“Cassablanca” And “Gone With The Wind” Essay

From the great scientist Thomas Alva Edison marks the birth of the most brilliant inventions of all time that has changed the lives of the human race over time. That [is] the debut of the photographic equipment that can record and play series of shots accompanied by sound, popularly called motion picture. By motion picture we mean, films or movies. However the real definition covers the television media as a whole, starting from movies, commercials, TV series, to news and the like. For centuries, motion pictures have portrayed a great role in influencing the lives of the human population which are dominating in the mainstream culture. Decades after decades or maybe year after year from its birth, the transition of motion pictures has evolved as technology continues to reach its infinite summit. From black and white to colored films, blasted with computer generated special effects nowadays, this has become a form of entertainment that is continuously patronized. Not only do motion pictures provide entertainment, but also it can provide education to the audience. For the great Thomas Alva Edison said that motion picture is going to revolutionize the educational system. Because of this extensive array that films provide this has mark the advent of the film industry. There has been no doubt that films are continuously patronized by its consumers. And as the economy film industry booms, there has also an increase in the category or the variety of films from which consumers can choose. The types of movies classified by the Motion Picture Research Bureau in 1942 includes: Comedies (which can have subtypes such as sophisticated, slapstick, family life, musical), war pictures, mystery and horror pictures, historicals and biographies, fantasies, western pictures, gangster and G-men pictures, serious dramas, love stories, romantic pictures, socially significant pictures, adventure, action pictures, musicals (serious), child star pictures, and (Wild) animal pictures. Others have classified motion pictures according to function. Such classification includes: feature films, animated films, documentaries, experimental films, industrial films, and educational films. When movies are classified according to type, this becomes more beneficial to most of the film producers. This is because they could sell out their films easily for their audience knows what to look forward to because it is much easier to familiarize generic films. This types of pictures use a series of repeating visual themes which allows the viewers to understand the collective information regarding characters, situations, and overall message of any film. Since audience always expect that there is some element of novelty in any film. Technology paved its way to allow innovation for such films to have generic consistency. In many ways, for historians, thinking about genre can expose what might have been ideologically `familiar` to viewers in a time period, and also what they might have perceived as daring or unfamiliar. Every film documents the historical accounts in a genre where people can relate themselves because this is what is happening in their society. Such example is the motion picture during the period where the renowned scientist Thomas Alva Edison lives up to the present genre of motion pictures in computer age. Films indeed mark every course of the world’s history. Contemporary films starting from the 1930’s up to the 1960’s were films which covers the historical events that took place during those times. Films like Casablanca (released in 1942) and Gone with the Wind (released in 1939) retells the history of the Nazi invasion (in Casablanca) and the American Civil War (in Gone with the Wind). These two films reflect the social condition of the people during the Nazi-invasion and during the American Civil War. Casablanca The people living between 1930’s to 1960’s can easily relate to Casablanca for the setting of the story was during the Second World War. Casablanca is a story that revolves around Rick Blaine who is a bitter, cynical American, owner of â€Å"Rick’s Cafe Americain†. The nightclub/casino attracts a mixed clientele of Vichy French and Nazi officials, refugees and thieves. Although Rick professes â€Å"not to stick out his neck to everybody†, he still manages to help those who are in need and involves himself to people like Ugarte. Ugarte killed two German couriers to get the letters of transit which is a passport to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and from there to the United States. And because everybody wants to escape the hostilities of Europe, Ugarte plans to make a fortune out of the letter. However, before he tries to do so he was arrested and was killed under the command of under the command of Captain Louis Renault. Not knowingly, Ugarte had entrusted the letters to Rick. All the bitterness in Rick’s love affair would flashback when his ex-lover Ilsa arrives with her husband Victor, a Czech Resistance leader, to buy the letters. The needs to go to America so that Victor can continue his work. However, Laszlo is eyed by German Major Strasser. Laszlo as advised by Signor Ferrari, meets with Rick privately to get the letters, however Rick refuses to give the letters and request for Ilsa instead. Interrupted by Strasser’s group who led to sing the German patriotic song, Laszlo was infuriated. Then Laszlo tells the house band to play the French national anthem. Rick allowed the band to play the song which lead Strasser to order Renault to close the club. Rick refuses Ilsa to give the documents even though he was threatened by her. And then Ilsa confesses that she still loves Rick, explaining why she had left Rick without explanation that day in Paris and Return to Laszlo. After hearing the whole detail, Rick agrees to help, leading her to believe that she will stay behind with him when Laszlo leaves. From the story alone it appears that Casablanca was really loved by many people because the movie shows the hardships of the people during World War II. The film also tries to show how people desperately want to get out of Europe to seek an orderly life in America. The film also shows that because the Nazi ceased all trades in Europe, these people living in Casablanca have to resort to black market in order to survive. Moreover the film centralizes its theme to the myth of sacrifice. The idea of sacrifice reassures the audience of this time who were caught in distraught during the war. The love triangle in the movie represents the emotional struggle of a woman caught between two men has given an entertaining value for the film. Gone with the Wind Another contemporary movie that is another prototype of Casablanca is Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind is a story of a difficult woman Scarlett O’ Hara who is supposed to be an heir of a large cotton plantation until the American Civil War came. Scarlett falls in love with Ashley Wilkes however Ashley is hopelessly in love with his cousin Melanie whom he proposes to marry. When Scarlett heard the news she also got married to Ashley’s comrade but then she became widow as her husband died in the war. On the other side of the story Rhett Butler, a businessman and a visitor in Tara was attracted to Scarlett however Scarlett never entertains the idea. During the war Scarlett serves as a nurse in the refuge of soldiers who gets wounded in the fight. And as things get worst, Rhett Butler was there to help and sends Scarlett to her home in Tara together with Melanie. As the life in Tara gets harder because of the Civil War and Yankees try to get all the pieces of land they could get in the South. Scarlett decided to go to Rhett and ask Rhett to help her. However Rhett turned Scarlett down and so Scarlett went to the rich lover of one of her sisters and professes her love. Soon she remarries and got rich again. She started managing a timber business together with Ashley. Not long enough Scarlett became a widow for the second time and soon she got married to Rhett. They have a child named Bonnie, but still they were fighting for Scarlett was so insistent on not having a child again. Rhett thought that all of this has something to do with her love for Ashley so they became separated for a while. A tragic incident happen when Scarlett lost her second child and Bonnie. Scarlett realized how much he loved Rhett and professes her love to him. But Rhett still decided to leave her. Gone with the Wind was loved by many people for they can relate to War movies at that time likewise with Casablanca. People were entertained because they could easily put themselves into the character and into the situation where they live. The element of love story in the film tries to show that we should still be hopeful amidst tragic event for as Scarlett O’ Hara said in the finale â€Å"tomorrow is another day†. Love can never be lost in every war for it is where sacrifices and hopes come from. People enjoyed watching those films that time for film is the only form of escape from the reality of life. Despite the war people can think that they can still love no matter how hard life is.

Iraq War Essay

The Iraq War has attracted news coverage from around the world. Various television stations in countries like the US and the UK have news correspondents and news bureaus in the area to cover war-related updates and happenings. However, there were concerns on how media frames and delivers their news. Most of these news reports are accused of being biased, choosing to show only the negative aspects of the war. Two authors have written about this occurrence. One of them points out that most of the stories that reaches the audience is negative, while the other one points out the flaws reporting only the good aspects of war. By critically analyzing these two articles, it is possible to gain useful information as to why the news coverage in Iraq are framed as such. The first article is The Real Iraq Story by Karl Zinsmeister. This talks about the bias towards negative news by the foreign news coverage (Zinsmeister, 2004). It cites certain examples of bad news coverage in Iraq. From the plight of detainees in an Iraqi prison to the power shortages in Iraqi towns and cities, foreign news teams like CNN and BBC clearly chose to report on the negative aspects of certain topics. According to Zinmeister, this type of media coverage clearly affects how people around the world see the Iraq war. By showing mostly the negative aspects of the war, people tend to overlook its purpose. By showing the prison conditions of the detainees, the people are more drawn to the cruelties of war, instead of thinking who these detainees were. On the other hand, Phillip Carter’s The dark side of Iraq’s good news talks about the bias on the good news by recent Iraqi reports (Carter, 2007). These are more recent than the bias on negative news by foreign news correspondents, and these were reported by the Iraqi media. These reports are mostly about the declining Iraqi civilian death toll, increasing number of Iraqis joining US military to secure neighborhoods, and the capture of top insurgent leaders. Despite the majority of the good news, the author argues that focusing on these topics may mislead the people. They could develop a false sense of security, which would just worsen their situation. Going back to Zinsmeister article, we can assume that there is a motive behind the mostly negative news coverage. As the war continues, more and more people are starting to oppose it, doubting the intentions of those who are pursuing it. Political leaders like US President George W. Bush attracted the opposition of the international community because of the US occupation of Iraq in relation to his war on terror. If we relate this to the negative news coverage in Iraq, then it is possible that this is one way of opposing those who pursue this war. News coverage like this clearly draws out the sympathy of the people, especially if they continue to see its negative side. On the other hand, the mostly positive Iraqi news coverage could mean the opposite. By reporting only the good news, the media are trying to build up a positive image for Iraq. By reporting every improving statistic and leaving out the negative ones, people can be lulled to believing that indeed, Iraq has improved greatly. However, with mostly the positive news being covered, it seems that the Iraqi media are overdoing it and would appear that they’re just covering up the real scenario (Kelly, 2007). Moreover, this faulty news coverage had the international community thinking: can the Iraqi people really do it? Will they be able to stand on their own after the war? References: Carter, P. (2007). The dark side of Iraq’s good news. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://www. slate. com/id/2177250/ Kelly, M. L. (2007). Good, Bad News in Iraq Intelligence Estimate. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=13920438 Zinsmeister, K. (2004). The Real Iraq Story. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from http://www. nationalreview. com/comment/zinsmeister200408040849. asp

