Difference between a School and University Essay

There are many inevitable changes and transformations that a person can experience all throughout his/her life. Having a really good education is one of the greatest gifts that parents can give to their children. Moreover, entering a university is already an opportunity these days. In my case, I have given the chance to enter a university that helped me practiced my academic freedom and at the same, understanding my needs. There are many differences that occur during a high school education and a college education. I came from a private high school that mostly speaks Spanish. All of my classes are in Spanish and majority of the students came from the same culture. There is almost no diversity in terms of people, culture and language. But more than that, a very distinct rule that was implemented in our high school is regarding the grading system. Teachers and parents have a very strong relationship that is why, they were able to control over school time and the way classes should be handled and if a student misses on any of her assignments, she can easily have a make up exam. Since the school was private, there was an air of exclusivity amongst the school grounds and it was regarded dearly. When I entered the university, there were many changes that took place. It was very shocking at first but I have to cope up with it. First of all, the university that I attended to was public and all the classes were taught in English. Moreover, in high school, the student body does not partake in more important matters about the school whereas in college, the student body does not take part in school matters but it is also highly respected. And since it is a public university, it was filled with different people from various cultures and places. Another difference that I experienced in college is the fact that parents do not have a strong authority over the school so they are not involved in the management of classes and time. Because of this situation, they cannot just access the grades of the students and if they want to, they still have to ask permission from the student. Lastly, missed exams are hard to get so you really have to manage your time and study very hard. Along with the decision to go into a public university are the transformations and changes that I was obliged to adapt to. In high school, I was highly dependent on my parents for my primary needs but since stepping into college, I was made to watch over me. I am no longer dependent on my parents for my needs; I should now work for them. But the real challenge that I faced was handling my time between being a wife and a mother and being a student. It is a very time consuming and tiring responsibility but I am happy to say that I am handling it very well. The changes and challenges that I faced from high school through college is one of the most memorable experiences in my entire life. Admittedly, it was really shocking at first but I learned to cope up with it. The fact that I am now in an environment that is filled with very different people means that I should learn to have a hard face in dealing with their moods and personalities. Moreover, since I am now a family person, the biggest challenge that life posted on me was how to balance my time so that I will excel in both aspects. With this realization in mind, I learned to manage my time very well and at the same time, keeping track of my family. I learned to become a different woman. I discovered new talents and potentials that I never thought I had. Going to college opened my eyes to different views and opportunities in life. More than that, I consider this to be a great achievement because there are only few people who can excel in academics and at the same time, a full woman.

Us101 Week3 Effective Study Habits

University of Phoenix Material Effective Study Habits Worksheet Review Phoenix Career Plan results of Career Plan Building Activity: Work Culture Preference, respond to the following in 50 to 100 words each: 1. Describe your ideal study environment. My ideal study environment would be a nice quiet place with no Distractions like: my kids asking me to do something for them every 5 minutes or a place with no white noise like a fan or the air pump in my fish tank. My ideal study environment would have a comfy chair with lumbar support a quiet temperature controlled room and the proper lighting for reduce visual stress. . List some of the distractions that might hinder your study progress or your performance in an online classroom. Distractions that hinder my study progress and or performance are: having to get up in the middle of studying to get somebody a drink, clean my house or if an uninvited guest drops in to say ‘hi. † Two other examples would be a telemarketer calling or unexpected repairs to my home. 3. What actions can you take to manage and eliminate distractions? Some actions I could take to manage these distractions are to stay up late or get up early when everybody else is sleeping, so I get some piece and quiet.I could inspect my home daily to look for things that may require my attention and get them taken care of ahead of time. 4. How will you apply your personal learning style? How does your personal Learning style affect your study habits? I will apply my personal learning style by trying to remember the aspects of my style and how it psychologically helps me learn. I will act upon trying different methods of learning to see what really works best for me. My personal learning style affects my study habits by giving me the knowledge of how I study best, so I can use these qualities to improve my study. . List 5 effective study strategies from this week that you will use. Explain why you selected them and why they are effective strategi es for online learning. I will work on managing my study time and alerting my-self to external distractions this way I can figure out a time and area I can study with no distractions. I really haven’t been getting enough sleep and be able to keep up with my daily choirs. I need to work on a better schedule where I can get everything done that needs to be done this way I am not tired and can focus on studying.I Will work on my exercise routine so this way my body isn’t drained. â€Å"I practice Yoga 4 times a week and lug fire wood daily†. I have learned that if you are lazy and don’t exercise regularly your brain will not function to its maximum potential and to learn it needs to function at peak performance. I will make studying for class a daily choir if I get in to the routine of logging in to class and reading some of the texts everyday it will improve my study habits and wont feel like work as much as it would if I let days pass and had to catch up. . Identify one change you can make immediately to increase the effectiveness of your study habits. Explain how this will help you become more effective. One change I need to make immediately is to schedule the time I spend working on school work to a time where I have no distractions. I need to ether do it early in the morning before my kids wake up or late at night after they go to bed. The only problem is, is that by the time they are in bed my body and brain are drained because of all the choirs I have throughout the day.I am thinking that if I discipline myself to waking up an hour or two early each day this will give me enough time to keep up with my schooling. I think best in the morning so I am hoping this will work best for me. 7. How does your personal learning style relate to your ideal workplace and your personal work competencies? My personal learning style relates to my ideal workplace and my personal competencies by giving me a better understanding of how I work and le arn best. If I can study my best and work to my full potential I will be successful in my career choice. . How is understanding your ideal learning environment applicable to selecting your ideal workplace? Understanding my ideal learning environment teaches me how and when I work and learn best. When I understand how I learn best I can use the things I’ve learned to their full potential and use them in my ideal work environment. In my field of work I am constantly learning. Technology changes and advances everyday. I am always learning new things and if I find the way I learn best using my learning strategies it will help my workplace. Philip E. Nickerson

Trip to a Bowling Tournament

The bowling tournament is a place where one would expect such excitement and nervousness. This could be carried as one would enter the venue and would start to hear the bowling pins throwing their bodies against one another and the hard floor as they got pinned down starting with the heavy thud of the ball. The first thing that could be observed with the bowling tournament is the straight bowling lanes where everyone’s attention is. The wooden floor is made shiny and slippery so that the balls could easily skid to the end of the lane.The balls are weighed and designed so that they could be easily thrown and there is a ball suited for every age group. For the young ones, they have the small one which weighs less and has lively colors and for the older ones, there are different ball sizes and different colors that weigh heavier. In every lane, there is a corresponding bench where the players and visitors could rest while waiting for their games. Talks and chats about different t opics could be heard.There is politics, current events, sports, family life, and of course, bowling. This is where the expert players share their bowling techniques and strategies to those who seek to become experts, too. This is also where the players pass the time after losing a game. The players who are currently playing have their special seats near the bowling lanes. Some may be in pairs and some may play individually. Whichever it is, the tension could be smelled from all sides of the bowling lanes.Everyone wants to make consecutive strikes and hopefully, achieve a perfect game to win. Though a perfect game may be hard to win, the players still aim for it so that in case they would not make it, they would land with their highest possible score. Moreover, they would be able to tell themselves that they played a good game and gave it their best shot. With each throw that the players make, they make sure that they are physically and mentally conditioned.Some players even employ t echniques to calm the mind and prepare the both the mind and the body for the competition. This works because it reduces the tension and the nervousness that is felt. The face of the spectators matches that of the players. Each one has their own bet and they have their own predictions. They try to follow the game as if they are the ones playing. Those who wish to become good players also do some observations on how the expert players go about in their game.This is where the best strategies and tips are earned because the games serve as actual demonstrations. In cases where the player they idolize wins, they also share the same feeling of triumph that the player has. If, unfortunately, they lose, the game serves as a lesson for everyone. The bowling tournament is really a mix of feeling, emotions, and difficulties. A lot could be observed and learned with just a few minutes of sitting inside the bowling place. It is really a trip worth taking for all ages.

Professional & legal issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Professional & legal issues - Essay Example But in the given condition, it is only me who is available to sort out these problems. Since the problem is very critical, it may cause loss of life if not sorted early. Now since I am well qualified and is aware of the technique involving the creation of the problem, it is my moral as well legal responsibility to make an attempt to solve it. Currently there are two parties involved. First one is the hospital and the next one is me. Any death caused due to the above mentioned problem will be regarded as a matter of negligence with responsibility being shared by the hospital and the person responsible for maintenance. The hospital has failed in obtaining an emergency kit which can be used in case of any technical problem. No electronic device can be considered for life time and must not be expected to perform throughout without any problem related to hardware as well as software (Ackers, 2005). Despite knowing the utility and need of the IT officers, the hospital has also failed in maintaining the proper number of the same so that whole functioning of the equipments can be achieved without a glitch. So the hospital can charged for going for cost cutt ing through less hiring of the people required for maintaining necessary elements so that proper functioning of the emergency services like the ICU can be maintained. ... charged on the ground of lapses which may finally risk the patient's life and any casualty will be considered as a consequence of negligence on the side of hospital. And since currently only I am available, so it's going to be me who will finally be penalized by the hospital and there is a possibility of getting accused in the case. Being an IT professional, I will try my best to sort out the problem in the quickest possible time. But at the same time, I will suggest the authorities to hire more professionals so that any situation like the one mentioned here can be averted. Since most of the programs are meant for live saving equipments so there should be at a group of developers for developing, maintaining and handling of the system and at least one of them must be available at any given time (Bott, 2005). In the given case study there is just one person who was involved in the development process and he was not present when the problem raised its ugly head. The development of software is generally done in different phases with proper documentation each of the phases must be done and properly stored. The development of each of the phase should be followed with a very precise software testing techniques. The same process should again be repeated once the whole software has been developed. But still none of us c an say the software developed is error free. There is a possibility of it not performing according to expected outcomes because of hardware delay or any other complexity. So the complete set of hardware with the software must be tested live with output being properly monitored. The hospital must have at least a pair of each of the device with one being maintained for emergent conditions. Moving on to software development processes, the software must be developed

Financial Accounting and Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Accounting and Report - Essay Example All these ratios have their own specific formulae and they are interpreted by experts by looking at the figures obtained from calculations. The management and the CFOs of large business entities and the users of these statements as well rely heavily on the ratios of a company (Tracy, 2012, p. 14). Net Profit Margins: The gross profit margin ratio shows how much net amount an entity earns on the percentage amount of sales made. This ratio is calculated in percentages and for the given scenario and data, the ratio calculated indicates the fact that the entity has earned sufficient net profits during the previous year. The ratio is sufficient evidence that the company has performed well for earning net profits quite enough for its forth coming years’ operations. Looking at the ratio, the new investors can be expected for making investment in the company as the figures of the ratio will boost their confidence that the company will continue to be performing well. The positive expectations regarding the increase in investors will also benefit the company as the management will look forward to expand the business with further investments for new investors. Current Ratio: Current ratio means the respective currency of current assets the company holds for a single respective unit currency of current liability (Leach, 2010). Or, simply, the number of Euros of current assets available to the company to meet a single euro of current liability. The current ratio for the company is quite favorable as it has 3.7 Euros in current assets to meet a single unit in its current liabilities. Gross profit ratio: The gross profit figure of the company is exactly half of the net sales as shown by the ratio. It is a good sign for the company regards the fact that their cost of sales is very nominal allowing the company to earn a sufficient amount of profit even if other operating expenses are a little higher. Since higher gross profits mostly result in higher net profits, therefore

