Miranda Priestly's personality in The Devil Wears Prada Essay - 1

Miranda Priestly's personality in The Devil Wears Prada - Essay Example Similarly, Eysenck also attributed another personality dimension – extraversion, or alternatively introversion, to the question of balance in the brain between excitation and inhibition.(Boeree, 2006). As a result, the introverted person has poor levels of inhibition and may therefore be able to remember in acute and embarrassing detail, every detail of a traumatic or humiliating event. They will have a tendency to adopt particular behavioral patterns to hold off the panic associated with such memories, which will ensure that such behavior is not repeated ever again. This may even develop to the extent of becoming obsessive-compulsive behavior. Priestley’s character demonstrates several obsessive-compulsive behavioral traits that appear to suggest that she is an introverted kind of personality with low levels of inhibition which she tries to compensate for through compulsive behavioral patterns. One of these is her habit of discarding her overcoat prominently on the desk of her assistant and making unreasonable demands which must be instantly satisfied. Priestley’s quest is to attain perfection and success in her job, and she is in a position of constant pressure to maintain those impossibly high standards of perfection. In order to mask her fear of failure, she has developed certain patterns of behavior that manifest as harassment of her assistants, in order to hold off the inner panic and allow herself to feel powerful and omnipotent in her organization. The knowledge that the life of her assistants hinges on her whims and temperamental demands serves to allow Priestley to enjoy the sense of power that holds off her inner panic. While extraverts are able to easily forget and overcome things that overwhelm them, introverts have a highly developed memory and recall everything in acute and painful detail. This serves to explain

Electronic and mobile commerce solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electronic and mobile commerce solutions - Essay Example The service is operational twenty four hour a day everyday across the year. Nevertheless, consumers face challenges of no instant gratification so, delivery may take a while. There is limited consumer service because they have no one to attend to their questions hence can only see the goods without touching them. Bespoke is service offered to a consumer after the consumer has given order for it to be made. The bespoke products include; clothes, vehicles or furniture. This service is good because a consumer is assured of an original and new product of their choice unlike ready to use items on sale. On the other hand, there is lack of supervision by the consumer when their products are made therefore omission errors are inevitable (Andrew et.al, 1997). Consequently, since it is business on the internet, the choice of materials used may not be satisfactory to the ones requested by the consumers. An example is bespokemoda.com An online software solution is an ecommerce website solution that allows selling online by providing software that creates an online store. An example of online software is Shopify solutions. It is easy to set up and synchronizes the store’s products, inventory, orders and consumers between ecommerce site and retail stores. Open sources like magneto and e-commerce solutions is a platform that uses latest web technologies offering professional features, flexibility and controls the activities like shopping online for example Word Press. An Open Source establishes an e-business with convenient product and catalogue browser options, extended consumer management and has an intuitive interface of administration well rated with an extensive network support. Magneto can be used on PHP and MySQL installed in any web server because they are available as free software therefore is prone to hacking and virus attacks (Awad, 2006). In line with electronic commerce is the mobile commerce technology. Mobile commerce is an online commercial transactions

Social interaction and the Internet in Asia Essay Example for Free

Social interaction and the Internet in Asia Essay The abstract is excellently presented, and sheds the light onto the study purpose. The author used the abstract to briefly justify the choice of the research country (Singapore). Introduction In the introduction, the author justified the need for such research by the fact that â€Å"little empirical research had been done outside of Europe and the USA†. The author has clearly identified the aim of the research in the form of a question: â€Å"what is the Internet usage pattern of young Singaporeans and what is the extent of its impact on their social lives? † Literature review The author did not perform a detailed literature review due to the absence of sufficient relevant literary sources related to the topic of research. The author summarised the results of the previous studies to create the relevant theoretical basis for her research. Research question The author was not very specific in determining the research question. She limited her study by investigating the social interactions between young Singaporeans and the impact of Internet upon their socialisation. Trying to be very specific, the author suggested that it would be interesting to research, whether young Singaporeans preferred Internet socialisation to traditional means of social interaction. Methodology The author did not create any clear hypotheses, and did not predict any possible research outcomes. The choice of respondents was mainly based on their age (between 15 and 30), without any specific attention to their gender or social position. However, it was important that all of them studied in Universities and were provided with individual Internet accounts. The author used questionnaires which are traditional methods of qualitative analysis. Findings Research findings were presented in qualitative and quantitative form. The author did not mention any significant problems encountered in analysing and evaluating the research findings. The author did not perform profound statistical analysis, but used simple mathematical interpretations of her results as the basis for qualitative research. By quoting interviews with several research participants, the author of the article significantly increased the relevance of the research results. References All in-text citations were referenced in bibliography. The reference list mainly included primary sources, among which previous researches in the area of Internet and communication prevailed. Summary The analysed study