Berlin Wall versus “The Wall” Essay

In this novel, the narrator mentions about the Wall that is built across the church which force some people in Gilead getting separate from the others. Margaret Atwood uses the reference of the Berlin wall to describe the wall in this novel. The Berlin wall was built by the Democratic republic to separate Germany into East Berlin and West Berlin. Proves of that will be the similarities of both wall including the barriers that placed around these walls and the consequences of the rebellions who against the public policies and usage of these walls. From the novel, Offred describes the wall as â€Å"the gates have sentries and there are ugly new floodlights mounted on metal posts above it, and barbed wire along the bottom and broken glass set in concrete along the top.† (Page 40). This description matches the security status of the Berlin Wall: guard towers were placed along large concrete walls, many kinds of â€Å"anti-vehicle trenches† and other defences were built around the wall. These two walls had a common purpose which is to prevent people to cross the line between social statuses or to prevent people from massive emigration and defection. Also many people who tried to cross the Berlin Wall ended up dead, because those people are trying to go against the rule made by the Germany Democratic Republicans; the same thing happened in the novel, when people tries to go against the rule which made by the Gilead government, for example, the Guardians who committed the Gender Treachery (Page 53) receives death penalty and their body are hanging onto the wall which reminds everyone about the authority. Therefore, the wall from the handmaid’s tale is referenced from the Berlin wall because both of the walls are the legacy of separation within the nation. The Gilead The name of the formal U.S.A. is Gilead, it is originally comes from the bible. Margaret Atwood uses this name because from the Bible, it describes Gilead as a country that is always in the war, this matches the situation from the novel, the handmaids’ talks about the war all the time: â€Å"â€Å"The war is going well, I hear† she says. â€Å"Praise be,† I reply.† (Page 24).  Furthermore, the country Gilead from the novel was very spiritual, which connect to the bible.

The Introduction To The Public Interest Accounting Essay

Harmonizing to an online lexicon, Cambridge Business English Dictionary Public Interest can be defined asA A noun used when speaking about peoples rights to cognize the facts about a peculiar state of affairs in general concern ( beginning 1 ) . Furthermore in an accounting position, International Federation of Accountants stated it as †the net benefits derived for, and procedural asperity employed on behalf of, all society in relation to any action, determination or policy † ( beginning 2 ) . It can be concluded that it may be referred to be the chief factor when a determination is being made on behalf of the people in a society ; Sing that it can do a great impact. Furthermore, IFAC has defined the footings â€Å" Public † and â€Å" Interest † individually to clear up the extent of their duty towards the users. As IFAC is a world-wide organisation that can impact a broad scope of people, it described the public financially with â€Å" persons and groups sharing a market place for goods and services † , and non-financially with those that portion a common purpose such as fulfilling life care. This consists of investors, stakeholders, clients and Sellerss, and fundamentally all of the occupants. As for the populace ‘s involvement has been defined as â€Å" all things valued by persons and by society † ( source3 ) . It can be briefed as things that people deserve to acquire and wish to achieve. It is known that there are a batch of benefits that a society demand such as a good life status includes having a wellness attention and instruction, holding political freedom, and practically efficient fiscal markets. Mea nwhile, IFAC is considered to profit the populace in accomplishing their involvements that are related to fiscal affairs and available scarce resources, which comprises minimising economic hazards in fiscal markets and establishments, bring forthing sufficient, helpful and comprehendible fiscal and non-financial studies and really about similar that aid all interested parties in comparing in order to apportion their resources, quality scrutinizing on every degree in an organisation, sing that authorities ‘s and public sectors ‘ information and actions are crystalline to citizens, a well-structured corporate administrations and ethical directors, and excellence and wisely direction of natural resources that can spread out for farther coevalss ‘ consume ( beginning 4 ) .Current regulative environmentThe Financial Reporting Council is an independent regulator which has been established to guarantee and develop the quality of corporate administration and coverage in th e UK. It comprises of six runing organic structures, the Auditing Practices Board, the Board for Actuarial Standards, the Professional Oversight Board, the Accounting Standards Board and the Accountancy Investigation and Discipline Board, the Financial Reporting Review Panel ( beginning 6 ) . IFAC aims for a sustainable successful fiscal environment to promote shareholders to put efficaciously. They take into consideration the actions of professional accounting organic structures and actuarial profession and act independently by training them in raised instances that concerns public involvement. They assist in bettering the efficiency of audit quality and engage in the treatment for future audit market competency. Likewise, they impose criterions and codifications for comptrollers, companies and hearers. ( Source 5 ) Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 introduced in response to the major fiscal crisis such as Enron to protect the investors ‘ assurance in the fiscal market, which had been corrupted and caused a batch of losingss. ( Source 9 ) It concentrates on bettering the stability and truth revelation of fiscal statements. Basically, SOX emphasised the duty of the truthfulness of published fiscal statement on managers, and established new punishments for illegal behaviors. Sing scrutinizing subdivision, they have been concerned intensely on effectual internal control on an organisation, which can be used as a verification about the accurateness fiscal statements and figures generated. And an internal control study should be written by the managers, as a back uping papers for their assurance of the truthiness and equity of the company ‘s fiscal place. And an auditing house should take part on guaranting the adequateness of the internal controls by inspecting the company ‘s overall tech niques and policies. ( Source 8 ) . The International Federation of Accountants is a world-wide establishment which has been functioning the public involvement by beef uping the communicating of fiscal information about an entity to the users. In order to carry through strengthen, IFAC assure that international criterions are have been followed and implemented decently by accountant professions, and they can pull off to accomplish the confidence by steering them. The international criterions which IFAC support are really valuable criterions that have a great impact of practically keeping the full economic system. And IFAC is back uping four independent standard-setting boards which are International audit and confidence criterions Board ( IAASB ) , International accounting instruction criterions Board ( IaesB ) , The IAESB sets International Education Standards ( IESs ) , International moralss criterions Board for comptrollers ( IESBA ) and International Public sector accounting criterions Board ( IPSASB ) . Pointedly, IFAC stands up for the populace and talk out for them in instances, related to accounting and scrutinizing professionals, which are in public ‘s involvement. ( source10 ) The Public Interest Oversight Board is a planetary organisation created to detect and guarantee that the standard-setting boards, under the IFAC that are in the portion of A audit and moralss, instruction, and confidence, are concentrating on public involvement. PIOB had improved the quality of fiscal coverage through promoting audit profession to pattern with more transparence and dependability. Particularly after the tremendous fiscal prostrations of cardinal great companies, such as WorldCom, that weakened the public trust on the truthiness, efficiency and independence of hearers ‘ sentiment. Thus, an independent organic structure that observes the audits sentiment and sets criterions is needed for investors to do accurate determinations, increase their trust and ingurgitate them to put, and therefore the market will boom. Another advantage of holding an international organic structure guard international criterions it will assist in comparing public presentations of world-w ide houses easy. ( Source 11 )Audit qualityHarmonizing to Titman and Trueman, audit quality is a term describes the rightness and dependability of information provided by hearers to users, In other words, the capableness of hearers in observing misleading or inaccurate information in fiscal statements ( beginning 12 ) . However, IAASB states that audit quality can non be defined exactly, it changes from which position you are looking at it. In investor position, audit quality is measured by hearer ‘s repute, coverage and outlooks from their work. The better repute the higher quality is assumed in audit. In audit commission member position, the quality of audit is influenced by the quality grade of the hearer, accomplishments and experiences, the audit procedure, which method and groundss were used, and hearer ‘s interactions with others, if in a manner whether it affects his independence or does non. ( Source 13 ) The International Standards on Auditing ( ISAs ) takes a cardinal function in take parting in audit quality by puting a globally accepted benchmark. In add-on, their criterions have been improved with the aid of IAASB, which is independently carefully supervised by PIOB. ( Source 13 ) The demand of audit quality is raised from asymmetric information and struggle of involvements ( beginning 12 ) . It can be conducted that audit quality is demanded because a batch of shareholders had worthless investings for the ground that false information were recommended to them or unjust audit studies were issued. Furthermore, some hearers loss the independence, which is a primary rule for an hearer, by working for a house by supplying dishonorable sentiment merely to maintain their occupation or they have been bribed. In add-on, it can be determined from a survey that the higher audit quality consequences a higher grade of investor ‘s capableness to anticipate future net incomes ( beginning 12 ) .Audit studyAudit study should be attached with a house ‘s one-year fiscal statements to province their sentiment of the truthiness and equity, or non, of the fiscal figures ( beginning 14 ) . It could be issued by internal hearer or external hearer. The study can impact a house ‘s stakeholders, loaners and stockholders. If it was unqualified study, so more investors will be attracted to the house, stockholders ‘ assurance in directors will increase, and it will fulfill their loaners, due to enhanced public presentation, by vouching the house ‘s refund their money. Qualified sentiment could be a ground of except for, disclaimer of sentiment or inauspicious sentiment. Except for sentiment is used when there is a restriction of range, an hearer does non hold adequate grounds that can assist him in guaranting a affair. Disclaimer of sentiment is when a director refuses to give the hearer the authorization to garner information or he does non take part with him, and when an hearer misses an chance that is material to the topic being audited. And in conclusion, inauspicious sentiment is the worst because it indicates that a company is non following with the criterions, fiscal statements contain deceptive information, or affect important u ncertainnesss ( source14 ) . In order to bring forth quality audit reports the ICAEW Audit and Assurance abled to form the Audit Quality Forum in 2004. Since the addition in complexness of concern environment and the important impacts of several fiscal failures that forced the universe into recessions, they are seeking to strength the relationship and communicating between directors and managers and all participates with more transparence. Therefore, assurance will increase due to the clear uping every procedure and determination devising, which eventually will ensue with extremely dependable studies. ( Source 15 ) Till today the hearer ‘s study are under alterations in order to run into the user ‘s demand. There are two chief defects that should be extinguish or minimise in coverage, which are the outlook spread and the information spread. The outlook spread occurs when user ‘s outlook from hearer ‘s information provided in a study differs from the existent audit itself. For illustration, hearers ‘ materiality term is considered otherwise than the construct understood by the user. Besides, the audit study is conducted with general nonspecific linguistic communication that does n't demo the existent process of scrutinizing, nonsubjective investigated or to which extent the audit covers. As for the information spread â€Å" the being of a spread between the information they [ users ] believe is needed to do informed investing and fiducial determinations, and what is available to them through the entity ‘s audited fiscal statements or other publically availabl e information † ( Source 16 ) . In other words, investors think that they can establish their determination on audited fiscal statement, which reflect the organisation ‘s overall public presentation and fiscal place. However, in existent pattern there are information in an entity that are non related to scrutinize, somehow it is much utile for efficient fiscal analysing and determination devising. Therefore, in an entity fiscal study, directors should advert clearly important fiscal coverage hazard and how they are being stated, on the other side, hearers should be more crystalline about the audit carried and particularly countries concern audit hazards.Decision