Assignment chapter 9 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter 9 - Assignment Example and, nationalism can also be termed as a centrifugal force as it can cause a group of people to place their needs in front of the needs of all other groups in the same state. Nazi Germany is a historical example of nationalism gone wrong. National cohesion and identity can be achieved by nationalism or pride in unities nation. Additionally, immigration can encourage national cohesion in assorted educated populations that have ignored all kinds of racial discrimination. The Law of The Sea is an international agreement that determines ecological and commercial conditions for using the worlds oceans. It assures the protection of oceans from ecological degradation, constitutes rules for commercial organizations that rely on the sea for resources, sets maritime zones, and maintains autonomy of navigation. Treaty was signed by 161 nations. Governments reseat their capital city to a forward-thrust capital to stimulate economic development in underdeveloped parts of the state. Development of capital cities generally encourages development of infrastructure and economic growth in the city where they are seated. The suggestion that one nation can annex the territory of another on the basis of common traditions of the locals living in the two separate states. It is also termed as pan-nationalism. This can explained amongst pan-Africans, as most of Africas present borders were drawn up during colonial era with slight reference to the ethnicity of the people which lived on both side of the suggested boundary

Fire Protection Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Fire Protection Strategy - Essay Example Safety engineering is much needed in fire safety because engineering involves careful planning. Incorporating safety measures in structures and buildings is a must under the Building Regulations 2000 (Health and Safety Executive, 2007) and other significant legislations on fire safety and prevention. It should occupy careful study by engineers and architects. The principles in the code must enable the engineer to properly plan the fire safety framework. Experience tells us that many causes of fire are due to poor building design, inadequate emergency procedures, and other necessary measures not being implemented, or not adhering to proper regulations. Furthermore, interior furnishings exacerbate the growth of fires, or they could be the primary cause of fire. Engineers and architects should not neglect installing the necessary fire protective devices in buildings and structures. In public buildings, such as the JB Firth Building, owners should be extra careful in installing furnishings or linings which can be said as â€Å"fuel load† to possible fires. Our report will cover the fire safety strategy, including conclusions and recommendations from our study with respect to the fire safety measures as incorporated in the plan. This will also evaluate whether these are in accordance with the Building Regulations 2000 on Fire Safety and other important legislations on fire safety and prevention. Also included in the report are the application methods of fire risk assessment. We will also examine the materials used in furnishings, structures and linings which should have the strength to withstand fire or heat. We will provide our assessment and summary of the building, and the provisions of the Building Regulations, whether these are being implemented and executed with respect to the detection and warning systems; the means of escape should there be a fire; the internal fire spread linings; the internal

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Company Law - Essay Example al proclamations; for instance, Principle 1 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development   argues that human   are at the center stage of   viable improvement, and are therefore entitled to a vigorous and fruitful existence in synchronization with nature† (Vanclay, 2003, 6). Moreover, â€Å"Principle 17†requires that an impact evaluation be done. States or trading blocks are legislated by these regulations. Most of the trading partners and affiliates within economic blocks are governed by common trade laws. From the state level, these laws are passed down to the companies that are in operations within these countries that are member companies that are operating from outside. For instance, the countries affiliated to European Union are corporately governed by the principles of respect of human rights and environmental conservation. These principles are instituted by adherence of the trade laws that restrict and control imports or exports of harmful goo ds to environment and human rights. Moreover, there are the commonly assented to regulations within â€Å"the free trade preferential operation countries† and therefore the companies are as bound by the law from other countries as they are while within their mother countries. Such regulations that govern company operations with European countries areâ€Å"EU’s  Generalised  System  of  Preferences  (GSP)  and  GSP+  systems,  its  Forest  Law  Enforcement,  Governance  and  Trade  scheme  (FLEGT),  and  its  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhuman  rights  clauses’  in  free  trade  agreements,  in  particular  the  EU?Cariforum  and  the  EU?Korea  agreements†. Moreover, the European Union has reaffirmed her commitment as regards to protecting human rights and specifically children rights through enacting regulatory measure within the... This paper approves that legal provisions to the rights of life now through expansion encompass the provision to healthy environment. In India, the interpretation of the right includes saving the environment for future generations. States or trading blocks are legislated by these regulations. Most of the trading partners and affiliates within economic blocks are governed by common trade laws. From the state level, these laws are passed down to the companies that are in operations within these countries that are member companies that are operating from outside. For instance, the countries affiliated to European Union are corporately governed by the principles of respect of human rights and environmental conservation. This report makes a conclusion that in the modern day, it is apparently clear that many legal reforms targeting companies and the corporate business world are in the make. However, not much of a differencein purpose and the working can be noted. The countries continue to design these laws to get full control of the private and corporate sector as regards social responsibility in human rights observations and the governance in environmental conservation. Many of these regulations are denying the corporate governance in public limited companies as well as other forms of trade corporations the supremacy in decision-making processes. Many of the decisions taken in running the institutions must therefore be scrutinized in accordance to the legal frameworks that are designed in these countries.

Why it is important for you to develop the philosophical mindset Essay

Why it is important for you to develop the philosophical mindset - Essay Example This is because those with the philosophical mindset not only evaluate claims, but arguments given to support claims. In this sense, philosophy has practical value for our everyday life. Many perceive philosophy as only having direct application within the university, where students contemplate the thoughts of long-dead intellectuals. But given the necessity of critical thinking and rational skepticism in all areas of life, including business, science, and politics, it seems philosophy is directly applicable to almost any kind of situation. Developing a philosophical mindset, however, is not limited to simply studying and doing well in philosophy courses. Rather, it is a matter of cultivating a general approach to life. Necessary to this general approach to life is having reasons (or empirical evidence) to support one’s knowledge and beliefs. To hold basic assumptions or opinions without evidence or without thought is the easiest way to base a life on

Is the UK Airline Industry Competitive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is the UK Airline Industry Competitive - Essay Example As the paper declares taxation is always a painful and complex issue with reverberations on all elements of the industry. However considering the relatively under-taxed nature of the UK airline industry it is possible that it will not be too badly hurt by the new tax although it might result in a decline in passengers. This essay stresses that this is a significant issue facing the airline industry at the moment. British Airways is recently involved in a struggle to resolve with union officials after it has declared a strike because of BA’s refusal to meet it demands. BA’s after failing to come to an agreement with union over its cost-cutting program now appears to be focusing on wearing down its employees. The company has done whatever it can from out-sourcing to using volunteers and claims that it has managed to keep a lot of its flights running. The impact of regulation on competitiveness is a complicated one. It is also hard to assess whether the regulatory environment will change anytime in the near future specially considering the havoc that lack of regulation played on the financial markets. What is essential however that changes in regulation will definitely impact competitiveness but may impact different players and stake-holders in a different way. If we take a look at finan cial indicators as a measure of the performance of the industry we can see that many firms have reported serious losses indicating troubled times for the industry. British Airways for example been in dire financial straits indicating losses far worse then what many had predicted and with no respite anytime soon.

Tim O Brien Injustice Essay Example for Free

Tim O Brien Injustice Essay Justice is the pursuit of right, the elevation of goodness, and the elimination of evil; however, such lucid definitions often lack substance when stood up to the tests of reality. Injustice is the denial of rights and the lack of morality for the embracement of barbarism. When looking for injustices in the world, what most readily comes to mind are violent crimes? Murder, theft, and rape are domestic injustices commonly recognized, but injustices, like reality, exist in perception. Therefore, to deem someone or something unjust, first agreement upon its definition must be established. When the United States declared her independence, we perceived the unjust indignities to be clear; however, to the militant king, the refusal to pay his taxes was injustice and the nullification of his law was the warrant for war. When such implied meanings come in to play, one has to determine what is just. In order to eliminate war, first all nations must outline the true meaning of â€Å"injustice† and find suitable solutions for reparation. The most diligent participant of war is the injustice done upon both sides, the backing of both by god, and the misconception that both will prevail due to their side being right and just. These differing views of injustice and justice are what cause the eventual degradation of war. (JRSOT) Tim O’Brien takes account of the injustices of war when he refers to opposing emotion and feelings. â€Å"The beauty was spelling binding as the horrific napalm burned the forest to the ground. (O’Brien) The contradicting impression, of awe and beauty combined with that of horror and grotesqueness leads one to a sense of immeasurable injustice experienced by those fighting the war. A war he hated, he still found the thrill of combat alluring, even as the fear of death overwhelmed his body, forcing his feet forward by quivering will. The emotional damage was the injustice upon the men, due to the memories that will haunt them forever. â€Å"There were many bodies with real faces, bu t I was young then and I was afraid to look. And not, twenty year later, I’m left with faceless responsibility and faceless grief. † (pg. 180, O’Brien) Injustice once more finds its discontinuous meaning bearing not only upon willful acts of corruptness, but upon the unsuspecting soldiers of piece, fighting to stay alive, sane, and together. Reflecting upon the travesty of war, one begins to realize, aside from the soldiers of opposition, there remain innocent victims, caught between the fences, killed, slaughtered, and mercilessly hunted for their unfortunate occupation of a warzone. The injustices, done upon these innocent bystanders are just one of the many costs of war. Families lose their members as well their homes. (Incite Magazine) â€Å"The old guy walked with a limp, slow and stooped over, but he knew where the safe spots were and where you had to be careful and where even if you were careful you could end up like popcorn. † (pg. 33, O’Brien) The devastation brought about by war, affects not only economic, physical, and emotional well being, but it leaves a disastrous scar upon the land. Following the Vietnam War, orange gas, a carsogenic toxin, was widely used as a biological weapon. This weapon, though severely lethal to humans, also caused permanent damage to the environment. Vietnam is of a tropical climate. It is clothed in towering rain forests and blossoming clover fields. (Incite Magazine) Animals run abundantly through the undeveloped slopes and the shadowing forest floor. Industry has destroyed many of the once beautifully adorned civilizations of the four legged and winged; however, the noxious pollution released by industry in Vietnam has been minor compared to the devastasion caused by war. In every war the assault falls most heavily on the countryside. In Germany, during WWII, mortar shells redecorated the hill sides, and tanks rolled on, crushing the fertility from the land. The chemicals released to combat each other brought with them the collateral damage. When the war was over, thousands of lives had been taken and millions of dollars had been squandered. The environment has always recovered from our stupidities. How long, though, before will it be unable to repair the atrocities of our reckless ways? Tim O’Brien refers to the Vietnam War as something incomprehensible, incalculable, and exclusive to those that lived it, breathed it, and carried it home. He attempts to convey the ambiguity of war and embellished story-telling as reflecting the actuality of combat. In order to truly understand the experience of war, one must find fiction in order to convey it properly. (O’Brien) The enemy could melt into ice, and consolidate before your very eye: such was the terrible progression of the war, and the fiction that crept into reality. The surreal seeming of war, is mixed with the reality of it. When written upon paper the occurrences recounted transcend reality, but, in actuality, the comprehension of the event, in the mind of the soldier, was, in fact, experienced that very way; as in a dream characterized by the cinematic embellishment of fiction. The contradictions that he depicts, â€Å"it was atrocious; it was thrilling,† is proof of the injustice of war, and the injustices he felt were around him. â€Å"There were time in my life when I couldn’t feel much, not sadness or pity or passion, and somehow I blamed this place for what I had become, and I blamed it for taking away the person I had once been. â€Å"(pg. 185, O’Brien)

