...The West always defined itself as the civilization, or maybe it is the civilization that is always defined as the West? But what allows civilization to define itself – its technological development; its philosophical thinking? There might also be a difference to find, between civilization and then civilized. To most people, the civilization is associated with the urban city, or at least their own, (to them) well-known country. But to be civilized instead focuses more upon behavior, state of mind, and attitude towards others. However, our civilization is not always civilized; it has a history of violence, war, genocide and oppression of other races – something hard to define as civilized, or even human. But that is mostly forgotten, as we occidentals tend to see ourselves as the world’s saviors; we invented almost everything, hence we are the civilization… But I digress; The essay by Eula Biss runs in three segments; two longer, text-heavy parts, and then a short, concluding part. From the first to the second part there is a great change of mood, as the first part mostly devotes itself to describing the history of the telephone, and the quite silly struggle between private persons and the telephone companies that came out of putting up the telephone poles; however in the second part, that is divided from the first by three little stars, the essay suddenly focuses greatly upon the fact that a lot of black men were hanged in the telephone poles, and almost nothing about the continuing...
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...Time and distance overcome The civilization of the west, is the part of earth, we like to consider as civilized. The society in this part is on a higher level of technology, growing and civilization. This part of the world has received the longest distance to the Stone Age, and we can continue to emphasize the west. But do the great improves always been welcoming by the population, and do the improves always been as civilized as we like to consider? The text is divided into different chapters. The first one concerns the creation of the telephone, and how it took in turn in New York. It’s mostly about the telephone wires, and how they been raised, and how the inventor of the telephone, presents the telephone by creating demonstration of how the telephone works. The first chapter is also about how the public don´t welcoming the new invention. This negative angle leads us to the next chapter. The next chapter is a long listing of black people being hanged in telephone wires. The listing contains names of the men and the town they have been hanged in. The describing of the hangings continues supported by quotes wrote by different people. The people contains off a writers, a precedent, an activist and an investor, scientist and businessman. The novel ends in the last chapter with the main character, telling what he thinks of the telephone, the wires and the poles. The construction of the novel is quite unusual. There is a bit of a surprise element in the beginning of the...
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...Time and Distance Overcome Mankind has since the beginning of time invented things that had changed the world. Whether it was something as simple as a stone weapon to kill off animals, or something life-changing as the telephone, we humans have always been extremely curious. We follow our own instincts, and new ideas are formed. In the 1870s, Alexander Graham Bell invented what now has become the most important thing in our modern world- the telephone, but it was not as widely accepted because at the time, “The world was not waiting for the telephone” (Biss 1). The text “time and Distance Overcome” is written by Eula Biss in which it has described how the telephone was received back then. In the beginning, you were able to, if paid to witness it being demonstrated by Bell in a local church and then into a plaything for rich people. It quickly went downhill from. 1889, the New York Times reported a war between phone companies, homeowners, and business owners. Telephone poles were erected, but then sawed down again by these owners. Judges in court found the people who sawed down the poles, “not guilty of malicious mischief.” People werent exactly excited or welcoming to the idea of a telephone. In fact, they went out of their way to get rid of these poles. The war continued for years and it only got worse. According to Biss, “From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle twentieth century black men were lynched for crimes real and imagined, for whistles, for rumors, for...
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...Time and Distance Overcome essay We are, today in modern society, more than ever used to the fact that telephones (and now smartphones) play a major role in our everyday lives. It’s almost as if its become a part of us - a new limb, you might say. Believe it or not, though, it wasn’t always like that. In the essay “Time and Distance Overcome” (2008) Eula Biss tells the story of how the phone initially struggled in America, but finally succeeded and become a normal thing in every household. She uses ethos in the first paragraph by showing that she knows history and what went on at the time. This increases her credibility. She then quickly moves on to logos, as she, in the second paragraph, tries to argue as to why the telephone as a concept at the time would have seemed completely ridiculous. As she writes: “The idea on which the telephone depended - the idea that every home in the country could be connected with a vast network of wires suspended from poles set an average of one hundred feet apart - seemed far more unlikely than the idea that the human voice could be transmitted through wire”. She quickly tries to establish her pathos: “Even now it is an impossible idea, that we are all connected, all of us”. By using the phrase “all of us” she makes the reader feel more comfortable and involved, which in turn makes the reader more interested in the text. The structure of the text is coherent, and the theme is presented early on (that the world was not waiting...