is the excellent basis for the further research in the area of communication and social sciences. The article determines the future directions in investigating the socialisation processes under the impact of Internet technologies. New for old? Converging media and e-mail practices in the workplace Abstract The aim of the discussed research was to investigate the impact of e-mail applications on the workplace practices through the three different perspectives: â€Å"e-mail as a medium, e-mail as a set of practices, and e-mail as speech versus writing† (Yell, 2003). The author used the abstract to create the system of questions, which had to be answered during the research process. Introduction The topic of the research was excellently specified in the introduction, and was not too broad. The author also delineated specific theories, on which the research had to be based (Bourdieu’s concepts of dispositions and the habitus, and Schirato and Yell’s concept of cultural literacy). Literature review The author did not use any formal framework for literature review. Moreover, the article lacked any theoretical justification of the study. A separate â€Å"background† chapter provided the reader only with a surface understanding of the research topic, and was not referred to any significant theoretical perspectives. Research question The researcher sought to identify, what means research participants would choose to fulfill a range of tasks and to communicate at workplace. The author has clearly determined the research question and narrowed her research as determined in the article’s abstract. Methodology The methods of the research were clearly identified in the background section of the article: the use of interviews had to ensure validity of research findings, but could potentially decrease the generalisability of research results. The age of participants was between 30 and 65, and they were asked to describe their communication and work preferences in terms of emails or other communication strategies. The author did not conceal statistical insignificance of the research sample, and has concentrated upon determining qualitative tendencies and validity of the communication choices made by participants. Findings Yell (2003) presented research findings in the form of qualitative assessment. The use of tables was called for increasing the generalisability of interviews, but the author did not specify whether she had encountered any significant problems in evaluating the research results. The discussion section of the research was presented in the form of several small chapters, with each devoted to a separate research perspective. There is no reason to doubt the validity and reliability of research findings due to the fact that interviews are relatively unbiased tools of qualitative research. The author constantly linked research findings to the theoretical perspectives identified in the introduction, which made the discussion relevant and theoretically justified. References All in-text citations were included into the list of references at the end of the article. Summary Despite the lack of theoretical basis, the author performed profound research of the communication preferences among workers. The results of the study can be further refined by linking them to certain theoretical perspective. The researcher has generalised the research findings and pointed out the most important aspects of the study, without shedding the light onto potential applications of the research results. The author has identified important contradictions in describing e-mail as homogeneous medium, and has suggested that e-mail had to be analysed from multiple perspectives. Organisational communication satisfaction in the virtual workplace Abstract The abstract was excellently structured. It served a brief summary of the research, research findings, implications, and controversies. Introduction The authors did not elaborate on theoretical or practical research implications in the introduction; the introduction served a brief summary of the similar research works. The potential challenges of the virtual workplace were identified and analysed in a separate section of the paper. Literature review The author did not perform any formal literature review. The authors did not make any predictions or suggestions towards the future research outcomes, but identified the set of variables drawn from the previous surveys. That set of variables was later used to analyse and interpret the research findings. Research question The authors determined the research question in the article’s abstract: â€Å"to compare the levels of communication satisfaction between virtual workplace and traditional employers in a single firm. † This research question was later analysed through the pre-determined set of variables. Methodology Akkirman and Harris used the set of hypotheses based on the previous studies and the research survey conducted â€Å"in the Turkish subsidiary of an international company based in Germany†. The distinguishing feature of the research article was in that the authors had identified the exact set of variables closely tied to their hypotheses: communication climate, organisational integration, etc. (Akkirman Harris, 2005). Findings The research findings were presented in quantitative form, in the form of tables, and statistical analysis. The results were assessed in a concise and organised manner, with each variable discussed and evaluated separately. In this manner, the researchers have explained each variable identified in the research methodology section. References The reference list included all in-text citations, as well as the Appendix with the research survey questionnaire. This questionnaire helped objectively evaluate the relevance and validity of survey results. Summary The advantageous feature of the article is in the fact that the researchers discussed and evaluated the research results in the structured form: implications and limitations of the research were also analysed. As the results of the research were contrary to the majority of previous studies, the authors emphasised the most important variables to be researched in the future studies (the role of transition and support in the level of satisfaction among virtual office workers). The authors of the article summarised their findings in conclusion, but did not identify any problems or biases they faced during the research and evaluation process. Intercultural communication competence and managerial functions within the Australian hospitality industry Abstract The abstract was brief and written in concise manner. The authors briefly delineated major theoretical foundations