Describe a time you set a goal higher than you thought you could Essay

Describe a time you set a goal higher than you thought you could achieve. Explain the steps you took to achieve your goal. What was the outcome What did you learn from the experience - Essay Example Therefore, I set myself a goal of shedding 10 kilograms every week. Unfortunately, I could not achieve this target, which got me so devastated and the motivation to reduce my weight was fast waning. I realized that I was not regulating my calorie intake because I was still stuck with too much junk food. I also tried to lose weight by skipping meals, which did no good to my health. I had to review my goal and set practical ways of shedding excessive weight. I created a schedule, which included adequate gym time with guidance of a gym instructor and also set diet timetable with the help of a nutritionist. The result was so amazing. Every week I lost at least 1 kg, which was positive result towards achieving my goal. I realized that success demands specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time Bound objective. I also realized that too high and unachievable objectives demoralize people while too easy goals undermine ones

American Imperialism in the Philippines (1903) and Mary H. Fulton, On Term Paper

American Imperialism in the Philippines (1903) and Mary H. Fulton, On Christian Missionaries. Document analysis - Term Paper Example First, both documents reflect a common drive to conform to gender expectations. On the one hand, in the document â€Å"American Imperialism in the Philippines,† the attitude of President William McKinley in defending the colonization of the Philippines is plain machismo and ego in action. McKinley said, â€Å"That we could not give them back to Spain -- that would be cowardly and dishonorable.† Refusing to get the booty of war is in fact an honorable thing to do, especially when the booty which McKinley says â€Å"had dropped into our laps† has been fighting its own war against the Spanish regime for years already. Insofar as the Filipinos are concerned, when the Americans came, they were already winning. They won the fight against the Spaniards; they were not rescued by the Americans. â€Å"The Filipinos had also declared their independence and established a republic under the first democratic constitution ever known in Asia. Their dreams of independence were crushed when the Philippines were transferred from Spain to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1898), which closed the Spanish-American War.† (Philippine History)... Gender dictates that the male sex is courageous, brave and honorable. And to colonize the Philippines is what an honorable and courageous man would do. On the other hand, Mary H. Fulton writes of the Chinese women, â€Å"Then they notice my clean, short finger nails, and contrast them with their long ones,—often a finger in length,— which indicate that they are ladies of leisure.† Again, this is the work of gender and the need to conform. Chinese women go through the inconvenience of unnecessarily long finger nails and the pain of bound feet all in the name of femininity and pride. Chinese tradition regards the lotus feet and long finger nails as signs of a good woman because its makes them the epitome of affluence and good fortune. It means that they can afford to pay for people to do the chores for them and even carry them on their backs. The men in America celebrate while the women in China suffer all in the name of conformity with their prescribed gender role s. Another human trait common to both documents is the belief in God. Broadly speaking, all man regardless of creed or religion believes in the existence of a supreme being. Even the self-confessed atheists have something that rules over their lives and to whom they turn to in times of need. To the believer, this God could be Jesus Christ, Allah, Yahweh, the Roman and Greek Gods or the pagan’s ancestors’ spirits. To the non-believer, this could be himself for it can be argued that if he does not believe in a god that rules over man, therefore he rules over himself and he is his own god. McKinley admitted to have acquired the wisdom on what to do with the Philippines after he knelt down and prayed to God for guidance and enlightenment: â€Å"I am not ashamed to tell

Cultural Event Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Cultural Event Report - Essay Example Being given an assignment to write a report on any type of cultural event, I have chosen to go with a musical performance. The Madison Square Garden Concert given by the famous Latin singer, Marc Anthony on February 14th, 2009, was one of his best performances ever. This might have been the best Valentine’s Day for couples as on that special day they could watch such a great romantic, perform live on stage, so many passionate love songs. The arena was packed with more than 20,000 people and it was obvious that the tickets were all sold out. I was overwhelmed after seeing so many people all in one place, but it was no surprise knowing of such a strong fan base Marc Anthony has. Although Marc Anthony was late to his performance, Louie Vega kept us occupied with his comedy and we waited for the singing maestro. Once he came on stage, it felt like the whole stage just got electrified. Though there were some rude comments earlier about him being late, all that was forgotten as soon as people had the first glimpse of him. The concert was a mix of his Latin as well as English hits. This compilation made it all the more interesting and songs that were hits long back were brought back to life through his amazing voice. The atmosphere was very lively and energetic and so were his performances. One would expect artists to be better singing in studios, but Marc Anthony was exceptional and sounded much better in the live performance. He was not out of breath at any point of time and had great control over his singing. It was clearly understood that lip-synching was not meant for a powerful singer like him. The crowd had more females, but even then the number of males was not that less. The audience consisted of people of all age groups. This shows that he appeals to everyone, irrespective of gender or age. In all the darkness among the audience, flashes never stopped, people had all sorts of gadgets recording the brightest

Cyber attack why and how Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Cyber attack why and how - Research Paper Example ernet governance is subjected to various political and economic difficulties along with lack of opportunities for assessing different regulatory policies (Shackelford, 2014, p.3). Those who engage in cyber attacks are taking advantage of the fact that any kind of cyber security is far from foolproof. It is possible to exert attack on any secured computer network providing the attacker has the time and resources. This paper will focus on the reasons and process of cyber attacks. Human beings are today increasingly becoming dependent on the Internet with purposes as varied as basic browsing for garnering information to business and monetary transactions. This has no doubt emphasized the expanse of cyberspace and with it enhanced cyber security against potential cyber threats which has been described as â€Å"criminal acts committed using electronic communications networks and information systems or against such networks and systems† (Lagazio et al., 2014, p.59). There are typically three categories of cyber attacks. First, unauthorized intrusions which means the attacker enters another computer system by hacking techniques. Second, viruses or worms that can be transmitted through emails in order to disrupt or delete all data in another computer. Third is denial of service attacks which destroys the functionality of another computer by inundating it with communications (Howitt & Pangi, 2003, p.221). The ubiquity of the Internet has opened avenues for c riminals to execute cyber crimes and use cyber space as their criminal den. When organizations and individuals perform their personal and business activities on the Internet, they remain unaware that the same cyber space is also becoming grounds for criminals to base their cyber attacks. Although this is an indisputable fact that cyber space needs to be protected from such criminals, it is at the same time true that computer engineers have yet to fully comprehend the extent of cyber crime and its consequences. This lack

Business Outreach program - Anaytical report Research Proposal

Business Outreach program - Anaytical report - Research Proposal Example The American Housing Family is an organization that deals with equipping homeless and low-income individuals and families, providing permanent affordable housing, and improving their lives to become self-supporting members of the society. Even though this project is of great help to the homeless and the less fortunate, the issue of ventilation standards is a major matter to the peoples’ health. Poor ventilation standards result inthe risk of easily conducting dangerous diseases like asthma. A research that was done in 2009 showed that above 50% of homeless people had at least one respiratory manifestation. Another publication on Building and Environment in 2012 showed that improvement in air conditioning reduces the risk of asthma symptoms to the residents. Companies who engage in such projects not only stand a chance to fame but also grow economically and socially. Deploying the HVAC by Solaris to the American Housing Family will boost Solaris growth and also Products’ recognition globally. Solaris will also gain the merit of quality product trust at little or no cost which is the main weapon to success. Many companies strive and use a lot of their resources while trying to gain customers trust with their products. â€Å"Joining the society contributes to an atmosphere of integrity, social awareness, and excellence† (Tichy, McGill, & St. Clair, 1997, p. 173). Our group chose The American Housing Family for the Outreach Program due to the fact that they have local shelters in OC County and have different types of housing. They have wide recognitions globally and reputations for awards. Solaris deploying community services to the American Housing Family will improve on global recognitions, social and economic

