered controlling the use of the water (Adar, 2011, pp. 73). Some have, for example, built large dams and canals to confine their waters. This issue has been a major concern which the UN lists as one o f the most urgent political issues. Watershed countries in the Nile Basin have realized that a shift from the current state must be fueled by a more equitable sharing of the Nile water. This urge to exploit more water has been occasioned by the desire to achieve economic development. Ethiopia, for example, has initiated hydroelectric power projects along the river’s flow. Despite these efforts, however, economic development has not been achieved in many countries. Most of the countries in the region have long unresolved disputes that hinder the economic prosperity of the people (Jacobs, 2012, pp. 37). Civil wars, famines, strife, and internal and regional discord have been the order of the day in these countries. The disparities in the colonial agreement

Higher & Higher Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Higher & Higher - Coursework Example Why? 5 4. Do you think of Zhang’s goals for his company? What must the company do to exploit its resources and capabilities in order to reach these goals? 6 Reference 8 1. What resources and capabilities does the Haier Group appear to have? Are any of these capabilities distinctive? Explain. What will it take to make its capabilities distinctive? One of the most prominent capabilities developed by the company is its diverse variety of products in the home appliance market inclusive of consumer electronic products, air conditioners, computers, mobile phones, washing machines, microwave ovens, televisions, refrigerators etc. This wide diversity of products allows the company to capture a considerably large portion of the market including households and large corporate also (Hunt, p.2-5). Sound technology used by the company clearly distinguishes it from its competitors. In many nations, such as India the company was able to acquire large proportions of the market using technolog ical and innovative changes in its products and product lines in order to cater to the changing needs and requirements of customers (Hunt, p.2-5). Strong innovation initiatives are one aspect which distinguishes the company for its competitors. The company has always strived to add value to its products and product lines with the purpose of serving the niche markets in a better way compared to its competitors. This is particularly helped the company in attaining the faith and loyalty of customers as one of the most trusted brand names and superior deliverer of quality products in the global market (Hunt, p.2-5). One of the most distinctive capabilities of the company has been cater to individual needs of the nations where it had operated. Its strategies have been different for different countries, like India, China etc. For example, although its e-business strategies were not really welcome in China because of its lack of technical knowhow and infrastructure and consumers remain rel uctant to use the internet as a common medium for doing business, the company has been successful in penetrating into the Chinese market by successfully implementing an e-business strategy that was particularly customised for the Chinese market (Roger, p.651). 2. What strengths and weaknesses does the Haier Group appear to have? How could it prevent its strengths from becoming weaknesses? Strengths One of the main strengths of the company is its wide range of innovative products which has successfully made its entry into the global economy. For example, one of its most prominent and innovative products was the frog shaped television console which could be doubled like a night light and which would automatically ask questions on maths problems to the kids before they switched it off. Some of the other innovative products included compact refrigerators, office refrigerators and wine coolers. The company has also successfully shown radical improvement in its product qualities driven by the initiative of its CEO Ruimin. Clear vision, strict discipline coupled with requisite efforts from the part of the CEO has acted as an active strength for the company in expanding its size across the international market and beat some of the major competitor players in the market like Whirlpool, General Electric, Electrolux and LG Electronics (Alon, p.62). Weaknesses The Chinese brands have inherently carried the name of low end and low quality of products. This image has spread worldwide which consistently acts as a

