Sir Wilfrid Laurier :: essays research papers

Sir Wilfrid Laurier The first French Canadian to become prime minister of Canada was Wilfrid Laurier. Although French was his native tongue, he became a master of the English language. This and his picturesque personality made him popular throughout Canada, and he led the young country in a 15-year period of great development. Wilfrid Laurier was born in St-Lin, Quebec, and studied law at McGill University. After three years in the Quebec legislature, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1874. There he rose rapidly to leadership. Although he was a French Canadian and a Roman Catholic, he was chosen leader of the Liberal party in 1887. Nine years later he became prime minister. He was knighted in 1897. "Build up Canada" were the watchwords of Laurier's government. Laurier was loyal to Great Britain, sent Canadian volunteers to help in the Boer War, established a tariff favorable to British goods, and worked to strengthen the ties between the two countries. But he saw the British Empire as a worldwide alliance of free and equal nations, and he opposed every attempt to limit Canada's freedom. Laurier's liberal immigration policy brought hundreds of thousands of settlers to the western provinces. He reduced postal rates, promoted the building of railroads needed for national expansion, and appointed a commission to regulate railroad rates. After 15 years in office his government was defeated, presumably on the issue of reciprocal trade with the United States. Laurier believed, however, that his political defeat was caused primarily by opponents in Ontario who considered him too partial to Roman Catholic interests in Quebec. Prior to World War I, Laurier tried forcefully to support the formation of a Canadian navy. His own Liberal party defeated this measure, however, and Canada entered the war without a fleet of its own. During the early years of World War I, Laurier supported the war policy of Sir Robert Borden's Conservative government. In 1917 he refused to join a coalition government that was formed to uphold conscription. Laurier felt that he could not back a measure so unpopular in the province of Quebec. Wilfrid Laurier's regime lasted 15 years. It was one of renewed growth and prosperity. The Manitoba School Question was promptly hushed up by new legislation enacted by the province in accordance with a compromise worked out with Ottawa. To his Cabinet Laurier drew some of the most capable leaders from every part of Canada. Business throughout the world was on an upswing, and the Laurier government was determined to get in on the action. The demand for Canadian wheat abroad encouraged immigration, and immigration in turn

Post-graduate Traveling Fellowship Recipient Essay -- Environmental Ec

Post-graduate Traveling Fellowship Recipient "With every step, you are met by the most bizarre and wonderful forms," she told me. I have never heard someone talk about nature in the way that my host mother in France did. She has not been able to return to what she calls "the jungles of Madagascar"-her birthplace-but images of wild and beautiful greenness have never left her mind. In Madagascar, there are two hundred thousand different species of living things; ninety-three percent of them are endemic to this island. Wide-eyed lemurs and bright red Fody birds can be found nowhere else in the world. Nature has made of Madagascar an isolated and thriving sanctuary for flowers, frogs, and monkeys different from those created elsewhere. This island is a place of magic and wonder. Yet while the baobob tree-locally called the monkey bread tree-once dotted the landscape of Madagascar, it is rapidly being deforested to make way for agriculture. Indeed, each year, thirty percent of Madagascar's land is burned or reburned. This practice not only threatens the habitat of unique wildlife; it is turning the country into an eroded and uninhabitable wasteland. The need for subsistence in this poverty-stricken nation has led many people to conceive of the immense natural resources of the island for their economic value alone. Yet if forestry and agricultural practices are to be sustainable, and if the magic and wonder of Madagascar are to be preserved for future generations, the Malagasy will need to conceive of their natural environment in a different way. Only through direct contact with environmental reality can students develop a real appreciation and understanding of nature that leads to a sense of stewardship and a desire to protec... ...n Antananarivo, these university students will assume director's roles and the program will thus expand to include more interested children. Upon my departure, these directors will completely take over and urban environmental education in Antananarivo will continue. Through public service, I have come to see the role of teacher as a creator of possibility. Through my proposed urban environmental education program in Antananarivo, Madagascar, I hope to create the opportunity for urban kids to have frequent and direct contact with ecological processes through which experience they might come to see their environment in a new and more sustainable way. In the end, my hope is to create the possibility that my host mother's children and her grandchildren might one day see "the jungles of Madagascar" where she was born and experience the magic and wonder she describes.

