Into A Police State Essay

Introduction In a time when WW2 had just finished, people were worried that communism might spread around the world, and the overall scariness of the changing world around, George Orwell wrote a dystopian novel, set in the future, in a world that changes the past to suit the needs ofcalled 1984. Orwell’s novel has been written to make his audience challenge the values that have been presented in the novel. The values of freedom and truth and an attitude of love have been used to make us challenge the way we think of these things. 1984 is a novel in which the world has been transformed into a society in which a group called the Party can watch every person’s moves at any time of the day.   1984 manipulates the society into believing everything they say.   George Orwell’s masterpiece makes the audience challenge the values and attitudes of the novel.   Values of freedom, privacy and trust. Attitudes of anger, and love. BP1 1984 makes the audience challenge the value of freedom. What is freedom Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows. This quote shows that the Party controls the world so much that they have the power to change the answer for 2+2=4 to 2+2=5 (or any other number).   That the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness, and that, for the great bulk of mankind, happiness was better.   This quote shows that people in the world of Oceania have a choice of freedom or happiness. Because most people know the consequences of having freedom, they choose the safe option and have happiness in the Party. This leads into the next quote:   To die hating them, that was freedom. If you are with the Party, you will have happiness (previous quote) and if you are against them, you will have the freedom to speak out against the Party. But this means that you must die, because almost all of the haters of the Party will get caught eventually and ‘shot’ or ‘killed’. Because the world that people live in has been manipulated so that people do not have freedom, we as the audience are challenged with the moral of freedom and what it means having it. BP2   Orwell’s setting in 1984 also makes us challenge the values of truth. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.   This is saying that the people of Oceania know their own truths, and everyone has an opinion as to what is the truth and what is not. But people are forced to believe in a truth that is untrue when they know a truth which is true. Thus people have two truths to believe or know in. The people who follow the Party and respect them will believe in the untruth and forget the real truth, and the people who are against the Party will know their truth which is the truth. So the people who are against the Party are the sane ones.   If all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth.   This is saying that if all of the novels in the world said the same things, this would become the truth. And if one thing was different from a book/magazine etc. then the Party would change it so it would become the truth. It is like saying if 10 books said that WW1 did not occur, and another book did, the Party would get that one book and change it so that it would say that WW1 did not occur. If everything in the world said that something happened, then the lie would pass into history and would become the truth.   Whatever the party holds to be truth, is truth. It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party.   This is saying that everything the Party says is the truth and that everyone should listen to it. If you don’t listen to the truth, then you can’t see the reality of what the world is. If you want to understand the world, then you must be with the Party. The world is a blur without them. These quotes show how the Party has manipulated the truth so that the entire super state believes every word they say. By doing this everyone will do what they want. However some people are already thinking against the Party and they are the sane ones but they will be the ones that will most likely die. BP3 * Orwell also challenges the audience with his dystopian society with the attitude of love.   The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. This is saying that the entire world is based around hatred. This can be backed up with the two minutes hate and the hatred that people have for the Party. * There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science.   1984’s society has been challenged in a way that no love ever exists. People are not allowed to love another person. The only way that people are allowed to marry is so that they can produce for the Party. They only believe in the Party and listen to what they tell people to do. Nothing exists anymore except that Party and everything that they do.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn’t matter: only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you-that would be the real betrayal. †   This is saying that the only way that people in Oceania can stop loving someone is if that Party ‘brainwash’ them so that they won’t love them anymore. That is the only way that people can betray someone. Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves.   This quote is saying that the society of 1984 has no feeling for anything. Everyone is straight faced and just does what the Party want them to do. The line â€Å"Never again will you be capable of love† just says that the world can become a world has place of hatred for one another. This definitely challenges the audiences on love.   This novel has very little love in it and it makes us challenge what love actually is and why it is such a special thing for us as humans to have. CONCLUSION   These points that have been made so that the audience of 1984 challenges their values and attitudes.   The novel explores the values of truth and freedom and the attitude of love.   We see that after reading the novel how much we value these things in our world and that we should be grateful for what we have in life.

Questions on International Marketing

1. What are the important issues that need to be addressed when conducting marketing research in a foreign country? Cultural differences, racial differences, climatic differences, economic differences, religious differences, historical differences, language differences, differences in actual and potential target groups. 2. What are the factors that add to the complexity of international marketing research? Ethnocentrism, polycentrism, regiocentrism, geocentrism. 3. What are the steps to be taken in coordinating international research? Identifying and defining your problemDeveloping your approach Establishing research design and strategy Collecting the data Performing data analysis Reporting and presentation 4. What are some ethical problems that marketing researchers face in designing and conducting field studies in different countries? Some questions can be very strong or offensives to some culture, but this same questions can be very normal to another culture, so people who are thi nking in doing a international marketing research should be very careful in how they structure the questions because everything depends in the culture. . Peter Philips, an engineering student, has designed an innovative piece of equipment to help the physically disabled to communicate. The equipment incorporates a system of electronic signals emitted with a slight turn of the head. This product is currently a success in the United States among health-care organizations. Peter wants to market this product in different countries. Acting as Mr. Phillips’ marketing/international business consultant, suggest a course of action to help Peter bring this product to the international market. This is an extra question which will have more weight than the other questions) Well, first of all peter has to choose which market he is going to hit, I mean in which country he would like to sell his product. Then he would have to make an international marketing research in which this investigat ion clearly helps him to know if this country it’s interested in this product, because a lot of people might not be interested in this product or they don’t know this new product.The research need to give very important information about how the economy is going in that country, I mean this product can be in the profit range for American people but a some other people in other country can’t afford such an expensive equipment, so it might be very risk to enter to that new market. Besides this here comes the legal and policies barriers in which he have to know how to negotiate all this barriers. So it is very important before introducing a new product to a country to make an marketing research so you can know and measure the risk that it would take to introduce your new product another country.