Emerging Technology and Its Implications Essay Example for Free

Emerging Technology and Its Implications Essay With the increasing attention being accorded to climate change in the mainstream media these days, there is also an increased attention being given to technological solutions to assist in combating the problem. While such solutions are admirable in that they go above and beyond the usual calls for recycling and the purchase of ‘green’ products – which have been proven to be of trivial impact upon the large scale flaws in systems of production and consumption that characterize industrial modernity – not all of them should embraced uncritically. It is only by subjecting every proposal to save the planet to scrutiny that we can determine a truly sustainable future. One of the ideas that has been receiving increasing currency in environmentalist discussions are large scale planetary ‘technofixes’ collectively referred to as geo-engineering or planetary engineering. These include mirrors in space designed to reflect excess amount of sunlight, artificial trees designed to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, and managed release of sulfates into the atmosphere, and many, many other epic plans to manipulate the ecological fabric of our planet.   Here’s the rub: The term geo engineering is a rather questionable one, as it implies that it has the same kind of empirical or mathematical certainty as engineering when it doesn’t. It smoothens over many of the bumps and curves that characterize our problems and demand creative solutions. In effect, planetary salvation becomes as easy as building a tunnel into a hill or a bridge across a river, when in fact our collective understanding of the systemic impacts is far less than the geo engineering promoters would have us believe. One might as well call it ‘planetary experimentation.’ While the potential benefits proposed are of an epic magnitude, this magnitude would also apply to the potential consequences. Take for example a proposal to suck carbon dioxide into the planet’s oceans by seeding it with iron deposits. Many, including the Scientific Steering Committee of the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have observed that this has the potential to worsen ocean acidification and lead to catastrophic results for marine ecology: The oceans are complex, dynamic, unpredictable and already vulnerable †¦ We need   [to] build their resilience, not undermine it [not] quick fixes to this global problem that may [cause far more long-term harm] than good. (Gjerde) Additionally, the historical track record of large scale intervention in the name of environmental concern has never been very good to begin with, asserts Alex Steffen of Worldchanging: â€Å"From damming rivers to fighting forest fires to eliminating pests †¦ efforts have †¦ in hindsight [been] so overrun with unintended consequences as to become full-blown disasters, often †¦ worse than the original problems . [And the] cost of errors [increase] with the magnitude of the attempted solution.† (Steffen) Geo engineering is essentially a ‘silver bullet’ solution, one which reduces the political will to creatively retrofit our present lifestyles in such a manner as to be sustainable and environmentally sound, while still being able to enjoy the luxuries of post-industrial advancements. In essence, the tools for a greener world are already here and their downsides are negligible in the face of overwhelming benefits both environmental and societal. In any case, discussion over geo engineering merely provides a distraction from mustering the political will necessary to effect true change. It provides climate change skeptics a justification for political indifference to redressing our present way of life: Why opt for better designed cities, fuel efficient vehicles and profound infrastructural rethinking when we can merely ‘erase’ the effects of our problematic systems? One’s stance on geo engineering is not a question of whether you are a techno utopian or a complete Luddite. However, there is a major distinction to be made between technology that is transparent in agenda, collaborative in nature, and egalitarian in application as well as easy to remedy and technology that is centralized, expensive and difficult to reverse. Between â€Å"Star Wars†    a missile defense system saddled with so much corruption that does nothing to provide for homeland security and nuclear power – a promise of perpetual source of energy whose failures wreaked massive consequences – we ought to regard geo engineering with suspicion: dangerous until proven safe. Geo engineering is unnecessary. â€Å"Fixing† the planet in such a manner is turning a blind eye to the way we live: it shows a lack of innovation and political courage that is necessary to the bright green future.   Works Cited Stiles, Lori. â€Å"Space Sunshade Might Be Feasible In Global Warming Emergency.† NASA Earth Observatory. 3 November 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2006/2006110323537.html Bentley, Molly. â€Å"Guns and sunshades to rescue climate.† BBC News. 2 March 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4762720.stm Gjerde, Kristina. â€Å"Hold back the geo-engineering tide.† BBC News. 11 December 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7133619.stm Romm, Joseph. â€Å"Rule three of offsets: No geo-engineering.† Grist Magazine Online. 27 July 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from:   http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/7/27/144848/844

Essay --

Daniel Nitinthorn Professor John Ganim English 020A December 13, 2013 Progress of Literature Language and experimental form define the Modern period as ideas that were originally forbidden began to surface and writers especially began to express new notions of humanity through these developments. In William Butler Yeats’ â€Å"The Second Coming,† the reader gets glimpses of the combinations of religions and how they represent a cultural language that is on a different spectrum than writing in the Victorian era. Ulysses by James Joyce begins to experiment with form and surfaces ideas so novel that they are too vulgar to show to the general public. There is a change in the culture during this era that is shown through the the experimentation of writing and the topics being written about. â€Å"The Second Coming,† with its christian title refers to the British culture and how it will relate to the rest of the world. It is a poem that talks about the second coming of the savior who will only come after the beast of the apocalypse, or the antichrist. There is a notable change in the language as Yeats refers to this antichrist as looking like an Egyptian sphinx but relates both Egyptian culture and a Christian, British culture. While the Victorian era was heavily influenced by the idea of â€Å"otherness,† the Modern period began to see connections between all of the world’s cultures and how it relates to their own. One of these mixing of cultures comes when Yeats says, â€Å"The Second Coming! †¦A shape with a lion body and the head of a man† (2482). He shows â€Å"The Second Coming,† which is a Christian idea and then brings in the Egyptian sphinx. The mixing of these images presents a language that would not have been heard ear lier as this now relates two... ...ses, as it relates to â€Å"The Second Coming,† is a play on form of literature to help express new ideas that needed to be presented in this new era of culture The experimentation of language and form are focal points in the Modern period. As this new era was forming, there was a call for a new form of literature especially to fill the new literate classes that rose due to an increase in those who had access to education. This new form helped express new ideas of the era that would not have the same effect with earlier language. Ulysses is the major change in form that helped show human consciousness by spilling out the thoughts of the characters. New ideas about culture and humanity rose from â€Å"The Second Coming† due to the improvements in the English language. The experimentation of form and language allow literature to present emerging ideas in a newly formed era.