Motivations for immigration to American colonies Essay Example for Free

Motivations for immigration to American colonies Essay The first successful colony in America was in Jamestown, Virginia, established 1607. When it was first founded, the colony contained only several hundred people. During the two hundred years that followed the population increased greatly, due in part to massive immigration from the Old World. By 1790 the colony housed a little under four million people. The high rate of immigration stemmed from a number of different motivators, including the peoples hope for a better lifestyle than the one they experienced in the Old World, religious zeal, cheaper land and higher wages for manual laborers, and overpopulation in England. Farmers and manual laborers were attracted to America by the prospect of higher wages and lower costs of living. Most of these people were of the industrious sortcraftsmen, yeomen farmers, and small merchants (Document A). Since the New World sought these types of laborers to further the economy and lacked a sufficient number of them, the demand increased, and with it the wages. The cost of living was also lower because the New World was virtually unpopulated and there was a low demand for residence as compared with England; subsequently, the costs were lower. According to William Penn, their labor will be worth more than it is in England and their living will be cheaper. (Document 1). Religious types, especially the Puritans, were drawn to America by the possibility of converting natives and spreading the message and lifestyle that they upheld to others through example. They hoped for new souls to be won for God. (David Cressy article). By establishing what they considered to be an ideal and pious community, these colonizers wanted to build a new home for Christianity, extended from its confines of the Old World. One man who brought people like this to America through his words was John Winthrop, who said that colonization would carry the benefit of service to the Lord. (Document 3). Winthrop was a prominent leader of the English Puritans in their voyage to the Massachusetts Bay to build such a colony. Another motivation for immigration was the hope of a better lifestyle by the settlers. Many left depressedregions in search of a new start. (Document A). Some people felt oppressed by the English government and  wanted freedom from it. Also, many people who were denied the privilege of land ownership in England believed that they could fulfill this wish in the New World. As mentioned before, land was cheaper in America due to a fairly low demand for it, which increased the probability of one being able to own it. Therefore, the possibility of land ownership and a new start was an attraction for the colonizers. Some of the people that emigrated, however, were not actually motivated to do so by the attractions of the New World. Instead, overpopulation in England and pressure from the government pushed them out of the country and into America. Since the pioneers of the colonies wanted them to flourish and needed inhabitants to achieve this goal, the government encouraged unemployed or idle Englishmen to settle there. Thousands of Englishmen were forced off the land and unwelcome itinerants became a common sightconstituting a problem. (Document 2). The solution to this problem was to ship the unwelcome men off to America, which is what the government did, and was a partial reason for the population boom. Different people were attracted to the New World for different reasons, such as the wish to own land, better ones lifestyle, or promote Christianity. These attractions paired with overpopulation in England were the reason that so many people emigrated to colonial America. The new area presented a whole fresh realm of possibilities that England did not offer, and as a result, the unemployed, unhappy and/or restless went there in search of satisfaction and something new. Various literature written by educated men of the period promoted emigration and helped spread the word of these prospects. These reasons are what account for the large number of that people moved to colonial America in the seventeenth century.

Development of the Niger Delta

Development of the Niger Delta ROAD TRANSPORTATION AND THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGER DELTA: A CASE STUDY OF WARRI METROPOLIS ATUBI, A. 0. AND ONOKALA, P.C. ABSTRACT Road transportation is essential in the life of any modern society, this is because it entails the movement of people, goods, and services from one place to the other. It is the main medium used to revitalize the social, economic and political structures. It is also observed that the system of mass production relies on an efficient transport system for its existence. The data used for the study were mainly from primary and secondary sources and from the analysis of the data, it was revealed that road transportation has contributed tremendously to the socio-economic development of Warri metropolis. The development of the road transport system in Warri metropolis should therefore be encouraged because it has been and will continue to be a reliable means of promoting the socio-economic development of Warri metropolis. INTRODUCTION Transportation is an important activity in the life of any modern society. It involves the movement of people, goods and services on land, water and air. It refers to the process whereby objects arc conveyed in space and involves the movement of these objects by a mechanism through an environmental medium. In commerce and industry, transportation is used to describe the broad range of activities concerned with the efficient movement of finished goods from the place of production to the consumer and source of supply to the beginning of production line. Spatial interaction is one of the most fundamental themes in human geography. It involves the movement of people, goods and services between various centres in space. In those countries where the basic road network is incomplete, it will usually be appropriate to adopt a relatively low level of geometric standards in order to release resources to provide more basic road links. This policy will generally do more to foster economic development than building a smaller number of road links to a higher standard (Transport and Road Research Laboratory, 1988). However, Brian and Rodney (1995) observed that the comparatively low level of economic activity in many of the less developed countries is often reflected in the modest scale of their transport systems. Transport is generally meant to promote development. Government is aware of this view hence they pay attention to the development of transport system in Nigeria (Atubi, 1995). Transport development in Nigeria, the Standard Research Institute aptly stated that the â€Å"Economic history of Nigeria is largely the story of the opening up of its vast areas to various forms of transport resulting in the economic growth which in turn stimulated the demand for transport.† Socio-economic development of Nigeria major cities are impeded by the absence of good road transportation. It can be said that the overall pace of national economic and social development has been retarded by the present system of inequitable allocation of road transport investment between the various urban centres and rural areas. In Onokerhoraye and Omuta (1994), Chapin (1976) argued that transportation is essentially a service, which enables people, firm and various entities to carry on activities at sites selected for this purpose. As being observed by scholars notably Olanrewaju (1977), transport facilities contribute an important component of infrastructural facilities necessary for development. Transport according to him is regarded as a catalyst for economic development especially in rural areas. Brown (1974), observed that the rise of motor transport in the last twenty-five years has had enormous effect. Mobility has increased and villages and towns have grown up beside roads. Also Alli (1975), observed that road network has to a great extent brought economic integration of the various states of West Africa through widespread international trade. Omiunu and Onokerhoraye (1995) argued that rapid development of mechanical road transport has been one of the outstanding events of this modem era arid has been a profound impact on the socio-economic life of a country. Waugh and Bushell (1991), asserted that better accessibility can bring many benefits which include less time spent travelling, cheap travel, a great choice of holiday destinations, more markets for industrial products and increased trade. Gakenheimer (1978), asserted that growing congestion in urban areas is providing an interdependent stimulus for a rethink of current transport policies. Hammer (1976), in Wilson (1984), concluded that â€Å"road transport has a considerable effect on our daily lives apart from ending some of them. The provision of transport is fundamental to all other forms of development. According to Akinbode (1975); in industry, the effects of transport have been two folds; firstly, through promoting specialization, a higher standard of living could be made. Secondly, the spread of information and ideas could be possible by an increasingly efficient transport system. Kruger and Russell (2001), pointed out that transport is indispensable for the functioning and development of economic activities for the production and distribution of goods and services as well as for trade. METHODOLOGY For the purpose of data collection in the study area, stratified sampling technique was used to divide the study area into three zones Okumagba zone, Ajamimogha zone and Ekurede Urhobo zone. Systematic sampling method was used to select some households, where there is more than one household in a house, random sampling method was used. The instrument used to elicit necessary information from the respondents include questionnaires, personal observations and oral interviews. However, only one hundred and fifty (150) persons were selected to represent the target population. This comprises of workers, traders, industrialists, passengers, owners of mechanical medium of road transport etc. In analyzing the data, the statistical tools used include the use of tables, percentages and statistical technique such as the correlation statistics. STUDY AREA Warri is the headquarters of the Warri South Local Government Area. It is located in the Western Niger Delta region of Delta State and lies approximately between longitude 5 °44’ and latitude 5 °30’ and 6 °15’ (see fig. 1). Its location in the Niger Delta area makes it a very low-lying town. The position of Wan-i is about 6 metres above the sea level on the average and no where does it rise above 8 metres. The Wan-i River borders the town on the south and eastern sides. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS The means of transportation in any modem society occupies an important place in the society. Road transportation has been of great importance in our daily lives, since emphasis is now placed on punctuality to work than ever before and its necessity for greater industrial and commercial output, which has impact on our daily socio-economic life. From the field observation, several means of road transportation were identified. These include private cars, commercial taxi cabs, pick up vans, buses, motorbikes, trucks, bicycles etc. These have helped to facilitate the movement of people, goods, industrial raw materials and output and services in the area. Table 1.0: Road Transportation Has contributed to Socio-economic Development of your area Source: Fieldwork, 2002. From table 1.0, it can be concluded that road transportation has contributed to the development of the area socially and economically. The result from the field survey shows that 123 respondents reacted positively to the question while only 27 respondents answered negatively. Also from the table above it can be concluded that road transportation has a lot of impact on the socio economic development process of Warri metropolis. The table 1.0 shows that 82% of the respondents believe positively that road transportation has impact on the socio-economic development of their various areas. While only 18% believed otherwise. Table 2.0: Road transport, industrial and commercial output Source: Fieldwork, 2002. From table 2.0 above, one can deduce that the road transportation network has contributed to the industrial and commercial output of the Warri metropolis. 76% of the respondents affirmed positive answer, this is to say that as a result of the condition of roads in the area industries and commercial output is low and not encouraged. Table 3.0: Most Preferred Public Road Transport Source: Fieldwork, 2002. The table 3.0 above, shows that a larger percentage of the respondents with 58% prefer to use motorbikes as their mode of public transport medium. According to them, the reasons are based on the fact that it is faster and convenient. They also said that it is an alternative to motorcars when there is hold up or traffic jam. Those that prefer to take motorcars are the remaining 48% of the respondents who based their argument on the fact that the drivers of motorcars are more careful than those of motorbikes. It is safer and reduces cost, more convenient and above all accident is minimized. Table 4.0: Road Transport and Employment Opportunities Source: Fieldwork, 2002. Table 4.0 above shows that the respondents have been able to affirm greatly that road transportation has created employment opportunities to a large number of the population. The employment opportunities enumerated include drivers, mechanics, vulcanizers, spare parts dealers, motorbikes, commercial drivers, car washers etc which have increased in recent times. It was also noted that where new roads are constructed, commercial activities tend to spring up. However, those who gave negative response to this argument based their argument on the fact that in their area, there are no seasoned roads or no road at all and so transport mechanisms cannot in any way create job opportunity for them. They however, agreed that road transportation has created job opportunities in diverse areas in the metropolis. Table 5.0: Nature of Roads in the Study Area Source: Fieldwork, 2002. Table 5.0 above, shows that 31.3% of the respondents indicated that the roads in the metropolis are good, 26% indicated that they are fairly good, 22.7% said they are bad and the remaining 20% indicated that the roads are very bad. However, from observation, it was observed that majority of the roads are very narrow, this may be because most of the roads have been built many years ago when the number of mechanisms in the metropolis was low and also when the developmental level of the metropolis was still at its initial stage. Then the density of the traffic was not envisaged to be as high as it is at present. Table 6.0: Condition of road transport mechanisms Source: Fieldwork, 2002. From table 6.0, it is shown that road mechanisms in the metropolis i.e. cars, motorbikes are in good condition. This is based on the fact that 65.3 percent of the respondents affirmed that they are in good condition. However, 34.7 percent of the respondents declared that the mechanisms are not in good condition. From observation however, it was observed that a greater number of vehicles in the metropolis that are in good condition are privately owned mechanisms. The commercial cars and lorries are mostly in bad shape. This is due to ill maintenance. It was also observed that the motorbikes are not in good shape. Mechanically, most of the motorbikes expel a lot of smoke or gases that are poisonous and harmful to the environment. Table 7.0: Correlation Results Product Moment Correlation RR2 Significance 1.Socio-economic Dev. Motorcar Transport 0.50 0.25 1.0** 2. Socio-economic Dev. Motorbike Transport 0.50 0.25 1.0 3.Accident occurrence Motorcar Transport 0.95 0.90 13.4** 4.Accident occurrence Motorbike Transport 0.95 0.90 13.4** **significant at 95% level. From the analysis of the data in table 7.0 above, it shows that the calculated value is 0.50 and the table value is 6.3 14 at 0.05 or 95% confidence. Therefore, based on this result it can be’ concluded that a continuous increase in the number of motorcars is not a determinant of the relative increase on the socio-economic development of Warri metropolis. Therefore, it is assumed that as the number of motorcars increases, there is a decline in the socioeconomic development of the study area. Conclusively, it can therefore be stated that motorcars and motorbikes which collectively form the mode of road transport in Warri metropolis has no significant relationship with the socioeconomic development of Warri metropolis. This is because an increase in the road mechanism rather than increasing the socioeconomic well being of the study area, causes problems such as traffic congestion, accidents, pollution, which in any way do not contribute to the socio-economic development of any area. POLICY IMPLICATION The government should provide good and all seasoned roads in the metropolis so that there can be easy flow of traffic. They should also include in the road construction plan a separate lane for motorbikes, in order to reduce the rate of accidents in the metropolis. The government should also provide market structures for squatters or traders along the roads in order to reduce congestion and the rate of accidents on the roads. The State and Local Governments should ensure that more roads are constructed in the metropolis to ease movement of socioeconomic activities in the area and also ensure that roads are well linked in order to reduce traffic hold up in the area. They should also try to dualise some of the major roads in the metropolis to ease the rate of traffic holdup in the study area. The government should also provide parking space for motor vehicles and large lorries, in order to reduce the number of vehicles, motorbikes and lorries that are parked along the roadside which constitute part of the road congestion in the metropolis. CONCLUSION The result of the study shows that road transportation has contributed tremendously to the socio-economic development of Warri metropolis. It has provided efficient means of mobility of the populace and the movement of goods and services in the area. It. has also created an enabling environment for both industrial and commercial activities in the metropolis. REFERENCES Atubi, A.O. (1995): The Effect of Road Network Characteristics on Traffic Flow in Lagos Mainland Local Government An unpublished B.Sc. Thesis. Department of Geography, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Akinbode, A. (1975): â€Å"The role of transportation in the development of Africa: Research Papers 1971-1975 Vol. 1, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. Alli, A. (1975): â€Å"Man in West Africa† A School Certificate Regional Geography: Ethiope Publishing Corporation, Benin City. Brian, T. and Rodney, T. (1995): â€Å"Rural Transport Problems, Policies and Plan†. Transport Systems, policy and planning: A Geographical Approach, Longman House, Burnt Mill, Harlow England, Pp. 23 1-260 Brown, E.D. (1974): â€Å"General Geography of West Africa† George Allen and Ulwin Ltd., London. Chapin, F.S. (1976): â€Å"Urban Land Use Planning† Chicago University of Illinois Press Gakenhenimer, R. (1978): â€Å"The Automobile and the Environment† An International Perspective, prepared by the organization for economic cooperation and development MIT Press Cambridge. Hammer, M. (1976): â€Å"Wheels Within Wheels† in Wilson, D. (1984): â€Å"The environmental crisis†. Heinemann Educational Book Ltd. London. Kruger, B. and Russell, B. (2001): â€Å"Transport and Socio-Economic Development† presented to the commission on sustainable development 9 session on transport and sustainable development in the E.C.E. region development research association conference, Calabar Nigeria. Pp. 3-7 Omiunu, F.G.I. and Onokerhoraye, A.G. (1995): â€Å"Transportation and the Nigerian space economy† The Benin Social Science Series for Africa University of Benin, Nigeria. Omuta, G.E.D. and Onokerhoraye, A.G. (1994): â€Å"Regional development and planning for Africa†. The Benin Social Science Series for Africa, University of Benin, Nigeria P. 104 Transport and Road Research Laboratory (1988): A guide to project appraisal. Road Note 5, London: Higso, Gratis from TRRL overseas unit. Waugh, D. and Bushell, T. (1991): â€Å"Key geography foundation† Stanley Thornes Publishers Limited London.