Steroids in baseball

As time has evolved and science in medicine has grown, it seems that steroid use has become more and more popular amongst baseball players. We now find our baseball players in the â€Å"Steroids Era†. Steroids help athletes become stronger and more muscular, which is clearly necessary when trying to make a home run. Many people believe that using steroids is considered cheating and nothing is more â€Å"Un- American† as cheating. Steroids didn't make it to baseballs banned substance list until 1991, and testing for major league players did not begin until the 2003 season.But, the MLB has decided that steroids use will no longer be tolerated. Steroids use has become very popular, and it seems that we have more players admitting to the use. It is impossible to know how many players actually use the drug, but players have come forward to have us assume that this drug as well as other performance-enhancing drugs have been around for a long time. According to Huff Post Sport s, â€Å"In 2003 , David Wells claimed that up to 40 percent of major leaguers used steroids.Jose Canseco estimated that 80 percent of major leaguers had taken teroids and credited the drug for his entire career. † For a MLB player to credit a drug for his entire career Just simply sounds insane. In 2005, Jose Canseco released a tell-all book, Juiced, about his experience with steroids in his career. In the book, Canseco named several other players, including Mark McGuierre, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and Jason Giambi, as steroid users. The list of baseball players associated with steroid use goes on. In our book Envision in Depth they explain what Canseco said about steroid use.He says, â€Å"Different steroids do different things: if you ant Just to build muscle mass, one sort will do; if you want to run fast, there are steroids to increase your fast twitch muscle fibers†(437) Canseco claims to have used Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Equipoise, and Anvar. He also use d human growth hormones, which explains how he put on 25 pounds of solid muscle in Just a few months. Baseball players rely on steroids use to enhance their performance. In baseball's long storied history only 25 men have ever slammed more than 500 homers, 10 joining the elite group between 1998-2009 and six of those – McGwire, Alex Rodriguez,Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield and MLS's all-time home run king, Barry Bonds, who have all been linked to drugs. This obviously includes being more recognized by the fans, but also more money in their pocket. The better a player is the more money they will receive. Everyone wants money we cannot deny that. Improved performances in players will elevate a players on- base percentage. According to Huff Sports, â€Å"An increase in OPS of . 100 leads to an estimated salary increase of two million dollars. The athletic performance would also increase a layers product sales, and endorsement deals. With steroid use it seems tha t the game of baseball has become a little tougher, and more violent. Players are getting hit harder by other players running to the base and by the balls hit into the field. Players should begin to wear more protective gear. The types ot injuries seen most commonly in baseball today result trom muscles ripping away from tendons and Joints that can no longer support them, which was typically not seen years ago. Steroids has side effects which may cause health problems.Many athletes may be higher doses than the average in order to get better results in the game. It comes with serious side effects. According to Mayo Clinic, † Men may develop baldness, infertility, and shrunken testicles. † They may also experience high blood pressure, heart and circulatory problems, drug dependence, and psychiatric disorders such as depression. These athletes may begin to use other drugs to counter balance the side effects. Addiction may come from all of this. It is important to care about the health problems of these MLB players.While steroids use may improve a players chance of hitting that next home run or breaking the sprint record, and players may make an extreme upgrade on their income. The use of steroids goes against the American vision of hard work because using steroids does become a way of cheating. What is this teaching the little ones looking up to all the baseball players? I dont believe that steroids use is setting a good example. I also do not believe that steroids use is beneficial in the long run. These MLB players are putting themselves through so many health risks that I do not elieve are worth it in the end.

Customer Outreach Representative

As assigned as a bilingual representative, handle Spanish line calls and related activities. Essential Functions Actively participate in the retention and attainment of servicing account vole me through the consistent delivery' of excellent internal and external customer service. 2. Communicate with student loan borrowers/ endorsers using the Borrower Services call model, department policies and procedures, and online tools. Identify the reason(s) t he borrower is having or may have difficulty maintaining their student loan account in good standing g.Present solutions hat are suited to the borrower's situation, with an emphasis on long term sol suctions. 3. Effectively counsel borrowers/ endorsers. Share critical information regarding their rights and responsibilities, the benefits of maintaining their account in good standing, an d the consequences of default. 4. Verify and obtain new demographic information during contacts with borrow errs and others. 5. Secure the information and documentation necessary to qualify borrowers of r payment plans, deferments, and forbearance's. 6. Keep up to date with department policies and procedures. 7.Assist in the investigation of difficult and problem accounts. Follow and/ or take the appropriate action to resolve the concern. 8. Initiate feedback to Borrower Services Supervisor(s) with ideas to improve pro ceases. 9. Document communication and borrower commitments. 10. Contribute to a positive work environment. 11. Perform additional tasks related to the resolution and maintenance of deadline .NET student loan accounts. Borrower Borrower Seer vicesCustomer Outreach Representative. Doc (09/06/2013) Physical Demands of Position High frequency talking, hearing, near vision, keyboard entry and sitting.Environmental/Working Conditions of Position Inside office or work from home environment Equipment Used Various computer, printing, and telecommunications equipment such as telex hone, headset, computer, copiers, and printers al ong with other workstation tools.

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization Assignment

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization - Assignment Example In order to improve the profit margin and sustainability of an organization,operating in this tough competitive age,the most essential requirement is recruitment of an experienced and talented leader A leader is a person who might work as a catalyst, in enhancing and controlling the human resources of the organization in an effective way. This is because; the human resource is the prime requirement of any organization operating in any segment and in any region. As human resource are mainly responsible, for the fulfilment of the future goals and objectives of the organization in the market among others. However, it might be possible only if the leader may act tactfully and motivate the employees towards work in order to improve the productivity and image of the organization in the entire market, in-spite of varied types of changes. Only then, the image and profit margin of the organization might get enhanced in the market among other rival players. Moreover, if the changes might be ha ndled in an effective way then the popularity and equity of the organization may be enhanced thereby amplifying its competitiveness in the market to a certain extent in long run among others. Thus, it might be depicted that, leader act as the backbone of the organization that may not only improve the efficiency and capability of the employees but also cope-up with varied types of changes. This essay is mainly divided into five phases that mainly highlights the significance of leadership within an organization. Along with this, it also highlights the role of leadership within a change management situation with the help of models like Kotters 8 steps, Lewin’s change management model. Discussion Evaluation of Change Management and Leadership with models In order to survive in this competitive era, leadership is the most essential requirement. As it acts as a weapon not only stimulate the profit margin and productivity of an organization but also to mitigate varied types of chall enges or changes in an effective way. Change management is described as a systematic procedure to deal or tackle varied types of changes or alterations in a successful manner. Moreover, it might also described as an approach that might be handled by implementing varied types of technologies, strategies and procedures so as to mitigate it effectively within the organization. Only then, the productivity and efficiency of the organization might get enhanced thereby amplifying the image and reputation in the market among other rival players. Apart from this, if the changes might be adapted successfully within the organization, only then, the inner morale and confidence of the employees might get enhanced with a significant extent as compared to others. This might help in improvement of their level of performance and efficiency within the organization thereby amplifying the level of retention. It is extremely essential for any organization operating in this competitive age among many oth er rival players. This is because, the experienced employees are the gems of the organization and they might offer varied types of ideas and suggestions in order to implement the changes in an effective way. Such a situation is also seen within the organization, Biogen Idec Incorporated, at the time of restructuring or reassessment of the business strategies. As a result of which, maximum extent of the employees had to cope up with the procedure of reallocation of their job responsibilities as well as outplacement. Due to which, the relationship within the higher authorities and the employees is fading day by day resulting in amplification of the chances of conflicts and miss-confusions. Not only this, the motivation and dedication of the employees of Biogen Idec is also reducing as their roles and

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation on Special Education Essay

