How to deal when you’re stuck on autopilot in your life

How to deal when you’re stuck on autopilot in your life When you’re just starting out in your career, everything feels significant. You’re learning how to navigate workplace politics, perform new tasks, and balance work and life. After a few years, though, you’ve fallen into routines, and you’re not the New Kid anymore. So how do you shake that rut? Change your routine.This applies both at work and at home. Do you stop at the same coffee place every morning before work and order the same thing? Go somewhere different. Even small changes can help you feel like things are less of a standard drudge. Maybe you drive a different route to work, or take a different train. Maybe you get up half an hour earlier so you have time to fit in some reading or exercise before you head in to work. Maybe you take a break and go outside for lunch instead of listening to podcasts at your desk while you eat. Or try chatting up a coworker you don’t know very well. Making small changes can make you feel like things are less st ale and predictable.Adjust your work-life balance.â€Å"Go find something new to do† was my mom’s usual reply when I’d complain about being bored as a kid, and she was right. She’s still right. It’s on us to seek out new activities that challenge and engage us. If that means setting boundaries about when you respond to work email after hours or carving out time in the evening so you can take a fun class or work on your scrimshaw carvings, do it. Hobbies can make you more engaged and productive overall, because then you have an outlet for de-stressing and focusing your energy.Push yourself.It’s time to do something outside your comfort zone. Don’t do anything that makes you feel physically or emotionally unsafe, of course, but try something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. We get stuck in ruts because they’re comfortable- not because we’re necessarily choosing the mundane over the exciting. Introduce a little excitement by pushing yourself toward a goal that requires you to stretch a little. Maybe that’s starting an off-the-record job search to see what else is out there. Or maybe it’s as simple as taking a public speaking class, when you’ve studiously avoided giving public presentations for years due to stage fright.Set goals.Nothing creates an autopilot rut than focusing on the day-to-day rather than what comes next. You get so mired in the present tense that it can feel like there is nothing to look forward to- hence the frustration and despair that things are not moving forward. It’s time to sit down and plan out your goals- both career and life- and think about what your next phase looks like and what you need to do to start moving in that direction.Feeling stuck happens to everyone at some point, either professionally or personally. The best way to get over that feeling of ennui is to focus on yourself and determine what would make you feel happier/calmer/more sat isfied in the day-to-day. You might be amazed at how small adjustments can change your overall perspective.