Legalizing Concealed Weapons May Deter Crime Essay -- Argumentative Pe

Legalizing Concealed Weapons May Deter Crime A concealed weapon is a firearm hidden on a person. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that "laws that forbid the carrying of arms... disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man"(Lee 147). "In Florida, 315,000 permits had been issued to citizens for concealed weapons by December 31, 1995. Only five have been revoked because the permit holder committed a violent crime with a gun" ( Kopel 129). Many crimes could have been avoided if you could carry a concealed weapon in every state. "If the states that do not have right - to - carry concealed guns had adopted the laws in 1992, approximately 1,570 murders; 4,177 rapes; and over 60,000 aggravated assaults would have been avoided yearly" (Kopel 129). Many people worry that innocent people or trained police officers would get hurt. The idea that poorly trained, armed people looking to become heroes would make it more dangerous for innocent people. Many law-enforcement organizations say different. They voluntarily issue concealed carry permits to citizens who pass a background checks. The concealed-carry movement is based on the principle that responsible citizens should not expect government to provide them with the essentials of life. Providing for the safety of one's self and one's family is first of all a personal duty. In the past five years in Miami, four concealed weapons permits have been revoked for criminal misuses of concealed weapons. Everyone may benefit from concealed-carry reform.... ... Brady, chairman of Handgun Control, said, "I don't believe gun owners have rights." Rosie O'Donnell said I honestly think-and I am not an expert on the amendments-I think the only people in this nation who should be allowed to own guns are police officers. I don't care if you want to hunt; I don't care if you think it's your right. I say 'sorry'. It is 1999 we have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun and if you do own a gun, I think you should go to prison (Lee 149). I believe like Thomas Jefferson did that laws that forbid the carrying of arms, disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. In the future crime rates might drop, but that does not mean that all violent crime will stop. Carrying a concealed weapon does not guarantee that you will not be a victim, but I think it will help to protect yourself.

Escape from Vietnam :: Personal Narrative

Escape from Vietnam The other night I had a dream. I dreamed of a boy whom I had known a long time ago, but since then he had disappeared completely from my life. In my dream, I saw him sitting beside my bed and talking to me. He told me about the trip that he had taken with his parents, his two older brothers, and his sister when he was seven years old. He told me how his parents had been victimized by a man who knew about his parents’ desperate attempt to flee from Vietnam, so he took advantage of them. â€Å"Wake up, wake up, son. We must leave now.† He opened his eyes and looked outside; it was still very dark and rainy. â€Å"Where are we going, Mom?† he asked while crawling out of bed sleepily. When they left the house for the train station, it was only four o’ clock in the morning, and the boy thought that his family was going to visit their grandparents whom he had not seen for ten years. The next morning, they arrived in Nha Trang, a coastal city in Central Vietnam, where his father told him that they would stay for a while before going to the next destination. They went to live in the house of an acquaintance near the fish market. Every day they would stay inside the house and would go out only when it was absolutely necessary, especially the kids who now had to learn how to be quiet. They learned how to walk tip-toe and to talk by finger pointing; few sounds were made. Every sound was kept to the minimum so the neighbors and the secret police woul d not be aware that there were new people in town. Around midnight on the fourth day, the boy and his family members awakened again. This time they went with the family of the house's owner to a bus station where they took the bus going northward. The boy was very happy because he was free at last to play as a normal child again. On the way, everybody was fascinated and hypnotized by the scenery along the road, especially the kids because it was the first time they had left the cosmopolitan city for the countryside.