Attitude, Legislation, and Litigation on Special Education - Essay Example The thrust of the special education movement has been to give students with disabilities access to a general education, remove the stigma of being labeled, and create methods to monitor and measure the success of these programs. The 1975 act was originally known as the Education for the Handicapped Act (EHA) and was designed to give students with disabilities a free education in the least restrictive environment possible (Special education laws, 2005). Subsequent amendments have been aimed at broadening the definition of disabled to include visual impairment and making provisions for including these students in regular classes when possible. Physical and mental challenges have historically been stigmatized and labeling has often been used as a detrimental tool to exclude students from normal activities. The 1975 Act was passed to reduce these social consequences and provide a system that was more fair in its treatment of the disabled. Prior to any legislation regarding special education, disabilities were generally viewed as a negative and the students were often shunted to areas outside the mainstream school system. One of the issues that have framed the special education debate in the last 30 years is the move towards inclusion. ... "outright denial of disability in some cases, illustrated by the contention that disability exists only in attitudes" (Kauffman, McGee, & Brigham, 2004, p.615). This has had the counter-productive effect of making a disability seem as something that does not matter. While this has had the positive effect of making regular classrooms more accessible to students, it has also minimized the challenge that faces these students. In many cases the past 30 years have seen attitudes change from discriminatory to indifference. The long-term outlook for special education in its current form could produce results that are the opposite of what it hopes to accomplish. Pratts (2000) states that " race and social class are being related to levels of academic achievement". This is only logical as we see poverty and family history placing many students at a disadvantage. This impacts the makeup of special education classes because "academic achievement is a strong predictor of referral and eventual placement in special education" (Hosp & Reschly, 2004, p.187). This has the potential to place a disproportionate number of students into special education based on socio-economic class. If the current movement of inclusion creates an environment of indifference, these students may become isolated and neglected. Public awareness of the realities of being disabled needs to be continually addressed. Without creating a proper public attitude towards special education, we may create a system that is less restrictive and mor e fair, but we also may cultivate an atmosphere of injustice. Feelings of awkwardness have often been a part of my own personal reaction to students with disabilities. In the past I was uncomfortable confronting their disabilities due to my confusion about whether or not they

Lethal Injection by Vilhelm Sjostrom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lethal Injection by Vilhelm Sjostrom - Essay Example Cartoon images have a general appeal to the public and he conveys a general public image by manipulating them to render his own message. He abducted Ronald, the marketing strategy of McDonald, and asked them to reveal their code of ethics. On non-compliance, Jani Leinonen and his friends destroyed Ronald and had to spend a few days in jail. He and his friends call themselves the Food Liberation Army (Leinonen). The picture in question is the right opposite of what Scooby-Doo is on screen. Scooby-Doo is a scared-to-death character who gets lucky each time there is to solve. He runs away from the slightest sign of danger and is a huge fan of food. The painting is part of the â€Å"True Patriot† Series. Scooby-Doo is a ‘lucky’ patriot. He has to be infused with special IVRs to get him to be that special patriot and stop being the scared character that he is. To make him a brave dog, he needs that extra shot. The picture’s name is also very interesting. For Sco oby the injection is lethal to say the least. He enjoys his laid-back life style. He avoids any confrontations and believes in a blissful and content life. To become a patriot he will have to leave all his pleasures and work more as an individual. Be a more proactive member of his team. If he becomes a patriot his skills will be more useful not just as a big dog with his team, but also a sleuth who has good mystery solving skills. Looking at the picture and at Jani Leinonen’s way of life if is not difficult to draw similarities. Jani Leinonen.

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' - Essay Example From this situation, the best scenario is that these people create the laws by which they will live under themselves. This does not explicitly refer to the American colonists, but it does imply their current state at that time. Paine then turns his attack directly towards the British government by arguing that the system contradicts itself and places too much power on the monarchy. Furthermore, the monarchy itself is corrupt because the very idea of a monarch was formed out of a false argument. The people can choose who they want to be king in the first place, yet they have no choice about the king’s descendants. This presents an opportunity for greed and corruption as no one will dare to stop the monarch from continuing this practice. Paine argues that America should have the freedom to choose its leaders so that the leadership of the country will not remain within one extended family. Furthermore, Paine dispels the myth that America could not survive without the help of Britain by arguing that America has progressed to a point where it can flourish on its own two feet. Loyalists would claim that America has only progressed to what it was then because of the help of the king, and also the protection that has been provided to fend off outside enemies. Paine comments that Britain has only been doing this in order to look after its own interests. He even gives an example of British troops attacking some American colonies, although the British would protest this view and say that they have only been looking after America the whole time. Paine remarks that America has no benefit to remain linked with Britain because America can engage in more profitable trade with the rest of Europe. The British argument would be that the colonies can remain strong by trading with Britain because trade will benefit everyone. However, Paine says that trade will only benefit Britain beca use the British only see the colonies as a means

It depends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

It depends - Essay Example Furthermore, penetrations into international or foreign markets also help to intensify the demand and brand image of the organization in the market. As a result, such type of penetration helps to improve the total sales and position thereby amplifying its reputation in the market among other contenders. Due to these reasons, maximum extent of the organizations desire to expand its operations into foreign markets. Internationalisation is recognised as a procedure to identify and penetrate the most feasible foreign market so as to enhance its operations. By doing so, the organization might increase its market share and brand value that may improve its inner strengths and opportunities as compared to many other rival contenders. An organization may enter a foreign market just by exporting its product lines so as to increase its level of awareness and credibility (Mathews, 2002, pp. 467-488). Apart from this, an organization might establish a joint venture with another domestic firm of that country so as to increase its total sale and net income. With the help of licensing also, an organization might enter the new foreign market and increase its revenues and profitability. Other than this, the organization may introduce its franchises and enhance its portfolio and position in the foreign market to a considerable extent. Hence, an organization may enter the foreign market with the help of the above mentioned ways. In this age, maximum extent of the organizations desire to develop their entities outside the state border. The prime reason behind this desire is to exploit the opportunities in both domestic and international border. However, in order to expand the operation of an organization in overseas markets, it’s extremely essential to analyse the market scenario and competitors activities. Only then, it may enhance its productivity and profitability in those unknown markets as compared to many other contenders. Thus, the

Learning, Motivation and Emotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Learning, Motivation and Emotion - Essay Example The correlation between how involving the material was to students and quiz score was found to be negative. On the other hand, the extent of sniffy involvement and learning outcomes was positively correlated. This study has shown that quality time spent on learning concepts and also experience wrestled from a student's experience gave better performance than the mere amount of time devoted to the learning materials provided. The implication of this study to teachers and students alike is that more efforts should be devoted to enhancing students' comprehension through better learning habits than mere rote hours students are encouraged to spend on learning materials. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2003) defines learning in psychology as the process by which a relatively lasting change in potential behavior occurs as a result of practice or experience .This definition places a distinction between learning and behavioral changes that arise from processes such as maturation. The former takes place throughout life, whereas the latter accounts for a large proportion of the behavior observed in man. Learning as a subject is as old as man himself. However, the learning process did not receive serious systematic inquiry until over a century ago. Ivan Pavlov (1927)'s classical work with dogs produced the classical conditioning theory. This theory posits that changed behavior (learning) can be elicited involuntarily even after the stimuli that produced the observed behavior had been replaced by another. The work of Skinner(1953) gave rise to the operant conditioning theory. This theory says that learning takes place through voluntary behavior, which can be shaped by the application of external stimuli in the form of rewards and punishments. Rewards and reinforcements are administered to produce the desired learning outcomes, whereas punishments are given to curb undesirable behavior. The third theory given by Kohler(1992) is called the cognitive learning theory. It says that learning takes place often through trial and error until insight is gained into the problem under investigat ion. Learning as a tool for gaining competitive edge at the individual and organizational levels is increasingly being recognized. At the individual level, it can be safely said that today's careers are built largely through sustained life-long learning. Persons adept at pursuing fruitful learning can expect to see vast improvements in their school work and also their careers. Whereas those who give low priority to this activity, risks being left behind by their counterparts. In most fields of endeavor, the surest route to making a distinctive mark is to commit oneself to learning. At the organizational level, many firms are charting the path to becoming learning organizations. They are committing greater resources to making the realization of this goal possible. If learning brings such enormous benefits, why is it that people sometimes are reluctant to commit themselves to this activity The answer to this question brings the allied subject of motivation into the picture. It is important to point out that learning does not always come easily and cheap. One could encounter difficulty with the learning task itself or may have to cope with an environment that is largely unsupportive or uncooperative. In such situations, motivation

The presidency of Andrew Jackson and the Bank War Research Paper

The presidency of Andrew Jackson and the Bank War - Research Paper Example However, renewal of character could still be possible after the then current charter could expire in the year 1836. Thus to prevent this he rolled out a strategy that was aimed at crippling the bank economically. While acting against the advice of the Congress and cabinet members, President Andrew replaced resistant Secretaries to the Treasury and ordered that federal funds should be deposited into other banks other than the second bank of the United States. Following the president’s directive, the second bank’s president made a countermove in the economy to let people feel the need for the second Bank of America. By so doing, Nicholas Biddle the central bank president created a financial crisis that led to heated debate in the Congress, the press and the public. Businessmen being the most affecting, protested, asking the president and the bank’s management to end the bank war (Rothbard, 510). After people had learned of the dangers of the central bank, there were minimal needs for the renewal of the charter, hence leading to its closer in the year 1836 which was a victory for President Andrew