Seymour Butts

Hi my name is Seymour butts. My fathers name is moby dick. My favorite color is black. My favorite food is pizza. I just got a new fish yesterday. I named him bluey. You want to know why, because he is blue. Today is was cloudy outside but it never rained. That’s a bumer. I rode in a hummer on Sunday. It was cool. I also went to the movies. I haven’t been to the movies in a long time. I went to the beach today. It was wavey. I have a dog named blacky. Because he is black. I come up with unique names. I had chicken stew for dinner tonight. That is my favorite thing to make. I also had a corn muffin with it.I just got done swimming in the pool. I do not have a pool. Fooled you. It is seventy six degrees in my house. That is very cold. It is twenty degrees outside. That is really hot. I cleaned my house today. It was very dirty. It took me all day to clean it. I love to clean the house. I don’t know how it got so dirty. Now the house does not have to be cleaned for another two years. I just dropped a glass plate and it shattered everywhere. Oh well. It was not my plate anyway. Well I hope this essay entertained you. It sure entertained me. All of this is true. That was a lie. I am just kidding.

Martin Yan’s Biography Essay

Culinary Arts is widely acknowledged today as the art of cooking, and its popularity is increasing all over the world. There are numerous renowned and skilled chefs who have become well-known for their knowledge, creativity, and passion on culinary arts. Today, a lot of gifted chefs are getting famous for their cooking shows, cook books, and different contributions to the world of culinary arts. One of the famous and respectable chefs in the world is Martin Yan. Martin Yan is a Chinese-American chef; he was born in Guangzhou China on the year 1948. His father was a restaurateur, and his mother operates a grocery store. Martin started and learned how to cook at the age of 12. He decided to move and live in Hong Kong when he reached the age of 13 years old and studied in Kowloon City in Munsang College. Martin experienced working for his uncle’s Chinese restaurant and learned a lot of traditional methods of Chinese cooking. He then got the opportunity to study in Canada and later got his masters degree in food science in University of California in Davis on 1975. He finally got the passion for teaching and became a professor in the university’s extension program, and he also appeared on a local TV talk show in Calgary, Canada in the year 1978 (Yan Can Cook, 2008). Since then, he has been hosting different cooking shows. Among these shows is â€Å"Yan Can Cook,† now a popular cooking show which started in the year 1982 (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). He became a celebrity indeed, winning different awards from his enthusiasm, talent, interest, and creativity as a culinary chef. He received the â€Å"James Bean Award for best television cooking show† in 1994, and two years later, he was granted an award for â€Å"best television food journalism† by the same award-giving body (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). In 1998, he won an â€Å"Emmy Award for the best cooking show† (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). In addition, he also received an award from the â€Å"Chef’s Association of the Pacific Coast† and the â€Å"Courvoisier Leadership Award† on the Antonin Award (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p.). He also sometimes appears on a cartoon talk show called â€Å"Space Ghost† which is now currently airing in the Cartoon Network show â€Å"Adult Swim† (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). He was also a part of the Singaporean movie â€Å"Rice Rhapsody† during the year 2005. He currently hosts his own show entitled â€Å"Martin Yan Quick and Easy† and can be seen sometimes as one of the judges in the popular show â€Å"Iron Chef of America† (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). Nowadays, he is also hosting â€Å"Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking,† a show wherein he tours different Chinatowns all over the world (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). The format of his shows encompasses the different approaches and styles in Asian cooking; he travels in different places all over the world to introduce a certain local cuisine on TV (Yan Can Cook, 2008). Aside from hosting and having different cooking shows, Martin Yan has published several cookbooks as well, wherein he introduces Chinese American culinary arts all over the world. He wrote about 25 different cookbooks, which include â€Å"Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking† and â€Å"Chinese Cooking for Dummies† which also won an award (â€Å"Martin Yan Biography,† 2008, n. p. ). His main objective is to represent the Asian culture and culinary arts not only in the western part of the world but around the globe as well (â€Å"Martin Yan Biography,† 2008). Martin Yan is one of the most famous guest instructors at different culinary institutions and academies mostly in the Western and Asian part of the world such as the â€Å"Wales University, California Culinary Academy, Chinese Cuisine Institute in Hong Kong, the Culinary Institute in America, University of San Francisco and the Chinese chef training programs in North America† (â€Å"Martin Yan Biography,† 2008, n. p. ). Furthermore, Martin Yan also founded his own culinary school in San Francisco California named â€Å"Yan Can International Cooking School† (Martin Yan Biography, 2008, n. p. ). Like his father, he also became a restaurateur; he opened the Yan Can Restaurant in 2002 in San Francisco bay area in California. His restaurant offers Asian menu, and it is more likely to have different branches all over the world in the years to come (â€Å"Martin Yan Biography,† 2008). Martin Yan has greatly contributed in the culinary industry. He became a culinary diplomat for the American Culinary Federation. He received a doctorate degree in culinary arts for his contribution to the food and hospitality industry. Moreover, he also received a doctorate degree in humane letters from the Colorado Institute of Art. Aside from that, he also received an exceptional recognition from his peers as a master chef. In 2001, he became an inductee of â€Å"James Beard Foundation’s D’Artagnan Cervena Who’s Who of Food and Beverage,† which honors food and beverage professionals for their significant and lasting achievements (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). Thus, due to his success in the culinary arts industry, he became a respected professional chef and a member of different prestigious organizations such as the â€Å"American Institute of Wine and Food, American Culinary Federation, Chinese Cuisine Research Institute, Chef’s Association of the Pacific Coast, Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers, Institute of Food Technologists, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and American Author’s Guild† (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). There are vast number of chefs that people can watch on TV and different cookbooks made available for everyone, but Martin Yan has become exceptional because of the distinct Asian influence he brought in the industry of culinary arts. With all the awards and honors Martin Yan received, he is regarded as one of the top famous culinary chef all over the world. He has made a lot of worldwide remarks on the culinary arts and greatly influenced countless chefs, professionals, and people with his passion and knowledge in the art of culinary. He has shaped a lot of people to become a good chef. He teaches and passes his knowledge to other people so that he will always be reminded with his own style and contributions in the culinary world. Hence, with his cooking shows, cookbooks, and teachings that focus on the Asian culinary arts and culture, Martin Yan is continuously inspiring people to pursue their passion. References Martin Yan Biography. (2008). American Entertainment International Speakers Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://www. aeispeakers. com/print. php? SpeakerID=1103 Yan Can Cook. (2008). Meet the chef. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://yancancook. com/mybio. htm