No Longer at Ease Essay -- Chinua Achebe No Longer at Ease Essays

No Longer at Ease The story explores the conflicts in Obi Okonkwo's life. He is a young man from Eastern Nigeria who has to develop his career in the midst of all his problems. He is pressurised by the men of his tribe, the Umuofia Progressive Union, not to forget his traditions and to pay his dues to they helped him to be educated. He is also faced with the conflict of adhering to the Christian principle his father Isaac Okonkwo, a staunch Christian, raised him with and the seduction of the so-called â€Å"evil Western influences† on the younger Nigeria generation. Moreover he falls in love with a woman, Clara, who is considered by tribe to be from a cursed family. His parents don't approve of his engagement to her and he has to choose between his love for her or pleasing his family and tribe. Loved it No Longer at Ease is beautifully written book about colonialism and the alienating influence it has on those Africans who lose touch with their roots as they try to adapt to the changing times. I enjoyed this rich, challenging and fascinating story. The Usurper and Other Stories, The Village of waiting, Disciples of Fortune, Anthills of the Savannah, Triple Agent Double Cross are some of the other African titles I enjoyed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 star1 star1 star1 star1 star A Sensitive, Complex Novel The title of Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease suggests the possibility of a time when there was "ease." The struggles of the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo, a twenty-six year old Umuofian educated in the British Colonial system and at the university in Great Britain, are analogous to the struggles facing Nigerian society during the period at the end of ... ...ose and becomes one of many bribe-taking officials that he formerly despised, leading to a tragic end. In many ways, No Longer at Ease reflects upon the problems facing much of Africa today, corruption and tradition conflicting with progress. The western world may condemn their rampant corruption as Obi first did but it is at the bottom of a spiral of other problems. Chinua Achebe continues to use his characteristically simple style evident in Things Fall Apart for No Longer at Ease. He combines phrases in native languages and uses folk tales to illustrate examples. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the language does not serve to keep the reader's interest completely. At times it feels choppy and almost too simplistic, leaving out details that could serve to further the story. Nevertheless, No Longer at Ease is a remarakble parable of modern Africa. No Longer at Ease Essay -- Chinua Achebe No Longer at Ease Essays No Longer at Ease The story explores the conflicts in Obi Okonkwo's life. He is a young man from Eastern Nigeria who has to develop his career in the midst of all his problems. He is pressurised by the men of his tribe, the Umuofia Progressive Union, not to forget his traditions and to pay his dues to they helped him to be educated. He is also faced with the conflict of adhering to the Christian principle his father Isaac Okonkwo, a staunch Christian, raised him with and the seduction of the so-called â€Å"evil Western influences† on the younger Nigeria generation. Moreover he falls in love with a woman, Clara, who is considered by tribe to be from a cursed family. His parents don't approve of his engagement to her and he has to choose between his love for her or pleasing his family and tribe. Loved it No Longer at Ease is beautifully written book about colonialism and the alienating influence it has on those Africans who lose touch with their roots as they try to adapt to the changing times. I enjoyed this rich, challenging and fascinating story. The Usurper and Other Stories, The Village of waiting, Disciples of Fortune, Anthills of the Savannah, Triple Agent Double Cross are some of the other African titles I enjoyed. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 star1 star1 star1 star1 star A Sensitive, Complex Novel The title of Chinua Achebe's No Longer at Ease suggests the possibility of a time when there was "ease." The struggles of the protagonist, Obi Okonkwo, a twenty-six year old Umuofian educated in the British Colonial system and at the university in Great Britain, are analogous to the struggles facing Nigerian society during the period at the end of ... ...ose and becomes one of many bribe-taking officials that he formerly despised, leading to a tragic end. In many ways, No Longer at Ease reflects upon the problems facing much of Africa today, corruption and tradition conflicting with progress. The western world may condemn their rampant corruption as Obi first did but it is at the bottom of a spiral of other problems. Chinua Achebe continues to use his characteristically simple style evident in Things Fall Apart for No Longer at Ease. He combines phrases in native languages and uses folk tales to illustrate examples. Unfortunately, the simplicity of the language does not serve to keep the reader's interest completely. At times it feels choppy and almost too simplistic, leaving out details that could serve to further the story. Nevertheless, No Longer at Ease is a remarakble parable of modern Africa.

Somputer technology Essay

In modern days, computer technology plays a significant role in our lives. It helps businesses and institutions to provide better services and faster transactions with their clients and customers. Most of the companies are using a computerized-based information system that satisfy the needs and improves the quality of their business. This information system is used to pass information throughout an organization accordingly and help them to access the files in an easy way. Technology is widely used in this generation, that is why using manual system is no longer applicable especially in storing confidential and important records and files. Unfortunately, we discover that along the little institutions like clinics, manual system were still implemented. Because of that ,we have learned that most of them suffered from different problems such as lacking of back-up records of their patients, difficulty in finding files and records, consuming time in manually listing the information of the patients and using a low technology equipment for their records such as logbooks. As a system analyst, we wanted to help a company to improve the quality of their business and solve the present problems they encountered. We have found out that Health Alert Medical and Diagnostic Center in Taytay, Rizal was encountering the said problems above in their clinic. Our aim is to provide them a computerized information system that can help them lessen patient’s waiting time and create a database that would serve as their back-up for the patient’s file and records.These system will be efficient and effective to use compare to the manual system they are using and can satisfy the needs of thier company.

Review of Peter the Panderer

In this fictitious political speech I identified arguments and non-arguments, facts and non-facts, statements that are subjective and statements that are relativist. The fifth paragraph shows an argument. There are a series of statements that support the final claim that â€Å"†¦our community endured the same hard times. † The supporting statements start with Peter’s father being laid off at the Steel Mill, then their family not having enough money for school, and finally the football season being canceled due to low funding.In the fourth paragraph I found the non-argument. The writer of the article, Peter, says that Jon wants you to â€Å"fear losing your job†, â€Å"experience hard times† and that he â€Å"wants to destroy America. † Peter does not explain how Jon is going to get us to be afraid, make us experience hard times, or how he is going to destroy America. There are no explanations that support the writer’s claims and thus tha t makes this paragraph a non-argument. A factual issue can be answered by an objective test. A non-factual issue cannot be proven by experiment.I found the following statements to be fact; paragraph two, â€Å"Wall Street journal recently reported that unemployment has risen 4 percent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Also in paragraph two, â€Å"In 2009, he signed an executive order†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In paragraph three, a factory worker was laid off in Michigan. In paragraph four, â€Å"The average American family now earns 5,000 dollars less per year†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In paragraph five, â€Å"Our high school football season was cancelled due to lack of funding. † I believe all of these statements can be proven to be true or false and so then are considered to be fact.The next set of statements I found to be non-facts; in paragraph one, â€Å"We are at a turning point in our history†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In paragraph two, â€Å"†¦America is the greatest country on Earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And in paragraph five, â€Å"All of us felt that outsourcing was unethical†¦Ã¢â‚¬  All of these statements are a matter of the writer’s values, opinions and beliefs; they cannot be proven and therefore are considered non-facts. A subjective statement is found in the first paragraph, â€Å"My economic plan will create jobs and put money in your pocket. † This statement plays off of people’s feelings.Who wouldn’t want more jobs or more money? However, this information cannot be counted or measured. Peter uses this as a positive statement which he hopes would make people feel good and thus hopefully vote for him. A relativist statement is found in the fifth paragraph, â€Å"All of us felt that outsourcing was unethical because without work in the local factory, none of us would be able to eat. † Peter was making this statement based on his cultured experiences. From his viewpoint he perceived that this situation was unethical.