World event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

World event - Essay Example Immediately after the storm hit Myanmar, which had been classified as a major natural disaster, the immediate death toll numbers were broadcast across the world, creating a sense of urgency toward helping the victims as well as a sense of empathy for their situations. This empathy came not only from me as a concerned citizen, but from different nationalities at each side of the globe. Offerings for food, support, clothing and water were immediately decided by national leadership, however initially these tokens of assistance were refused by Myanmar's leadership. In fact, Myanmar rulers (who were in control of the government due to an unauthorised series of uprisings) made it clear to the global community that any attempts to deliver assistance items to Myanmar citizens would meet with an appropriate, violent response. Finally, leaders of Westernised countries managed to create a minor collaborative effort with Myanmar leadership by agreeing to bring airplanes and ships loaded with food into the country, quickly, to ensure that the citizens of the country were able to survive in harsh environmental conditions. What appeared to me to be the most unique situation during the immediate negotiations for disaster aid was that Myanmar's leaders would have rather put millions of citizens at risk of starvation or disease than to risk the chance of their regime being removed from power by stronger national forces. Seemingly, to prevent this, Myanmar's government closely monitored the incoming behaviors and actions of international disaster aid coalitions to make sure that no global force was able to remain in Myanmar for a split second longer than the offloading of cargo machines took. Over a period of several months, citizens of Myanmar were presented, using various television and print media channels, struggling to simply rebuild the modest and meager dwellings they had always been forced to live in. I watched as the world stood relatively helpless to assist these people, as it did not take long for Myanmar forces to refuse the entry of any further international aid. Instead, citizens were forced to create their own, broader sense of personal community just to survive, using their own limited resources to attempt to rebuild some sense of life as it had been before the natural disaster. As a student entering the academic world, witnessing events such as this particular disaster remind me, truly, of how far the world must progress in order to become the global community which is often presented in various textbooks and media outlets. Media often illustrates the growing use of the Internet across the world to remind us all that we have obligations to those people who are not necessarily as advanced or privileged as others in the Westernised world. Simply through the design of complicated trade routes, mass media, and the growing internationalisation efforts of various country industries, the world has become a much smaller place and, at the same time, affords tremendous opportunities for the future in terms of sustaining long-term international relationships with various global citizens. What adjusted my thinking most notably was the fact that Myanmar seemed to have no contingency plan for taking care of its people, which clearly

Comparative Corporate Governance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Comparative Corporate Governance - Assignment Example Either way, the only time that accountability comes into play is when there is a crisis. In this way, managerial accountability issues are the same across jurisdictions. I. Corporate Governance in the United States Corporate governance and governance arrangements vary widely from country to country, and to illustrate this an in-depth examination will focus upon the UK and the United States. The first thing to understand about the United States’ corporate governance is that it evolved after the Enron and WorldCom scandals of the early 1990s to early 2000s. In order to understand why corporate governance in the UK and the United States evolved, one must under the precipitating factors in their evolutions, and that was the Enron and WorldCom scandals in the late 1990s-early 2000s. Corporate governance was different for the United States in the 1980s, because, during this period, hostile takeovers changed the way that corporations did business. 1 Leveraged buyouts were costly mane uvers, which made managers sensitive to the market price of their firm. This, in turn, led to great risks in inflating the stock prices. This was coupled with widespread deregulation and the rise of CEO pay.2 Since CEO pay was tied to the company’s performance, the CEO had reason to inflate the corporate numbers, because this, in turn, would inflate the salary of the CEO. The tie from the company’s performance to the CEO was further reason for the CEO to obsess about the day to day price of the firm. What this means was that, since the CEO pay was tied to the performance of the company, there was further reason for the CEO to inflate numbers, because it would also inflate his or her salary. Because of this tie from the performance of the company to the CEO pay, the CEO was given further reason to obsess over the day to day price of the firm. Moreover, there was a failure of accounting in catching the Enron and WorldCom debacles.3 Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm be hind the Enron scandal, went from being one of the most well-respected professional firms in the world to a shamed company that was not only responsible for the Enron scandal, but securities frauds in Waste Management, Sunbeam, HBOCMcKesson, The Baptist Foundation and Global Crossing as well.4 While the U.S. has also traditionally believed in the power of the free market,5 in the wake of the scandals, the U.S. implemented a series of rules, as codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, by which corporations must abide. Some of these rules involve transparency in the disclosure of executive compensation.6 According to the SEC, all corporations must disclose any remuneration made to the CEO, CFO and the three most highly paid officers.7 The rules apply to the following disclosures: â€Å"(1) tabular disclosures regarding executive remuneration and director remuneration;(2) narrative description of other types of remuneration and any information material to an understanding of the t abular information, and (3) a Compensation Discussion and Analysis (â€Å"CD&A†)†8 . The way that all companies must disclose this information is through their annual proxy statement, which the SEC's website makes available on-line.9 Additionally, there are other regulations that are designed to increase transparency about executive and director compensation. For instance, there are regulations that require disclosure regarding â€Å"(i) beneficial ownership of public company securities by persons owning 5% or more of

Consumer Buying Behavior Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consumer Buying Behavior - Assignment Example This involves a detailed study of how buyers think and behave during purchase situations, and what factors may influence their tastes and preference towards certain brands. Consumer buying behaviour is, therefore, the study of the ways of buying and disposing of goods, services, ideas or experiences by individuals, groups, and organizations in order to satisfy their needs and wants (Kotler & Hibbard, 2014). Alternatively, consumer buying behaviour â€Å"refers to the buying behaviour of final consumers, both individuals and households, who buy goods and services for personal consumption† (Hibbard, 2014,). This occurs when the consumer is immensely involved in the purchase process, and there are notable contrasts amongst the brands to acquire. This implies that the consumer has to conduct research about the product/service and the marketers must, therefore, supply all-inclusive information with regards to product/service characteristics. A medical example, in this case, is when a hospital wants to acquire medical equipment such as x-ray machines for the hospital. The hospital’s procurement officer (consumer) is highly involved because of th e significant financial involvement (high risk) in the acquisition, and the unfamiliarity with the commodity. There are many brands according to manufacturers (about 75 suppliers) and they are used for different purposes. This compounded with the fact that they have different price tags makes the consumer very sceptical. He must, therefore, conduct thorough research to eliminate brands that do not suit the hospital’s need requirements and fit his budget plan respectively. Here, consumer participation, while acquiring the product/service, is low, and there are noteworthy contrasts between the brands. The consumers attempt to find variations in products or services. Thus, the marketers must rally the market to buy their commodities through means such as promotions, publicity and advertising. A medical example, in this case, includes medical cosmetics for products like toothpaste.

Persuasion Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persuasion Speech - Essay Example Earth resources are inadequate. Most of the items used in daily life such as glass, plastic bags and papers, come from natural resources. Producing more materials may require more resources and energy. For this reason, Uliano (2008, p. 41) argues that recycling products transforms old used products into new, useful products. In reference to official estimates by researchers, there is limited land space that may not fully accommodate landfills in the near future. Waste from existing landfills has overflowed to the neighboring land tracts affecting the environment, flora and fauna surrounding it. Recycling can reduce the size of landfills and daily waste. Uliano (2008, p. 74) shows that recycling helps to save on energy. Recycling reduces the amount of energy that would be used in production of other new products. According to Uliano (2008, p. 75), production of recycled glass, plastic and paper takes 68 percent, 82 percent and 85 percent less energy

Economics of Leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Economics of Leisure - Essay Example Leisure is defined as time spent when one is not working. This means that time that is compensating for work. Other authors simply define leisure as the opportunity to express one's creativity and master new things so that they feel satisfied and a degree of self-accomplishment. Leisure activities can include resting at home, sleeping, watching movies, engaging in sport activities among others. These activities are essential in an individual’s life because they give satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment. They also enhance an individual’s self-esteem as well as promote the general quality of life. Kenneth Roberts argues that the role of leisure is to instill certain values such as teamwork, leadership, and fair play. He also holds that leisure consolidates the social system and compensates people for the unsatisfying and unrewarding aspects of life. For him, all individuals are free to choose the leisure activities they wish. Taking part in leisure activities may be bene ficial or otherwise depending on the activities concerned. Some art, sport and recreation activities have beneficial impacts both socially, economically and heath wise. Allocation of time It is impossible to look at the determinants of leisure without reviewing the allocation of time for work. From time immemorial, the amount of time spent at work has never equaled the amount of time spent away from work. Most people spend almost all their time in the office or at work in general (Kate & Rickards, 2002). The craze and passion with which economic development is pursued in the world today does not allow for involvement in secular activities as much. This means that the allocation of non-working time and its efficiency are important for the economic welfare of a country. In 1965, almost everyone had similar amounts of spare time notwithstanding their socioeconomic status. However, this has changed with time given that leisure time just like income has increased across the board (Aguiar and Hurst, 2006: 19). Secondly, it is now apparent that the biggest winners in the allocation of leisure time are at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. This is to mean that today the poor seem to have more leisure time than the rich do. This goes a long way to prove that leisure activities are not immune to economic life. A substantial increase in the quantity of leisure time in the United States between the years 1965 to 2003 according to research has been experienced. Research has it that, the number of hours away from work has increased by six to eight hours for men. That of women has increased by four to eight hours. The less educated individuals experienced the largest increase. The researches have also exposed the emerging inequality in leisure with regard to the growing inequality in income and expenditure. There were adjustments that necessitated the increase in leisure time. For men, it was due to the allocation of less time to the market sector while for women it was due to the decline for time allotted for home production (dcms, 2010). There was also change in leisure time according to the educational qualification of individuals in society. It emerged that while there was uniform increase across the educational status, the less educated had more leisure time as compared to their educated counterparts. The fact that the least

The relationship between the average amount of sleep a high school Assignment

The relationship between the average amount of sleep a high school teenager gets per school night and the total average amount of Internet used in one school week - Assignment Example Vast expansion in the sector of technology has been experienced in the recent past and has been embraced by almost all the people regardless of age. For a younger generation of people, technology has taken a very substantial role in both their educational and social lives. A large number of teenagers have access to cell phones, the Internet, desktops, laptops, and many other forms of modern technology. A matter of concern has been raised on the increased role played by the modern technology in the teenagers’ lives about how these children might be influenced. Currently, technology is greatly changing the process and content to a level that young children/teenagers are heavily immersed in a world that is surrounded with a lot of information. The ever increasing amount of time spent by teenagers on modern technology has raised a number of questions about the use and the trends of the technology. Dehmler states that the children of today are growing up in a very interconnected an d networked world. The teenagers have unlimited access to the modern technologies and use them in the ways they deem fit for them. This study was undertaken to present an understanding of the impact of Internet on the amount of hours spent on sleeping by the teenage students. Quantitative research methodology was used to guide the study. Two variables were used to test for the quantitative impact of the study. The variables included, the amount of time spent on the Internet (explanatory variable) and the amount of time spent in sleeping (dependent/response variable).