Kudler Fine Food's Marketing Strategy and Tactics Essay

Kudler Fine Food's Marketing Strategy and Tactics - Essay Example With all these aims in mind the company presently aims at using market research. This paper aims at discussing the importance of marketing research for the company and also to identify the areas where additional market research is needed. The paper will also focus on the competitive intelligence which will assist in development of marketing strategy and tactics for the company. Changes in any organization are one of the most difficult things to accomplish and marketing research in any company tends to always bring about changes (McNamara, 2006). Market research plays a very important role in businesses and assists businesses study the changes in the markets to effectively be able to accomplish the changes being intended in the company. It is essential to note that the marketing research is very beneficial in assisting the companies develop the marketing strategies and tactics. The benefits of the marketing research are as discussed below: a) Detailing the Constraints: Kudler fine Foods will gain a strong guidance from the marketing research and will be able to focus on the constraints which are an imperative part of all decision making. b) Marketing Action: The market researches provide the company with the required data for the development of the strategies and tactics (Kotler, 1999). This information proves to be invaluable for the accuracy of the tactics and development of the strategies. c) Customer’s views: Marketing research provides the company with a chance to identify the customer’s responses and views. This allows the company to make more informed decisions in terms of the marketing and also in regards to the development of new products (Aksel, 2007). Evaluating the customer needs constantly allows the company to develop products and services to accurately meet the needs of the customer and to successful cater to the target customers. d) Estimation

Research and Professional Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research and Professional Skills - Assignment Example Developing critical thinking has made me examine the validity and truth of arguments by assessing the relative significance rather than accepting ideas at face value. In addition, I learned that in order to develop the strong critical mind, it is important to be persistent, as this would enable me to get answers to questions I have asked. In my view, I have learned that research and professional skill is a good subject in that it has enabled me to think carefully and strategically about my objectives and areas which I need to improve. I am now in a position to make plans in that I can choose how to attain my desired career outcome. This is possible because I have set attainable and manageable objectives and I am ready to revise the plans if things do not go as planned. In addition, research and professional skills have helped me improve my writing skill. Throughout the course, I have experienced numerous challenges. For instance, I have been asthmatic because of the bad weather and workload stress that has made me suffer. Because of my sickness, I have been absent for almost four weeks which implies that I have missed classes for a duration of four weeks. Therefore, in order to compensate for the time I have been absent, I need more time and effort in order to catch up with the syllabus. Lecturers understand my situation, give me strong support, and help me to attain what I have missed. For instance, they give me relevant notes that I need to revise, encourage me not to give up and explain concepts that I do not understand. More so, I borrow notes from my classmates and conduct further research in areas that require more reading. I am specialized in management accounting since I performed well in this area at the beginning but I encounter some challenges in decision-making section despite the fact it is the subject I am interested in. The main challenge is that I record poor results in finance  reporting assignment because of poor understanding and sickness. I cannot understand this subject well because of weak interpretation and due to the fact that I did not comprehend the main criteria that the assignment requires.

Resistance of a wire Essay Example for Free

Resistance of a wire Essay George Ohm discovered that a circuit sometimes resists the flow of electricity. He called this resistance. The rule that George Ohm came up with for working out the resistance of a wire is as followed: V/I = R V Volts I Current R Resistance This is known as Ohms Law Prediction The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the factors that affect the resistance of a wire. The hypothesis that I intent to prove or disprove is resistance will increase as the length of the wire increases, and resistance will decrease as the wire gets thicker. The experiment to come to this conclusion will be conducted as follows: firstly we attached three wires to nails that were held in place by a wooden board. The wires were attached o the nails by crocodile clips. The wires were all of different thickness, i. e. thick thin and medium circumferences. Electricity was supplied from a mains point,(in the form of volts) and from this high medium and low currents were passed through each of the wires. After all of the various currents had been passed through all of the wires, the resistance will be recorded using an ohm metre. After all of the initial measurements have been taken, the ohm metre will be moved 10 cm further away from the power supply for each of the wire, and will be further repeated in intervals of 10 cm to see if the length of the wire has any bearing on the resistance of the wire. All of the results will then be recorded in a table and then illustrated graphically to assist in the analysis of the end results. It is my prediction that as the current increases, and the length of the wire becomes longer; the resistance (measured in ohms) will increase as well. It is also my belief that as the wire gets thicker, the resistance will decrease. I also believe that the relation ship will prove to be linear and proportional between length and resistance . I devised this prediction after some careful and well thought out use of my scientific knowledge; the reasons I give for my prediction are as follows. The voltage travelling through the wires is a driving force, which effectively pushes the current around, acting as a kind of electrical pressure. A simple analogy to explain this would be to use the example of a hosepipe, i.e. a hosepipe with a greater circumference will offer less resistance than one with a smaller circumference, and also there is less surface area on a short piece of hosepipe, once again creating a smaller resistance. Also inline with my earlier analogy I believe that it will be a proportional relationship because if u double the length you double the available area for atoms within the wire The same principle can be used to explain resistance of a wire. The voltage is trying top push the current around the circuit, and the resistance is opposing it. The relative size of the voltage and resistance decide how big the current will be. So therefore if you increase the voltage, more current will flow, or more voltage will be needed to keep the same current flowing. So as a consequence I believe that a long thin wire, and the smallest will offer the greatest resistance by a thick short wire. Below is a diagram taken from the SEG physical processes revision guide (Richard Parsons 1998) that will graphically explain my above analogy. The independent variable of the wire is its length and the dependant variable of the wire is the resistance. The factors that will be kept constantly the same throughout the experiment are as followed: The thickness of the wire. The type of wire. The temperature. Safety precautions This experiment is relatively safe. The only two safety precautions that need to be taken into consideration during this experiment are: Make sure the surface you are carrying the experiment out on is dry, as a water is a conductor of electricity, and is very dangerous if they react together. Whilst the multimeter is turned on make sure you do not touch the wires, because they become very hot throughout the course of the experiment. Obtaining Firstly I attached the wire to a meter ruler with sticky tape. Then I switched the multi-meter on. The multi-meter is connection to the wire via the crocodile clips. I then recorded the resistance, lengths ranging from 0 100cm. Increasing by intervals of 10cm each time. Thick wire Low Current Medium Current High Current Length (cm) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Average Resistance Medium wire Low Current Medium Current High Current Length (cm) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Average Resistance. Thin Wire Low Current Medium Current High Current Length (cm) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Volts (V) Ohms (R) Average Resistance Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Media Violence In The West And In Pakistan Media Essay