A Condensed Version of Renato Constantino’s Works on Nationalism Essay

NATIONALISM has been a word every citizen had heard not only once but a lot of times especially for a History student like me but this time no longer fulfilling a requirement for an undergraduate degree but to a more prolific one the GRADUATE SCHOOL. Still the definition of Nationalism had not changed over the course of time, it is still equated with the word PATRIOTISM or love for one’s country. The challenge to write a paper on one of the pioneers of PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM has been a herculean task for the reason that the late RENATO CONSTANTINO’s theories is not an easy one to write. He had been a nationalist in heart and spirit. As one of my literature professors used to say, â€Å"YOU CAN CAPTURE THE HEART OF A PERSON BY SWEET WORDS UTTERED BUT NOT IN SPIRIT COZ THAT IS A SEPARATE REALM THAT ONLY YOU, YOURSELF CAN SEE†; with that only RENATO CONSTANTINO can see the spirit apart from feeling it too. For this paper, I will be delving on THREE works of RENATO CONSTANTINO all compiled into one condensed pamphlet entitled â€Å"DISSENT AND COUNTERCONSCIOUSNESS†. I will be faced with the task of analyzing the said compilation, giving insights and overviews and the much-awaited conclusion. As a former subversive, I was dogmatized with Karl Marx, Mao Tse Tung and Renato Constantino not because the latter was a leftist like me but more of a nationalist in the truest sense of the word. To understand him and his works, it would be a fair deal to know something  about this man. WHO IS RENATO CONSTANTINO? He was born on March 10, 1919. He was the eldest among the three children of Atty. Amador Constantino and Francisca Reyes. While in his pre-adolescent years, he had a grand time listening to the stories of his maternal grandmother about the abuses made by the Spanish friars. In one way or another, he had developed an early consciousness of the plight of his fellowmen. All throughout his school years, he was a product of public schools; Arellano High School and University of the Philippines. He was the youngest editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian (the school organ of UP). He was also a star debater and after providing a critical approach to Manuel Luis Quezon’s speech, Constantino became a fan of the great man, Quezon. He joined the Filipino troops in Bataan during the Japanese regime and luckily was not captured since he went into hiding in Bulacan. He was a professor in Far Eastern University (FEU), Adamson University, Arellano University, University of the Philippines both in Manila and Diliman. He was also a lecturer here and abroad since it has something to do with being an executive secretary to the Philippine Mission to United Nations from 1946 to 1949. He became an official journalist from 1945 to 1998 on Evening Herald, Balita, Manila Bulletin, Manila Chronicle, Daily Globe and Malaya among others. He was also a well-known historian and writer. He was married to Letizia Roxas since 1946. They have two children; Renato Jr. and Karina who is married to the political commentator Randy David. He died on September 15, 1999. Renato Constantino’s life had been a sheltered one but his father, a lawyer had taught him about independence. He did not shield Renato from the true realities of life, the existence of oppression and exploitation. At a young age, he had the consciousness of being a nationalist, of someone who wants to uplift the sufferings of his fellowmen. Through his columns at several newspapers, his lectures, his teachings and his works he had reached his goal and that is awakening the Filipinos and I am not afraid to admit I was and still is one of his disciples. THE BOOK DISSENT AND COUNTER-CONSCIOUSNESS This book is a compilation of 3 pamphlets of Renato Constantino namely: Origin of the Myth, Veneration without Understanding and A Leadership for Filipinos. It would not be a fair deal if I go straight to the overview of this book without tackling some of the pamphlets related to this book such as Nationalism and Liberation, Synthetic Culture and Development and Identity and Consciousness. Nationalism as defined by Wikipedia â€Å"as a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms† and in Renato Constantino’s eyes nationalism has been described as an end-result of a distorted history of colonization. In his pamphlet, Nationalism and Liberation. He traced the history of colonization in the Philippines. From the time that the two superpowers of the Old World; Spain and Portugal had spent money for sponsoring expeditions to the discovery of the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan to the pr opagation of Christianity to the natives as a tool of imperialism. Constantino had been trying to awaken the consciousness of each one of us to what had been the truth all along. A distorted one as he aptly described it. The Spanish colonizers had not only captured our hearts but also our spirits, they imbibed changes mostly negative values which are still inherent up to today’s generation. We have been brain-washed with their ideas and philosophies which in one way or another had created diversity among the Filipino people. In this line, Constantino had compared us with other Southeast asian countries like Thailand and Indonesia to name a few; the former had not experienced colonial rule but the latter had been a different case since it was under colonial rule from the British to the French yet Indonesia had opted to be independent amidst its diversity. It had adopted political and economic independence through the consciousness among its people starting with one language which is Bahasa Indonesia. Thailand on the other hand been a monarchial rule, blood and class count but still the people tried to gain independence and the class struggle had been one big problem to be solved but at present Thailand managed to be ousted from the list of THIRD  WORLD COUNTRIES. Through History, Constantino wants us, the Filipino people to learn the lessons from the past and that we can never be always dependent on a foreign colony to survive. We have to struggle to be free from oppression and exploitation of foreign powers. He wants us to go back to the grassroots; to be self-reliant in our ways. Economic independence is the goal here and the key is not to depend on Transnational Corporations(TNCs). The government should create programs which would benefit more the Filipino people than the aliens. We have to turn this country from an import-oriented to an export-oriented one. For now, we can see it is still a far-fetched dream but who knows from the lessons learned from History the consciousness of being NEW FILIPINOS will take place from now on. Regarding the pamphlet â€Å"Synthetic Culture and Development†. Renato Constantino had explored the ills of neocolonialism. No society can exist without a culture. As Amilcar Cabral quoted â€Å"Culture is the dynamic synthesis.at the level of individual or community consciousness, of the material and spiritual historical reality of a society or a human group with the relations existing between man and nature as well as among men and among social classes and sectors† But the culture prevailing in our society had been described by Constantino as synthetic which as defined means fake or artificial. The one put to blame here is the MASS MEDIA since it is the main root of COMMUNICATION. Communication means to convey a message and we cannot deny the fact that Media has been a powerful tool in opening the doors of communication among the people. From the information known and unknown to people, we are on guard day by day with the changes. The power of Neocolonialism plays a vital role in our having a synthetic culture. We have been influenced by the foreign power, the United States most particularly. From our love and addiction to imported items, seeking employment and climbing the corporate ladder owned by the Transnational Corporations (TNCs), being an immigrant in the land referred as the â€Å"LAND OF MILK AND HONEY†. We have this western consciousness in each one of us and according to Constantino, if this would be the case where is the Filipino consciousness? Filipino identity? With this fact, as we analyze deeper, the Filipino people are strong propagators  of colonial mentality, that we should speak,train,dress, feel like Westerners. In his pamphlet â€Å"THE WESTERNIZING FACTORS IN THE PHILIPPINES†, we are demoted to what he termed as PETTY BOURGEOISFICATION which means we are merely shopkeepers,salesmen, professionals,government employees etc. in other words just mass products of a society. That being the CEOs and presidents will only be far-fetched dreams. Our identity has been tied or binded with Western influence and that the latter had used MEDIA to achieve that goal. An example would be we know more about Tom Cruise than Nora Aunor. We opted to patronize foreign movies than local ones. As shallow as these examples, it still signifies one thing, we are more identified, familiar and attached with western influences than our own. And that is what Constantino had been describing and detailing on the synthetic culture. He wants a People-Culture than a Synthetic one and this can be achieved through: (a) formulation and development of comprehensive national communication policies which should evolve from broad consultations with all sectors concerned (b) removal of obstacles and restrictions which derive from the concentration of media ownership, public or private from commercial influence on press and broadcasting (c) effective legal measures to limit the process of concentration and monopolization (d) strengthening cultural identity and creativity through the establishment of national cultural policies such as going back to the grassroots culture (e) development of essential elements of communication (f) access to te chnical information and advanced communications technology and (g) democratizing media management. Lastly, the pamphlet â€Å"Identity and Consciousness†, Renato Constantino had explored the â€Å"whys† there is an absence of consciousness among the Filipino people. He had traced the real truth to two factors namely Elitism and Ignorance. LITISM Tracing back to our History lessons there had been the issue of class, of a separation of people in terms of wealth and power. From the pre-colonial times, the barangay form of government had been ruled by the datu and there had been a disparity between the datu and the alipin saguigilid. Then when the Spaniards came, they used the Filipino elite to exploit the resources. They had encouraged the elite to go abroad to study with the likes of Jose Rizal and Marcelo del Pilar among others to form a movement because up front  they want to be free from the Spanish rule but still adamant to use revolutionary means to end the struggle. Under the American Regime, the elite this time under Aguinaldo, Quezon until Jose P. Laurel, they have been educated abroad but still imbibed with western consciousness. Under the neocolonial rule, it is still the same ball game, our leaders have been educated and trained abroad but still the identity remains the same, western development had been more attr active and where do we contribute this mistake? This painful result? To us, the Filipino people. We have not learned anything from History. Until now, we are still ignorant . We are still unidentified and not conscious of being Filipinos. It is like going to school without an Identification card (ID) we are still nameless. The western influence had built us to be this way and they are succeeding, until now we are still under their rule-of-thumb even if we don’t have their military bases here in our territory, still we are clearly more identified with them than by being a Filipino. Constantino had been clear on this topic. Unless the consciousness develops , identity will follow. But it is an illusion until now because we can see for ourselves that we need the United States to keep our economy going, that we are still dreaming of becoming the 57th state of United States. It had been an inherent dream that we will be spending in US dollars and not in pesos, that we don’t have to go to the US Embassy to get our visas and that the imported goods will be sold at more affordable prices. Unless there will be an economic revolution which could start from going back to the grassroots, and that we will realize that our country is an agricultural one more than an industrial zone. Until the time that we will have the consciousness that we are Filipinos with less dependency on Western influences. That will be the only time that our identity as Filipinos will be established. That will also be the time that the spirit of Filipino nationalism has been embraced by each and everyone of us. Now in correlation with the book DISSENT AND COUNTER-CONSCIOUSNESS, as I have mentioned earlier it is a compilation of three pamphlets so it would be best to discuss the pamphlets first before citing an overview of the whole book. 1) ORIGIN OF THE MYTH Here Constantino tried to discuss about the myth regarding United States’ relationship with the Philippines. As we try to recall history, we have learned that United States at first has no interest in the Philippines but when it started to crave for a niche in the â€Å"SUPERPOWER† realm, it had realized that colonizing Philippines is not a bad idea but more of a sign that US was ready to be a first class conqueror thus buying us from the Spanish rulers via Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Hongkong, twas the mock battle took place. We were not aware of the fact that US has come not only to conquer but to stay, it was only later after the Hares-Hawes Cutting Law took place during the Commonwealth period that we had this instant realization that United States was a mother colony and we are under their beck and call. It was not the fault of Manuel Quezon’s ignorance that pushed him to sign the Tydings-McDuffie law since one of the premises there was to grant self-government after ten years. Adding to the fact, that there was the outbreak of Second World War, and that Philippines was in the dumps economically speaking. US was there to lend a hand through foreign aid. The government had not been fully aware of the motives of the US government because of the value instilled by Spaniards within us, the proverbial utang-na-loob. We were now having that idea that we owe them. That is where the myth came in; according to Constantino, that reality cannot be separated from fantasy and that United States had been our knight in shining armor. So a special bond or relationship had been formed. The only opposing side at that time was the HUKBALAHAP movement headed by the late Luis Taruc and the US government had been wise enough to make Ramon Magsaysay,a pure American boy and the CIA to penetrate and control the