Forest life changes the characters Essay

In Shakespeare’s As you like it, we find the characters attempting to escape the court. What they specifically are escaping from are the ‘briars’ of the ‘working day world’. The imagery of briar bushes specifically enacts a form of entanglement; that the world of the court is entrapping and the people in it are reflected as such. What is ‘comely envenoms him that bears it’, highlighting a reverse polarisation of morality, that what is good is a hindrance in the world of the court. This is paralleled by what Touchstone (who represents the court as a jester, whom were always in the service of the court) says; ‘The sweetest nut hath the sourest rind’. Indeed, the usurper is viewed as the rightful ruler of the court whereas the rightful ruler is branded an outlaw. So the characters escape to the forest in order to cleanse themselves of ‘th’infected world’ (Playing upon the previous mention of ‘envenoms’ as a form of physical affliction that requires cathartic release). One can argue that the characters do respond to the forest, and their characters change as such. One particularly significant example is how Shakespeare constructs the forest as a place of alternative knowledge; Duke Senior finds that the ‘winds are his councillors’ and that the ‘trees shall be my (his) books’, that they find ‘sermons in stones’. This highlights the homiletic edification that occurs when one engages with nature, and indeed, this is paralleled by the discourse expressed between Rosalind and Celia in Act I, where they comment on how fortune (A product of the court) and nature (Of the forest) are at odds with one another; ‘Fortune reigns in gifts of the world/not in the lineaments of nature’. The escapism of the forest is further expressed when the gentlemen become ‘merry men’ and ‘brothers in exile’ highlighting how they are able to ‘fleet time as they did in the golden age’, with the ‘merry men’ alluding exclusively to the notion of ‘Robin hood’, who represents an active rebellion against the court, suggesting an underlying romanticisation of what it is to be an outlaw. Indeed, defying social norms appears to be what the forest epitomises, and as such, Rosalind even changes all perception of her by becoming ‘Ganymede’, she essentially dresses up to become someone different. Finally, we find the two main ‘villains’ of the story; Duke Frederick and Oliver have a very quick change of heart from the forest, which in both cases turn out to be spectacular examples of Deus Ex Machina, both being equally contrived but portrayed as legitimately woven into the story. So in that sense, the forest is a healing force. However, there is an argument for the opposite; that the forest is exactly the same as the court and no significant change occurs. One of the biggest examples of this lies in the speech of Lord 1 regarding the murder of a deer. The deer are portrayed as ‘native burghers’ in their own ‘desert city’, who retreat ‘from the hunters aim’ into a ‘sequestered’ ‘languish’. Jaques remarks then about how the foresters are the ‘mere usurpers’ who ‘kill them up/in their assign’d and native dwelling place’. This is particularly significant because a parallel is drawn between the deer and the foresters, the deer is escaping usurpation in much the same way the foresters are, this is further enhanced by the fact that the deer has a ‘leathern coat’, a deliberate wording by Shakespeare to highlight the parallels it has with its human usurpers. This usurpation is shown elsewhere in the book, Rosalind who buys the shepherds ‘passion’ (Livelihood) because it is ‘much upon her fashion’, suggesting a transitory or arbitrary desire, devoid of consideration for the fact that the shepherd derives his survival from his flock. Indeed, she wishes to ‘waste her time’ here, rather than use it for any meaningful purpose. Other aspects of the court are also filtered into the forest to enact a distinct lack of change. The notion of the ‘merry men’ and ‘brothers in exile’ is immediately undermined by the fact that the duke is referred to as ‘your grace’, implying that the hierarchy of society is still in place, despite their attempts to gloss over it. Indeed, the very nature of them dressing up as foresters when they are in fact ‘gentlemen’ enacts the nature of the ‘painted pomp’ that is alluded to when referring to the court. The word ‘pompous’ implies a level of self-importance and unnecessary grandiose, which is ever present in the forest; ‘to blow on whom I please’ (IE, to do as I wish). Conventionally in the pastoral, the return to ‘reality’ (In this instance, the court) is forced due to the ephemeral nature of Arcadia. However, at the end of the play here, we find that the characters easily cast off their ‘disguises’ as if they had never left, willingly returning to the court, signifying that there must have been little difference between the two worlds, and emphasising the fact that the court has been a constant throughout the play. One of the most famous quotes of the play, ‘All the world is a stage’ is particularly significant here also. Throughout the story, the ‘motley coat’ (Emblematic of the fool) has been alluded to, and it represents the ‘players’ and by extension, the audience as a whole. If we are all ‘players’ as in a play, with ‘their exists and entrances/and many parts’, then we are all fundamentally acting like the foresters all the time, we all are part of the same outcome. Indeed, at the very end, we all are ‘sans teeth, sans taste, sans everything’, emphasising the fact we all end up subjected to time and age, no better for our experiences in life. This is particularly ironic of course, because earlier on in the story, the forest is described as having ‘no clock’, but it is infact time that undoes all as expressed in this passage, enacting the futility of escape and the absence of any change in outcome from action. Finally, we have the ephemeral nature of the escape for the audience. As alluded to in the preceding paragraph, the audience are ‘players’ and actors in the play to, but do they change? At the very end, within the epilogue, Rosalind breaks the fourth wall, essentially undermining the experience of the play, returning the audience from the ‘forest’ (The imaginative space of the play) to the ‘court’ (Reality). She directly remarks upon the fact that it is a play, that it is a constructed narration and further commends it to be watched by the friends of the audience (Cementing the notion of ‘realism’ in the fact that the play is a commercial enterprise at heart, not a creative escape).