of the future research. Introduction The aim of the research was very clearly identified in the introductory section of the article. The authors defined the major terms to be used in the study, making the research clear and understandable to the reader. Literature review The theoretical perspectives constituted the significant portion of the article, and initially made it difficult to identify the major theoretical directions which were used in the research. It seems that the authors have gathered all information available on the topic, without specifying the most important data, and the exact theoretical basis of research. Theoretical background of intercultural communication was presented from different perspectives (cultural, psychological, anthropological, etc. ), which have created a confused theoretical image of the study. Ultimately, the researchers neither made theoretical predictions, nor drew hypotheses from previous studies. Research question The authors of the research sought to consider the nature of intercultural communication competence in the Australian hospitality industry. Methodology The authors have limited their research methodology to in-depth analysis of interviews and organisational documentation, ethnomethodology, and historical analysis. In addition, the authors did not inform the readers about the number and characteristics of the research sample. A number of important research variables were identified only in the section devoted to the discussion of interpretive findings. Findings The research findings were interpreted through the prism of qualitative analysis, but as no data on the research sample was available, it was difficult to evaluate the validity and reliability of the research results. It should be pointed out that the authors have discussed implications of their research for management training. Those implications could make their research results applicable, if their validity could be objectively assessed. The conclusion of the article was aimed at summarising the major research findings, and emphasising the limitations of the study: â€Å"the Australian hospitality managers in this study were found to have shortcomings in their ability to apply intercultural communication competence to key managerial functions† (Saunders Sauee, 2000). References All in-text citations were referenced in bibliography. The authors listed all literature sources in alphabetical order. Summary The research could create solid basis for future practical investigations if the theoretical perspectives were clearer. Research findings suggested that intercultural communication in the hospitality industry should be linked to a single theoretical perspective, that could make future researches more transparent and theoretically justified. Organisational websites. How and how well do they communicate? Abstract The author of the research used the abstract to determine the aim of the study, and to briefly justify the need for such research. The author also suggested the need to perform further sophisticated analysis of Websites and communication challenges they face. Introduction The particularity of the discussed research is in the fact that it has appeared too personalised from the very beginning: The author initially turned it into a form of narration, which could be understandable even to a non-professional reader. Literature review The author did not perform any literature review; consequentially, the research findings could hardly be tied to any theoretical perspectives. Research question The author has expressed the research purpose in the form of a question: â€Å"how are websites currently being described and analysed, particularly by researchers? † The author has clearly underlined the criteria for choosing the research information, which ultimately served the research sample. That search was limited to formal business and general websites (Durham, 2000). Methodology The article did not have any separate section devoted to the discussion of the research methodology. As a result, the reader (either professional or non-professional) could not clearly understand how the research was conducted. It is implied that the author of the article used qualitative analysis. However, as the exact methodology of the research was not explained, it was impossible to draw any conclusions as for the validity and reliability of the research findings. Findings The research findings lacked relevant theoretical basis and could hardly be systematised. Later in the article, the author recognised the lack of theoretical frameworks, but the research could significantly benefit of a separate section devoted to literature review. References The author has included the long list of literary sources, used in the research. The author utilised both primary and secondary sources of scientific information related to the research topic. Summary The research conclusion was brief, and was also written in the simple (and rather vague) form, which is not characteristic of the majority of scientific works in the area of communication strategies. â€Å"The overview of current work suggests rich areas for future research: site macrostructure, navigation and issues of intertextuality via the linkages made, etc† – the list of those suggestions was useful for the future studies. Due to the evident lack of theoretical basis, the discussed research looked as a system of practical suggestions, which might become the starting point in the creation of the valid theoretical structure in the area of communicational strategies. References Akkirman, AD Harris, DL 2005, Organisational communication satisfaction in the virtual workplace, Journal of Management Development, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 397-409. Durham, M 2000, Organisational websites. How and how well do they communicate? Australian Journal of Communication, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 1-14. Frey, LR, Bolan, Carl H, Fredman, PG Krep, GL 1992, Interpreting communication research: a case study approach, Prentice Hall, pp. 15-19. Goby, VP 2000, Social interaction and the Internet in Asia, A study of young Singaporeans, Australian Journal of Communication, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 79-90. Saunders, S Saee, J 2000, Intercultural communication competence and managerial functions within the Australian hospitality industry, Australian Journal of Communication, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 111-128. Yell, S 2003, New for old? Converging media and e-mail practices in the workplace, Australian Journal of Communication, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 93-107.