The historic Development of Chinese Private International Law Article

The historic Development of Chinese Private International Law - Article Example Following the enactment of the process of reform and the opening-up in 1978, the destiny of China has never been the same. For the last three decades, China has realized progress on an unprecedented magnitude. Its economy is skyrocketing as the legal system undergoes continuous improvements. We can deduce that it is the reform policy coupled with the opening up that has attracted the international community to China. This guiding principle has also enabled China to familiarize itself and have an understanding of the international arena2. Within the last three decades, China has also witness a tremendous development in its legal academy, an impact of which much greater research and high number of improved performances have been encouraged and promoted. A case in point is the development of private international law. The nation’s private international legal structure has turned out to be more comprehensive, efficient and effective, especially in view of the actualization of Chapter IX of the draft Civil Code. It is possible to project with certainty that in the few years to come, the Chinese private international legal structure will be one of the most popular systems in the planet, with respect to both structure and composition3. The inception and growth of law and the social context within which it exists are inseparable. The things that private international law oversees are the international civil and commercial legal link. As such, its occurrence and progress cannot be realizable without clear-cut state policy together with a social environment in under which the Chinese can enjoy equal interaction with the international community. Since 1949, a period when new China was formed, to 1978, owing to historical reasons, China was in a comparatively confined social environment4. It was not possible for the nation’s private international law to advance

Security Management Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Security Management - Annotated Bibliography Example These different ways are meant to ensure the security of these facilities and minimize or entirely prevent disasters that may be brought about by them not being rigid. Some of these ways include: type of construction, access to the site, the height of the building and even location among other ways. According to Hayes, (2003) the traditional methods of loss prevention seem not to be working and especially in multi-million dollar companies hence putting the security of their assets in jeopardy. The senior management in these companies has decided on using technology as a contemporary measure to prevent further loss and protect the assets of the customers. This technology as a contemporary measure requires linkage with other managers in the business for it to be successful. According to the article, managers have always viewed security in terms of guards (physical security) as a form of security management. However, with cases of the guards and other physical security measures starting to be outdated and outmaneuvered by the information security system, the management has started adopting this by increasing the budget they allocate to the security dockets in their companies and this has gone way ahead to yield positive results as loss is prevented more without any injuries being inflicted on security

Is regulation really necessary, or can all the benefits claimed for it Essay

Is regulation really necessary, or can all the benefits claimed for it be achieved through the promotion of competition alone - Essay Example National governments may regulate for a variety of reasons, including re-election and influence from economically powerful houses (Baldwin, Cave, and Lodge, 2012:16). Governments may also technically justify regulations, thus the general assumption that the regulation was in the context of public interest. However, most rationales presented are instances of market failure, thus regulation is initiated, as the uncontrollable market will produce results or behaviors against public interest. Other scenarios may present issues of market absence, or an ineffective market. One of the advancing and developing industries in the global economy is information and communication technology (ICT). The rapid growth of ICT presents concern over regulation and the possibilities of eliminating market failures, thus the rise of such regulatory bodies like the Federal Communication Commission in the US. In summary, regulation is better than competition in safeguarding public interest. Among the theory favoring regulation, include public interest theory, private interest theory, and interest groups theory. According to the public interest theory as argued by Baldwin, Cave, and Lodge, in their 2012 publication, the rationale behind regulation is to benefit and protect the public at large. The theory capitalizes on potential market failures such as monopolistic powers, externalities, asymmetric information, and strategic behaviors. It thus creates the ideology that consumers need protection from market failures and business abuses, with the assumption that regulation serves the best interests of the public through restricting potentially harmful business behaviors (Baldwin, Cave, and Lodge, 2012:164). The interest groups theory suggests that there is need for regulation for the interests of stakeholders, while the private interest theory seeks to safeguard the interest of private inte rest groups in regulation.

Occupy Wall Street, Pros and Cons Essay Example for Free

Occupy Wall Street, Pros and Cons Essay In the past year, there has been a movement that has grown out of the frustration over the unemployed masses across the nation. The movement was mostly aimed at Big Banks and the wealthiest 1% who hold a significant percent of the money in this country. The movement, in its beginnings, was meant to protest the declining middle class and rapid expanding lower class. It also contended that the upper class was not paying their share of taxes. Pro side of the Movement: The OWS movement brought to the forefront the belief that the rich were paying a much lower percentage of taxes then there middle and lower class counterparts. It demanded that the rich pay more taxes and regulate the flow of money to big banks and bank bailouts. Much like the Tea Party movement, they demanded an end to the TARP bailouts and end to federal bailouts of a corrupted Federal Reserve. The movements motto, â€Å"Companies are bad, Capitalism is inherently evil†, also shows the movements opposition to big corporations making lots of money and not sharing it with their employees. It has gathered a lot of support from among the ultra liberal population and shown that there are a good number of people who support this cause. Among the supporters have been many celebs, politicians and even labor unions. The fact that banks raked in record profits before the housing crash, and unfairly foreclosed millions of loans on middle class and poor people, then received federal bailouts to save them infuriated many people. The single largest cost to the American taxpayer of all time, more than all the previous national debt combined since the nation’s birth in 1776, the banks received not billions, but trillions in this TARP bailout. It was from this 2 movements were born. Tea Party and OWS both owe their origins to this single event. OWS is the Liberal side vs. the Conservative Tea Party. Anti Occupy Wall Street: In the beginning of the movement, there wasn’t a lot of opposition to their ideas across the board. They had a solid idea and cause. They stood for the middle and lower class citizens with a message the 99% of the population was tired of being walked on by the rich. However, this image quickly tarnished. The movement became a collection of people who basically looked like a homeless camp of vagrants of people who felt they were â€Å"entitled† to a comfortable life and not having to work for it. Almost every face in the crowd was people that were basically unemployable because they had excessive tattoos, bad hygiene or very bad attitudes vs. everything! Mixed In with their protests were political groups joining the band wagon, such as Communist, Marxist, Nazi and Anarchist? There signs often portrayed violence to rich people and corporations. They would cry out, â€Å"We are the 99%† the whole time the real 99% of the population was becoming disgusted with these people. The movement is dying and basically dead because the people who organized these camps did not police themselves or distance themselves from the people who tarnished the initial message of the movement. Instead of a message being sent to the rich, they made themselves and embarrassment to their cause. Can Occupy Wall Street be fixed? : Is it too late to undo the damage the bad elements of the protest? I think it is. They had/have no clear message anymore. They complain about everything and everyone. All rich people are evil, our capitalistic government is evil and Corporations are Evil? This is their claim. However, do these people stop to think (as they use there iPhones, sipping Starbucks coffee and wearing designer clothes) that they are hypocrites? That if not for all they stand against, America would be nothing more than a 3rd world country? Do the people who support socialism and communism not realize they have been tried and failed time and time again? Socialism is a great government till you run out of others people’s money! Rich people provide a vast majority of the jobs in this country. There is also the fact, that in America, everyone has the potential to become rich. There are more millionaires in America, than the whole world combined. There are many things in their message that is simply not thought out. The movement needs to single out the wrong doers such as BofA and the people who caused the housing crash. They need to support intelligent people who can spread a positive message for them. Not be a huge un-washed mass of entitled hippies looking for a handout. My Opinion: I think the movement is dead. It was dead after the first week. It needs to go away and reboot. It needs a new plan, new people and leadership. It needs a voice! It has been marred by violence and shame. I hate that these people say they represent me. I represent the hard working people of this country that believes in the American Dream. These entitled ingrates need to stop wondering why they can’t get a job while there getting there face pierced or a new tattoo. I want to be rich one day, and I don’t want to have to pay 70% of my income to pay for people who won’t get off their butts and get a job. I believe if you work hard, you should be rewarded for it, not punished!