Media Violence In The West And In Pakistan Media Essay Media violence is not confined to any one medium. Decades ago, violent content was as limited as the reach of media itself. Today, the audiences have increased by more than a triple-fold. With the advent of advanced technology, media violence creates even a greater risk of possible harm to the society, especially children. To understand media violence, or mediated violence, one needs to understand both its theoretical and practical approaches. Our main concern in this chapter will be the forms of media violence in the West and in Pakistan in particular. Theoretical Perspective Mediated violence has been in the limelight since a long, long time. The effect of such media content has been termed negative by a heavy majority. But there have been researchers who would think otherwise. Mediated violence, in their perspective, have both good and bad possible effects and ofcourse, it varies differently in different people. Aristotle introduced catharsis theory in his play Poetics. He suggested that people experience an emotional release when they view tragedy plays. Any sort of negative feelings that they arouse emotion such as fear or anger were eliminated when they watch characters experiencing tragic events. This release of emotions during viewing media content is also known as vicarious  participation. It helps to release tensions which trigger aggression or aggressive behavior. Feelings of audience or the viewer are presumably cleansed when they watch characters in the play involved in tragic events. This emotional cleansing was assumed to be positive to both the individual and society. This theory has been carried over into modern day mass media. It is used to defend the increase in the amount of violence in media content. Sigmund Freud and other scholars revived the concept of catharsis. Brill was the psychiatrist who suggested the psychoanalytic techniques of Freud to the US. He asked his patients to watch a prize fight once a month to let go of their angry, aggressive feelings into harmless channels. The psychoanalytic theory states that such type of emotional release is linked to a need to release unconscious conflicts. For example, stress and frustration related to work and job situation tends one to act inappropriately. These feelings can be vented out through a physical activity or any activity that helps them to release stress. Aristotles idea of catharsis is used as a justification for many directors and producers of today. They claim that media content is cathartic and beneficial for individuals. For example, Alfred Hitchcock, director of the movie Psycho, said, One of televisions greatest contributions is that it brought murder back into the home where it belongs. Seeing a murder on television can be good therapy. It can help work off ones antagonism. More recently, in 1992, Paul Verhoeven, director of the movie Total Recall, said, I think its a kind of purifying experience to see violence. Violent computer games are also considered cathartic just like violent movies and dramas. Killing enemies and being deeply involved in the game environment is thought to be a useful outlet for the primal human urge to kill. An imaginary founder, Dr Bartha, in promotional materials for fictional CyberDivision movement says, We kill. Its OK. Its not our fault any more than breathing or urinating. Its a marketing campaign, said a SegaSoft spokesperson, but there is some validity to the concept that you need an outlet for aggressive urges. People who play violent video games share same views. Dr Abdul Rahim, a 24 year old dentist by profession, spends his free time playing games like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Aliens vs Predators. All three of them are banned in various countries by their respective censor boards. Everytime our exams ended, all us friends went for gaming, chose such games like Counterstrike and GTA. We named the characters after our professors and shot them. In the stressful medical schooling period, it was very stress relieving. But dont get me wrong, I am not a violent person by nature. We just had fun playing such games together. It actually does give you a leeway to vent out your aggression and gives one a reason to take of from frustration. Ofcourse, its entertainment too, says Raheel Yousaf, a young mechanical engineer. When asked if such form of violence increases ones level of aggression in reality, he replied, Yes it promotes aggression but provides mean to le go the frustrations. It is kind of a double edged sword. Depends how you use it. The second theory concerning media violence is that even if it provides catharsis to the viewer it also makes him indifferent to the violence in real. This phenomenon is known as desensitization. It states that when individuals watch large amounts of violence tend to become less sensitive to real-life violence compared to those who watch less violence. Psychologists have studied this phenomenon to a great deal and proposed that people who watch more violence become less aroused, physiologically and emotionally. Cline, Croft and Courrier (1973), in an experiment, showed violent content to two groups of children: light viewer and heavy viewer of television. They found out children who watched more television (violent content) were less aroused physiologically than those children who were light television viewers. In a different study, Thomas, Horton, Lippincott, and Drabman (1977) made two groups of 8-10 year-old children watch two different film clips. First clip was of a aggressive police drama. The second was of a volleyball game. After the first two clips, both groups were individually shown a TV clip of violence in real-life. Researchers studied that the children who had watched the violent police drama were considerably less provoked by the following violent clip as compared to the children who had watched the non-violent volleyball game. Same experiment was repeated with college students and similar results were obtained. Moreover, the flourishing of hate speech in new media platforms, such as YouTube, can be explained using desensitization theory. This theory states that exposure to violence through media channels leads to desensitization to violence in real life, as well as a decrease in feelings of empathy or sympathy towards actual victims (Encyclopedia of Communication, 2006). Exposure to violence on the Internet, in video games, and in other new media platforms potentially desensitizes users to violent acts, which could make them more likely to commit such acts, such as the cyberbullying evident in many YouTube comments. Bushmen and Anderson (2008) used the theory of desensitization in order prove it reduces helping behavior. In Study 1, violent video games known to desensitize people caused decreases in helping-related behavior, perceptions, and cognitions. In Study 2, violent movies delayed helping in a wholly naturalistic setting. The person in need of help had an injured ankle in both studies. In Study 1, the injury resulted from interpersonal violence, whereas in Study 2, the cause of injury was unknown. The similar results across very different studies suggest that desensitization caused by media violence generalizes beyond failure to help victims of violence. Theoretically, we expect such generalization; one factor in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing helping behavior is judged severity of injury, and that judgment is in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenced by ones own emotional and physiological reaction to the injury. In the Figure 1, Bushmen and Anderson illustrated the process by which the urge to help people in pain and distress reduces. The level and degree of sensitization differs from person to person. The results, as stated, proved that media violence has a negative effect on audiences. In a study by Mullin and Linz (1995), the two researchers demonstrated that audiences who show a degree of desensitization towards the sufferer in non-media framework following experience to violence in media have chances of recovering their sensitivity rather quickly given that they are not experiencing any exposure to other violent representation. The effects of repeated exposure to explicit violent films on emotional desensitization and insensitivity toward domestic violence were studied in an experiment. With repeated film exposure, it was found out, that emotional feedback, self-reported physiological arousal and degree of impact of sexual violence was reduced. Participants in the experiment showed less sympathy for domestic violence victims three days following exposure to the final film, and marked their injuries as being less strict than did a no-exposure control group. Their level of sensitivity to the sufferers of domestic violence returned five days following the final fil m exposure. The new level of sensitivity was same as that by the no-exposure comparison group. As a result it was theorized that exposure to violence in media has tendency to desensitize audience where they experience reduced feelings of concern, understanding, or sympathy toward victims of real-life violence. The study has also shown that people who view large amounts of violent content show less physiological reaction to violence in other circumstances Audience, both male and female, who are exposed to sexual violence in media also are seen to show less sensitivity to sexial violence in other contexts and usually sympathize less with rape victims. This desensitization can be reduced if sufficient rest period is given to the viewer and he or she can find the capability to empathize with victims of violence In a tragic incident, media can be accused for its impact of violence on teenagers. A 15 year old was bullied to death by nine teenagers (three males and six females). The girl, Phoebe Prince was terrorized by these teenager for months and eventually she committed suicide. This is a clear example of how media triggers aggression in teenagers. Moreover, cartoons are held accountable for being violent, no matter what rating it has. It is shown that cartons lead to a notable degree of verbal aggression in school environment. Individual is aware of his/her behavior which is resulted from high exposure to media violence but he can not predict the effects it has on the victim. In the incident above, the verbal aggression used against Phoebe may have been triggered by the high volume violent content from media. In the same study it can be seen that this desensitization leads to irrational behavior which leads to more aggressive behavior. Boys tend to get involved in bullying more whereas gi rls end up in verbal aggression. In both cases, the end can be dangerous for both genders. They may idolize their favorite character of a movie or a cartoon and act accordingly. This can lead to serious damage to the family and society as whole. Vulnerable Audiences Audiences for possible harm by media violence differ from age to age and culture to culture. But in any society in any part of the world, children are the most affected viewers of media. The reason is that at a tender age, child grasps more from media, not able to differentiate between media and reality. Seeing is believing. For adults, violence in media triggers or increases aggression. Due to its cathartic effect, it helps release and reinforce emotions. Violent Sources: News Pakistani news channels are filled with violence and suffering. Political instability, strikes, bomb blasts, military operations, thefts, sexual harassment, and to top it off, talks shows who discuss all this negativity with no constructive solution. The local news is widely used by Pakistanis. Everyone turn to Geo, ARY News and Aaj TV for every latest happening. News channels over emphasize brutal crime, as does Express News, and audiences now rely greatly on the sensational portrayal of violence as shown on TV. In a very tragic incident, two boys from Sialkot were brutually murdered. The entire gruesome footage was shown on every news channel for as long as the story was held its importance. Moreover, flogging of women by Taliban is shown openly on media. Mutilated body parts are shown on screen after a bomb blast. Every channel shows a negative aspect of Pakistan. Audiences are not given any productive news, or if they are, they are shown at off-time. Furthermore, it is noted that major news networks around the world newscasts crime and violence as news features. Africa, Iraq, Palestine and Israel conflict, Afghanistan all are part of international media propaganda. Even though most television news programs are not proposed for a child audience, they depend greatly on news channels for their knowledge about current events and they watch more news channels than their parents can think they do. Most children in the highest grades of elementary school watch the news at least several times a week and even many 3- to 8-year-olds regularly watch television news. Many older elementary school children claim that they watch the news because they find it important to stay informed, but even if children do not choose to watch the news themselves, they still are frequently confronted with it when they are looking for other programs or when their parents are watching. With the rise of television channels and Internet services that broadcast ne ws around the clock and with the growing practice of interrupting other television programming to report on breaking news stories, children of all ages thus may be regularly confronted with highly distressing and violent accounts of murders, catastrophic accidents, war, and other suffering. With Pakistan the situation is much more complex. There is so much bloodshed and violence going on throughout the country, news channels can not ignore it. Few years ago two thieves were burnt alive in Karachi. The picture was printed in the front page of one of the leading English newspapers, The News (Jang Group). Moreover, coverage of natural disasters (flood and earthquakes), national crisis such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) issue during Swat Operation, drone attacks in FATA region, poverty, load shedding, inflation, unemployment and as a result serious political instability. Repetitive news about all these issues creates frustration in the society. Taliban and military are sadly such big issues in Pakistan, they seem unresolved for years to come. Entertainment gala Media content for entertainment purposes has a massive number of violent content. It includes all sorts of TV shows such as dramas, telefilms, sporting programs (Khatron ke Khiladi, Fear Factor etc), film trailers and misguiding youth shows where young adults are pretending to be bad guys to appear cool to the audience (Aag Tv). According to a survey by a Russian NGO, there is significant impact of on-screen violence on teenagers. About half the teenagers were positive about its demonstration: they enjoyed films, television shows, and computer games containing on-screen violence and they admired the characters including bad guys. Impact on teenagers results in a societal imbalance such as theft, racing on highways, sexual harassment, and so on. 90.23% of the participants held action as their favorite genre for overall entertainment (TV, movies, PC games etc). In the same study, 90.93% of Russian teenagers said that United States produced most of on-screen violence content. 