Understanding the Roles Characters Play in Literature

Understanding the Roles Characters Play in Literature Every great story has great characters. But what makes a great character? The main character is central to a story and needs to be â€Å"round† or complex, with depth and distinctive qualities. A cast of supporting characters can be of various types- even â€Å"flat† or uncomplicated ones, who nonetheless help move the story along. Definition A character is an individual (usually a person) in a narrative  in a work of fiction or creative nonfiction.  The act or method of creating a character in writing is known as characterization. In British author E.M. Forsters 1927 â€Å"Aspects of the Novel,† Forster made a broad yet worthwhile distinction between flat and round characters. A flat (or two-dimensional) character embodies â€Å"a single idea or quality.† This character type, Forster wrote, â€Å"can be expressed in one sentence.† In contrast, a round character responds to change: he or she â€Å"is capable of surprising [readers] in a convincing way,† Forster wrote. In certain forms of nonfiction, particularly biographies and autobiographies, a single character may serve as the primary focus of the text. Etymology The word character comes from the Latin word meaning mark, distinctive quality† and ultimately from the Greek word that means scratch, engrave. Observations on Character In â€Å"Essentials of the Theory of Fiction,† Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy wrote: â€Å"If, in a sense, the  flat character  embodies an idea or quality, then the round character encompasses many ideas and qualities, undergoing change and development, as well as entertaining different ideas and characteristics.†(Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy, Essentials of the Theory of Fiction, 2nd ed. Duke University Press, 1999) Mr. Spock as a Round Character â€Å"Mr. Spock, my favorite character in ‘Star Trek,’ was James T. Kirk’s best friend and one of the most interesting characters ever written for television. Spock was a Vulcan-human hybrid who struggled for many years with his dual heritage before he finally found peace through acceptance of both parts of his heritage.†(Mary P.  Taylor, Star Trek: Adventures in Time and Space, Pocket Books, 1999) Thackeray’s Description of Lord Steyne â€Å"The candles lighted up Lord Steyne’s shining bald head, which was fringed with red hair. He had thick bushy eyebrows, with little twinkling bloodshot eyes, surrounded by a thousand wrinkles. His jaw was underhung, and when he laughed, two white buck-teeth protruded themselves and glistened savagely in the midst of the grin. He had been dining with royal personages, and wore his garter and ribbon. A short man was his lordship, broad-chested, and bow-legged, but proud of the fineness of his foot and ankle, and always caressing his garter-knee.†(William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1847–48) Narrator as a Character in the Personal Essay â€Å"[In a personal essay], the writer needs to build herself into a character. And I use the word character much the same way the fiction writer does. E.M. Forster, in ‘Aspects of a Novel,’ drew a famous distinction between ‘flat’ and ‘round’  characters- between those fictional personages seen from the outside who acted with the predictable consistency of caricatures, and those whose complexities or teeming inner lives we come to know. ... The art of characterization comes down to establishing a pattern of habits and actions for the person you are writing about and introducing variations into the system. ...The point is to begin to take inventory of yourself so that you can present that self to the reader as a specific, legible character. ...The  need thus exists to make oneself into a character, whether the essay uses a first- or third-person narrative voice. I would further maintain that this process of turning oneself into a character is not self-absorbed navel-gazing. But rather a potential release from narcissism. It means you have achieved sufficient distance to begin to see yourself in the round: a necessary precondition to transcending the ego- or at least writing personal essays that can touch other people.†(Phillip Lopate, â€Å"Writing Personal Essays: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself Into a Character.† Writing Creative Nonfiction, edited by Carolyn Forchà © and Philip Gerard, Story Press, 2001) Details of Character â€Å"To achieve a fully dimensional character, fictional or real, a writer must watch people closely, much more closely than the average person would. He or she looks especially for anything unusual or distinct about the person or persons involved but does not ignore what is ordinary and typical. The writer then reports, in as interesting a way as possible, these poses, posturings, habitual gestures, mannerisms, appearances, glances. Not that the writer limits observations to these, but these frequently appear in creative nonfiction writing.†(Theodore A. Rees Cheney, Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction, Ten Speed Press, 2001) Composite Characters in Nonfiction ï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"The use of a composite character is a dubious device for the writer of nonfiction because it hovers in a gray region between reality and invention, but if it is employed the reader should be made aware of the fact early.†(William Ruehlmann, Stalking the Feature Story, Vintage Books, 1978)

Business Ethics Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Ethics Paper - Essay Example ve sufficient levels of funds to attract, retain and motivate its employees and due to this reason they are considering to outsource their business activities to China. The potential analysis will evaluate the decision of Birds unlimited and will analyze the potential consequences of the company’s actions. Companies are fully accountable for the business actions they perform (Monahan n.p). The main focus of ethical accountability from a company’s perspective is that the operational activities of a company are carried out in a fair and transparent manner and thereby mitigating the risks which arise from the dubious deeds of its employees and other interconnected authorities. While evaluating the present scenario of Bird’s unlimited, ethical accountability in improving the standard of individual as well as group conduct and plays a very important role in the running and formation of a company. It is important that Bird’s unlimited is accountable for its future actions, which include potential downsizing and hiring of Chinese workers and is open to possible challenges in relation to its performance. For Bird’s unlimited, the main principals of Ethical accountability include: A corporation like Bird’s unlimited needs to respect and protect the rights of its shareholders. Birds unlimited are comprised of not only highly competent and skilled employees but individuals who are dedicated and honest to their company. Before deciding to make any potential downsizing, the board needs to evaluate the performance of its competent and skilled workforce and needs to understand and review and evaluate the challenges which are facing the company. One of the key proponents of business principles is honesty and integrity and they prove to be a cornerstone of a company’s business agenda (Wilkins 23-25). A company like Bird’s unlimited has a certain code of ethics and conduct which needs to be fully complied with and forms an integral part of a company’s decision