Impact of internet social and political Essay Example for Free

Impact of internet social and political Essay The internet is less than two decades old but its impact has been felt by almost everyone in the global village. It has not only revolutionized our personal interaction habits but has also impacted greatly on other spheres of our life, most notably the economy. In many societies, the digital technology has not only influenced the political communication but also the whole political systems. Shapiro (1999) suggests that the digital technology has captured the attention of everyone from the media, government and the general public. Although the invention of the internet has brought with it some negative aspects, the digital technology has been hailed as the man’s new road to the better world. This paper will try to discuss some of the aspects of the internet that have continuously impacted on our social and political behaviours as citizens. Computers and the internet have greatly facilitated and expanded the individuals’ capacities in every sector of the society. Gurstein (2000) contends that the new ICTs have impacted almost everyone from institutions to business to organizations to the political arena. The impact has been so great that every sector of our society feels obliged to embrace the information communication technology in order to either improve the running of the government, community networking or to improve the citizen participation in the new information society. Terms such as â€Å"citizen networks†, â€Å"digital cities† or â€Å"e-governments† have become common expressions these days. They simply imply the new ways of interactions that exist between the governed and the government and new ideas regarding the metropolitan policies, through the use of electronic media (Sclove, 1995). The urban settings, built landscape as well as the social setting in our society, has undergone tremendous transformation from the last decade into the new millennium. The citizens have also not been left behind in this era of transformation. What we consider space, time, and our perception of politics as well as what we consider public or private and local or global has greatly changed. The advancement in the information communication technology has largely contributed to the changes in our cities and contemporary societies (Tsagarousianou, Tambini, Bryan, 1998). There is a new concept that has caught on with most people in our society concerning governance. The term â€Å"electronic democracy† though has been in use since 1960s when most activists introduced a number of communication medias like free radio stations, to make the governments more accountable and responsive to its citizens, has found its way back in the advent of the internet (Sclove, 1995). Internet is currently being used to marshal grassroots groups to support a certain cause by most civil activists. There is also a growing mass of citizen initiatives that help to shape public opinion and thus influencing policies both at the national and local level. The internet therefore has greatly challenged the hitherto monopolies of the most political classes through better communication networks that have empowered the citizens to create a form of democracy in the society (Schuler, 1998). Today, many cities around the globe have created home pages in the internet and forums for interaction with their city residents. Governments around the world both at the local and national level in developed and developing nations alike, have invested in e-government projects through networks that enable citizens access to government structures, engage in online transactions or to get information on government policies. Some of these networks and sites have enable citizens to participate in most decision making regarding the management of urban habitats (Underwood, 2002). The internet has great potential to amass groups of people persuasive to certain ideologies. Many organizations now have websites which they use not only to communicate with their members but to recruit more like-minded individuals into their groups. Indeed the internet has become one of the major tools for lobbying citizens to a particular cause. Such organizations as the Internet Society and Voters Frontier Foundation have been very active in recruiting and educating the public on political issues in America (Tsagarousianou, Tambini, Bryan, 1998). These groups have greatly contributed to the policy making processes through intensive lobbying. The internet has therefore provided a better platform for the citizens to actively participate in the political arena. This development has actually dealt a big blow to the interest group politics that have gone on over the years (Davis, 1999). The internet has impacted greatly on how we interact these days. Due to its widespread and accessibility, the information communication technology has completely changed the forms of social engagements. Today, there are numerous social networking sites that have increased the speed at which we do interact and organize our social activities. The most notable ones are MySpace and Facebook, which have simply taken the social interactions to the next level. These sites not only make it easier to keep in touch with friends and family members but enable subscribers to find other friends online. The era of information communication has ushered in a new way of keeping contacts with others no matter the distance between us. In a nutshell, the internet has reduced the world to a global village where everyone can be reached simply by a few clicks of the mouse (Subrahmanyam Greenfield, 2008). The social networking sites have also been very important in educating the public on social and political problems afflicting the society. There are groups of people who have formed social forums and recruited individuals with like-minded views on the social and political events in the country. Members would be easily reached through the internet and topics as well as current affairs discussed. These forums have been quite helpful in bringing change in the political and social arenas in our country. It is the emergence of the internet as a political tool that some countries like the Myanmar, Iran and China have censored its usage among their citizens. These countries have restricted contents of political and religious materials that are accessible to their citizens (Shapiro, 1999). Again, a new internet phenomenon has emerged reshaping the politics and political activities in many countries around the global. What has been referred to as the internet activism has caught on in many countries and political players and citizens alike have embraced internet to win masses into their camps and political groupings (Tolbert, McNeal, 2003). The current United States president Barrack Obama owes much of his political success to the internet. He amassed overwhelming campaign funds that enabled him outmuscle his opponents in the 2008 elections simply by recruiting a greater mass of followers through the internet. The citizens who were eager for change contributed wholeheartedly to this cause through internet donation. What was most remarkable was the overwhelming following Obama was able to attract over a short period of time in politics. Those who contributed included even non-Americans, who found it easier because of the internet. The internet has also provided leisure activities to its users through social entertainment sites. Currently, there are a number of forums that provide games, videos, and cartoons to entertain internet users. The internet has also enabled easy access to news and information. People these days are able to watch and listen to news, book for vacations, get information on weather and many other things of their interest. There are also thousands of blog sites that have not only provided a platform of communication but have enabled most people to interact by sharing views on various happenings around them. The blog sites have also become political tools most citizens use to lobby people onto their way of thinking (Rodgers, 2003). During the early stages of its development, in the early 1990s, the digital technology led to what many considered internet-euphoria. Many optimists believe it was the new dawn to mankind’s participation in social, political as well as economic spheres in his society. These euphoric evaluation has somewhat changed over the years as more people are now becoming more aware of the dangers technological advancement may pose to the society (Engel, Keller, 2000). There is the issue of lack of internet safety as the social networking sites have proved to be. The critics of internet claim that it may increase cyber thefts or deceits because one may be able to steal one’s identity especially from the social networking sites. The challenges posed by the internet to the political activities have been cited as some propaganda wars between nations which may spill over into real battles (Tolbert, McNeal, 2003). Conclusion The internet has profound altered our societal operation both in political and social spheres. The citizens will continue to access vital information that would eventually empower them which in turn will reshape the politics and political class that have long governed with their interest-based policies. Again, the internet has proved to be a better social tool in our society because it has made interaction easier than before. However, there are a few challenges that must be overcome to make it safer for every user.