Holding Media Accountable

Holding Media Accountable Question: Are the news media adequately accountable for their reporting? Is there a need for legislative reform? There is a common concern that the news media in the modern age is no longer being held accountable for its reporting; that is, not fulfilling the expectation that it behaves in a certain way that contributes to the public good (particularly in relation to the political sphere). Since the late 17th century the medias vital role in democratic governance has been evident as a result of its significant power and function to oversee the actions of the government (Schultz 1998). To this day this role of the media remains to be a fundamental aspect of both modern democratic theory and practice. In this essay, the news medias general role in a democracy will be examined, such as the way in which it promotes it and its impact on the protection of human rights. Additionally, the various constraints in certain democracies that can limit the medias ability to always hold a positive role will be explored in order to expose possible legislative reforms to enhance media accountability. Finally, th e ways in which the media is used in order to support development and democracy will be examined, such as its historical victories in exposing government corruption and instigating reconciliation between warring groups. Whether or not the news media is adequately accountable for its reporting depends on the particular democracy in which it exists as they can vary greatly. This essay will contend that in developed democracies (such as Australia) the medias accountability can be perceived as adequate at this point in time, however it will also acknowledge that legislative reform is certainly needed in many other democracies that are less established. Democracy is near impossible to be achieved without a free press; through playing a myriad of key roles that will be discussed an adequate level of accountability to the public can be maintained for the medias reporting. The press is widely called the Fourth Estate to describe it as a somewhat additional branch of government that ensures those governing are kept in check (Schultz 1998). Without the providing of this check and balance, governments cannot truly be effective. Thomas Jefferson as a key historic governmental figure supported this idea, arguing that the truth of any matter will only emerge through the exchanging of information via the press (Holmes 1991). The notion of the media being a watchdog is widely accepted; that is, it acts as a guardian of the public interest that ensures citizens are consistently well informed on the actions of political officials and institutions (Schultz 1998). Particularly in those democracies that are less developed where legislatures and jud iciaries are either powerless or corrupt, the media is often left as the last bastion against the abuse of power (Schultz 1998). Furthermore, the presence of the media provides for a vital arena of public debate between those that govern and the governed. This increased level of debate not only ensures that every citizen is given the opportunity to contribute, but it also allows for enhanced decision making due to the collaboration of many different views and ideas (Holmes 1991). In contrast (for further elaboration), during authoritarian rule, obviously the quality of the laws and policies established were significantly lower due to minimal discussion and debate and the absence of a free and accountable media to help build a civic culture (Schultz 1998). Sen (1999 Pg 43) described critical public discussion to be an extremely important requirement [for] good public policy. Additionally, the medias accountability is particularly evident when one looks at disaster. Sen (1999) makes a further point in relation to this, asserting that a free press in a functioning democracy contributes greatly through the spread of information (which somewhat acts as an early warning system) that can significantly impact policies for (e.g.) famine prevention. The United Nations Development Programme (1997) adds to this, contending that if (for example) poverty is to be addressed, equally as important is the transfer of information to those in need. This is due to the fact that it would allow for them to participate in the political process and public life; it is difficult for an individual to assert their rights if they dont even know they exist. Through the media involving those that are marginalised, their views and issues become part of public debate, and thus the likelihood that these views be addressed is obviously far more likely than if they remain unheard (Sen 1999). The media plays a very important role via its accountability in a democratic society; nonetheless constrai nts do exist in some democracies that attempt to compromise this role. Particularly in newly established democracies, the reality is that the medias accountability can be affected negatively, prompting the potential need for legislative reform. Despite constitutional guarantees, in many democracies the media is greatly restricted by over-bearing