HUKS. Every law and treaty from the Tydings-McDuffie law up to the Bell Trade Act shows the control of the US over the Philippines for two purposes as cited by Constantino; he referred to it as the twin premises of the myth: a) that there was no substantial resistance to American rule and b) that the Filipinos were then incapable of self-government. There was resistance and the Filipinos were capable of self- government as proven by the barangay system during pre-colonial times. But US has a different plan for Philippines and it has to be overall control which they did with all the treaties and the presence of the military bases and even the â€Å"utang-na-loob†Ã‚  inherent in us by making Jose Rizal the national hero, the foreign aid through IMF(Internationa l Monetary Fund) and WB(World Bank), making us a member-country of GATT(General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and UN(United Nations) among others so that we will embark on an open economy adopting Adam Smith’s Free Enterprise but in the end if we look at everything in hindsight, it was more to US’ benefit than the Filipinos. The United States was intelligent enough to take advantage of our weakness and that is after three hundred thirty three years of Spanish colonialism, we were dying to be independent and it was also our Achilles’ heel to speak of since US was aware of this fact, therefore it had sent the best men like Dewey, Merritt, Taft among others to lead the Philippines towards that â€Å"independence† mediocrity. With the help of the Americanistas like Aguinaldo, Arellano, Quezon, Laurel even up to the present Noynoy Aquino. We can say that US is here to stay and I should not wonder if after the term of Noynoy Aquino there will be plan to make Philippines the 57th state of the United States of America. It will not be a big surprise for all of us since as I have mentioned earlier, we are more attracted to Uncle Sam than Juan dela Cruz. In the end of this pamphlet Constantino tried to discuss the press censorship during McKinley’s administration where the BILL OF RIGHTS under the 1935 Constitution was not honored particularly freedom of press and expression. The US had been wise enough to impose a civilian rule rather than military rule. It was too late for the Philippine government to realize that we were under a military government than a civilian one when most of the troops sent in Vietnam were mostly Filipinos and that we did not have that inkling to wage war against Vietnam since it was US’ advocacy to indulge in wars to achieve more power and to have that steady place in the superpower realm. When there was the killing of Filipino troops in Vietnam, United States was aware that it will create a chaos within the Philippine government so the latter, wise as he is had groomed a young senator named Ferdinand Marcos to run for presidency in 1965 and eventually won the hearts of the Filipinos as first because of his advocacy for the poor. As they say, in history, it was too late to realize that Marcos was not out to rule fairly but to destroy the preservation of nationalism which was slowly growing in others since here and then he was a boytoy of the US government. B.) VENERATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING In this pamphlet, Constantino discussed about Jose Rizal as an American sponsored hero and the tracing back of Rizal’s role in the history of the Philippines. Rizal was an illustrado, he was not from an impoverished family so he had the opportunity to study and trained in different schools abroad. He was a genius, a jack of all trades. He was a learned man. For many, he was the way out for independence from Spanish rule. In the long run, the realization dawned that he was an egocentric and narcisstic person who did not give a damn about his fellowmen. He created the Propaganda Movement and La Liga Filipina not because he wanted to end the Spanish colonizers through writing and other peaceful means (what we can termed now as ceasefire). He abhorred revolutionary means because deep inside that learned man lies a COWARD. In my undergraduate studies about Rizal, I was given the chance to dissect and analyze Rizal’s letters to Ferdinand Blumentritt all in its original versions preserved by the National Historical Institute. There was one letter that cited Rizal’s real reason why he did not go with the plan of Andres Bonifacio’s revolution. He belittled the latter for not having the literacy and leadership which Rizal had been known to possess. He was a hundred percent sure that the revolution will fail not only because of lack of ammunitions and men but more of a poor leadership displayed by an ‘IGNORANT AND ILLITERATE FARMER†. The response of Blumentritt was different and unexpected which made Rizal furious because Blumentritt cited situations wherein a successful revolution headed by an ignorant and illiterate person had succeeded and and example was the French Revolution. Blumentritt was objective enough to write to Rizal that maybe the latter has this impression on Bonifacio because Rizal was a coward and he simply can’t carry a gun and kill. It was this reason that Rizal stopped communicating with Blumentritt, because deep inside he knows he should be the one to plan and carry out the revolution and not someone ignorant and illiterate like Bonifacio. In one way or another, we knew that the Cry of Balintawak failed but it instilled something in us; an iota of nationalism and pride that we want to be free from the Spanish rule, that the urge of independence is slowly burning in our hearts. That is what Constantino referred here as â€Å"HEROISM† not because  you died for the love of your country but moreof placing a â€Å"CONSCIOUSNESS THAT WE ARE MEANT TO BE FREE. Sad to say, it was not a continuous process since there was not a brave man like Bonifacio again in the present times no matter how ignorant and illiterate as he is to stand up for our independence, for our freedom. Until now we are still a neocolony of United States and nothing changes even if we are entering 2012. C) LEADERSHIP FOR FILIPINOS In this pamphlet, Constantino was brave enough to depict the true leader for the Filipinos. It is a radical writing of the inner mind of Constantino as he tried to look for that leader as he had described: â€Å" someone who is an entertainer, popular, intelligent, sublime and confident in its people†. He had an admiration for Andres Bonifacio because of his will to let Philippines gain independence even if he was an ignorant and illiterate farmer. So with Claro M. Recto who happens to be a populist by heart. It was just the wrong turn of events which did not give any merit or recognition to a great statesman like Recto since the latter was not a member of the elite party of Americanistas. â€Å"Recto is not a good speaker, no. He will arouse no mob. But heaven help the one whose pretensions he chooses to demolish. His sentences march like ordered battalions against the inmost citadel of the man’s arguments, and reduce them to rubble; meanwhile his reservations stand like armed sentries against the most silent approach and every attempt at encirclement by the adversary. The reduction to absurdity of Nacionalista senator Zulueta’s conception of sound foreign policy was a shattering experience, the skill that goes into the cutting of a diamond went into the work of demolition. There was no slip of the hand, no flaw in the tool. All was delicately, perfectly done†¦ Recto cannot defend the indefensible, but what can be defended, he will see to it that it will not be taken.† This was quoted by Teodoro Locsin and Recto remained to be an inspiration to nationalists like Renato Constantino, Lorenzo Tanada, Jovito Salonga among others. Recto was able to help in the molding of the consciousness of some Filipinos but he was not given the chance to mold the majority and it was brought by  his defeat in the presidential race where Sergio Osmena won who happened to be a true Americanista. Still his subversiveness, patriotism, nationalistic spirit lives on and I admire the person for his being sublime. He was a learned man like Rizal but he never was a coward. The need to be free and independent from foreign colonizers had been a dream of his. It was just a pity he was not given the chance to make it a reality. As Constantino described a leader in the end page of this pamphlet. He cited â€Å"A people cannot be great by the posturing of a leader nor by his well-rehearsed speeches but by their own efforts. They can be great not by becoming worthy of foreign investments but by purposeful work . They can be great not by relying on outside aid as the decisive factor of development, but by sacrifice ,by struggling and gaining confidence in themselves†. He further added that a â€Å"true leader is not afraid to struggle if it would be for the common good†. I for one agreed to that, we can still export OFWs for economic reasons but with the country they are in, not for a single time will they forget that they are FILIPINOS in both mind and heart. After discussing the three pamphlets included in the book DISSENT AND COUNTER-CONSCIOUSNESS, I have the room now to tackle the book and gave an overview about it. DISSENT in layman’s term means to go against. You display an antagonistic attitude if it is not what you believe in or must believe in. Subversion had been a taboo word ever since Man had this dream to be FREE. This word always coincide with terrorism, ambushes, rallies, salvages among others, purely negative in every sense of the word. As Constantino expresses in this book, â€Å"Man in living in a material world and principle is a far thought†. In reality that has been happening, Filipinos are becoming more contented with material needs; anything that money can buy even paying the court, bribing the government agencies so as not to be penalized. With that hunger for material things, the accountability of government agencies go far beyond the principle. Graft and Corruption had been a contagious disease, a new virus with no antidote. Man are slowly becoming wanton and unprincipled because of the yen for material things. It is a sad thing that because of this fact Man has been turning into a commodity. Someone with a price tagged on and maybe if an auction comes along he will be sold to the highest bidder. If we look at the situation  nowadays, we are being sold to the highest bidder and that is the United States. It does not only control us in economic and political aspects but in all aspects as well even spiritual. We have been in their shell of SUPERPOWER REALM for so long and now we are finding it hard to disintegrate or detach ourselves from them. We are now set up as a commodity in a free enterprise economy. Our wits and intelligence were in their benefit because we are working for them. The government whom we trust the most turns out the opposite, the one who betrayed us. Even before as a colony and now as a neocolony, nothing had changed we are still under them. The American will had become the Filipino will. We don’t have that identity that we are Filipinos. Our consciousness as a Filipino is at the bottom. We desparately need the Americans to survive and that is one malady that is incurable at this point. But Constantino is not giving up. Counter-Consciousness is his answer. It will not be an easy task that is the reason why he used History to trace the root of the problems, to unveil the consciousness of the Filipino people, to dissipate the discontentment of being without an identity. With History, we turn back the time, we learned from the past and most of all it will pave the way on what we should do with our future. It will not be an easy task but it can be a reality if there will be a leader ready to sacrifice himself for not being a commodity being sold to the highest bidder but that he will be of service to the common good. Where is that leader? He is just there patiently biding for his time and I know deep inside that we can never be the 57th state of the United States because even the latter has not been that complacent in its niche in the superpower realm. It is now in the midst of economic recession and political upheaval. Am I right in saying that â€Å"what comes around goes around?† The answer is YES, it is time for the United States to grant us that independence we have been craving for so long. We deserved to be free and that is our main goal, our direction. We may be working for them, we may be buying imported goods from them, we may be having our money converted into dollars but nothing changes they are all material things that can diminish a day, a week, a year from now but nothing will change the fact that I AM A FILIPINO AND I AM PROUD TO BE A FILIPINO. With my short stay at the mountains of Bataan during my college days. I know I am a subversive and I am proud to be one. I no longer hide the fact that I was a leftist during my college days and even at present I am in a capitalist society nothing will alter the fact that my consciousness has been in my heart that I am for equality and justice. Taking up LAW had not been an easy decision because it negates everything I learned in being a subversive but I am not giving up because the LAW will not remain blindfolded forever, eventually it will shred that cloth and will take justice as its fate and I will just be waiting at a corner biding for that time to come. CONCLUSION: This paper had occupied a special place in my heart since I do not deny the fact that Constantino had been an icon to reckon with. He has been my inspiration in my career path, most of all I learned to be proud of my being subversive as He was. The book with all the several pamphlets attached to it has been Constantino’s way of reaching out the Filipino people that we cannot stay as ignorant as the United States presumes. We are climbing out slowly from the shell that had been an unsafe haven for so long as we try to give ourselves the chance to embark on a new life. An independent life as everyone’s goal is. A Life that we can utter with pride that we are FILIPINOS. We are slowly achieving this mark, majority are now going back to the grassroots culture. We may still be westernized in material goods but in line of thinking we are becoming conscious that we are Filipinos and that is how it must be. Eventually everyone will be aware of Juan dela Cruz than Uncle Sam especially that Uncle Sam is crestfallen at this time with all the upheavals he is now facing I will not be surprised that his all knowing smile will turn into a nasty grin. For my fellow Filipinos, we will stand with pride that we can now identify ourselves as Filipinos and no longer Filipinos with US as our neocolonizer but Filipinos for Philippines alone. Time will also come that the realization of being a subversive is not a ruthless act neither a negative trait but a breathe of fresh air to bring about a CHANGE. MABUHAY ANG MGA FILIPINO†¦