62.32% of teenagers who watched violence said they had nothing else to do so hence they watched violence to pass time. Violence in entertainment has been glamorized repeatedly. Explicit images of bullets coming out of a mans chest in a slow motion, and dead bodies piled up in pool of blood, are now everyday routine. Millions of viewers worldwide, many of them children, watch female World Wrestling Entertainment wrestlers try to tear out each others hair and rip off each others clothing. And one of the top-selling video games in the world, Grand Theft Auto, is programmed so players can beat prostitutes to death with baseball bats after having sex with them. One of the recent violent TV shows, Prison Break, had the highest ratings, not only in the US but all over the world. Fans were glued to every episode just to see a handsome guy devising a plan to break out of a penitentiary and having a love affair with the doctor of the infirmary of the same prison. The plot no doubt was very interesting but violence sells and it has a bad impact. Cutting of limbs, psychopathic behavior of some characters and running away from the FBI, all was glamorized till the very end. Childrens cartoons Violence in childrens cartoons is one of the most neglected, ignored yet threatening form of violence. With media booming and life getting on faster track by the day, parents leave their children to the sole entertainment of Cartoon Network, Nickelodian and Disney Channel. What they do not realize is the kind of impact some cartoons have on children. According to American Psychological Association, an average twelve-year- old has seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence on network television. According to Dr. Aletha Hustons 1992 study titled Big world, small screen: The role of television in American society, by the time a child is eighteen years old, he or she will witness on television (with average viewing time) 200,000 acts of violence including 40,000 murders. According to researches, it has a deep impact on a childs aggressive behavior. Violence in cartoons also increases fear in children, the mean-world syndrome. It also desensitizes children to real-life violence because the violent content is depicted as humorous with no realistic consequences. Dr. Dimitri Christakis of Seattle Childrens Hospital Research in a December 8, 2008 interview, says, Watching violent cartoons increases real life aggression. Decades of research have proven that children imitate what they see on screen this includes both undesirable and desirable behaviors According to Dr. Christakis, cartoon violence has two central messages that tend to boost a childs aggressive behavior. The first is that cartoon aggression occurs without penalties no one REALLY get hurts. This has a lot of parents believing cartoons are safe whereas the actuality is the opposite. The second is that they often portray violence as something that is entertaining or pleasurable which for adults seems harmless since it is not factual after all. The reality is that children less than 7 years of age do not differentiate between fantasy and real life. Cartoons are in fact quite real to children and once again, repetitive research has shown that commingling violence and humor enhances its potency, cautions Dr. Christakis. Study shows a strong link between media violence and the manner in which children behave. Experience with TV violence raises real world aggression. Also, children regularly exposed to sadism on television are indifferent towards real life violent experiences. Children become resistant to the pain and anguish of others. Children dont have much understanding of the real world; that is why it is hard for them to tell apart between fantasy and reality. Consequently, they copy what they see in cartoons. Children who see aggressive content in TV do become desensitized to violence and aggression. This desensitization to media violence has been studied in trial situations, as in study by Drabman and Thomas (1974). In this study named Does Watching Violence on Television Cause Apathy?, children who view a violent film later took considerably longer to seek adult support to stop what they considered was an altercation between younger children, as compared to the children who did not watch the film. In a more recent reproduction using modern video resources, Molitor and Hirsch (1994) studied childrens toleration of actual reality violence after exposure to media violence. The study reassured the original findings: viewing violence increases acceptance for violent behavior. Children today are inspired by heroics of Ben Ten, Powerpuff Girls, Sylvester and Tweety, Pokemon, Scooby Doo and The Simpson to name a few. These shows show characters fighting or escaping from violence, jubilating in violent acts, and showing more violence than a child would usually see. Christakis particularly called out Looney Tunes cartoons in his research, by encouraging them to view such aggressive cartoons, You are actually teaching [children] that violence is funny. Moreover, interestingly, those classic Looney Tunes cartoons were never initially proposed for a childrens audience. They were at first placed in front of feature films in movie theatres that had mainstream movies like Captain Blood or Casablanca. Children do copy their heroes, hopeful to imitate them and be to stand as strong and influential as they do. The TV acts like a babysitter for the parents and they allow their children to sit in front it, taking in everything they get out from that LCD screen, mindlessly. Meanwhile parents are busy doing their everyday chores diligently, making sure their child do not distract them. While they are busy with their work, the children are getting maximum violence from the media content in shape of cartoons, ads, music, films and what not. The studies carried out have shown that children either copy their heroes or let the actions of these heroes persuade their later, more aggressive actions. A research conducted by Albert Bandura with some groups of children, each viewing a different form of violence, concurs with this and recommends that the type of violence a child executes is shaped by the sort that he or she sees on TV; a person displaying violence on film is as influential as one d isplaying it in real life.televised models are important sources of social behavior (Bandura, 126). TV has a strong impact on children from a juvenile age, specially if adults give them many chances to watch and do not step in to repeat to their children that this is all fake, or to switch the channel should the matter is inappropriate for children. According to the CNN, the Cartoon Network had the highest number of violent incidents with 1,330, or 5 incidents per episode. The ABC Family Channel had only 318 violent happenings, but had an average of almost 11 per episode, the top of the networks surveyed. The report said the WB cartoon Teen Titans had maximum amount of violence with 21.7 incidents per episode. Too often we dismiss violence in childrens programming as inconsequential, the study said. It also cleared out that even though cartoons have been historically aggressive, whats altered is the level of violence, and it called the outcome ubiquitous, often sinister, and in many cases frighteningly realistic. The Disney Channel had the lowest number of violent incidents at 0.95 per episode, the report said. The report also disapproved of the networks for airing childrens shows with unethical language such as stupid, loser and butt as well as sexual intimation, insults and bullying. With little to none animation produced in Pakistan, younger audiences rely solely on western media. Recently, Tetra Pak and Safeguard created animated short documentary-cum-advertisements to promote their products and services. Both ads targeted the children and contained violent content to a notable degree. Films Films contain maximum amount of threatening violence. A storys two main components: Heroes and villains are used to glamorize and sell violence. And that what makes it to the top of box office. The Dark Knight, sequel of Batman Series, one of the most highly appreciated films of all times, contains gruesome acts of violence. The actor, Heath Ledger, is supposedly believed to have committed suicide as a result of psychotic acting he did in the movie as Joker. The movie broke all time records and is one of the best critically acclaimed movies. Tom Cruises Knight and Day (2010) alongside Cameron Diaz is another example of violent films. The hero, the very handsome Mr Cruise, shoots people and runs. But ofcourse he is the good guy. There is a lot of blood spilled and cars burnt. But in the midst of such violence, the two stars find time to have a sexual attraction and the inevitable love making starts. Theres nothing to sweat about if you kill about a dozen people, at least you get a pretty girl at hand. A particularly prominent example of such violence was the movie Payback, in which the Mel Gibson, the murders a lot of people for payback, with a wink and a smile, and gets away with it. The examples of such kind of non-serious violence attitude is literally in thousands from James Bond movies to Schwarzenegger and Stallone. From these movies we get the idea that violence is not serious, killing dozens to hundreds of people is an everyday thing and it is okay to feel good about it. But yes there are instances where violence is dealt with responsibility, only that I cant remember any. Thats the impact of justified violence. It is so less glamorous that it is equally forgettable. Film violence can be seen as an particularly telling phases of hardships of popular cinema to counter attack the forces at any given time in the dynamic society and those who control it. Sklar and Jowett, in mid 70s, revised previous accounts of film history and Hollywoods development over the period of time. Instead of simply being a controversial subject for censor board or industry regulators, these pictures betrayed wider social antagonisms. Sklar (1994), in his memoir, wrote about Mack Sennetts slapstick films produced during World War I and the exodus of immigrants that changed Americas cities, Sklar observes, Sennetts comedies, appearing in an era of strife and official violence, gave audiences their first glimpses of a social perspective that was to become one of the most emotionally powerful of Hollywood formulas the anarchic individual pitted against disordered violent authority-which reemerged in later periods of upheaval in the early 1930s and late 1960s (1994, 109). He viewed violence as a expression of deeply ingrained cultural conflicts and, significantly, suggests the proceedings of social authorityin Sennetts films, the police-can be construed as violent just as readily as those of individuals. When this happens, according to Sklar, it is possible to examine the cinema as a medium where it out-dos social authority and prestige. As producers and directors were trying to get their product acceptable to the masses, they used the First World War as an event to increase their international distribution, overcoming the European cinema and expanding their domestic role. Still a hatchling industry relatively new to southern California, Hollywoodwhich, by 1918, was a everyday generic title for the American film industrybecame an significant section of the U.S. governments propaganda promotion aimed at influencing public opinion that was favorable to conflicts and war efforts. Violence in film and television definitely seems to be a contributing contributory factor in the growing crime rate, even though there are people who declare it isnt. Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Roger Ebert is amongst them. In his 1971 appraisal of the film Dirty Harry, he writes: I think films are more often a mirror of society than an agent of change, and that when we blame the movies for the evils around us we are getting things backward. If there arent mentalities like Dirty Harrys at loose in the land, then the movie is irrelevant. If there are, we should not blame the bearer of the bad news. Bruder, in her paper, Aestheticizing Violence, or How To Do Things with Style, deconstructs some films, including Hard Target, Posse and True Romance. Bruder disagree and says that highly glamorized violence in films like these can be viewed as a explanation of the new ways of thinking about the multifaceted cultural communications in our world. Furthmore, she says that those who disapprove of such violence in movies basically dont understand violence as this new language of film and the way audiences relate to it. For instance, Hard Target, is directed by John Woo, a longtime fixture in Hong Kong-based action films. Woo, director of Mission Impossible 2, is representative of a new wave of directors portraying highly glamorized violence in films. Critiques have also defended violence in movies by stating it to be part of catharsis. Other people argue that it desensitizes audience to actual real-life violence, making them indifferent to violence. It is to be noted that the level of impact of violence has changed over the years. Previously a movie was shown in cinema halls and then was locked up into stores or if lucky enough, it came up for rent. Today all media content, especially movies, are available online. From the first movie ever made to the movie released today, all movies are available on the internet. One can download them legally through registered sites or download them free though torrent files and torrent software. To make viewing easy, some sites also provide online streaming of various content. Any movie which was banned previously can be found online. Any part of the movie which was banned by the censor board is available on Youtube. So when you are watching your favorite action movie, you can watch it over and over again. This might increase the degree of impact of media violence by triple fold. The easy convenience of media content online just makes it easier for younger audiences to access it. Parents seldom check what their children are surfing online. The internet cannot say no to the user and there is no rating system, unless parents are too concerned and have put virtual locks on sites. In Pakistan, this is rare. Young audiences have viewed both violent and sexual contact by the age 15 in Pakistan. Every other child knows about the new cool game and the new sexy item girl. Its no secret that the biggest movie production house, Hollywood produces many R rated films for young viewers. Starship Troopers is a good example. A work of youthful fiction written by Robert Heinlein, the book was made into an R-rated movie particularly intended for teenage boys with a naked shower scene (which was not part of the original book), tons of violence and, on the surface at least, engaging poster simplicity for its fascist biased angle The deeper satirical degree of the film are so thi n and weakly worked out, they probably go right over the heads of most of the target audience. People saw the film to see the nude women in the shower. Sex and violence sells in film industry. One of Hollywoods favorite combination of all time. This could be seen in Sharon Stones reason to stardom in Basic Instinct. Old, classic movies seem dull when it comes to glamorizing life as in movies today. The lead female character has to lose her dignity in movies today to make a movie a success. As seen in Bollywood movies, previously item girls and heroines were clearly distinct from each other. Today every leading actoress has an popular item song to her name such Aishwariya Rai (Kajra Re) and Katrina Kaif (Sheila badnaam hui) to name a few. Film not only informs us what to think but they tell us how to think in a certain way and how to feel and express about the experience we had with media exposure. This seems very powerful way to control thinking and persuading process. If this was not true, large corporations would not spend millions of dollars on product placement. In December 2010, United Kingdom allowed product placement in their media content too. Previously it was heavily done by United States. TV ads are like very short films produced to sell products or services and when made properly they work. . Gangster films, War films, western films, martial arts films, several of these come under the broad category of action films.