Importance Of Sound In Film Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Sound In Film Film Studies Essay Every individual who watches a film knows too well that the choice of music, sound track and any other voice that will be present in the film affect the viewers perception of that particular film. There are silent films and sound films. Silent films are those that are dominated by scenes and other contents in the film, where there is less dialogue between the film characters and even the choice of music is very specific, slow, moving almost playing mildly form the background. The sound in the film also dictates the viewers opinion of the film, how they feel considering the emotions that the music or the sound effect impact in them. Considering these two films, 2001 space odyssey by Stanley Kubrick and the birds by Alfred Hitchcock 1963, they totally contradicting. The birds are full of sound and music where every scene is accompanied by corresponding music while 2001 is full of silence. Although different viewers have different views on films depending on ones taste, preference and choice, most people find sound films more thrilling and interesting to watch while quite a majority claim to get bored by silent films. The opening sequence to The Birds serves as an entry to the non-musical, solely-sonic domain of its soundtrack. High contrast visual abstractions of birds move across the frame, half-photographed, half-animated. Concurrently, squeals and squawks attack the viewers ears. These sounds have a birdlike quality about them, but it soon becomes apparent that the sounds are more alien than avian, more artificial than natural. Produced by electronic music, the processing of the sounds utilizes many stylistic traits established in the field of musique concrete. In this case, taped sounds of birds are altered in pitch, tone, duration and shape, and then mixed into a multi-layered cacophony of screeches and flapping sounds in sync with the animated silhouettes of bird shapes. Having been cued to read a mimetic representation of birds with the title The Birds, we are jettisoned into experiencing a sensation of birdness. At points the sounds of birds will be the symbolic conveyance of invisible te rror; at moments their silence will mark their deathly presence. In short, all modes of audio-visual depiction exude dread as they carry the potential to be diametrically inverted. This is nothing short of a terror of illusion a specifically audio-visual illusion central to The Birds psychological horror. The psycho-acoustic manipulations which characterize the narrative purpose of The Birds come into play immediately. The first scene set in the bird shop is a remarkably long one where slight plot and character information is imparted. Melanie (Tippi Hedren) orders a bird; she meets and plays a game on Mitch (Rod Taylor); he uncovers her pose as a saleslady; after a heated exchange she decides to buy him the birds he was after. Throughout this scene one of many banal, domestic exchanges a wall of bird noise blankets all dialogue, forcing the audience to selectively mask out the high frequency information of bird noise from the mid-range tones of the actors voices. While one can readily perform this complex perceptual manoeuvre in reality, many films will selectively reduce the volume of background noise to privilege on-screen dialogue. The fact that The Birds refrains from this indicates that the noise level is deliberately maintained to build auditory stress within the viewer as a means of destabilization. You are subtly yet fundamentally being introduced to the unsettled psychological state which will eventually befall all the characters of the film as they are terrorized by bird noise. Just as bird noise has already been subliminally ear-marked to trigger anxiety whenever it recurs, so is extended silence now signposted as an aural appendage to telescoped viewpoints. A lack of sound will mean someone (or something) is watching. There is much that is pregnant in The Birds due to a distribution of radical imbalances between the audio and image tracks. The highest degree of this is to be found in the absence of music. Save for a piano, a radio and some children singing (all which occur within the visual diegesis) there is not a single note of orchestrated music sounded for the films duration. The soundtrack of The Birds is literally that: voices, sounds, atmospheres. No violins. It rejects all musical coding traditionally employed to inform us of how we should care/think/feel/project at any point in the film. The absence of music is a specific sound of silence which greatly enhances the Birds peculiarly perverse dramatic tone. Picture one of many silent Melanies: lock ed into a seductive gravitational sway with her birds as she navigates the winding road up to Bodega Bay. She resembles an entranced conductor orchestrating her droning car engine. No purpose. No reason. No emotion. No music. The birds themselves narratively thrive in non-musical silence. Rather than embodying or transmitting a superimposed musical logic which tags them as monstrous, malicious and maniacal, they speak in their own voice to their own kind. Their language is foreign, alien, avian, excluding us from the inner mechanisms of their motives and operations. In sync with a decultured slant on nature, these birds simply have no concept of the human. Accordingly, human musical codes do not stick. No JAWS-style orchestral throbbing salaciously trumpets their arrival. As in their attack of the children playing Blind Mans Bluff at a birthday party, the birds orchestrate and enact a cacophony upon their arrival. Balloons burst, children scream, feathers flutter and beaks peck, all played against a continual delivery of bird squawks. In the absence of music, all sound becomes terror; gulls and children scream alike (Schwam  ¶1). A peculiar type of silencing occurs when Melanie waits for Cathy: a silencing through music. Most of the following incidents are covered by an irritating cannon voiced by the lacksadasical tones of children singing in school. After the cacophonic climax of the Brenner attack, Melanie cautiously checks the attic. All is still and quiet until she unwittingly shines a torch on the massed birds roosted there like a cancer within the household. They swoop on her as she flails her arms desperately like a man trying to fly. Her cries for help slowly disintegrate into a field of whimpers and gasps. The birds terrorize us from above with sophistication and precision dreamed of in military aviation. They feed off our cadavers in disrespectful piecemeal fashion. And in a fitful triumph of the sonic, they peck out our eyes. As we die and fade to black, so does the films sun set, blurring the calm chattering of all those gathered birds into an agitated chorus that reverberates deep in the caves of the hollow sockets which were once our eyes ( ¶2-3). Stanley Kubricks 2001 space odyssey is a profound, visionary and astounding film (a mysterious Rorschach film-blot) and a tremendous visual experience. This epic film contained more spectacular imagery (about what space looked like) and special effects than verbal dialogue. Viewers are left to experience the non-verbal, mystical vastness of the film, and to subjectively reach into their own subconscious and into the films pure imagery to speculate about its meaning. Many consider the masterpiece bewildering, boring, slow-moving or annoying, but are still inspired by its story of how man is dwarfed by technology and space. The first spoken word is almost a half hour into the film, and theres less than 40 minutes of dialogue in the entire film. Much of the film is in dead silence (accurately depicting the absence of sound in space), or with the sound of human breathing within a spacesuit. Kubricks sci-fi experiment intended to present its story almost purely with visual imagery and auditory signals with very little communicative human dialogue (similar to what was attempted in the surreal, fragmented, non-narrative imagery of the Qatsi trilogy. All scenes in the film have either dialogue or music (or silence), but never both together. They hypnotically circle around the black object Floyd bashfully touches it with his thick glove. A photographer prepares a group of them to line up and pose before the totem-like monolith like typical tourists, recording the moment of their visit. Just as their picture is taken, a ray of sunlight strikes the monolith signalling the end of the dark, 14-day lunar night. It is the Dawn of the Moon. Again, the glowing Sun, Moon and Earth have formed a conjunctive orbital configuration. And then suddenly, the object emits an ear-piercing, electronic screeching noise. The group is stunned and staggers reeling helplessly backwards as their helmet headphones are filled with the blasted signal. Music plays a crucial part in 2001, and not only because of the relatively sparse dialogue. From very early on in production, Kubrick decided that he wanted the film to be a primarily non-verbal experience, one that did not rely on the traditional techniques of narrative cinema, and in which music would play a vital role in evoking particular moods. In this respect, 2001 harks back to the central power that music had in the era of silent film (Allison  ¶1-2). The film is remarkable for its innovative use of classical music taken from existing commercial records. Major feature films were (and still are) typically accompanied by elaborate film scores and/or songs written especially for them by professional composers. But although Kubrick started out by commissioning an original orchestral score from composer Alex North, he later abandoned this, opting instead for pre-recorded tracks sourced from existing recordings, becoming one of the first major movie directors to do so, and beginning a trend that has now become commonplace ( ¶3-4). On 2001 Kubrick did much of the filming and editing, using as his guides the classical recordings which eventually became the music track. In March of 1966 MGM became concerned about 2001s progress and Kubrick put together a show reel of footage to the ad hoc soundtrack of classical recordings. The studio bosses were delighted with the results and Kubrick decided to use these guide pieces as the final musical soundtrack, and he abandoned Norths score. Unfortunately Kubrick failed to inform North that his music had not been used, and to his great dismay, North did not discover this until he saw the movie at the premià ¨re. Norths soundtrack has since been recorded commercially and was released shortly before his death. Similarly, Ligeti was unaware that his music was in the film until alerted by friends. He was at first unhappy about some of the music used, and threatened legal action over Kubricks use of an electronically treated recording of Aventures in the interstellar hotel scen e near the end of the film (Kolker  ¶5-7). HALs haunting version of the popular song Daisy Daisy (Daisy Bell) was inspired by a computer synthesized arrangement by Max Mathews, which Arthur C. Clarke had heard in 1962 at the Bell Laboratories Murray Hill facility when he was coincidentally visiting friend and colleague John Pierce. At that time, a remarkable speech synthesis demonstration was being performed by physicist John Larry Kelly, Jr. who created one of the most famous moments in the history of Bell Labs by using an IBM 704 computer to synthesize speech. Kellys voice recorder synthesizer vocoder recreated the song Daisy Bell, with Max Mathews providing the musical accompaniment. Arthur C. Clarke was so impressed that he later told Kubrick to use it in the film. When HAL disconnects the life support systems, we see a flashing warning sign, COMPUTER MALFUNCTION, shown full-screen and accompanied only by the sound of a shrill alarm beep; this is intercut with static shots of the hibernating astronauts, encased in their s arcophagus-like pods, and close-up full-screen shots of the life-signs monitor of each astronaut. As the astronauts begin to die, the warning changes to LIFE FUNCTIONS CRITICAL and we see the vital signs on the monitors beginning to level out. Finally, when the three sleeping astronauts are dead, there is only silence and the ominously banal flashing sign, LIFE FUNCTIONS TERMINATED (Fiona  ¶6-8). The film industry has made a tremendous progress when it comes to sound films. Film producers have modern and special gadgets that can incorporate any tripe of music or track any sound that the movie producer desires. It does not matter what the genre of the film is, there are all types of sounds and music to accompany the theme, environment and character traits of the actors and basically capture the desired setting of the film.

History and Importance of the Geneva Motor Show

History and Importance of the Geneva Motor Show   Introduction The International Geneva Motor Show, commonly known as the Geneva Motor Show, is an exposition of the most trendy, important, and relevant brands on the automobile industry (Auto Express, 2017). Widely believed Europes most important cars exposition, this event is holding some of the most high-priced and high-value car launches in record. It is one of the most important dates on the car lovers calendar. (Auto Express, 2017). The first time the Geneva Motor Show was held, was in the year 1905. It is almost as old as the invention of the motor vehicle. Since then, it has been holding the debuts from some of the most iconic cars in history. For example: The Jaguar E-Type, the Aston Martin DB7, and the Range Rover. All of these, were presented to the public on Geneva press conferences (Auto Express, 2017). The 87th Geneva Motor Show was celebrated on Thursday, 9th of March, 2017 for ten days. Car brands, such as Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini, introduced to the public faster, more advance and more luxurious versions of their sports cars. Not just that, extravagant SUVs were showcased by Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz this year event (Wiener-Bronner, D. 2017). Methodology This report is going to be a documentary recompilation of online articles from reputable newspapers and automobile magazines, such as Bloomberg CNN; Auto Express; Car Magazine and Top Gear. All relevant about the history and importance of the Geneva International Motor Show. The Exposition The 2017 Geneva International Motor Show was hosted at the Palexpo Arena, in the city of Geneva in Switzerland. This years event has been open to the public from 9 of March for 10 days (Pollard, 2017). The worlds biggest car companies were converging at this exposition to show off their best innovations to the market. Electric technology, autonomous driving, and lots of horsepower were the dominant topics of the event (Elliott et al., 2017). As it was mentioned before, two examples of the high-priced and luxurious cars presented on the event this year are: The Lamborghini Huracà ¡n and the Ferrari which is priced at ‎à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬292,000 or $308,000 (Elliott et al., 2017). Despite the fact that Tesla (the biggest electric car company at the moment) did not appear this year at the show, other automakers promised to reveal new electric vehicles. That is the case of Renault, that said they would unveil an EV surprise, and Toyota, declared that would show off a new electric car concept named the i-TRIL Concept. (Wiener-Bronner, D. 2017). Iconic Showcases It has been a long period between the beginning of the automobile industry begun to debut at 1903 to the present. Along the years had been numerous presentations and introductions of new models that can be said, shocked the public and the market. According to Jamieson (2017), from Top Gear, the following are some of the most iconic vehicles ever presented on Geneva, since the first days of this exposition: 1929, Mercedes SSK. The car was created before the great depression. Drivers like Rudolf Caracciola, and thanks to this machine, who was attracted to the first time he saw it, won races in Argentina, Northern Ireland and a series of Grand Prix races across Europe. 1935, Citroen Traction Avant. This vehicle was the pioneer introducing the monocoque chassis, full independent suspension and front wheel drive. 1952, Fiat 8V. This model came with a two-litre V8 engine, that produced 125 horsepower, an aluminium sump, forged crankshaft, polished heads and four-into-one headers made from stainless steel. It is said that the 8V was probably the most advance European car of that era. 1961, Jaguar E-type. When this car was unveiled in Geneva, it caused such an uproar that a second vehicle had to be bought, from Coventry, to satisfy the demand for test drives at the event. The very same, Enzo Ferrari, said that the E-Type was the most beautiful car he had ever seen. 1963, Mercedes 230SL. Aluminium panels reduced the car weight. A short wheel base and double wishbone suspension given a superior handling. All these elements, I addition of a fuel-injected engine, makes this machine a serious competitor to Ferraris models. 1971, Lamborghini Countach. The road-going version of the vehicle had a five-litre V12 engine. Although, the 25th Anniversary model came with the 5.2-litre version of the engine and 425 horsepower. 1995, Ferrari F50. Thanks to the 4.7-litre V12 engine with 510 horsepower, in addition a Pininfarina design, this car got the major attention of that years event. Conclusion As a conclusion, the Geneva International Motor Show, not only has become as an industrial exposition for companies to sell their products, but also has become a space to display technological innovations to the public. Similarly, the exposition is an opportunity to have the chance to look in a close perspective, and even touch and experience the feeling of a luxurious and high performance car for the majority of enthusiast of sport and classic automobiles. References Auto Express (2017). Geneva Motor Show. Retrieved from http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/geneva-motor-show Pollard, T. (2017). Dont miss a single Geneva motor show story with our handy guide. Retrieved from http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-events/geneva/2017/geneva-motor-show-2017-preview-a-z-of-all-the-new-cars/ Elliott H., Behrmann E., Rauwald C. (eds.). (2017). The Most Breathtaking Cars at the Geneva Motor Show. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2017-03-08/the-most-breathtaking-cars-at-the-geneva-motor-show Wiener-Bronner D. (2017). Jobs report; Geneva Motor Show. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/05/investing/stocks-week-ahead/ Jamieson, C. (2017). The ten biggest debuts from the Geneva Motor Show. Retrieved from https://www.topgear.com/car-news/geneva-motor-show/ten-biggest-debuts-geneva-motor-show#1