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...Essay – Time and Distance Overcome The human has been created by nature to be a curious creature. By following our instincts the human has been able to discovering all sorts of new technologies and therefore it has been a phenomenon in the modern world, as we know it today. Alexander Graham Bell, who lived in the 18th century, invented in 1876 the first telephone ever sawn. But like every other inventions he had to overcome some obstacles before the phone became accepted. The story of the telephone is described in the text “Time and Distance Overcome” by Eula Biss, written in 2008. Today we could not imagine a world without telephones, but it was a completely different story in 1876 when Bell invented the telephone. “The idea on which the telephone depended, (...) seemed far more unlikely than the idea that the human voice could be transmitted through a wire”. In the beginning you could see the telephone demonstrated by Bell in a church for twenty-five cents, and quickly thereafter the telephone became a plaything for the rich people. But in 1889 The New York Times was reporting a “War on Telephone Poles” where “homeowners and business owners were sawing them down”, and judges found people who had sawed the poles down, “not guilty of malicious mischief”. Not only were people not interested in the idea, they went to extreme lengths in order to prevent telephone poles from being erected e.g. defending their sidewalks with rifles. The war continued but worse had yet to come....
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...market makes advanced education necessary, but graduate studies are never an easy task. Distance learning, while it does add a layer of convenience, can also cause additional issues for some graduate students. A study performed by the Babson Research Group found that over seven million higher education students opted for online learning options in 2013 (Blair, 2014). However, as Reiss points out, “It’s one thing to start your online degree, but it’s another to finish it (2014)”. If distance learning graduate students are to succeed and overcome the challenges of graduate studies, they must devise an effective strategy for meeting these potential issues. Potential Issues Many of today’s online graduate students are faced with various educational and external challenges that can hinder successful completion of their studies. These issues could, and at ties do, lead to lower grades and lack of drive. Balancing multiple obligations, struggles with adapting to the online learning processes and environment, and internal battles are just a few of the issues that online graduate students are likely to face. The Juggling Act Balancing obligations can be a challenge for online graduate learning. Modern students must juggle the responsibilities to family and home, work, friends, and self in addition to school work. Quite obviously, this makes for a hectic and rigorous schedule. Little time is left for relaxation, entertainment, or other personal endeavors. Simultaneously...
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...dimensions of distance, Noli’s strategic objectives and organization politics. Many times firms enter foreign markets not understanding the context of them. The four dimension of distance; geographic, cultural, political/administrative and economic, all help to create context when deciding to enter a foreign market. However, they must be evaluated keeping long term business strategy in mind. Evaluating this decision culturally; the US, especially California, has one of the most diverse cultures as far as food and population. This is partially evident by the menu appealing to Americans in Guam. Moreover, Jollibee’s analysis of California indicates a high Filipino expatriate concentration and low level of competitors; two things relatively easy to quantify. The Hong Kong location is expected to have far less Filipinos than the Central location which struggled to attract locals, but did an excellent job with expatriates. This company understands expatriates. Moreover, the ongoing issues in China, for example, mangers quitting, reflects some cultural differences that Jollibee is still struggling with in this region of the world. The lack of solid and positive information of New Guinea is indicative that this market, as this point, is not yet ready to have “flag-planted.” Moving to geographic distance; certainly the California is the furthest from the parent country in comparison to the other two options. Success in Guam demonstrates that geographic obstacles (distance and size) can...