Vouchers, School Choice and the Publics Interest Essay -- Persuasive

School Choice and the Public's Interest Recent trends toward privatizing schools and relieving them of state requirements wrongly imply that schools should mirror the desires of parents and ignore the public's interest in having citizens educated for democracy. Rob Reich, who recently earned his doctorate in philosophy of education at Stanford, is writing a book on school vouchers, charter schools and home schooling. Reich stated his view that the nation is slipping too far into deregulated schooling. "The guiding idea behind privatization, whether it is vouchers, charter schools or home schooling, is that parents should be the sole decision-making agents about the kind of education their children receive. But this eviscerates the public or civic purposes of schooling." Public schooling itself is not the goal, he said, and public schools don't necessarily do better than private schools in educating children to meet the state's interests, which he defined as preparing children for both workforce and democratic participation. Those who joined in the discussion pushed Reich to specify the content of an education for democratic participation. "Some would say reading and writing is enough," he responded. "Personally, I would go a few steps further to say that students should learn to come into dialogue with others on a public stage." Voluntary national standards for civic education suggest "a combination of making sure students know the history and shape of the structure of government, and how to influence public deliberation and policy," he said. Others suggest experience-oriented programs, often called service learning. "My model has been the Socratic dialogue, where the teacher is a leader and p... ...ploded among white, middle-class, religious families who want more control over the values their children are exposed to or who fear for their children's safety, Reich said. "I'm convinced that further privatization is inevitable," he added. Supporters have framed the argument for it as "a civil rights issue or a matter of social justice." he said. "People say President Clinton sent his daughter to private school. If we are serious about social justice, we should give all parents the same choice that wealthy parents have." How would he change the situation? Reich was asked. "I can imagine a variety of institutional arrangements but where private schools are still subject to state oversight," he said. "Perhaps public dollars could flow to them if the curriculum met the state's interests. A democracy has needs, but that doesn't mean public schools have to meet them."

Philosophy of Milton in When I Consider how my Light is Spent and Borge

The Philosophy of Milton in When I Consider how my Light is Spent and Borges in Poema de los dones  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Jorge Luis Borges espoused a philosophy that "all men are each other" (Stabb 52). His literature frequents the theme by finding the repetition of events that transpire regardless of the person involved. His becoming blind coincided with his appointment as Director of the National Library of Argentina, and he understood this "splendid irony of God" as another wrinkle in the circular repetition of existence. John Milton's formal use of the Petrarchan sonnet provides a balanced structure for him to blend his experience with the general human experience, but his effort promotes an inward, self-reflective goal of trying to find God's mandate when he becomes blind. While Borges universalizes his blindness in order to convey his idea of transindividuality in "Poema de los dones" ("Poem of the Gifts"), Milton responds to the permanence of his night by ultimately resigning to a justified ascetism, patience, and contemplation as he awaits God's command in "When I Consider how my L ight is Spent."    A graceful tug of war between continuity and schism, a changing fusion of the personal and the universal, and a tone of resignation direct Milton to the difficult acceptance of serving God by standing and waiting. Continuity within a set of lines shapes the theme by urging the poet to continue his faith in God. Contrasts in images and audiences define the differences between the soul-seeking author and the well-meaning orator.    Petrarchan sonnets usually invite the poet to propose a series of distinct statements from line to line. Milton deviates from the anticipated sentence divisions by merging one idea within m... ...Milton: A Structural Reading. London: Edward Arnold, 1974.    Borges, Jorge Luis. Borges: A Reader. Eds. Emir Rodriguez Monegal and Alastair Reid. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981.    Miller, David M. John Milton: Poetry. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978.    Milton, John. "When I Consider how my Light is Spent." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996.    Modern Critical Views: Jorge Luis Borges. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Nicolson, Marjorie Hope. John Milton: A reader's guide to his poetry. New York: Octagon Books, 1983.    Stabb, Martin S. Jorge Luis Borges. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1970.    Wilson, A.N. The Life of John Milton. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.      

True Happiness in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut and Hans Weingar

True Happiness in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut and Hans Weingartner's The Eduakators A large parcel of the population has as their ultimate goal in life achieving well-being. Unfortunately many try to achieve it through the wrong means. For instance, in The Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut, Malachi Constant thinks he is truly happy, but what he really does is fulfill his hedonism, satisfy his shallow needs, without truly searching for a higher form of well-being. Not only does a life focused on hedonic satisfaction not achieve true happiness, it also leads, along with the urge to accumulate, egocentrism, and greed, to an unethical life. The Sirens of Titans depicts this kind of life, which is also represented throughout The Edukators, directed by Hans Weingartner. Both Malachi Constant and Hardenberg believe that money is the solution to all of their problems while ignoring the problems their own lifestyle is causing to other people and society as a whole. Happiness, our own and other people’s, is achieved by focusing our lives in the right things. Even though hedonic satisfaction is necessary for living a happy life, focusing only on hedonic pleasure will have the opposite effect. If you focus on money and the things it can buy as the source for your well-being, you are excluding a series of factors that are necessary to achieve a true state of well-being. The following passage from the article â€Å"On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being† clearly details that: Drawing from the eudaimonic view and from SDT, Kasser & Ryan (1993, 1996) related money and materialism to well-being. They predicted that people who place a strong value on wealth... ...se’s life. The only way humanity can achieve true well-being is if abdicates its urge to accumulate and refocus its mostly hedonic ways to a more eudaimonic way of life. Works Cited The Edukators. Dir. Hans Weingartner. IFC Films, 2004. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1979. Nenno, Nancy P. â€Å"Postcards from the Edge.† Light Motives: German Popular Film in Perspective. Eds. Halle, Randall and McCarthy, Margaret. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003. 61-84. Reed, Peter J. "Kurt Vonnegut, Jr." Dictionary of Literary Biography. ed. 1978. Ryan, Richard M., and Edward L. Deci. "On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudamonic Well-Being." Annual Review of Psychology 52 (2001): 141-166. Vonnegut, Kurt. The Sirens of Titan. New York: Dell Publishing, 1998.

Growing Up Digital; Wired for Distractions.