The strategic role of the Royal British Navy in the First World War

Introduction The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom (UK) is the oldest part of Britain’s combat forces and is often referred to as the â€Å"Senior Service†. The Naval Service is comprised of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Fleet Air Arm and reserve forces. From the 18th century up to the end of World War II, the Navy was the world’s principal and most powerful navy. Therefore it played a very important role during the period in keeping Britain’s position as the ultimate ‘superpower.’ The Royal Navy used various strategies and tactics such as the Antwerp, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and the Zeebruge campaigns. The involvement of various sections of the Royal Navy helped to make sure of victories against serious enemies and opponents of British interests (Benbow 2011). This paper discusses the role of the Royal British Navy during the First World War by analyzing the war tactics they used in varying campaigns both on land and on sea. In the first place, the Royal Navy was crucial from a defensive point of view, a point made all the more acute by the fact that Britain is an island nation that is relatively isolated geographically. In terms of the home front, therefore, the navy was the first and more imperative line of defence. It must be considered, as an adjunct to this, that the wealth and power of Britain relied in large part on his expansive Empire, which could not have been protected by means other than naval power. It might be argued, of course, that Britain had established effective naval supremacy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 (Benbow 2011; Halpern 1994). However, despite the nation’s best efforts in conflicts such as the Seven Years War, among others, the state of affairs in 1805 had in actual fact been reversed to a significant extent by the turn of the 20th century. By the time of WWI, Britain’s navy was fairly outdated and its competitors were on the ascendant (Benbow 2011). The changing status quo by WWI made the burden on the navy heavier than ever. It still remained its 19th-century reputation as the ultimate military power and it had massive capacity to move soldiers and vessels across large international spaces territories. It still, moreover, had the capability to prevent rivals from doing similar strategic moving of troops and equipment (Halpern 1994). The floating gun vessels in particular were a devastating tool in the arsenal that frequently made it impossible for foreign leaders to act against Britain. The crucial fact was that the Royal Navy was able to stymie the efforts of foreign powers, making certain that there was always a supply of tradecrafts and raw materials so that Britain’s factories could make and distribute their products overseas. The Laissez Faire economic model that Britain adopted as the basis of its trading would not have been possible without the authority of the Royal Navy (Friedman 2001; Halpern 1994). It is clear , therefore, that regardless of apparent historical supremacy, the navy as important as ever in economic and defensive terms during WWI. Another aspect of the Royal Navy’s powerful role was control of communications and supply lines, so that it was possible to link up the Empire and control activities across the globe. Throughout the whole period, the Royal Navy’s war preparation and entry into the First World War demonstrates its state-of-the-art operation. This ability, however, arose not just through the navy itself but also the vast and sophisticated underpinning of expertise and strategy. For example, the Royal Navy was backed by a comprehensive research programme into maritime history, careful studies of allied and defensive maneuvers, and knowledge of politics and power in various regions across Europe and beyond (Friedman 2001). An important part of this was that Navy’s role in reconnaissance and observation. It was able to procure information about the capabilities of rivals, for example, whether political, military, or economic. The strategic role of the navy is best discussed in the context of contemporary events. The Germans marched into France and Belgium in August 1914 and desperately needed a â€Å"flying column†. At this time, Britain had between 20 000 to 30 000 navy reservists but could not make sure that all these reservists played a full role. Those parties in charge of strategy concluded that there were enough reserve soldiers to create two groups that would form vital brigades. So, in Britain the Naval Brigades and the Royal Marines Brigade were set up. The brigades became publicly recognized as the RND (Royal Naval Division) and soon after they were sent to Ostend, where they took part in a fierce battle in Antwerp. This battle demonstrates a number of different things about the strategic important of the navy. On the one hand, it indicates a clear purpose: the opposing of a German threat on the continent which, if unimpeded by the reservists, might have become a serious threat. The Marines were among the only British forces participating at the battle of Antwerp, and they brought about Germany’s withdrawal of a large proportion of their troops from the French front in order to capture of Antwerp (Stephenson 2011). However, the extent to which these soldiers struggled in due to poor training and shortages of proper equipment suggests that at this stage the Royal Navy was of limited strategic value. Thus, the Belgium army, which was comprised of mainly six divisions, was overcome by the Germans at Liege and the River Gate and had to retreat to the stronghold city of Antwerp (Halpern 1994). Had the Royal Navy been more adept in the first place this might never have occurred. However, the strategic role of the navy in this instance was salvaged to an extent when Winston Churchill, astutely realizing the important of Antwerp, bolstered the city using the Royal Navy Division. In this way, a key strategic position, in terms of Allied shipping, was saved by virtue of the navy. This point is made all the more compelling by the fact that the Belgians were forced to withdraw their forces from the fray on 6t October 1914, opening the path to a German victory. The intervention of the Royal Navy therefore came at a critical moment, heightening its importance (Grove 1987). The tactics of the Royal Naval Division on this occasion also suggests strategic relevance. An innovative plan was devised by which the troops dug trenches so that they could position themselves strategically during the battle. The aftermath of the battle is also worth mentioning. On 11 October 1914, the residual divisions of the Royal Navy Division arrived back home in England and immediately commenced their training camp in Blanford in Dorset (Jolly 2000). Crucially, they brought with them Belgian experience and the innovation of British armed forces. Changes were made to the training to better prepare the Naval Division as well as the Marine substitutes, that in the future would be selected and serve in Royal Marine battalions. Thus, through the navy’s combat experience and later role in Britain, the capability of the armed forces was enhanced. The French believed the Germans were on maneuvers in Belgium and sent some ships to trouble the German cavalry which were by now in North of Dunkirk. This maneuver was successful, which managed to give the impression that it was the central army. The British forces began to move ahead towards Brasa and captured Fort Zain. They also stopped efforts by the Turks to obstruct the river so the Turkish forces retreated from Brasa. Then, General Sir Arthur Barrett, the commander of the British army, deployed regiments to the city and the British forces established a strong occupation on 23 November 1914 (Knight 2006). The triumphant campaign allowed the majority of the British troops to return home, leaving only a small garrison. This episode is more than mere narrative. It reveals that for certain periods the Royal Navy was rendered almost redundant in a military sense due to a lack of conflict at sea. This is suggested by the fact that on 28 August, marines were located on ships during t he battle of Heligoland, with no lives lost. Later, however, at the Battle of Coronel in November, the British forces experienced a loss of 196 soldiers. One of the last encounters at sea was in 1914 during the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December. The importance of the navy was brought back into focus when, towards the end of 1914, the deadlock between the Western and Eastern Fronts ceased (Friedman 2011). This allowed the British Navy to establish and consolidate maritime control and superiority, but it was not practical to have the opening of a similar instance as Trafalgar. The British administration therefore needed to begin searching for an alternative that would conclude the war. During December 1914, the strategic importance of the navy on the Western Front became apparent. The British government had responded to a request for assistance from Russia, which was struggling to fight the Turks in the Caucuses. On 2 January 1915, the Secretary of State for War, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener agreed to demonstrate British strength to support Russia (McMillan 2013). Kitchener could not take any troops from the Western Front, so he turned to naval capacities for active involvement. As a result, the best location for action would be the tapered strip of water from the Mediterranean into the Sea of Marmara. The purpose and plan, masterminded by Winston Churchill, was to avoid the Turkish capital, First Lord of the Admiralty. Churchill created a complicated structure of a ‘third Allied front’ which gave tremendous assistance to Russia. The Royal Naval Division, moreover, went on to form an important part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary force (MEF), was wh ich also included the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), the 29th Division (British Army) and the Royal Naval Division (RND) (Dupuy 1967). Responsibility for the division was given to General Sir Ian Hamilton, The marines’ first conflict was in March 1915, where they targeted Turkish citadels and 22 individuals lost their lives while several others were injured. On 25 April the Plymouth Battalion with a group of 2nd South Wales Borderers landed on â€Å"Y† beach where a number of soldiers lost their lives (Churchill 1940). However, these successes were not without setbacks, and it should not be concluded that the Royal Navy was unequivocally of strategic value in these cases. There had been an early problem when the navy initially landed on 25 April and this had given Turkey chance of help to organize their defenses from Germany especially on top of cliffs that gave a direct view of the neighboring beaches and into the interior of the land (Dupuy 1967). On 28th April, the Chatham Battalion landed on the Anzac shoreline in order to safeguard a beach, and they stayed there until 12th May despite many deaths and casualties. On the 29th April, the Admiralty gave control of the Royal Navy Division to the British War office and it became the 63rd Royal Naval Division. The 63rd also had control of the RM training division located at Blanford (Herwig 1987). During May and June, Royal Marines participated in warfare at the 2nd and 3rd Battles of Krithnia. Additionally, there was action at Achi Baba on the 12th June. The MEF held their initial position at Gallipoli to try and find a conclusion to the struggle (Herwig 1987). One point of important to note about this episode is that the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF), along with the Royal Navy, experienced various levels of difficulties and higher levels of casualties. This prompted MEF’s withdrawal from Gallipoli, moreover. Winston Churchill’s administration has received severe criticism for the large number of lives lost over this period, and it can reasonably be questioned whether such as campaign can be deemed of strategic value. One might even say it was a strategic folly in human terms; and as Osbourne (2004) points out, the fact that Churchill stepped down from the Admiralty as a result is damning. Following the activities of this period, more action then took place in the sea rather than on land. The Battle of Jutland was the largest wartime conflict that occurred at sea during World War I. The battle commenced on 31st May 1916 when Germany fired against the British Battle Cruiser regiments. Royal Marines proved their strategic value here, as they were involved in 10% of the most important naval attack on crafts (Osbourne 2004). This proportion comprised mainly RMA whose job during this time was to operate guns. As it got bigger, the battle looked like it was getting out of control. The next day, British demolisher vessels attacked and sunk the Pommern. However in total, the Germans lost 11 ships while the British lost 14 ships, which suggests strategic folly in numerical terms (Osbourne 2004). In May the same year, RMLI brigades arrived from Gallipoli and were repatriated to France where new resources and weapons were organised. In addition, they were given more manpower and upgraded weapons to machine guns. In July, the RM Company was joined by companies called Howe and Anson the 188th Brigade of the re-titled 63rd RND (Herwig 1987). This group moved to a fairly quiet region of the Western Front. At this point, because of new weapons technology it was necessary to safeguard the line using three trench positions. Common Trench warfare was intended for use in heavy infantry but that was not commonly experienced through the commando tactics of RMLI (Friedman 2011). These battalions became a vital element to the Battle of Ancre Heights near Beaumont Hill. There were financial implications for this battle, as well as many casualties. On 17th April 1917 the 1st and 2nd regiments participated in armed combat at Miraumant and also during the 2nd Battle of the Scarpe later that m onth. During this armed effort, troops from the 63rd Division took over captured Gavrelle, led by General C. Lawrie. Immediately afterward, the 63rd Division also participated in the Battle of Arleux (Friedman 2011). The RND marched to various regions including Arras and Ypres during the winter weather, carrying heavy army equipment. In Ypres, the battalions trained very hard to prepare for a key offensive on the German border, north of Ypres. When it happened, the attack would take the forces to the strategic location of the Paddebrek stream, in the north region of the canal (Randier 2006). Because of significant losses earlier that year the 1st and 2nd RMLI contingents joined together to increase their masses numbers. However, at this point, there were some signs that the war was moving towards an end and the Germans begun realizing that their momentum begun to slow down. Finally, on 8th August the British put into place their counter plan to impact on German troops, disturbing all levels of hierarchy in the army, including the German High Command. This appeared to be a possible chance for victory, although it is vital to point out that victory was not guaranteed. On 2nd to 3rd September 1918, the 1st and 3rd Armies fought at the Battle of Drocourt-Queant, alongside the 63rd (RN) division in the Third army (Morison 1942). On 27th September to 1st October 1918, the 1st and 3rd Armies also engaged in combat at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During this time, the 63rd RN group was once again a component of the third Army (Stephenson 2011; Osbourne 2004). As has emerged through this essay, the strategic value of the Royal Navy was mixed. Many historians viewed Gallipoli as a catastrophic tragedy, facilitated by confusing tactics and problems that allowed the enemy to prepare for the attack (Stephenson 2011). However, despite awful circumstances, the Marines still managed several successes demonstrating that they were a significant force on the ground in the capacity of infantry. Many of the experiences acquired by soldiers in World War I were valuable resources that were applied again in the experiences they would go through in WWII (Stephenson 2011). This essay has detailed the many triumphs of the Royal Navy; however, of them all the Zeebruge campaign was arguably the most important in strategic terms (Koerver 2010). After dealing with frightful conditions and dreadful weather, the Marines still managed to carry out their responsibilities and sabotage the canal (Stephenson 2011). Their accomplishments led to an unintentional benefit of giving a confidence boost and momentum for all British soldiers involved in the conflict in other places (Knight 2006). As a final, but by no means insignificant point, the importance of the Royal Navy as a blockading force deserves a mention. The efforts of the marines and the navy kept Germany surrounded, creating barrier to many trade routes and ports, causing starvation and eventually defeat. This contributed to higher levels of bankruptcy, as Germany exhausted its finances trying to keep up with Britain (Stephenson 2011; Osbourne 2004). In conclusion, is clear that the Royal Navy was an indispensible strategic tool during WWI. It had the capacity to fight effectively in different environments and landscapes, as has been outlined in the narrative sections of this essay. It was also useful in observing and introducing a wide range of tactics, strategies, and military equipment to Britain, which helped to evolve many modern aspects of warfare that are still with us today (Knight 2006). Its versatility on land and sea, moreover, which has been outlined throughout this essay in description of campaigns, was enormously useful. In concrete terms, the most essential raids that consolidated included Antwerp, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, and Zeebruge, all of which involved the Royal Navy. Of course, it certainly had its shortcomings, and some of its failures and blunders have been discussed. However, this is an inevitable part of the operations of any force. In the end, while the Germans lost the war for a wide range of reasons, the impact of the British Royal Navy was certainly one of them; it was undoubtedly of great strategic value. Reference List Benbow, T Naval Warfare 1914-1918: From Coronel to the Atlantic and Zeebrugge. 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