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...Module Code: PM025 Class/Group: Section 3 Module Title: Contemporary Organizational Behaviour Assignment Title: Final Essay Assignment Title: Communication in the Workplace Tutor Name: Eileen McCorriston Student ID Number: 2110943 Date of Submission: April 10th, 2014 Communication is the process which connects discontinuous parts of the world to one and others (Littlejohn and Foss, 2011:4). Apart from the general definition, it also can be narrowly defined as the ways of sending messages by telephones, telegraphs, etc (ibid). The communication is a crucial part for organizations. Hirsch and Shaukat (2008:12) demonstrate that it is easier to work cooperatively when the real time communications are transmitted by organizations. Communication in organization is the process of sending and receiving all the messages from the organization through both formal and informal ways (Widhiastuti, 2012:185). Communication plays an important role in relationships (Sultana et al, 2012:2). It will become a severely problem between employers and employees when barriers occur in the communication in organizations (ibid). Unclear communication can cause not only error in work and missing the task deadline, but also many other issues such as poor job performance. In order to ensure effectiveness of communication, identifying the barriers among communication is important (ibid). The relationship between an organization and its stakeholders can be strengthened by effective communication (Sultana...
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...Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Exercise Plan Bryan Clayton SCI/241 January 26, 2013 Angela Pendergast Healthy Eating, Nutrition and Exercise Plan In a comparison of my current three day diet analysis to that of the one I completed in week one shows that my eating habits have declined. In week one I was eating six and a half ounces of grains per day now I am at half an ounce of whole grains which is well under and five and a half ounces of refined grains which is a little over the target amount per day. In week one I was eating two cups of vegetables per day, in the current analysis I only ate three quarters of a cup. During this week’s analysis I did not eat any fruits and in week one I ate half a cup. In week one I consumed one and a quarter cups of dairy over the three days in the current analysis I consumed one cup over the three day period. In week one I ate four ounces of protein during the current analysis I ate three ounces of protein. My current analysis shows that I did not consume any oils in week one I consumed one ounce. By looking at the two analysis’ I found that I still need to improve my eating habits so that I can get the nutrients needed to live a healthy life. I need to eat healthier snacks, eat more protein, dairy and grains. I need to limit the amount of sweets that I consume. My diet still lacks the amount of protein, fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy that I need to consume during a day. My exercise results show...
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...history as the technology that will serve as the subject of this assignment. First, I will explain what an airplane is. Next, I will explain how an airplane works. Finally, I will give a brief history of the airplane. So what is an airplane? I'm joking! Everyone in the world knows what an airplane is unless they've lived in a stone age society their whole life. Even so, I'll begin by defining exactly what an airplane is and how they work. An airplane is a powered, fixed-wing vessel that travels through the air (Airplane, n.d.). The airplane has wings that provide the force of lift in order for the airplane to overcome the force of gravity and climb off the ground and stay airborne. In order for the wings to do their job of providing lift, the airplane must be propelled forward so that the wings can get sufficient airflow to generate the necessary force and overcome the force of drag. The propulsion methods usually employed are through use of engine driven propellers or jet engines. These provide the force of thrust to move the aircraft forward. Many variations exist as to the configuration of these methods to generate propulsion. Some common configurations are propellers in a forward pull location, a rearward push location, wing mounted, or a push-pull arrangement. Jet engines are typically mounted either on the wings or aft on the fuselage of the...
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... physical barriers, and semantic barriers. Process barriers are like “blocked steps” in the communication cycle. Every step in the communication process is necessary for effective communication. To avoid these process barriers, I would… * …make sure I speak with volume, clarity, and confidence. * …not allow senior ranking members in the organizational chart to intimidate me from saying what needs to be said. * …make sure my employees are aware of my open door policy to discuss matters at a time that’s convenient for all parties involved. * …use terminology that everyone understands without sending mixed signals. * …be an attentive listener. * …encourage feedback during all forums so that we can grow as an organization. Personal barriers are barriers that can stem from your cultural background, upbringing, education, and personal experiences. It is difficult to achieve effective communication when someone puts up personal barriers. To overcome personal barriers, I would sit my staff down and watch movies that encourage cross-cultural communication. After watching such movies, I would hold open-forums to discuss many different point of views to provide other perspectives that my employees had not been exposed to. Giving them a “different pair of eyes” would remove the barriers so that we could communicate effectively. Physical barriers are the physical distractions that impede communication. Here are a few examples: too much...