It is globally accepted that the Internet has become a milestone in almost every walk of life, enabling us to get instant and free interaction with the external dynamic world. Nevertheless, the great impact of the Internet on the youth remains a moot question. Growing up in the digital information era, â€Å"the Net Generation† has a crazy passion for the new social media communicating platforms–cell phones, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.The concerned parents are beset with worries that their kids’ digital immersion has obviously led to their habitual distraction, which will directly make an adverse effect on their learning. ? ?Vishal Singh, the hero of this article, is surely an exact example of the â€Å"Digital Natives†, who are really lured by the digital realm. He’s totally indulged in making music digital videos and talented in filmmaking, seemingly, his future career. However, it is a pity that he â€Å"lacks the self-control†, which has led to his distractions in learning.It’s greatly touching how his parents won’t â€Å"put roadblocks in his way† and are willing to help him to achieve his dream of filmmaking. Additionally, deeply admirable, David Reilly, principal of Woodside High School where Vishal is studying, who sympathizes with his students and is generous enough to build a multimedia center to encourage them to display their digital wit. Markus Dworak, the Harvard neuroscientist who led the brainwave pattern experiments on 12 to 14 year olds, came up with some eye-opening results. When you look at vocabulary and look at huge stimulus after that, your brain has to decide which information to store,† he said. â€Å"Your brain might favor the emotionally stimulating information over the vocabulary. † By this he means that emotionally charged stimuli would always conquer lesser information. Matt Richtel uses examples of students who are growing up with digital technol ogies and, as they acknowledge themselves, the technology is taking them away from studying. Many parents buy a laptop to their offspring for education. In reality, it is a tool for entertainment and source of distraction.Sean’s statement that he â€Å"sometimes wishes that his parents would force him to quit playing and study† is quite shocking. In addition, many teachers struggle in the battle with iPods, text messaging, You-Tube or games to win the interest of the young generation. The attitude of Mr. Reilly – â€Å"meet them on their turf† as he teaches an audio class to students who are †at risk of tuning out school†. He is not saying that Vishal would get to filmmaking based purely on his portfolio, but he encourages him to master his academic skills too: â€Å"If you’re going to write scripts, you’ve got to read. ? Perhaps, Dr. Rich’s speech â€Å"Reclaiming Childhood from the river of Electronic Screens† wi ll inspire a movement. When it comes to digital distraction, it’s up to the young individual to determine if it’s becoming a problem. Indicators like low grade point, isolation, and weight gain are just some and they are there for a reason. If these don’t provide enough motivation to improve focus and prioritize then there might be more underlying, deep seated, issues that need to be dealt with and should involve parents.

How to Establish Relationships with Chn and Young People

Describe how to establish respectful, professional relationships with children and young people. As a teaching assistant, the job involves working with young people. In order to establish respectful and professional relationships with these individuals, you should consider all of the children and the range of abilities. To develop a positive working relationship with the pupils, principles and values need to be understood in order for a professional relationship to be formed.Ensuring that the welfare of pupils is at the centre of the school is a key principle that needs to be majorly considered, if not this could seriously affect the relationship between a TA and child as the main needs will not be met. However, as individuals are at different development stages to their peers it means that different appropriate behaviour is needed. An example of this is by the use of empowering pupils through play and learning; however the lower ability of the child means that the child will need mo re assistance, and the activity will need to include more play learning.Instead of the child’s academic needs being the most important, the principle of ensuring physical and personal safety for the child within the working environment is also key. Without the assurance of the child’s safety and well-being, it could lead the child to contribute less towards the activity. Linking back to different needs of children, as a responsible adult it’s important to respect every pupil as an individual.If a group of children are perceived as â€Å"the same† it could seriously affect the children, they could be less willing to take part in activities and also they will feel as if they’re lacking individual encouragement. As well as this, to establish a respectful relationship with children and young people it’s important to show considerate and caring attitude towards the children. If the teaching assistant implies that they are solely interested in the work, it will allow the children to become unfocused and distracted.However, if the teaching assistant shows a caring attitude towards each individual it could put the child more at ease, and also could allow the child to become more interested within the task. Overall, as long as the teaching assistant is approachable and willing to listen to pupils, as well as being able to give time to the children then this will help to develop a suitable working relationship. As a result of this, it will help the children to communicate as they will be seen as a valued person.