Improving Life in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Improving Life in the United States - Essay Example One of the major concerns of America today is the growing number of obese people. Children are not exempted from such and this calls more attention to how American families are raising their children. Doctors and researchers all agree that American diet have drastically changed, relying on easy to prepare foods or the readily available victuals from fast foods. They are now promoting changes in how Americans eat, going back to how our ancestors, decades ago, ate. On a parallel, as this problem is being resolved, similar attention is solicited to a much wider scope of concern. The production and consumption of local farm products is advertized at a higher level because of its effect on the various aspects of American living. First, from health advocates who suggest that home-grown fruits and vegetables are far healthier because they are locally available while they are still fresh, with more nutrients as compared to imported products that have undergone various stages of preservation. Secondly, by environmentalists who suggest that local production and consumption will create a tight-knit interconnection between producers and consumers, enabling accountability between them (Morris, 641). Such a situation will create awareness about how the products are produced and transported and therefore will demand high standards of maintaining quality services from farmers and producers. Such awareness in turn, will help consumers appreciate the efforts of farmers and producers. Thirdly, from economists who argue that buying locally grown food is not only good for local economy but on a global level as well. Although there are beliefs that local production will kill developing countries’ economies especially those who rely on exportation for their economic growth, Morris says otherwise. To prove his point, he cites CARE, a non-profit organization that works to fight global poverty which refused to accept tens of millions of dollars in federal money for food aid in Af rica, arguing that such help undercuts farmers, making their situation worse and not better. He thus suggests that local production to make Africa self-sufficient is rather the solution to their problem and not reliance on exportation or help extended by successful countries (642). The environmentalist’s perspective mentioned earlier reflects in part the argument of Al Gore in his Nobel Lecture in 2007. He informed the American people that on the day he delivered his lecture, 70 million tons of global-warming pollution has been dumped and a larger amount will be dumped again the next day (721). If such an increase has been constantly growing for the past five years, imagine how large both American producers and consumers contributed to such pollution. The lack of accountability and awareness in the production and consumption of imported goods surely is a great factor to this global crisis. Therefore, in response to Al Gore’s call for the Americans to forge a united eff ort, with great individual involvement, everyone should become aware of this impending crisis that might dim the future of the next generation. Being accountable, this generation should act and, act quickly, together (724). The modern American lifestyle has improved a lot when one evaluates on the basis of technological advancements. However, there is no denying that such achievements have destructive consequences not only individually and locally but also globally. The fast-paced modern