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...Shelby Cadwallader November 21, 2014 English Composition II Distance Learning or Traditional Learning We must neve abandon the right to distance or traditonal learning. Education is essential element of today's society. Distance learning and traditional learning, they both take careful planning. There are pros and cons of both learning. There are so many schools that after distance and traditional learning. How can you decide whether traditional or distnace learning is right for you, a future student. If you are a working adult, a full time parent or both and don't have the time to go to a classroom to attend a class, but you want to futher your education then distant learning is for you. Distance learning provides you with flexibility, convieniences and accessibility. It gives you the flexibility to complete your assignment and projects, as well to participate in online discussions. Distance learning saves you money. With distant learning the professor has to record the lecture by video, audio, and/or by computer technology. Distance learning encourages passive learning but it does not teach the student how to overcome barriers. Traditional learning you get the interaction with the professor, instant feedback from the professor, ask questions concerning their class and have study groups. Traditional learning you can stop by your professor's office, interactions with other students...
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...e-commerce web site into a business that will appeal to global consumers and increase the success and profitability of the business. One model commonly used in e-commerce is the multi-stage model; this model breaks down each stage of the customer’s shopping experience to ensure quality and service that will induce positive feedback from the customer and return visits. Like all traditional businesses, there are challenges at start-up, and e-commerce also has its own challenges. This document will discuss six major challenges businesses face when trying to implement a successful e-commerce web site, the effects these challenges have on an e-commerce business, and what steps may be taken to overcome these challenges. Cultural challenges in e-commerce are one of the most difficult challenges to overcome because the language challenge must be considered simultaneously. A clear assessment of culture is a combination of language and routine executed in a specific location or geographical region. Therefore, cultural challenges for an e-commerce web site include color, images, and religious aspects, all of which can mean different things in different parts of the world (Miller, 2010); language challenges when using words or phrases that may seem common can also be deemed offensive or have meanings that are opposing to the original intent in various parts of the world. For this reason the...
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...Identify barriers to success in the online learning environment and the strategies to overcome the barriers. Please cite the sources used to support your response. As we know that advances in technology over the past decade have boosted colleges and universities into the kingdom of online education. Is online education better than traditional school education? Personally I like the online education, although the online education have many barriers, but I believe using some strategies can overcome these barriers. According to Berge Zane the director of training system in UMBC, “impediments to online teaching and learning can be situational, epistemological, philosophical, psychological, pedagogical, technical, social, and/or cultural.”(Berge 1998) Berge described barriers to online education including "faceless teaching; fear of the imminent replacement of faculty by computers; diffusion of value traditionally placed on getting a degree; faculty culture; lack of an adequate time-frame to implement online courses; many distance learners who lack independent learning skills and local library resources; lack of formalized agreements to sustain program commitment though difficulties and problems; lack of a national agenda; funding priority and policy leadership; increased time required for both online contacts and preparation of materials/activities; the more technologically advanced the learning system, the more to go wrong; non-educational considerations take precedence over educational...
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...to see how we have grown from the past teaching styles and delivery methods to the advanced opportunities that we have today. Adults of today are looking to increase their knowledge and improve their skills from a few different ways. There are able to do this through formal and informal training, on-the-job training, and self paced courses. In today’s society adults need to be educated or have some type of trade or skill in order to be competitive in the workforce. Before you can get these adults to return to school you have to first get them to get over any fears they may have. Therefore, we will discuss those fears and obstacles that prevent the adult learner from achieving their maximum potential and provide them with some methods to overcome or cope with them as well as allowing them to see that technology is there to help them. Keywords: education, innovations, training, advancements, potential, technology. New Innovations in Adult Education The workforce today is in desperate need of well qualified and educated individuals. These individuals are important, and are needed in order for companies to advance and keep up with the growing and demanding economy. Competition with foreign companies is growing as well making it hard for individuals who have little or no education. Therefore, training these adults and giving them the skills they need is a must. Adults need to be brought up to speed on the many changes in education, and be given the...
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