laws, monopolistic ownership, and sometimes even physical force. In 2002, 136 journalists were imprisoned and 20 were killed as a result of their reporting in new democracies not satisfying the authorities (Committee to Protect Journalists 2003). In addition to state control constraints, a mostly global trend is beginning to dominate media markets in the modern age as a result of increased organisational competition. This involves a dumbing down of the news; in other words, an increased focus on shallow and sensational topics that aim more so to entertain rather than inform audiences of matters that are far more important (Selizer 2004). Consequently, public discourse is also negatively impacted as populations r espond to this dumbed down news that they are receiving (Selizer 2004). So not only does this modern worldwide trend compromise media accountability to the public, it also affects the publics own ability to recognise good news from bad news, making demands for change far less likely to substantiate. Moreover, in many countries ownership of the media is often controlled by just a few large dominating corporations that have taken over all smaller news organisations. With this high concentration of media ownership, there is not only minimal diversity but also strong biases in the news being presented to us (Djankov 2001 et al). Media tycoons (particularly in new democracies) tend to use their broadcast stations or newspapers to pursue their own vested interests such as the promotion of their business interests and political agenda (Djankov 2001 et al). In essence, the interests of these few people are manipulating the media through themselves determining the content that is to be publi cised. In order to address some of these constraints on the media, recommendations can certainly be made to attempt at instigating action for change where it is needed. For instance, sometimes the media is targeted by particularly powerful people and groups that endeavour to silence it to benefit their own interests. Primarily in developing democracies where (for example) strict licensing requirements may be demanded of the media, it is of paramount importance that authoritarian laws such as this are repealed and replaced with more liberal legislation (Committee to Protect Journalists 2003). Additionally, legal and judicial reforms are vital to ensure that journalists rights are enforced in court while those that do them harm are prosecuted. Only this way can it be ensured that the media has the freedom to report on important issues and remain accountable to the public. It is to be acknowledged that media laws in developed democracies are certainly far from perfect, and indeed they could be tweaked to improve media accountability. However, the Australian media for example, enjoys a large amount of freedom with guaranteed rights protecting it and is thus significantly safe from harm or stringent laws. As a result, it can be argued that legislative reform is not of immediate importance. A final area to be discussed in this essay is the medias practices that have promoted democracy and positive governance, shedding light on its accountability to the public. News organisations in many countries epitomise the democratic ideal of the media as a tool for information, a public forum, and as an establisher of consensus and harmony. If a society is to be truly democratic citizen participation is paramount; the media acknowledges this through ensuring that the populations are consistently engaged with the latest in the political sphere (Schultz 1998). For example, aiding them to make informed choices in regards to whom they should vote for and the particular policies that should and shouldnt be supported. Through mediums such as public-affairs programs the media provides enough detailed information to equip voters with the ability to be able to critically analyse the political sphere and are thus likely to engage with it far more than they would otherwise be capable of (Schultz 1998). In the modern age of widespread global travel it is especially difficult for a countrys media to inform all of its citizens when they inhabit other areas across t he world (Zelizer 2004). As a result, the use of the internet as a medium for the transfer of information has been adopted and proven to be highly effective. For example, early in the 21st century in the Romanian local elections, a large array of online information portals were established to ensure access to the latest political news was available to even citizens living on the other side of the world (Ulmanu 2000). Once again, this is evidence of the media endeavouring to fulfil its accountability to the public; in this way it is through acting not only as an information tool but as a public forum for critical debate. Also related to this is the way in which the media acts as a builder of peace and consensus. This is relevant because if violence and strife exists within a democratic society, the political process cannot consequently thrive as a result of peaceful critical discussion likely to be non-existent. In many societies the media tends to play a key