A Reading of My Papa’s Waltz Essay Example for Free

A Reading of My Papa’s Waltz Essay Theodore Roethke’s â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† speaks of how a daughter is able to see past the defects of her father with such adoring calm and respect. The poem is playful and innocent, the choice of words child-like, and the rhyme measured at a pace of a child’s anxious breathing. Yet a sense of caution rings true throughout, right from the very first lines down to the end of the poem. There is the unmistakable obedient but anxious anticipation in the part of the child upon seeing his father coming home drunk again. Also, perhaps because of the regularity of her â€Å"waltz† with her father the speaker has committed the details to memory. Waltz as a metaphor for action in the poetry tallies with the words romp—a boisterous frolic; dizzy, slid, step, scraped, beat, time and cling to the shirt among others (Roethke). Literally, waltz is dancing to fast music. The steps are not measured, oftentimes wild but still remains rhythmic and moves to a tune. It is danced with both partners holding to each other for dear life—so to speak, lest one should be thrown off from the repetitive twirls. As it were, at first reading, the poem may admit of several interpretations, yet by giving color to every word that sense which will result from all of the parts taken together, along with death, battered, hard, dirt, whiskey and so on, there is enough that can be gathered to support the conclusion that the â€Å"waltz† as used in the poem, means the abuse of a daughter by a drunk father (Roethke). However, although the work may be largely read as a re-telling of an incident where a father beats his daughter, the way that Roethke plays with the words and imagery makes the work open to several readings: Ones that may not necessarily lean towards violence and abuse. It is easy to read the work with a different view altogether. Nevertheless, the freedom of interpretation is granted solely to the reader due to the multiple meanings that the words and imagery, used in the poetry, convey. At any rate, the use of waltz to describe the beating was a clever touch in that it subtly shows the young girl’s abject fear to a point where harsh and hostile words, from an otherwise meek and mild tone, would only lessen the claim that the beating is regular and harsh. The message is clear that because of the frequency and extent of violence, the young girl is rendered unable to speak ill of the father in this poem but instead is beaten to absolute dread and horror to which only forced obedience is her only weapon. Thus, it would seem that they have danced the â€Å"waltz† before and nothing that eventually happens in the poem is something new or is happening for the first time. The speaker’s recollection of the details is remarkable underscoring the fact that what happened is still fresh in her memory or so etched in her mind so deeply that missing out a fact is impossible. There is the possibility of repetition felt at the end since the speaker makes it a point to show that this shall not be the last time—whilst she clung (desperately) to her dad’s shirt. She knows that it she will have to â€Å"waltz† with her papa soon enough that she prostrates herself at the end of that violent episode, hoping against all hope that there shall no longer be any in the future (Roethske). In the same vein, the poem is addressed to the father, waxing poetry with a meek letter of demand for the beating to stop. The over-all tone and style is apologetic and wishful in manner and in part. It is a technique used to show the attempt of the girl to appeal to the father’s emotions without so much as being violent in the treatment if only not to anger her father in the process. Moreover, the use of the word â€Å"waltz† as an ironic imagery reveals the mental age of the speaker. Consequently, these are hints of the young girl’s age since her tenderness and impressionability as a child coincides with the average year that a girl normally dreams of becoming a princess who waltzes with her prince. Instead, in this instance, it is the young girl and her father—who reeks with alcohol; with the crammed kitchen space as their dance floor, the cluttering of falling pans as the resounding applause; and a helpless mother, whose â€Å"countenance could not unfrown itself† (Roethke), looking on.

madonna Essay -- essays research papers

Have you ever heard a song once and was never able to get the tune out of your head no matter how hard you tried? I know that has happened to me on several occasions. Whether we enjoy the songs or not, there is something about music within popular culture that drives the American public wild. Sadly, for quite sometime the music industry was largely closed off to women. Of course there were obvious exceptions to this, since talented female artists have existed through the ages, but on the whole there were not many female artists that got a lot of airplay and certainly none were considered significantly influential in the music industry. Recently the United States has begun to experience a women’s musical renaissance. Women’s roles in pop music are steadily growing. There have been many outstanding female musicians and vocalists in the past that have aided in making the music industry less of a male opinionated society, from Aretha Franklin, Mo Tucker, and Ella Fitzgerald to pop icons like Courtney Love, Queen Latifa, and Melissa Ethridge. Along side these, there are two women who have conquered most obstacles they’ve faced and, in addition, forced the music industry to become more of a female friendly environment. Those two women are Madonna and Brittany Spears. Madonna is an artist that most Americans are very familiar with. From rudeness to charity, she is always in the public eye. Madonna took women and sex through a quantum leap and her unique style and flair has been imprinted on pop culture forever. Besides creating major trends in music she was responsible for many fashion statements throughout the eighties and nineties (Gandee 307). Up until 1982, female sexuality was largely a suggestion of cleavage and tight-fitting jeans, then Madonna showed up in 1983 wearing her Victoria's Secrets on the outside, and all hell broke loose. Madonna Ciccone was born in 1958 near Motown, to an engineer father and homemaker mother, the eldest of eight children. The one thing baby Madonna wanted more than anything was to become famous. She trained on piano and dance, and signed up for almost any activity that would put her face in public view. By the time she turned twenty, she felt she had waited long enough for fame to find her, and went out looking for it. Throughout her career as one of America’s superstars, Madonna maintained much of her creative control while... ...stry seem obtainable to everyone. Their accomplishments represent many of the recent victories won by women in the music industry; Accomplishments like Lilith Faire and Rock for Choice. Though many doors have been opened there are many that have remained shut. For instance, the way that many labels choose to market female artists like sex symbols instead of relying on their ability to perform. A women musician are becoming more and more visible, and with this visibility comes power. Ani DiFranco and Madonna are just two examples of women who are starting their own record labels and signing their own bands. By doing this they are insuring that female artists get heard. Obviously, not every women musician can have this kind of determination, but the fact that they are on stage playing what they love, music, makes them powerful. O’Dair, Barbara. "Introduction". The Rolling Stone Book of Women In Rock. Ed. Barbara O’Dair. New York: Random House, Inc., 1997. Udovitch, Mim. "Madonna". The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. Ed. Barbara o’Dair. New York:Random House,Inc.,1997. Gandee, Charles. "In The Closet With Madonna". Vogue Oct. 1997: 306-313, 378.