The Dangers of Facebook

They found that 65% of Facebook users accessed their account daily, usually checking it several times to see if they had received new messages. The amount of time spent on Facebook at each log-in varied from just a few minutes to more than an hour. The Ohio report shows that students who used Facebook had a â€Å"significantly† lower grade point average – the marking system used in US universities – than those who did not use the site. â€Å"It is the equivalent of the difference between getting an A and a B,† said Karpinski, who will present her findings this week to the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.She has not yet analysed whether a student’s grades continue to deteriorate the longer he or she spends on Facebook. Some UK students have already spotted the potential danger. Daisy Jones, 21, an undergraduate in her final year at Loughborough University, realised the time she was spending on Facebook was threatening her grades – prompting her to deactivate her account. â€Å"I was in the library trying to write a 2,000-word essay when I realised my Facebook habit had got out of hand,† she said. â€Å"I couldn’t resist going online.You do that, then someone’s photo catches your eye. Before you know it, a couple of minutes has turned into a couple of hours and you haven’t written a thing. † Jones is among the few to have recognised the risks. According to Karpinski’s research, 79% of Facebook-using students believed the time they spent on the site had no impact on their work. Facebook said: â€Å"There is also academic research that shows the benefits of services like Facebook. It’s in the hands of students, in consultation with their parents, to decide how to spend their time. †

Consumer Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer Behaviour - Assignment Example A synopsis of their responses is identified in the following table. Influencing Factors Respondent 1 Respondent 2 Respondent 3 Respondent 4 Name Stuart Jane Mark Danial Age 23 35 31 28 Perception about Body cosmetics Thinks that body cosmetics are important part of personal hygiene Thinks that body cosmetics have become a necessity Thinks that cosmetics ultimately worsen the body conditions Thinks that body cosmetics are highly important Perception about Body Lotion Thinks that they have become an important part of cosmetics Thinks that creams and shower gel can do the job Thinks that normal soaps and massage oils are the best Would certainly like to own one Description of their self Considers himself as an early adopter of new products Is not very brand loyal; Will buy any product offered at competitive price Believes in Tried and tested products Is always anxious to update his fashion statement Social Influence in Product purchase decisions He would opt for personal investigation r ather than social groups Prefers to take the help from his peers before purchasing a decision. Believes that social pressures are not that important. Individuality matters more Wants to stand out from his peers in terms of the products he uses Influence of Cultural Background Thinks that culture stops him from being an early adopter Considers that culture defines the limits to his purchase decisions Considers that Culture is most important in purchase decisions Has no consideration for culture. Can opt for any product if it suits his needs Psychological Factors Thinks that the promotions is most important in motivating consumers to buy the product Thinks that the texture of the product and its physical layout is most important Thinks that the most important factor is the utility that the product provides Thinks that the linkage between consumer need and the utility of the product can motivate the customer to buy Recommendations for Aqua Mist Considers the product to be reliable beca use of the brand name; wants to buy the product immediately Considers that although the product is good, more work should be done on the layout of the lotion bottle and the logo Won’t buy the product as it does not offer any think new in his opinion. Wants to buy the product if it is readily available in the market and hype for the lotion Is created. Considering the responses provided by the respondents and evaluating the characteristics of Aqua Mist and the related product line of Lush Cosmetics, we can easily identify that the prospects of this product are great. If the company launches the product with a clear reference to the brand and clearly communicates the core characteristics of the body lotion, the customers will be eager to buy the product (Kardes, 2011). CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: In the introduction of the report we clearly identified that the Lush cosmetics is a well established company which has its operations running in several countries and therefore, i t has the privilege of enjoying a strong brand name and some loyal consumer base. We then identified the product line expansion strategy of the company in terms of launching a new product called Aqua Mist and related product categories. When considering the decisions like product launch, it is important that a thorough research on the market conditions and the consumers of the products is made and to accomplish the task we identified some of the factors that

How the films depict the discomfort of individuals within societies Essay

How the films depict the discomfort of individuals within societies that often seem oppressive.As well as the films' political social and economic messages - Essay Example This definitely gives light and a deeper discussion of the matters present in film. Two films that I shall discuss in this paper are the â€Å"Spirit of the Beehive† and the â€Å"Bicycle Thieves.† Both films are considered to be rich in socio – political and economic messages. At the same time, there will be a synthetic analysis of both the films in terms of the content. To further amplify the discussion in this paper, certain film elements like the camera angle, music and movement shall be assessed in connection with the aforementioned messages. In the film â€Å"Spirit of the Beehive†, the political context seems to be in a problematic condition. The camera has shown how a child tries to struggle between the social conditions that beset her and other people. At a very young age, it can be seen, through the lens of the camera, that the child is having a questioning of her own status. With a melancholic music, her curiosity is amplified about why such an old person is allowed to suffer in a lonely and deserted place. As the characters interact, the sharing of experience about how life is difficult already signals how things are in a despicable condition. Most of the time, there are several cuts and editing that happened to employ the political message but there is continuity present (Butler 2005, p. 24). In terms of economics, it is seen clearly, that the barren houses, deserted landscape and candle lights are already manifestations of uneven economic development. Also, the richness of honey coming from the bees, are signs of richness and hard work by the old man in the film. The camera, focused on the man, upon doing the chores on the bees and the capturing the acts of the bees, strengthen further the need to work harder and taking care of resources that can help one’s condition in a society. This is considered a long shot,