role in providing method s of mediation to warring groups with the aim of public order being re-taken as promptly as possible (Bambang 2002). Many critics argue that this is not the case, and that the media itself often fuels violence via (e.g.) reporting incorrect facts and reinforcing prejudices (Bambang 2002). For example, in the midst of the mass conflict in Rwanda during the 1990s, a radio station (funded by international donations) was being used by extremists in support of genocide (Bambang 2002). While there are indeed cases in the past that depict poor actions on the medias part in fulfilling its accountability, much has been done to reverse this. For instance, many media organisations worldwide now train their journalists in what is dubbed peace journalism (Bambang 2002). This consists of the promotion of reconciliation via careful reportage that does not take stances on particular topics but rather gives voice to all of the differing viewpoints. Further, peace journalism resists justifications fo r violence, and rather than focusing on the violence itself it magnifies the affects it is having upon innocent individuals and communities (Bambang 2002). Not only this, it also attempts to bridge differences between warring groups in the hopes of a resolution being achieved. In the modern age (particularly in highly developed democracies) this form of reporting is the default method in times of war/crises. It can be concluded that the news media is indeed adequately accountable for its reporting, and at this time it does not need to be a priority to attain further legislative reform. Of course, it is important to recognise that this certainly depends upon the particular democratic society in which is being focused on as they can vary significantly in regards to their medias and their levels of accountability to that particular society. However, in most developed democracies the medias reporting can be perceived as currently adequate. This has been supported in this essay through referring to the various roles the media can be seen to play in the publics interest. It acts as a watchdog (or more formally as the Fourth Estate) in order to ensure the government is kept in check and power is not abused; additionally it often acts effectively as a bridge between the public and the government when there is corruption amongst institutional bodies. It acts as a public arena in which all citizen s are given the opportunity to contribute to the political process; this allows for improved decision making which leads to the establishment of laws that apply to the population as a whole (including those living in poverty that would otherwise have no knowledge (or access) of political participation. Secondly, this essay addressed the various constraints upon the media (particularly in those democracies that are relatively new and less developed). In some of these cases media accountability is not adequate and legislative reform would be ideal to (for example) protect journalists from any form of harm or harassment that compromises their ability to report truthfully and remain accountable to the public. Finally, the media plays the role of an information tool and public forum, educating voters on the latest political updates (regardless of their location) and thus protecting the threads of democracy that citizen participation is central to. In addition to this, such participation is made possible through the media promoting peace and consensus, endeavouring to keep conflict and violence levels low so as to not disrupt the political process and voters vital role in it. The media acts as a very important mechanism for democracy through public accountability. While this can at times be compromised, all in all it is adequate at this time and legislative reform should not be considered a priority. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bambang Wisudo. P (2002), Broadening Access to Information as a Way of Ending War Journalism, paper presented in a conference on Access to Information in Southeast Asia, Thailand. Committee to Protect Journalists (2003), Attacks on the Press in 2002, New York: Committee to Protect Journalists. Djankov. S, McLeish. C, Nenova. T, Shleifer. A, (2001), Who Owns the Media? Draft paper for the World Bank’s World Development Report. Holmes, Stephen (1991), Liberal constraints on private power? Democracy and the Mass Media, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 21-42. Schultz, Julianne (1998), Reviving the Fourth Estate. Democracy, Accountability and the Media, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sen, Amartya (1999), Development and Freedom, New York: Anchor Books. Ulmanu, Alex (2000), â€Å"Romanian Election Enters Net Battleground,† in Online Journalism Review, retrieved from http://www.ojr.org/ojr/technology/1017962590.php. United Nations Development Programme, Corruption and Good Governance: Discussion Paper 3, (1997), published by the Management Development and Governance Division, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. Zelizer, B (2004), Taking Journalism Seriously: News and the Academy, London: Sage.