Brooklyn Cop Essay

The cop appears to be a savage yet we are later made aware of his underlying vulnerability. New York’s reputation of violence and crime leads to our awareness of the cop’s fear of not returning home to his wife. †¦ We are first made aware of the cop’s intimidating appearance in the first line, of the first stanza when MacCaig uses the simile â€Å"built like gorilla. † This gives us a very negative and animalistic idea of the man, an enforcer, and almost a thug. This is reinforced with the metaphor, â€Å"hieroglyphs in his face† instead of eyes. We build a picture of someone who is very strong, brutish and somewhat sinister. MacCaig includes the element of humour by saying, â€Å"but less timid,† this is also ironic, as gorillas aren’t renowned for their timidity to begin with. We are further made aware of the cop’s threatening appearance when the cop is described as being, â€Å"steak coloured. † This suggests that the cop constantly looks enraged, due to the comparison to raw steak, which is bright red. A very important metaphor is created in the first stanza, which establishes the main theme of the poem: â€Å"he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence†¦ † This leads us to believe that there is an underlying threat of violence in the cop’s persona, which implies that the cop is an unpredictable and perilous character. We now know why this man has to be so strong: his world is one where, as the metaphor highlights, the thin veneer of peace and civilisation is very fragile and could easily be broken. MacCaig retains our interest by creating contrast in the cop’s persona in the first stanza. The stanza concludes with Norman MacCaig giving a more defenceless view of the cop, by expressing the intimate relationship he shares with his wife. He says, â€Å"See you, babe† as well as â€Å"Hiya honey. † We can now almost think of him as a gentle giant, less of a brute. The word â€Å"honey† is a term of affection that shows both his love for his wife and his relief at coming home safely from his work. These conflicting parts of his personality; his brutal, animal-like side at work, and his tender caring side at home are revealed in these two contrasting lines and contribute to the vivid description of the cop. We are further made aware of the cop’s vulnerable side when we are told, â€Å"he hoped it, he truly hoped it. † MacCaig uses repetition to increase our awareness of the cop’s fear of not returning home to his wife. In the last stanza, the poet shifts the image of the gorilla. No longer the powerful and dangerous animal, he has become one of an endangered species who faces death or extermination at every street corner. Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick whose home is a place he might, this time, never go back to? † Norman MacCaig uses a rhetorical question, as he wants us all to consider the dangers this man faces on a daily basis; The fact that every working day is a life threatening situation for him is affluent throughout the poem, as is the fierce, tough and unyielding characteristics of this Brooklyn Cop, all of which are necessities in order for him to be able to fulfil his duties. MacCaig questions the cop’s integrity in the last sentence of the poem, he asks yet another rhetorical question: â€Å"And who would be who have to be his victims? † Here, MacCaig has used an elliptical sentence structure. This last question is almost encoded, requiring the reader to think of all the implications, but leaving us to make up our mind independently.