Foundations in the pre-modern world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundations in the pre-modern world - Essay Example It is the hope of this author that such an explanation will engage the reader with a more appropriate understanding of this key issue and help to define the way in which civilization ultimately came to fruition as a result of the positive aspects of civilization outweighing the negative ones. Firstly, with regards to the positive aspects that civilization could potentially offer a hunter gatherer around the year 3000 BC, one must realize that civilization was able to offer a degree of synergy. Comparative to the hunter and gatherer groups and tribes of this era, civilization was able to draw upon enough human resources within a given region to seek to specialize individuals with regards to their specific strengths within the economy. In such a way, rather than merely having the entire society devoted towards subsistence, as was oftentimes exhibited within the hunter gatherer cultures, individuals within a civilized society were able to focus upon such diverse techniques and cons such as tanning, wheel making, dating of bread, and a litany of other specialized talents and work skills. An additional benefit that society could offer is with regards to the diversity of trade and goods that could be exhibited. Whereas a small group of hunter gatherers it have very little impact on regional and international trade, a civilized society integrate with its neighbors and leverage a degree of trade activities that the smaller entity would be completely incapable of. Lastly, it must be understood this synergy and diversification that have been discussed allows for growth and development of art, music and literature to a degree that would’ve been impossible within a hunter and gatherer culture. Whereas hunter gatherers were incessantly preoccupied with issues concerning sustainment and meeting daily caloric needs, the civilized society was able to devote unnecessary labor towards developing the arts. Similarly, it must be understood that the decision to integrate wit h civilization on the part of the hunter gatherer was also one that was mixed with many negative aspects. The first and perhaps most important of these is with regards to the loss of culture and/or identity that the hunter gatherer would necessarily feel once integrated into a larger collective that was hardly reflective of their past life and interpretations of religion, societal norms, and a host of other factors. This of course ties directly into the loss of religious interpretation that an individual from a hunter gatherer society would necessarily space when choosing to integrate with civilization. From a political standpoint, the individual hunter gatherer would also feel a great loss of freedom as their personal behavior became constricted and beholden not to a warrior, shaman, or chief, but to a complex network of bureaucratic entities. Similarly, also from the local perspective, it must be understood that civilization represented a decreased level to which the individual ca n impact upon the direction and decisions that the group will take. Whereas within the hunter gathering unit the individual hunter/warrior was able to have a voice and provide at least some level of direction to the group,

Developing a Nursing Intervention to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits Research Proposal

Developing a Nursing Intervention to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits among Teenagers - Research Proposal Example This is a clear indication that consumption of an extensive variety of food especially during adolescence is more likely than not to set up preferences of food that will continue even in adulthood. Changes in food preferences during adulthood are quite difficult to change and therefore it would be much easier to cultivate healthy eating habits. Consumption of a healthy diet is the foundation of better growth and development for adolescents. Healthy eating allows adolescents to attain their educational potential following better brain development. Eating habits during childhood and adolescent often have an impact on the health of such an individual during adulthood. For example, adolescents who munch through outsized quantities of energy giving foods are more likely than not to become obese or even overweight. According to Booth et al. (2001), obese adolescents are more likely to obese even during their adulthood an as a result, they may suffer from illnesses related to obesity such a s heart disease as well as diabetes. Discussion Many healthy eating interventions have mainly focused on changes in nutrition intake. Nevertheless, a focused on food patterns, enjoyment of eating, food eating as well as the experience of food are according to Tapper, et al (2003) more likely to develop a positive nursing intervention to encourage healthy eating habits among teenagers that is long lasting. In their study on adolescent healthy eating Worsley and Skryzpiec (2004) make an attempt to define the term healthy eating to mean consumption of an extensive variety of vegetables, fresh fruit, dairy and animal products, wholegrain cereal foods, and also legumes. In an effort to develop a positive nursing intervention to encourage healthy eating habits among teenagers that is long lasting, the causes of concern about adolescent t eating must be identified. These causes of concern may vary from one adolescent to another, they include meal skipping, poor food preference and selectio n, excessive energy consumption, and fussy eating. The term food selection is used to connote the amount and type of food that individuals usually eat. The reliance on a limited variety of foods is therefore what is referred to as poor food selection. This usually involves selection of foods that contains huge amounts of sugar, salt, and fats. Other studies depict poor food selection as conception of foods which have low content of wholegrain foods, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. There have been concerns about meal skipping amongst adolescents. According to a study conducted by Pollitt and Mathews (1998), skipping meals such as breakfast or even lunch may result to cognitive as well as mood deficits. The tendency to prefer particular food over the other is also another big concern that results to poor eating habits in adolescents. Adolescents may learn to like new and healthy eating habits from repeated exposure to such food and practices especially through parental and peer encou ragement. By watching their parents and peers eating and enjoying healthy food, they can easily quite the bad eating habits and assume the healthy practice very easily (Palla, 2008). Among the adolescents, using coercive tactics as well as banning some foods may prove to

The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Implementing Strategies Essay