Toward a Typology of Food Security in Developing Countries,Governance Division, and International Food Policy Research Institute. Essay

Global Food Supplies Introduction Question 1                   Globalization and technology enable food producers to access a wider market, increase opportunities, and competition with food supply and consumption. Countries and agricultural multinationals position their supply systems, according tothe global market. Food supply requires a systematic analysis of the food production processes and strategies for ensuring consistency in production and supply chain. Collaboration and partnerships at various levels has been adopted to facilitate in large-scale production, processing, and supply. The following study will discuss the problems with global food supplies, possible solutions, and the implicationsof the suggested solutions. Discussion                   According to Bingxin et al. (2010),availability of food, its accessibility, utility of food, and stability are vital in global food supply.These are the conceptual factors of food supply and food security. Availability of food in one part of the world does not guarantee supply to the parts with scarcity. Accessibility of food is dependent on international relations between countries and international organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Utility of food affects supply of food because of the cultural orientation towards certain types of food. Other than the conceptual aspects, Thomsett (2011) and Olson (2012) believed that problems in the food supply could stem from the product value chain and the supply chain. The food process chain may comprise of production at the farm level, storage, processing facilities, transportation of the processed foodstuff, distributors, and retailers. Farmers require modern technology and machines to handl e the produce into the form that can be exported. Lack of processing mills and plants limit the food supply into the developed economies (Bingxin et al., 2010). Inadequate storage facilities affect the global food supply because of food wastageat the production level. Perishable foodstuff requires quick transportation and modern preservation methods such as the use of refrigerators (Frankenberger et al., 2014).                   Geopolitical interests andsanctions affect global food supply. Countries that face sanctions may be limited in terms of the types of food they can import or export. For instance,sanctions have affected food supply Europe to Russia in the current sanctions between the some of the countries in Europe and Russia. North Korea also faces challenges in the food supplybecause of sanctions (Thomsett, 2011).Olson (2012) indicated that terrorism affects food supply because of the disruption of the food production and supply chain. Terrorism also affects the farming system because the farmers take alternatives that suit the prevailing conditions in the regions that are prone to terrorism.Agricultural terrorism affects global food supply. Agricultural terrorism is a form of bioterrorism where terrorists introduce animal and plant disease in the region in order to destabilize food production (Olson, 2012). Climate change and natural disasters cause problems in global food supply. Climate change affects the agricultural systems by causing shortages in water supply, flooding, and general inconstancies in weather conditions. Uncertainties in weather make prediction and planning difficult for farmers a factor that eventually affects global food supply (Thomsett, M, 2011; Bingxin et al., 2010).                   Carpenter et al. (2013) held the view that decentralization of food production would help in reducing the challenges of global food supply. Decentralization augments the conceptual aspects of food supply such as accessibility and stability. In this case,the logistics of ensuring the food reaches the consumer are less complicated because the food is within the locality of the user. Adoption of better food production methods and technologies can also help in dealing with the threats of global food supply. Mechanized farming and research in drought tolerant crops are some of the modern approaches that ensure consistency in food supply(Frankenberger et al., 2014).                   Improved international relations with the trade partners and collaboration in research and food production will enhance global food supply. Countries and food producers may sign trade agreements that facilitate food supply. Negotiations on specific food processing and quality can improveworld food supply. Farmers and food processing multinational may share technologies and intelligence on bioterrorism to reduce agricultural terrorism (Carpenter et al., 2013; Olson, 2012).                   Decentralization of food production affects the management of production and product copyrights.Different countries and regions have unique approaches to food production. The climatic and physical conditions differ from one country to another. Decentralization of production will require a strategy of aligning the processes, policies, and objectives of all the stakeholders.High costs of adoption and mitigation measures for climate change and natural disasters affect food supply. Research on crops, animals, and farming systems that are tolerant to climate change requires long terms strategies and resources(Carpenter et al., 2013; Olson, 2012). Conclusion                   Stability in global food supply requires a multidimensional approach. Olson (2012) showed that dealing with bioterrorism involves researchers in agricultural biotechnology and the security agencies. According toFrankenberger (2014) sustainable food supply, depends on sharing technical information on climate change. Capacity building at the production level affects the consistency of food supply. Technical information on greenhouse emissions at the local level and on a global scale can help in formulating policies on sustainability of the supply chain. Food supply also relies on the co-operation of food supply multinationals, Non-Governmental organizations, and trade organizations. References Bingxin, Y et al. 2010, Toward a Typology of Food Security in Developing Countries,Governance Division, and International Food Policy Research Institute. Carpenter, J, Moore, M, Alexander, N, & Doherty, M 2013, ‘Consumer demographics, Ethno centralism, cultural values, and consumer culture in a retail perspective’, Journal of marketing management, 29, 4, pp. 271- 291. Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Frankenberger, T, Costas, M, Nelson, S, & Starr, L 2014, Building resilience for food and nutrition. Washington, DC: International food Policy research Institute. Olson, D 2012, Agroterrorism: threats to America’s economy and food supply, FBI law enforcement bulletin, Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Thomsett, M 2011, ‘Global supply chain risk management: Viewing the past to manage today’s risk from an historical perspective’, Review of management innovation and creativity, 4, 9, pp.44-64, Business source complete, EBSCOHost, viewed 13 December 2014. Source document