Module One Wellness Plan Essay

Include your goals for each area of wellness before completing the reflection question. 1.Physical : I will go to the gym every Monday and Wednesday for 1 hour for al least 1 month. 2.Social : I will join another club for this school year 3.Emotional : I will set weekly goal every week for 1 month 4.Academic: I will get at least 200 more service hours by the end of the year. Goal Reflection Question: Which of your wellness goals is the most important to you? Explain why. My academic goal is most important to me because now that I am older and about to start college I need to get more service hours to get a scholarships. I feel that its something I must do no matter what and in the end if it doesn’t help me then so be it but I know I helped others and helped my community. Were you able to maintain your workouts within your calculated target heart rate zone? Explain which activities you enjoyed most and which best helped you stay in your THR zone. Because of how hot Florida get I don’t like running outside, not saying that I don’t ever do it but its just not my thing. I prefer to run on a treadmill. That always keeps me in my target heart rate zone. Fitness Assessment Reflection Questions: Explain how you feel about your scores when compared to the Healthy Fitness Zone Standards. I think that in most areas i have been doing pretty good in the healthy fitness standards. Although there is plenty of room to improve also in both my curl ups and my push ups but im still doing pretty good for my age. Explain how your activity routine is improving each of your health-related components of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular, and body composition)? Physical Activity Reflection Question: Explain how you have applied or will apply each of the FITT principles in your workouts. Frequency: Some activities, like color guard and working out at the gym, I do with regular frequency about every other day. Intensity: I am working at moderate to vigorous intensity in most of my workouts. By speeding up the elliptical machine, I can push myself at a higher intensity while keeping my time on the machine the same. Time: I am spending at least 30 minutes on most of my activities. My intention is to increase the minimum time to 35-40 minutes on all days. Type: I am doing a lot of activities focused on cardio and muscles because of color guard, so I probably need to add some other activities to work toward flexibility and to avoid tedium. Use the formulas to calculate your moves and complete the chart above. Average daily moves this week = Total number of physical activity minutes for the last 7 days x 26.19 Percent toward my goal this week = Total average daily moves à · by 12,000 Total moves this week = Total number of physical activity minutes for the last 7 days x 183.33 Your parent/guardian must verify your workout during our required monthly contact. Fitness Tracker Reflection Question: Discuss changes you can make in your workout routine to increase your activity participation and improve on your achievements. Include adjustments to completed activities and activities you may wish to add to your routine. There isnt much I can do during my daily routine to increase my number of moves while i am in school, but on the weekends i can make an effort to wear it more and do more with it on.

20 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Hooking Ideas to Use When Writing about Cultures