The Role of Creativity and Innovation in Implementing Strategies - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that innovation and creativity are essential elements in implementing successful business strategies. Corporations are reluctant to rethink their business models can learn a lot from Wal-Mart. The organization has successfully applied innovation and creativity to its business model. There are many benefits of creating a business environment that supports innovation. This environment is convenient for generating new ideas that could be very useful for the organization. Innovation and creativity in the business field may not be rocket science, but they do take a special type of practical genius. Through innovation and creativity, small companies can squeeze even higher sales and greater profits from the markets. For instance, Wal-Mart started embracing technology (even though it is not in an e-commerce business), and they are now competing with internet giants like Amazon. Creativity is making or otherwise bringing into existence something ne w. It may be a new solution to a problem, a new method, device, or an artistic object. Innovation is adding a new thing to an existing product or process. Creativity is the starting point for innovation. No businesses, however big, can continue to hold a position in the market unless they incorporate innovation and creativity in their strategies. The study would provide guidance to business managers interested in using creativity and innovation to implement their strategies.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

International Business - Essay Example rategy is not always a beneficial means of investment and in this vein this essay will look at the effectiveness of the conditions in the Host countries which possibly attract FDI growth in relation to western and under developed countries and whether the data from large organisations like the World Bank is to be trusted in making competitive decisions about the FDI success and strategy.In this vein the question will discuss alternatively with examples whether the success factors for FDI hold true for some industries and may be disadvantageous to some industries. Foreign direct investment or FDI can be defined as an investment made to obtain long lasting shares or interest in out of country enterprises. There will always be a parent enterprise with some sort of a foreign affiliation the co-operation of whom would be known as a translational corporation (TNC) and the parent enterprise will have a 10% or more share control of its foreign affiliate. The Post World War II the position was that the US was dominating the world share of FDI by three quarters of the entire market share. The US at this point had around three-quarters of the Global FDI (1945 and 1960).However today in the age of globalisation the FDI is no longer a phenomena restricted to OECD countries. FDI growth is very important for the modern global economy with the FDI stocks now constituting over 20 percent of global GDP. Inward FDI happens when there is an investment of foreign capital within a country’s own local resources and can be attracted by tax holidays and tax s ubsidies, low rates of interest, and more investor friendly laws. However ownership restraints or differential performance requirements are likely to discourage FDI. Outward FDI is local investment in foreign resources and is encouraged by a positive role of the host governments in providing insurance and tax breaks for these people who want to trade abroad. Therefore â€Å"Foreign Direct Investment† can be both inwards and

International Economic Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Economic Relations - Essay Example International Economic Relations The life expectancy in high human development countries is a healthy and long life. The living standards of its people are more decent and lively (Schenk). Like in Australia majority of the people have better access to better medical care and their life expectancy is high compared to the middle and the low human development countries. The table below shows the life expectancy trend from 1980 to 2013 of Australia and other high human development countries. The life expectancy in middle human development countries is fairly better based on health and life duration. The living standards of it’s people are moderate and better compared to low human development countries but slightly less than high human development countries. The table below illustrates the life expectancy of Egypt and other middle countries. Life expectancy for countries with low human aspect of development is relatively small compared to other middle and high countries. Living standards is also lower compared to other countries at higher levels. Below is a table showing the life expectancy in Kenya. Expected years for one to be in school and the considered average years of schooling, indexes are employed to determine the education index. 18 years is used as the expected years of schooling and is based on enrolment of age at all levels of learning. The expected years of schooling indicator uses a minimum of zero years and a maximum of 18 years.

The Scarlet Letter Scaffold Scenes Essay Example for Free

The Scarlet Letter Scaffold Scenes Essay The Scarlet Letter Interpretive Essay In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the Reverend Dimmesdale is the central conflict of the story. He is torn between his need to accept and pronounce his sin and Pearl as his daughter and his love of freedom. His demeanor drastically changes from the first scaffold scene, where he is seen as a two-faced criticizer to the third and final scaffold scene, where he humbly repents and acknowledges his sin publicly. The three scaffold scenes in the book are very important, as they portray Dimmesdale’s gradual advancement from total hypocrite towards complete atonement for his sin. In the first scaffold scene, Hester Prynne is seen on the scaffold, holding Pearl in her arms, unwaveringly acknowledging her sin. The Reverend Dimmesdale is there as well, taking on the role of her accuser and demanding that she reveal the person with whom she committed the adulterous act. Hester Prynne absolutely refuses to name the father of her child and declares. I will not speak, and my child must seek a heavenly Father, she shall never know an earthly one! † (Page 60) This scene shows Reverend Dimmesdale as a sheer hypocrite and, while he persists in having Hester name her lover, he secretly prays that she maintains her silence in order to keep his reputation immaculate. At the second scaffold scene, Dimmesdale, who is still maintaining his position as Hester Prynne’s accuser and a hypocrite, is suffering with the struggle of his perfect reputation battling his real self. During the middle of the night, while the townspeople are all asleep, Dimmesdale makes his way to the scaffold, holding a silent vigil. He cries out in physical and mental pain. Hester and Pearl hear his crying as they are on their way home and go to him. There, at Dimmesdale’s request, that they join him on the scaffold where they stand in the darkness, holding each other. Pearl then asks Dimmesdale if he would stand with them at noontide the next day and he refuses, saying that instead, they will stand together on the great Judgement Day. During the third and final scaffold scene, Dimmesdale is finally seen as humbly repentant for his and Hester’s sin. Immediately after his Election Day sermon, which makes him even more popular among the townspeople, Dimmesdale, leads the procession of people towards the town hall for a banquet. As he nears the scaffold, he calls for Hester and Pearl to help him up the stairs and asks them once again to stand beside him. At this moment, Dimmesdale confesses to the whole town, pronouncing his guilt but yet, at the same time, was able to salvage his soul. Dimmesdale is finally able to free himself of all anguish and die with an open conscience. This is the only moment of pride for Dimmesdale throughout the entire book. He then dies, knowing that he will be warmly welcomed into God’s Heavenly Kingdom. Through the three scaffold scenes, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows the increasing mental and physical pain the Reverend Dimmesdale experienced by trying to hide his sin from the townspeople and God Himself. In the first scaffold scene, he is Hester’s two-faced accuser; in the second scaffold scene, he displays unbearable bodily and psychological pain. Finally, in the third scaffold scene, he is publicly and humbly repentant for his sin, liberating not only himself, but also Hester and Pearl. Although one could say that he dies in shame in the eyes of the townspeople, because of his willful public confession, he is actually given a gracious acceptance into Heaven, where he will live with eternal happiness and completely free of any torment or anguish.