Is Google Making Us Stupid Essay

In his article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid,† Nicholas Carr, a former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review and a member of the steering board for the World Economic Forum’s cloud computing project, criticizes the overall impact of the internet, as a whole, on the human process of thought, comparing his past level of conception to â€Å"a scuba diver in a sea of words† whereas his current understanding simply â€Å"zip[s] along the surface† (Carr 68). Carr targets the prominent internet search engine as the black sheep for web user’s dwindling in capacity to comprehend and concentrate on high-brow literature. However, due to the fact that the objective of the corporation is to ultimately be monetarily successful, Google’s approach to providing proficient, while immediate, information is not based upon their own preference, but rather that of its’ consumers. Based on trends on college campuses, Scott Carlson, a journalist for The Chronicle, finds the number of students using libraries has drastically decreased over the years, using the convenient â€Å"‘virtual library’† at their disposal instead (Carlson 1). This infers research found on the internet is the same, and or suffice to that acquired from a hard-back encyclopedia, periodical, etc. Therefore, while I agree with the general trend of decreased absorption Carr suggests, the internet still contributes to human potential for critical, deep thought through the application of habituation and the numerous online resources offering the equivalent of any printed scholarly work. My inclination to agree with Carr’s theory is solely based on his reference to the work of Maryanne Wolf, a developmental psychologist, who elicits that the skill of deciphering symbolic characters into an understood language is not instinctive (Carr 69). Instead, in parallel to any activity one would like to develop themselves in, â€Å"practicing the craft of reading play[s] an important part in shaping the neural circuits inside our brains† (69). The many interruptions encompassing the internet, such as info-thickets, e-mails, headlines, blog posts, etc., undermine the brains’ ability to transfer newly learned information into your long-term memory. Multitasking by attempting to read bits and pieces of a handful of information online is not beneficial and rather proves to be a less efficient way of preserving knowledge. According to the Social Science Research Network, in a study of the brain’s ability to process various data, switching mindsets proved to incite mental exhaustion. By analyzing the affects of these assorted changes in five separate experiments, the researcher found that â€Å"switching mindsets is an executive function that consumes self-regulatory resources and therefore renders people relatively unsuccessful in their self-regulatory endeavors,† simply concluding that it is in one’s best interest to â€Å"try to change hats as infrequently as possible† (Hamilton 10). Like muscle memory, the brain retains its ability to understand complex literature material only if training, or reading, is continuous. Yet, skipping out on the workouts of â€Å"immersing [oneself] in a book†¦or getting caught up in the narrative† will overtime deteriorate this strength, depreciating a powerful recollection into a weak grasp (Carr 67). Though I concede that skimming online undermines one’s effort behind scholarly reading, I still insist that the internet provides more benefits than detriments. The nature of technology, in general, broadens our potential to change our environment and has historically provided the power for civilizations to develop. From the late 21st century to the present the World Wide Web has been that force and statistics show its presence directly draws a parallel to an improvement of our brainpower. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, seventy six percent of technology stakeholders and critics disagree with Carr and accept the statement: â€Å"people’s use of the Internet has enhanced human intelligence; as people are allowed unprecedented access to more information they become smarter and make better choices† (Anderson 1). While thirty two percent of professionals, like Association for Computing Machinery U.S. Public Policy Councilman Gene Spafford, think â€Å"most writing online is devolving toward†¦quick, throwaway notes with abbreviations and threaded references,† the overwhelming majority agrees that by 2020 the internet will have boosted and advanced our ability to comprehend, inscribe and exchange knowledge (Anderson 