20 Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Hooking Ideas to Use When Writing about Cultures If you need help finding a topic for your next compare and contrast essay on cultural relativism, look over the list of 20 topics below to get a handful of great ideas suitable for your next task. Remember that this list is one meant to be a sample, one which offers a handful of potential ideas from which you can generate an idea best suited to your assignment needs. Some of the topics below should be altered for scalability based on your assignment (such as adding a time period, or a theory, or perhaps narrowing it down to one aspect of a time period or theory). This can help you meet any page length or word count requirements. Rite of Passage in the Christian Culture Compare and Contrast How Culture Shapes Concept Compare and Contrast the Way Culture Directs Human Behavior The Changes in Culture and Human Behavior: Chronological Relations Impact of Social Organization on Highlighting Cultural Differences How Social Organization Downplays Cultural Differences Moral Philosophies of Absolutes: Understanding Cultural Values Compare and Contrast Cultural Variety and Competing Morals Cultural Complexity: How to Value Different Cultures Compare and Contrast Cultural Orientations: How Human Behavior Exhibits Culturally Specific and Informed Practice Compare and Contrast How Cultural Differences Threaten Quality of Social Science Data Legal Conundrums: Cultural Acceptance of Immigrants Acquiescing versus Respecting: Challenges Newcomers Have in Immigration Immanuel Kant’s Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism Johannes Gottfried Herder Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism Franz Boaz’s Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism Gottfried Herder’s Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism Social Customs and Standards: Western Thought Enforced on Others Benjamin Lee Whorf’s Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism Freedom of Speech: Respecting Nazi Beliefs as Part of Cultural Relativism Sample Compare and Contrast Essay â€Å"Johannes Gottfried Herder Contributions and Theories of Cultural Relativism† Johann Gottfried von Herder has been widely associated with many subjects including poetry, theology, philosophy, and literature. He is also found to have contributed heavily to three distinct periods, including that of Sturm und Drang in Germany, Weimer Classicism, and Enlightenment. But he is perhaps best known for his contributions to the creation of the theory of cultural relativism. Herder was born in what is now Poland and grew up impoverished, educating himself with the family songbook and Bible. He enrolled in a university at 17 in Germany where he was able to study under Immanuel Kant. He was soon the protà ©gà © of Johann Georg Hamann who was well known for disputing secular reasoning and claims therein. He was not sociable and was said by others to be inspired by God. As a clergyman he taught and produced literary criticisms simultaneously. He traveled the world, during which time he was able to shift his self-perception. He was able to meet Goethe when he reached France, and it was here that he inspired Goethe with his literary criticism. This is what led to the Sturm und Drang movement. It was because of his inspiration to Goethe that years later, when Goethe was well known, he used his influence to secure a position for Herder. Accepting it, Herder began to shift toward classicalism, endorsing the French revolution. He soon became ennobled in Germany. During this time he promoted many theories which formed the foundation of comparative philology. He then moved on to contributing to what we know today as the theory of cultural relativism. This is a theory that cultures that shape their thoughts and group behaviors. In addition to that, people from other groups have to then take into consideration the different backgrounds or environments of other people in order to understand their behaviors, their traits, their thoughts, and what contributes to making their culture. By reviewing the cultures of others, people can gain better insight into the various groups which exist and have some form of relativism to them in comparison to their personal culture. Part of the influence on this theoretical development was the importance that people placed on patriotism and nationalism, Herder concluded. Understanding how a nation can be both individual and separate, distinguished by tradition, heredity, education, climate, and more helped garner a better appreciation for other cultures. He praised different nationalities for their varied characters, inclinations, and languages. Enlightenment was an important period as it was the backdrop out of which anthropological sensibilities began to oppose. It was Herder who formed the ancient cultural relativism ideas, which emphasizes that cultures exist in plural. Herder’s anthropology is linked closely to his contributions during the Enlightenment. More so than is often thought. While Herder’s work attacks the abstraction of Enlightenment, it retains the arrogance of the Eurocentric teleology and argues for the hermeneutical approaches which emphasize the importance for prejudice. In part of his work, Herder is suspicious of progress and the theories of gradual development. He openly criticizes colonialism. But he shares quite a bit with the natural historian Buffon, who argues that humans are characterized by their relationships to the environment around them, their ability to receive and transmit knowledge, and their flexibility in response to their culture or environment. As such, it is clear that Herder’s critique of progress as aforementioned is one intended to convey that culture is a process through which humans are able to develop, or reach Enlightenment. The definition of culture held by Herder is one closely aligned to the model of civilization associated with a unitary Enlightenment. References: Abu†Lughod, Lila. Do Muslim women really need saving? Anthropological Reflections on  Cultural Relativism and Its Others.  American Anthropologist 104.3 (2002): 783-790. Ehret, Christopher. The Civilizations of Africa. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press,  2002. Herskovits, Melville J. Cultural anthropology. (1956). Healy, Lynne M. Universalism and Cultural Relativism in Social Work Ethics. International  Social Work  50.1 (2007): 11-26. Jay, Martin. Cultural Relativism and the Visual Turn.  Journal of visual culture1.3 (2002): 267-278. Pollis, Adamantia. Cultural Relativism Revisited: Through a State Prism. Human Rights  Quarterly  18.2 (1996): 316-344. Spiro, Melford E. Cultural Relativism and the Future of Anthropology.  Cultural  Anthropology  1.3 (1986): 259-286. Zechenter, Elizabeth M. In the Name of Culture: Cultural Relativism and the Abuse of the Individual.  Journal of Anthropological Research  (1997): 319-347.