The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay Example for Free

The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay The Electronic Frontiers Australia, Inc. (EFA) has launched a campaign â€Å"Generation Z safely surfing the Internet†, in an attempt to revoke the Australian law of forcefully blocking inappropriate content from teenage children. EFA is a NGO dedicated to the cause of promoting Internet users rights. The Australian government had earlier passed a law in 2007 requiring all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to implement Internet filtering; which the EFA opposes. Though the proposal was held in principle by the Rudd Labor government without any detailed subsequent information, its application was confirmed in January 2008 by Minister Conroy. The campaign by EFA aims to promote safe Internet usage of the Generation Z through media and communication. The education of parents on monitoring their children’s Internet usage is also emphasized. Forcefully blocking content is an infringement of civil liberties of the computer operators, which needs to be resisted. Apart from civil rights, such blockages deprive parents of the opportunity to guide their children towards safe surfing, through habit cultivation. EFA expects communities like Adolescent Family Counseling, Anglicare and Australian Camp Connect Association to extend support for its campaign. The EFA has pointed out to the results of a 2005 survey by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that showed that most parents are against the filtering system. With only three out of ten parents using the system, most parents maintained that they trusted their children’s ability to judge right from wrong. Some parents felt that the software of the filtering system was ineffective and therefore the objectives of the system cannot be realized. Many parents also felt that the implementation of the filters drastically reduced Internet speed. The EFA questioned the technical feasibility of the system saying that both the filtering systems, content analysis and index filtering are not completely foolproof. There are several ways through which the black listed content can pass through the system. Also the harmful content identified by the Australian Communications Media Authority for black listing does not include content originating outside Australia. Elaborating on the costs to the government on account of the filtering system, EFA spokesman Colin Jacobs said that the $24. 3 million allocated for this in the current budget and the $51. 4 million anticipated for the next year can be put to better use. The government in its 2004 report, revealed that the expense of executing ISP-level Internet filtering systems would be $45 million towards initial installation, extra servers to run the software and ISP personnel to set up the system, and $33 million required subsequently each year. The government had maintained that it is unsafe for children to access the Internet without the controls. However children belonging to the Generation Z have high curiosity and needs, always wanting to seek and explore. This aspect of childhood trait should be not be chopped down by forcefully blocking content. Children need to be encouraged to explore; however they need to be guided by the parents. As part of its strategy, EFA banks on major media releases on the topic to gather support. With a media portfolio of three newspapers, five online media, two journals and airtime on two radios, EFA intends to put the issue in the lime light of public sphere. Social workshops to attract journalists and establishing of strategic partnerships with media groups and publications sharing EFA views, are also in the agenda. Holding community meetings, interviews with the focus group, delivering speeches, distributing pamphlets and publishing monthly newsletters are part of the campaign’s strategy.