More Than A Grandfather :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More Than A Grandfather   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandfather has had such a huge impact on my life. Why, you ask? It’s because of the kind of person that he is, and all of the things he has accomplished in his life. He has been successful at every thing he has ever done and has never failed at anything he has ever tried. He worked so hard for everything that he has and at one point he had to work two jobs to support his wife and four kids. He has always been a great provider for his family. I can only hope to be half the person he is. My grandfather has been my strength and inspiration throughout the years. His kindness, love and good examples were stepping stones for me to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John B. Martinez was born to John Martinez Sr. and Dora Martinez on November 11, 1929. My grandpa was born and raised in the wild and rugged terrain of Colorado Springs, Co. He was the youngest of five children, and was raised during a tough time in our history, the Depression Era. However, his family was rich in other ways, they had each other and they had the land they lived on, which was filled with magnificent aspen groves that blanketed the many slopes. To my grandfather their land was like his playground and his jungle where he could do as he pleased. His playground was as broad as his imagination and as a child he had many adventures in his jungle. During the summer, he and his friends spent countless days at a near by watering hole, diving in and swimming to escape the hot summer days. In the spring they would run through the wildflower filled foreground, as he described it I could see the light violet Showy Daisies, lemon yellow Sunflowers, baby Blue Bells, and the pink Mountain Dandelions. In the winter when the water would freeze over, they would ice skate and have snow ball fights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandfather was a very successful man in life. When he was seventeen years old he started work picking cotton in the local farms and would bring every cent he earned home for his parents. He shortly enlisted in the Air Force on November 20, 1946 where he trained to be a fire fighter. Even though he was away from his family he still sent money every month. Later he

I Will Make a Difference :: College Admissions Essays

Essays - I Will Make a Difference I think that it is important for me to look around and ask myself what kind of things I can do to help my country. Recently, at school, we collected money for the Red Cross. We had to explain over and over to the students that it didn't matter if you gave one dollar or twenty dollars. Whatever you give will help others and be appreciated. Even though I am too young to make a big impact on the people involved in the tragedy, I feel like my small part may have let them know that people everywhere care. It's true that we all need to make a difference in times of crisis and need, but we also need to strive to make a difference each day. I know that I can make a difference in the lives of many people by simply lending a helping hand or showing kindness to others. I try to take the time to cheer up my grandmother and older friends in the nursing home by paying them a visit. I know my parents stay very busy and it helps them out when I come home and lend a helping hand without being asked. I can help a friend with their homework, or sometimes help by just being there to listen to them. I can also make a difference in the community where I live. Last year my class held a car wash to raise money for the Animal Shelter. We went to visit the dogs there and I realized that the money we raised made a difference for some of them.

Online education vs traditional education Essay

For hundreds of years we have been teaching traditionally to children with varying results, in the last two decades with the growing technology a new form of education has formed, online education. With high school being a pivotal time in teenagers life parents and educators have questioned is online education better for students over traditional methods. In the search to figure out which is better people have gathered evidence involving studies, polls, and research on the effect online education has on students. My first source used is written by Dan Lips, an article called â€Å"How Online Learning Is Revolutionizing K-12 Education and Benefiting Students† for the Heritage Foundation. The author’s tone is formal and persuasive. In the article he uses evidence such as facts, studies, and polls to persuade the readers to see the greatness of virtual education. Dan Lips uses high profile people who wrote books on virtual learning to increase credibility to his claim. The second source, â€Å"Students’ frustrations with a Web-based distance education course† by Noriko Hara and Rob Kling published in the online journal First Monday. This is an article based on the study the authors did on how students felt enrolled in an online class in college. While this is an article based on the feelings of college students this applies to the high school online education as they base high school online education on college online education so they are going to run into the same problems. The authors of this article were neutral to the study and were just reporting what was wrong with distance learning so as not to bias the results, and to get how the teacher and students feel about online learning. The authors use this article to caution students, teachers, and schools on some of the things wrong with online education and to not ignore the bad sides of online education because of mostly praise towards it. My last source is â€Å"Online High Schools Test Students’ Social Skills† by Paul Glader investigates the impact of online education on teens socially. Glader found that students enrolled in online high school often drop out due to the fact of them feeling lonely. The online high schools are trying to find ways to make teens spend time together in the virtual classrooms. High school is a pivotal time in everyone’s life that can shape your future.