Thomas Edison Saw the Value of Renewable Energy

Thomas Edison Saw the Value of Renewable Energy American inventor Thomas Edison often gets a bad rap from environmentalists. After all, he invented those incandescent light bulbs we are all so busy replacing with more efficient models.  He developed many industrial chemicals in conditions that would alarm modern environmental cleanup crews. And of course, he is known best for inventing or improving  a whole slew of power-thirsty electric machines and appliances- from the phonograph to the motion picture camera. Edison merged his own company to create General Electric, one of the worlds largest corporation. By the end of his life, Edison had been awarded more than 1,300 individual patents. Almost single-handedly, it seems, Edisons work at the end of the 19th century made modern civilization dependent on electricity- and the natural resources required to generate it. Edison Experimented With Renewable Energy More than a tireless promoter of electricity, Thomas Edison was also a pioneer in renewable energy and green technology. He experimented with home-based wind turbines to generate electricity that could replenish batteries to provide homeowners with an independent source of power, and he teamed up with his friend Henry Ford to develop an electric car that would run on rechargeable batteries. He saw electric cars as a cleaner alternative for moving people in smoke-filled cities. Most of all, Edison’s keen mind and insatiable curiosity kept him thinking and experimenting throughout his long life- and renewable energy was one of his favorite topics. He had a deep respect for nature and loathed damage made to it. He was a renown vegetarian, extending his non-violence values to animals.   Edison Favored Renewable Energy Over Fossil Fuels Thomas Edison knew that fossil fuels such as oil and coal were not ideal power sources. He was very aware of the air pollution problems fossil fuels created, and he recognized that those resources were not infinite, shortages would become a problem in the future. He saw the virtually untapped potential of renewable energy sources- such as wind power and solar power- that could be harnessed and put to work for the benefit of mankind. In 1931, the same year he died, Edison confided his concerns to  his friends Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, who by then were retirement neighbors in Florida: We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using natures inexhaustible sources of energy - sun, wind,  and tide. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.† Edited by Frederic Beaudry

Health promoting Services Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health promoting Services - Article Example This paper will focus on a literature review of Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters’ article â€Å"Health Promoting Health Services: A Review of the Evidence†. Particular concentration of the literature review will be to highlight the strengths and weaknesses noted in the article and how the article has been organized. Strengths A close analysis of the article reveals that the author has vast knowledge in the field of Health Promoting Health Services. Ideas in the article have been presented logically through citation of several research works done by other writers and critics within the field. There is a clear discussion of the author ideas with reference to other ideologies in this area of study. As such, Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters are organized in their presentation of the article for easy understanding of principles in health promoting health by the readers. In the first place, the structure of the article is well defined since headings have bee utilized well in bold to draw the readers’ attention to imperative points in health promoting health. The introduction particularly has given a summary of what is talked about in the entire article. Similarly, the last paragraph draws emphasis to important points and terms applicable in health promoting health. ... This implies that for a successful dissertation, a wide range of secondary sources are significant in acquiring different views of writers on a subject of discussion. Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters continue displaying their writing savvy in their literature review by ensuring each of his peers’ works are cited in the correct APA format. When they paraphrase, they identify the sources appropriately. When they make direct quotes, they use parentheses as well as table to identify the source of information for clarity. As researchers, Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters ensure their literature review contains a balanced mix of other researchers’ work and their work. Research done in the article indicated that it is very painful to read any researcher’s work that contained a literature review that only had other researcher’s words. Further, it is cumbersome to read all of these quotes and paraphrases without an author’s original thought in the literature review. Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters have reduced these conflicts through a well review of their ideas and other authors’ thoughts. Lastly, Mchugh, Robinson, & Chesters take complex figures and simplify it with one of their own. Weaknesses Apart from strengths seen in the article, there are some elements lacking which would have made the literature review more appealing to the reader. The authors failed in the methodology section in which chances of bias are prevalent. Overemphasis was put on secondary sources instead of carrying out their personal research to collect primary information. This would have offered an opportunity to compare some of the down falls in the previous research done in the same field. Another writing weakness was the authors’ misuse