The Effects Of Different Ugc On Users Marketing Essay

The Effects Of Different Ugc On Users Marketing Essay Since the advent of Web 2.0, social media, such as social networking sites and user-generated services, have emerged into mass use Boyd and Ellison, 2008. Academic research is starting to explore related concepts, such as social networking sites (Boyd and Ellison, 2008; Utz, 2010), user-generated content (Shao, 2009), and social media (Walker Rettberg, 2009). Basically, what characterizes user-generated content (UGC) is the fact that consumers are the ones producing, designing, publishing, or editing the content in the media (Krishnamurthy and Dou, 2008), i.e. the service is user-created. Social media in turn enable people to share and interact with each other and the content becomes more democratized (Drury, 2008). User generated content (UGC) is fast becoming one of the most valuable and influential sources of information in the on-line world, supporting millions of consumers who have come to rely on product and service reviews to support the purchase process. There is considerable interest in the value of UGC and its antecedents. Research shows that product reviews, for instance, influence consumer search and product choice, enhance sales forecast quality, affect product sales, and drive viewership (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006; Godes and Mayzlin, 2004; Li and Hitt, 2008). Current research on UGC has focused mainly on the motivations of consumers to produce UGC. Studies on brand-related UGC and its causality to brand perceptions is still in its infancy. It has been mentioned as part of future research to study consumers of UGC who are individuals exposed to brand-related UGC to investigate whether simply viewing rather than creating UGC may effect a change in consumer perception of brands. (Ch ristodoulides, et. al., 2012). Future research has also been suggested to distinguish between incentive- and non-incentive driven UGC and examine differences in terms of drivers and brand perceptions (Christodoulides, et. al., 2012). As consumers are increasingly performing activities previously controlled by companies, the entire marketing landscape is changing. Therefore, companies need to better understand the changing behaviour of consumers, in order to create mutual benefits from the use of social media (Heinonen, 2011). This research is an extension of current work to examine the effects of the different types of UGC on users perceptions of brands. This research is an exploratory study to address this subject by first discussing current literature on UGC and its relation to brand equity. Then, the design of the study and its results are presented and discussed. The research hopes to bring new knowledge about the positive and negative influences of UGC on brands, and highlights managerial implications for brand-related activities on online platforms containing UGC. 2 Literature Review: User Generated Content (UGC) and its growing influence in brand marketing The term social media here refers to user-created services, such as blogs, online review/rating sites, social networking sites, and online communities. The term consumer is used to describe the individual user that is active in the social media, however, not necessarily only consuming the media but also performing other activities, such as participating in, using, or producing activities.(Heinonen, 2011). Consumption means reading the content that is posted by other users; participation occurs when people comment on others creations, and production means posting ones own content on the site (Shao, 2009). In brief, information technology is empowering consumers, and their role is shifting from being passive recipients of information to becoming active generators of information (Stewart and Pavlou, 2002). Research has suggested that the classic notion of individuals as mere consumers is outdated and that consumers should also be seen as active producers of business value (Heinonen, 201 1). Marketers think that brand-related UGC is a more effective and targeted way of reaching disparate audiences than standard paid media (Lovett, 2011). The recent boom in social media provides opportunities for more targeted distribution of branded content (Lovett, 2011). Social networks are not just targeting tools but rather egalitarian and inexpensive platforms for broadcast and distribution (Lovett, 2011). Many websites such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and weblogs enable consumers to easily create UGC (Dwyer, 2012). With the enormous interest in social media and user-generated content on these sites, consumers are seen to be actively contributing to the marketing content. A significant amount of UGC concerns brand-related material (Burmann and Arnhold, 2008). For example, recent evidence shows that about 70 percent of brand-related searches on social-networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter relate to UGC (360i, 2009). This active consumer behaviour is changing the media and marketing landscape as consumers are invading companies marketing sphere (Berthon, et al.2008). Some of the online activities performed by consumers may influence the company image and brand positively whereas other consumer activities are perhaps not favourable (Heinonen, 2011). This is explained by a finding that consumers of UGC often consider it more credible than professional content (Cheong and Morrison, 2008). Hence, negative UGC can have harmful implications for building and sustaining a brands market presence. It is, therefore, important for managers to understand the impact of UGC on brands (Berthon, et. al., 2008; Christodoulides, 2009). One of the motivation for social media activity is information processing. A key activity in information processing is sharing information and experiences, and accessing shared knowledge online. Contrary to factual information that has lower trustworthiness, opinions were considered to be reliable and value adding. It was felt that UGC is a reliable way to get opinions of products. As they do not benefit anything from advertising a certain product, producers who create product reviews are seen to be more motivated to tell the truth. When the truth is unfavourable, this may negatively impact consumers perception of a brand and their subsequent decision to use it (Heinonen, 2011). Information processing is also concerned with applying knowledge from UGC for utilitarian purposes. This activity often results in monetary benefits and economic gain. Higher levels of brand awareness and associations may prompt perceptions of choice and progress cues (Hoyer and Brown, 1990). When applying su ch knowledge appropriately, UGC may inform consumers selection of brands. Thus, we hypothesise: H1: The platform type of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users awareness of the sponsoring brand. H2a: The platform type of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand. H2b: The users general opinion on the bias-ness of incentive-driven UCC has an effect on the difference between the effects of the platform type of incentive-driven UGC in the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand H3a: The platform type of positive incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. H3b: The users general opinion on the bias-ness of incentive-driven UCC has an effect on the difference between the effects of the platform type of incentive-driven UGC in the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. 3 Research Design and Measures This study used the uses and gratifications approach as the theoretical fundament. This method is commonly used in internet studies, see for example (Sangwan, 2005), (Papacharissi and Rubin, 2000) or (Kaye and Johnson, 2002). The approach assumes people using media actively and goal orientated and according to their needs (Katz and Blumler, 1974). This implicitly means that people know their needs and can articulate them. The uses and gratifications approach is seen to be appropriate for studying the motivations of people using media (Lin, 1996). To complement the perspective given through the uses and gratifications approach, the study used concepts common in economic theory, namely the consideration of monetary rewards and signalling incentives (Lerner and Tirole 2002). This means of data gathering has been found useful in a number of studies concerning user motivation (Lakhani and Wolf, 2005; Hars and Ou, 2002; Hippel and Lakhani, 2003). The authors develop a questionnaire to capture quantitative data administered via survey of a small sample of NTU graduate students. The chosen procedure for recruitment has the disadvantage not to be statistically representative (Ruggiero, 2000). It is therefore an exploratory study. The survey questionnaire was sent out to about 100 people, of which the return rate was 68% with 68 users. The questionnaire was in the form of an online survey, which was emailed to the randomly selected participants in the form of an embedded link. The survey was open for 2 days. Of the 68 responses, all of them were useable with no incomplete responses. The brand awareness construct was measured through one item, while the users purchasing decision of the brand construct was measured through three items. Finally, the users evaluation of the brand construct was measured through eight items. In all of the items, survey participants are asked to rank their responses based upon a 5-unit Likert scale of 1 to 5 (1- Strongly Agree; 2 Agree; 3 Neutral; 4 Disagree; 5 Strongly Disagree). For each of the dependent constructs relating to the users perceptions of brands, we calculate the sum of all the results of the survey items relating to that construct respective to each platform type (namely Facebook-related UGC or product review). Then, we begin by first conducting reliability analysis for each of the construct. A paired t-test was performed to test if there is any significant difference between the effects of the platform types of incentive-driven UGC on each of the constructs to test the postulated hypotheses. For the dependent constructs of the users related purchasing decision of the sponsoring brand, and the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand, a further linear regression analysis was performed to test if the users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the difference between each platform types sum of all the results of the survey items relating to each of those dependent constructs (i.e., difference =[sum of Facebook-related survey items for construct A] [sum of product reviews-related survey items for construct A] ) 4 Results In the testing of the hypothesis H1, it is found that the difference between incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and in the form of product reviews is not statistically significant (p = 0.816, ÃŽÂ ±=0.05). Therefore, H1 is rejected. However, there is a moderate correlation between the users awareness of the sponsoring brand as a result of incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and the users awareness of the sponsoring brand as a result of incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.543 is significant at ÃŽÂ ± =0.05 (p In the test for the next hypothesis H2a, two analogous sets of 3 items are used; one set for measuring the construct of users related purchasing decisions with respect to incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and the other for incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews. In the initial reliability analysis, Cronbachs alpha for each of the Facebook and product reviews-related set of items was 0.802 and 0.891 respectively. The mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC is 8.82, which suggests an almost neutral opinion on the average for each of the three survey items (3 = neutral). Similarly, the mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC is 9.05, which suggests a neutral opinion on the average for each of the 3 survey items (3 = neutral). The mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC was not significantly different from that of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews (p =0.539, ÃŽÂ ±= 0.05). Thus, H2a is rejected. However, there is fairly moderate correlation between the two variables, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.338 is significant (p =0.005, ÃŽÂ ±= 0.05). In the testing of the hypothesis H2b, the R2 value is 0.158, and there is a statistically significant negative linear relationship (standardised coefficient ÃŽÂ ² = -0.398) between the users opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC and the difference in the platform types effect on the users related purchasing decisions (p = 0.001, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). In other words, the more the user agrees that the incentive-driven UGC are biased, the greater the positive effect that product reviews will on the users purchasing decisions than the same by Facebook-related UGC. Thus, hypothesis H2b is accepted. In the test of the hypothesis H3a, two analogous sets of 8 items are used. One set is for measuring the construct of users evaluation of brands with respect to positive incentive driven UGC on Facebook, and the other for incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews. Cronbachs alpha for each of the Facebook and product reviews-related set of items was 0.891 and 0.926 respectively in the reliability analysis. The mean rating of the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand as a result of Facebook-related UGC or product reviews are 22.35 and 22.94 respectively, both of which denote that the average opinion is between that of agree and neutral for each of the 8 survey items in each set. The mean of the users evaluation of brands as a result of positive incentive-driven UGC on Facebook was not significantly different from the same as a result of positive incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews ( p = 0.510, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). Thus, H3a is rejected. However, there is moderate correlation between the two variables, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.385 is significant (p = 0.001, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). In the testing of the hypothesis H3b, the R2 value is 0.231, and there is a statistically significant negative linear relationship (standardised coefficient ÃŽÂ ² = -0.480) between the users opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC and the difference in the platform types effect on the users related purchasing decisions (p 5 Analysis and Discussion In summary, there is no significant difference between the platform type of online incentive-driven UGC (whether Facebook-related UGC or UGC in the form of online product reviews) in their effects on all of i) the awareness of the sponsoring brand; ii) the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand, and; iii) the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. However, there is a significant difference between the platform type of online incentive-driven UGC on the constructs of purchasing decisions and evaluation of the brand when the users general opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC is taken into consideration. 5.1 When users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC is not considered The results seem to suggest that there is no difference between the efficacy of both incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC and incentive-driven customer product reviews in furthering brand awareness. This may also hint of an overall fairly even amount of exposure that users currently have of both Facebook and websites/blogs. The lack of difference between the efficacy of both Facebook-related UGC and product reviews also seems to extend to the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand. This also seems to support the view that in fact that the users related purchasing decisions (whether their own or when advising a friend or relatives purchasing decision) had less to do with any type of UGC then the factors that they are directly exposed to when they are in a store or at the point of purchase (Edelman, 2010). Those information such as product placement, stock availability, packaging, pricing and sales interactions, are more crucial in influencing the users related purchasing decisions. Despite that, a user may still put off the purchase if they realise that the actual product is different from what is represented in other promotional materials online or offline (Edelman, 2010). The results also suggest that neither type of incentive-driven UGC, whether on Facebook or in product reviews, has a greater effect than the other in boosting the users opinion of the brand. It seems to reflect that the users acquisition of information in their evaluation of the product is multi-faceted, and does not rest solely on a single platform. 5.2 When users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC is considered Of the 68 participants, 45.6% of them agree (36.8%) or strongly agree (8.8%) that online incentive-driven UGC are generally more biased than balanced, while a substantial 30.9 % of them are neutral on this. 41.2% of the surveyed participants also agreed or strongly agreed that extremely biased online UGC has a greater impact on their impression of the brand than moderately biased online UGC, while a significant 35.3% of the group remained neutral. The results suggest that when the user feels more strongly about the biasness of incentive-driven UGC, he has a tendency to trust the product information encapsulated within product reviews more than those reflected on Facebook contributed by other users. This might be possibly due to the more detailed textual information that the typical product review has than the average Facebook post, which tend to be more sporadic in nature. The results also support the findings in a study by McKinsey, that most consumers in the study are observed to have headed directly to Amazon.com, a major online shopping website hosted in multiple countries. There is a wealth of customer reviews on related products on the website, where customers can obtain more detailed product information and conduct their own product comparisons (Edelman, 2010). It is thus not surprising that Amazon.com is found to be one of the top influencers in brand equity, as it is where customers are influenced in both their evaluation of the product and purchasing decisions (Edelman, 2010). 5.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research There are several limitations in this study. One limitation of this study is the small sample group size. Although the Cronbachs alpha in the reliability analysis was more than 0.7 for the data used in testing the hypothesis, a larger number of survey participants would allow for a more representative sample. In addition, the current study only focuses on two main platforms, namely Facebook and product reviews in blogs and websites for the studying of incentive-driven UGC. The inclusion of other platforms, such as the micro-blogging platform Twitter, and LinkedIn, a business networking platform that is gaining prominence for use in marketing companies and brands, might also have possibly shed more light on their respective effects on brand perceptions. Further, there is no specific brand that is used as a case study for this research. Sentiments may be highly mixed when responding to the survey questions as the participants are likely to have in mind different brands as their subjects for analysis. Hence, possible future work as an extension of this study could include a longitudinal study that is focused on representative brands across several product categories to analyse the efficacies of UGC on different product categories. It is also found that differences in culture and language can affect the users actions and behaviours when writing reviews, and in turn, such differences influences the disparity in product ratings creating their own online UGC related to products and brands, which in turn can influence others user perceptions of the brands in concern (Decker Trusov, 2010). Therefore, it would be useful to also study if differences in culture and language of UGC also have an effect on the users perception of brands. 6 Managerial implications The results of the current study have several implications for the marketing manager. Firstly, the lack of a difference in efficacy between Facebook-related UGC and product reviews and an average opinion that is almost neutral that either platform has influenced the user in his awareness of the sponsoring brand, showed that neither platform should be neglected by the manager in the online marketing plan when promoting a product or brand, nor should the manager put an over-emphasis of the marketing budget on these two platforms versus other online marketing mediums. Secondly, the manager may also consider allowing customer reviews on the companys own retail website for its products, if there is one. Such a feature will allow the growth of a virtual community of customers, and will also increase the time that a user spends on the website, thus boosting product sales (Mudambi Schuff, 2010). The social functions available on the retail website provide added value to the customer, and will exert a positive effect on brand equity through a more enhanced customer experience (Kumar Benbasat, 2006). 7 Conclusion