10). These statistics are vital because they shed light on the long term positive effects of Google and the Internet, altering the premises people have established prior to research. The argument of advertisements being distracting and undermining the reader’s focus is a valid point. Carr describes these commercials as overwhelming â€Å"the medium’s content with hyperlinks, blinking ads, and other digital gewgaws,† which scatter our interest and distribute our attentiveness (Carr 71). However, the law of habituation refutes this theory, stating that our response toward a stimulus lessens with increased exposure. According to the Harris Poll, sixty three percent of U.S adults completely ignore banner and search engine advertisements and ninety one percent ignore nearly all commercialized announcements (Braverman 1). The perception Carr creates of ads, specifically hyperlinks, is misleading for he depicts the internet user to have very little say, if any, and is often coerced into utilizing the resource. In reality, rather than â€Å"propelling you toward [related works],† they merely serve as suggestions used at the expense of the consumer (Carr 67). What Carr does not draw attention to throughout his article is the fact that internet tools, like cookies, and hyperlinks, are solely approaches supporting the web’s convenience. Therefore, a correlation may exist between the surfing of the internet and lower reading comprehension and concentration levels, but there is no way to measure an online reader’s intent and correspond it to the depth of what they read. Carr is mistaken because he overlooks the serving nature of the internet and attempts to draw parallels between Google and Taylorism. The â€Å"industrial choreography† of Taylorism suggests that in order to achieve maximum results, an individual system of work must be established (71). By drawing this comparison, he utterly disregards human ingenuity, depicting internet users as cookie cutters following â€Å"the perfect algorithm† to suit our requests (72). As Peter Norvig, Google Research Director, conveys, â€Å"Taylorism shifts responsibility from worker to management, institutes a standard method for each job/Google does the opposite, shifting responsibility from management to the worker, encouraging creativity in each job† (Anderson 2). While Carr presents a suitable case to support his dilemma, his tendency to prove the null hypothesis of Google is overly pessimistic. His argument that the long term influence of the internet on our comprehension and concentration will be damaging is blemished. Although researching online may not be traditional, exposure to information we intentionally choose to look at only leads to obtained knowledge we did not know before. I italicize intentionally to make a point: the medium of information people use is based on their preference. When discussing reading over scholarly literature versus scanning for a quick answer, the fact is both are optional at the disposal of the consumer. In response to advertisements being distracting, not only are there web sites containing few, if any, but humans generally ignore them as well. Thus, if it were definitively true that the intelligence Google provides was overall harmful, the blame could not be put on the corporation. Instead, the people whom the business adhere to are at fault. Because of these reasons, and the strong correlation between the internet’s unlimited amount of knowledge and improving intellect, Google and the Web as a whole are large contributors to human potential. Works Cited Braverman, Samantha. â€Å"Are Advertisers Wasting Their Money?† PR Newswire. Harris Interactive, 3 Dec. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. Carr, Nicholas. â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† The New Humanities Reader. Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. 4th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 67-74. Print. Carlson, Scott. â€Å"Technology As Students Work Online, Reading Rooms Empty Out –Leading Some Campuses to Add Starbucks.† The Chronicle. The Chronicle, 16 Nov. 2001. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. Hamilton, Ryan, Kathleen Vohs, Tom Meyvis, and Anne-Laure Sellier. â€Å"Being of Two Minds: Switching Mindsets Exhausts Self-Regulatory Resources.† Social Science Research Network. Social Science Electronic Publishing, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. Rainie, Lee, and Janna Anderson. â€Å"Future of the Internet IV.† Pew Internet & American Life Project. Pew Research Center, 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Sept. 2012.