Classical Music Essay

Introduction Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently music may have been in existence for at least 50,000 years and the first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life. The music of the Classical period is characterized by homophonic texture, or an obvious melody with accompaniment. These new melodies tended to be almost voice-like and singable, allowing composers to actually replace singers as the focus of the music. Instrumental music therefore quickly replaced opera and other sung forms (such asoratorio) as the favorite of the musical audience and the epitome of great composition. However, opera did not disappear: during the cla ssical period, several composers began producing operas for the general public in their native languages (previous operas were generally in Italian). Along with the gradual displacement of the voice in favor of stronger, clearer melodies, counterpoint also typically became a decorative flourish, often used near the end of a work or for a single movement. In its stead, simple patterns, such as arpeggios and, in piano music, Alberti bass (an accompaniment with a repeated pattern typically in the left hand), were used to liven the movement of the piece without creating a confusing additional voice. The now-popular instrumental music was dominated by several well-defined forms: the sonata, the symphony, and the concerto, though none of these were specifically defined or taught at the time as they are now in music theory. All three derive from sonata form, which is both the overlying form of an entire work and the structure of a single movement. Sonata form matured during the Classical era to become the primary form of instrumental compositions throughout the 19th century. The early Classical period was ushered in by the Mannheim School, which included such composers as Johann Stamitz, Franz Xaver Richter, Carl Stamitz, andChristian Cannabich. It exerted a profound influence on Joseph Haydn and, through him, on all subsequent European music. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the central figure of the Classical period, and his phenomenal and varied output in all genres defines our perception of the period. Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert were transitional composers, leading into the Romantic period, with their expansion of existing genres, forms, and even functions of music. PERIODS Medieval †¢When we explore Medieval music, we are dealing with the longest and most distant period of musical history. It includes the Gregorian chant. Gregorian chant is monophonic, meaning music that consists of only one melodic line without accompaniment. Polyphony, music where two or more melodic lines are heard simultaneously, did not exist (or was not knotted) until the 11th century. Unlike chant, polyphony required the participation of a composer to combine the melodic lines in a pleasing manner. Renaissance †¢In the mid-1500s, a prominent bishop commented that music composed for the church should reflect the meaning of the words so that the listeners would be moved to piety. This concept seems like a no-brainer today, but it was a fairly new idea at the time. To suggest that Medieval composers had no desire to write â€Å"expressive† music would be unfair. But, it was the rediscovery of ancient Greek ideals in the Renaissance that inspired many musicians to explore the eloquent possibilities of their art. †¢The increased value of individualism in the Renaissance is reflected by the changing role of the composer in society. Unlike most of their Medieval predecessors, the great masters of the Renaissance were revered in their own lifetimes. †¢Sacred music was still predominant, though secular music became more prevalent and more sophisticated. The repertory of instrumental music also began to expand significantly. New instruments were invented, including the clavicho rd and virginal (both keyboard instruments) and many existing instruments were improved. Baroque (1600-1750) †¢Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Johann Pachelbel, Antonio Vivaldi †¢Baroque music is often highly ornate, colorful and richly textured when compared with its predecessors. Opera was born at what is considered to be the very beginning of the Baroque era, around 1600. †¢Music’s ability to express human emotions and depict natural phenomenon was explored throughout the Baroque period. †¢Although imitative polyphony remained fundamental to musical composition, homophonic writing became increasingly important. Homophonic music features a clear distinction between the melody line and an subsidiary accompaniment part. †¢The orchestra evolved during the early Baroque, starting as an â€Å"accompanist† for operatic and vocal music. By the mid-1600s the orchestra had a life of its own. The concerto was a favorite Baroque form that featured a solo instrumentalist (or small ensemble of soloists) playing â€Å"against† the orchestra, creating interesting contrasts of volume and texture. †¢Many Baroque composers were also virtuoso performers. For example, Archangelo Corelli was famous for his violin playing and Johann Sebastian Bach was famous for his keyboard skills. The highly ornamented quality of Baroque melody lent itself perfectly to such displays of musical dexterity. Classical (1750-1820) †¢Johann Christian Bach, Ledwig van Beethoven, Franz Joseph haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus †¢The word Classical has strong connotations, conjuring up the art and philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome along with their ideals of balance, proportion and disciplined expression. The late Baroque style was polyphonically complex and melodically ornate. The composers of the early Classical period changed direction, writing music that was much simpler in texture. †¢Homophony–music in which melody and accompaniment are distinct–dominated the Classical style, and new forms of composition were developed to accommodate the transformation. Sonata form is by far the most important of these forms, and one that continued to evolve throughout the Classical period. Although Baroque composers also wrote pieces called sonatas, the Classical sonata was quite different. †¢One of the most important developments of the Classical period is the growth of the public concert. Although the aristocracy would continue to play a significant role in musical life, it was now possible for composers to survive without being the employee of one person or family. This also meant that concerts were no longer limited to palace drawing rooms. Composers started organizing concerts featuring their own music, and often attracted large audiences. The increasing popularity of the public concert had a strong impact on the growth of the orchestra. Although chamber music and solo works were played in the home or other intimate settings, orchestral concerts seemed to be naturally designed for big public spaces. As a result, symphonic music (including opera and oratorio) became more extroverted in character. Composers gradually expanded the size of the orchestra to accommodate this expanded musical vision. Romantic (1820-1915) Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, Frederic Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky †¢Romanticism implies fantasy, spontaneity and sensuality. †¢The Classical period focused on structural clarity and emotional restraint. Classical music was expressive, but not so passionate that it could overwhelm a work’s equilibrium. Beethoven who was in some ways responsible for igniting the flame of romanticism, always struggled (sometimes unsuccessfully) to maintain that balance. Many composers of the Romantic period followed Beethoven’s model and found their own balance between emotional intensity and Classical form. Others reveled in the new atmosphere of artistic freedom and created music whose structure was designed to support its emotional surges. Musical story-telling became important, and not just in opera, but in â€Å"pure† instrumental music as well. The tone-poem is a particularly Romantic invention, as it was an orchestral work whose structure was entirely dependent on the scene being depicted or the story being told. †¢Color was another important feature of Romantic music. New instruments were added to the orchestra and composers experimented with ways to get new sounds from existing instruments. A large palette of musical colors was necessary to depict the exotic scenes that became so popular. †¢In addition to seeking out the sights and sounds of other places, composers began exploring the music of their native countries. Nationalism became a driving force in the late Romantic period and composers wanted their music to express their cultural identity. This desire was particularly intense in Russia and Eastern Europe, where elements of folk music were incorporated into symphonies, tone-poems and other â€Å"Classical† forms. †¢The Romantic period was the heyday of the virtuoso. Exceptionally gifted performers–and particularly pianists, violinists, and singers–became enormously popular. Liszt, the great Hungarian pianist/composer, reportedly played with such passion and intensity that women in the audience would faint. Since, like Liszt, most composers were also virtuoso performers, it was inevitable that the music they wrote would be extremely challenging to play. †¢The Romantic period witnessed an unprecedented glorification of the artist–whether musician, poet or painter–that has had a powerful impact on our own culture. Modern (ca, 1915-Present) Aaron Copland, George Gershwin †¢The late Romantic period featured its own extremes: sprawling symphonies and tone-poems overflowing with music that seemed to stretch harmony and melody to their limits. It is certainly possible to view some early 20th century music as an extension of the late Romantic style, but a great deal of it can also be interpreted as a reaction against that style. †¢20th century music is a series of â€Å"isms† and â€Å"neo-isms.† The primal energy of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring has been called neo-Primitivism. The intensely emotional tone of Schà ¶nberg’s early music has been labeled Expressionism. The return to clearly structured forms and textures has been dubbed neo-Classicism. These terms have been employed in an attempt to organize the diversity of styles running through the 20th century. †¢Nationalism continued to be a strong musical influence in the first half of the century. The study of folk songs enriched the music of numerous composers, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams (England), Bela Bartok (Hungary), Heitor Villa Lobos (Brazil) and Aaron Copland (USA). Jazz and popular musical styles have also been tremendously influential on â€Å"classical† composers from both the United States and Europe. †¢Technology has played a increasingly important role in the development of 20th century music. Composers have used recording tape as a compositional tool (such as Steve Reich’s Violin Phase). Electronically generated sounds have been used both on their own and in combination with traditional †¢instruments. More recently, computer technology has been used in a variety of ways, including manipulating the performance of instruments in real time. Characteristics Given the extremely broad variety of forms, styles, genres, and historical periods generally perceived as being described by the term â€Å"classical music,† it is difficult to list characteristics that can be attributed to all works of that type. Vague descriptions are plentiful, such as describing classical music as anything that â€Å"lasts a long time,† a statement made rather moot when one considers contemporary composers who are described as classical; or music that has certain instruments like violins, which are also found in other genres. However, there are characteristics that classical music contains that few or no other genres of music contain. Literature The most outstanding characteristic of classical music is that the repertoire tends to be written down in musical notation, creating a musical part or score. This score typically determines details of rhythm, pitch, and, where two or more musicians (whether singers or instrumentalists) are involved, how the various parts are coordinated. The written quality of the music has, in addition to preserving the works, enabled a high level of complexity within them: Bach’s fugues, for instance, achieve a remarkable marriage of boldly distinctive melodic lines weaving in counterpoint yet creating a coherent harmonic logic that would be impossible in the heat of live improvisation. Instrumentation The instruments used in most classical music were largely invented before the mid-19th century (often much earlier), and codified in the 18th and 19th centuries. They consist of the instruments found in an orchestra, together with a few other solo instruments (such as thepiano, harpsichord, and organ). The symphony orchestra is the most widely known medium for classical music. The orchestra includes members of the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families. Electric instruments such as the electric guitar appear occasionally in the classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Both classical and popular musicians have experimented in recent decades with electronic instruments such as the synthesizer, electric and digital techniques such as the use of sampled or computer-generated sounds, and the sounds of instruments from other cultures such as thegamelan. None of the bass instruments existed until the Renaissance. In Medieval music, instruments are divided in two categories: loud instruments for use outdoors or in church, and quieter instruments for indoor use. The Baroque orchestra consisted of flutes, oboes, horns and violins, occasionally with trumpets and timpani. Many instruments today associated with popular music filled important roles in early classical music, such as bagpipes, vihuelas, hurdy-gurdies, and some woodwind instruments. On the other hand, instruments such as the acoustic guitar, once associated mainly with popular music, gained prominence in classical music in the 19th and 20th centuries. While equal temperament became gradually accepted as the dominant musical temperament during the 18th century, different historical temperaments are often used for music from earlier periods. For instance, music of the English Renaissance is often performed in meantone temperament. Keyboards almost all share a common layout (often called the piano keyboard). Form Whereas most popular styles lend themselves to the song form, classical music has been noted for its development of highly sophisticated forms of instrumental music:[11] these include the concerto, symphony, sonata, suite, à ©tude, symphonic poem, and others. Classical composers often aspire to imbue their music with a very complex relationship between its affective (emotional) content and the intellectual means by which it is achieved. Many of the most esteemed works of classical music make use of musical development, the process by which a musical idea or motif is repeated in different contexts or in altered form. The sonata form andfugue employ rigorous forms of musical development. The other notable form in classical music is opera. Technical execution Along with a desire for composers to attain high technical achievement in writing their music, performers of classical music are faced with similar goals of technical mastery, as demonstrated by the proportionately high amount of schooling and private study most successful classical musicians have had when compared to â€Å"popular† genre musicians, and the large number of secondary schools, including conservatories, dedicated to the study of classical music. The only other genre in the Western world with comparable secondary education opportunities is jazz. Complexity Professional performance of classical music repertoire demands a significant level of proficiency in sight-reading and ensemble playing, thorough understanding of tonal and harmonic principles, knowledge of performance practice, and a familiarity with the style/musical idiom inherent to a given period, composer or musical work are among the most essential of skills for the classically trained musician. Works of classical repertoire often exhibit artistic complexity through the use of counterpoint, thematic development, phrasing, harmonization, modulation (change of key), texture, and, of course,musical form itself. Larger-scale compositional forms (such as that of the symphony, concerto, opera or oratorio, for example) usually represent a hierarchy of smaller units consisting of phrases,periods, sections, and movements. Musical analysis of a composition aims at achieving greater understanding of it, leading to more meaningful hearing and a greater appreciation of the composer’s style. Society Classical music regularly features as background music for movies, television programmes, advertisements and events. Nessun dorma from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot for example was the theme tune for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Relation to Education Throughout history, parents have often made sure that their children receive classical music training from a young age.Some parents pursue music lessons for their children for social reasons or in an effort to instill a sense of self-discipline. Some believe that knowledge of important works of classical music is part of a good general education. During the 1990s, several research papers and popular books wrote on what came to be called the â€Å"Mozart effect†: an observed temporary, small elevation of scores on certain tests as a result of listening to Mozart’s works. The approach has been popularized in a book by Don Campbell, and is based on an experiment published in Nature suggesting that listening to Mozart temporarily boosted students’ IQ by 8 to 9 points This popularized version of the theory was expressed succinctly by a New York Times music columnist: â€Å"researchers†¦ have determined that listening to Mozart actually makes you smarter. â€Å"Promoters marketed CDs claimed to induce the effect. Florida passed a law requiring toddlers in state-run schools to listen to classical music every day, and in 1998 the governor of Georgia budgeted $105,000 per year to provide every child born in Georgia with a tape or CD of classical music. In 1996–1997, a research study was conducted on a large population of middle age students in the Cherry Creek School District in Denver, Colorado, USA. The study showed that students who actively listen to classical music before studying had higher academic scores. The research further indicated that students who listened to the music prior to an examination also had positively elevated achievement scores. Students who listened to rock-and-roll or country had moderately lower scores. The study further indicated that students who used classical during the course of study had a significant leap in their academic performance; whereas, those who listened to other types of music had significantly lowered academic scores. The research was conducted over several schools within the Cherry Creek School District and was conducted through University of Colorado. This study is reflective of several recent studies (i.e. Mike Manthei and Steve N. Kelly of the University of Nebraska at Omaha; Donald A. Hodges and Debra S. O’Connell of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; etc.) and others who has significant results through the discourse of their work. SUMMARY Personally, I listen to classical music and this is my topic for my ongoing thesis, listening to classical music somehow brings you back to old times, helps me to appreciate art and improves my cognition. Classical music is a music that never gets old, a gift that we, the new generation must take care of.