Assessing the decline of the pub industry

Assessing the decline of the pub industry The Leisure Industry is one of the major part of UK economy and has many branches. The key components of UK leisure industry includes pubs, bars, restaurants, cinemas, sport and physical recreation, arts and entertainment, countryside recreation, home based leisure and activity based leisure. Pub industry plays a vital role in community cohesion and social life in Britain and attracts millions of tourists every year. Pubs are frequently remaining few places where communities come together to socialize. Mintel Report states that in 2008 the pub sector experienced some of the toughest trading conditions because of the reasons like smoking ban, licensing laws, credit crunch, changing dining habits and cheap supermarket booze. Despite facing the tough conditions it is still on top of the UK leisure industry holding maximum share. The following report will show changing trends in UK Pub industry along with analyses articles written on Pub industry and showing data taken from Mintel UK lei sure industry review report and then exploring the Pub industry information to possible events to be included within the portfolio. Smoking Ban Since the smoking ban was introduced there has been a marked decline in number of pubs in UK. There was an expectation that smoking ban would become more appealing to a wider consumer base such as women and families. The ban has shown the rise in the food business, however the loss of frustrates smokers has not been matched by the influx of new pub goers. Between 2004 and 2007 all of the four United Kingdom legislatures voted to introduce a ban on smoking in most enclosed public places and workplaces. The bans came after considerable debate centered around the risks of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and especially on the likely impact of a ban on the hospitality industry and particularly Britains pubs. (Paraphrase It and give PUB Visiting Mintel referencing -According to an Office for National Statistics report (2008/09) on visiting pubs since smoking restrictions were introduced, by smoking status; one in four smokers went to the pub more often before the smoking ban, compa red to one in five non-smokers who go more often nowadays. Mintel Pub Visiting Report (2010) shows that while a third of consumers (32%) agree drinking outside the home is more enjoyable since the smoking ban, there are mixed reports as to whether the smoke-free laws have achieved the health benefits expected. A report by NHS Information in September 2009 stated that men over the age of 35 smoke fewer cigarettes than before the ban, but younger men have started smoking more since it was introduced. Positive findings from the report were that a third of smokers now stay at home to smoke instead of going out, resulting in adults being exposed to less second-hand smoke than before the ban. Credit Crunch, Changing Dining Habits, Higher Taxes and Cheap alcohol selling by supermarkets White (2009) states that the UK Pub industry is facing perfect storm and finding it hard to compete with cheap alcohol sold at supermarkets, a trend increasing amid the credit crunch. Mintel Report shows that pub sales declined after the increase in taxes with their new licensing laws done by government and recession which led in increase of alcohol sold at supermarkets resulting in people changing dining habits. In 2007 Pub industry earned 26000 million pounds however in 2009 UK Pub industry earning has been gone down to 24000 million pounds resulting in loss of 2000 million pounds. According to Pratten (2003) the reason for falling trade is the major changes in pattern of leisure. Home entertainment became increasingly popular with an increase in rented videos and television. When combining the greater varieties of take away food and the lower prices of alcohol at the off licenses and supermarkets, a night at home become more attractive to people and the use of licensed retail prem ises fell. Moreover people are more willing to save for foreign holidays. As shown in Figure 2.2, the value of market was showing an increase until 2007; however it dropped by 3.08 percent in 2008 and 4.76 percent in 2009. Muir (2009) states that the changing consumer taste in alcoholic beverages in one of the factor of long term decline. Beer is the mainstay of pub incomes and yet beer consumption has fallen significantly in the last thirty years as show in Figure 2. 3. The Pub Industry is also facing tough competition from alternative leisure pursuits. The relative affluence of the last decade saw a significant rise in the number of people eating out in restaurants and there was a threefold increase in the rate of new restaurant openings between 1992 and 2007. (BBC News Online 2007). According to Mintel Report (2009) there has been a sharp increase in number of live sports event attendees from 2004 to 2009. In Addition, there has also been a significant rise in cinema attendees in recent years, which reached a 38 year high in the summer of 2007(The Independent 2007). According to the figures published in BBPA Statistical handbook 2010, there was a sharp, 6% decline in total alcohol consumption in 2009, making it the fourth annual decline in five years. UK drinkers are now consuming 13% less alcohol than in 2004. UK consumption remains below the average for the EU The UK Pub licensees are also facing rising cost. Increased materials and utilities prices have been passed on by the brewers in the higher wholesale price of beer. A shortage of malting barley and rising demand for bio-fuels has seen barley prices increase faster than inflation. Packaging costs have also been driven up by rising energy prices (BBPA 2008b). Licensees have seen their own operating costs increase. For example licensees have had to spend increasing amounts on entertainment to stay competitive. A recent survey by the ALMR found that their members third largest cost was entertainment. The 2003 Licensing Act abolished the two in a bar rule which had meant that no licence was r equired for putting on two live performers. In addition many pubs rely on live football to bring people through the door and Sky television fees have continued to increase. These are calculated on the rateable value of the pub and this can be disproportionately expensive for small pubs in higher rated rural areas.(APPBG 2008). Why Pubs matter The UK Pubs act as hubs for the development of social network between local people. As per data shown in figure 3.1 by CAMRA Omnibus survey (January 2009) 36 percent of the people said that pubs were important for get together compared with local cafes and restaurants showing 20 percent and 15 percent for local shops. According to APPBG (2008) the pub industry amounts to 2 percent of national GDP and community pubs provide 350,000 full or part time jobs. Mintel (2010) latest report on Pub visiting shows that 34 pubs were closed per week which were drink led and 5 pubs were closed which were food-led between July to December 2009. According to CGA, the pub closure rate has slowed to 29 per week for the first six months of 2010. At it worse, the pub closure rate was 52 pubs per week.( Morning Advertiser 2010). In addition, government has unveiled measures to protect british pubs which include 3.3 million pounds to be spent on business support to make pubs more successful and to help communities buy into struggling premises to keep them open. Pubs will be allowed to extend into ventures including restaurants, gift shops and book shops without planning permission. (BBC News) In addition to this benefit, pubs add a great deal to UK economy and hold a highest share in UK leisure industry. As per data shown in graph below, Pub industry holds 35 % share of total leisure industry by earning 24000 million pounds in 2009 According to news published in Guardian the government would be consulting on the introduction of banning low cost alcohol sales. Report suggested that supermarkets will be banned from selling wine, beer and spirits below a national minimum price. Conclusion The UK Pub industry is more than retail business which act as a local institution for encouraging people to mix with others from different background. In recent years the pub industry has been hit hard with thousands of pubs closed due to recession, smoking ban, high rents. But in any downturn there are opportunities which are investing in an independent or managed Pub located in central place offering good variety of food and drinks along with warm and friendly environment. While the pubs remain biased towards men, pub needs to sell wine and ciders to attract women market. In addition, the steps taken by government to save pubs are a good option to invest in pub industry.