Edna as a Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening Essay

Edna as a Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening Elizabeth LeBlanc places The Awakening in an interesting context in her essay â€Å"The Metaphorical Lesbian,† as gender criticism must, for Chopin wrote the novel at the end of the 19th century, when homosexuality as an identity emerged culturally, at least in terms of the gay male identity, as proffered by Oscar Wilde across the Atlantic. Lesbianism, too, started to make its debut on the cultural stage, particularly in literature. However, although lesbianism started to emerge during Chopin’s lifetime, it seems doubtful that it played any formative role for Edna’s characterization. Yet gender criticism often requires a reading of a text in light of gender and sexuality regardless of authorial â€Å"intent.† LeBlanc wisely stops short of calling Edna an authentic lesbian, instead appropriating Bonnie Zimmerman’s â€Å"metaphorical lesbian† by which a character â€Å"engages in a variety of woman-identified practices that suggest but stop sh ort of sexual encounters,† often falling into the continuum of female-centered relationships as identif...

Hope in Death Be Not Proud :: Death Be Not Proud Essays

Hope in Death Be Not Proud The novel, Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther, is the story of the struggle of a child to stay alive. Johnny Gunther Jr.'s constant hope got him out of bed every morning with a positive attitude. His outright opposition to the fact that he was going to die and his determination not to, kept a fiery spirit in him so that he didn't give up. Johnny's stubborn determination to not accept defeat at so early an age, along with the tremendous courage he showed when realizing that he must accept his defeat, is a strong point portrayed in this novel. Johnny's hope, determination, and courage kept his death at bay. One of the main reasons that Johnny remained alive for so much longer than he should have lived, was the hope that he possessed. He hoped every day of his illness that he would get better, that his parents would be spared their grief, or that some doctor would come up with a revolutionary idea that would heal him. Because of his hope, Johnny never complained or protested during the entire course of his illness. He always obeyed the doctors' wishes and followed their instructions to a "T" because he wanted so desparatly to get well. Although he realized that eventually his life would end, he still never gave up the hope that perhaps he could outsmart his fate to die, if just to steal a few extra hours. Each day, until his last, the determination Johnny had to get well, live a normal life, and even maintain his schoolwork was phenominal. After being away from school for sixteen months, being tested constantly by doctors, and having a rapidly deteriorationg brain, Johnny still managed to graduate with his class and be accepted into Harvard. Throughout his illness, Johnny always had an unwavering will to survive, to awake the next morning and find that he was well, that he had only been dreaming the nightmare of his illness. When Johnny awoke each morning however, he felt the bandage on his head and realized that he was living this horrific nightmare. But even th rough this tremendous disappointment, Johnny kept fighting, determined to recuperate. Johnny should be admired for not giving up under the intense emotional burden of knowing that each breath may be his last. Johnny's story is one that will be remembered because of the courage he had.

United Nations Security Council Is Unsuccessful in Keeping Peace Essay

United Nations Security Council Is Unsuccessful in Keeping Peace The threat of a nuclear attack on the USA has become a common topic after terrorist attacks on September 11. A lot of people have been talking about a missile defense system for the US. With the kinds of terrorist attacks being executed today, who knows what will come next. Some people worry that next time it will be a nuke knocking on Uncle Sam's door instead of a few misguided Al-Queda pilots flying bombs. Did you know that there actually is a protection agency out there who's task is to keep peace in the world? It is hard to tell because they are not successful very often, and more times than not they come to the US for aid, instead of providing it. This agency is called the United Nations Security Council, and it isn't doing its job. The United Nations was founded on the twenty-fourth of October, 1945 by 51 countries that were tired of war and wanted peace. The UN has four major purposes: to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, to promote human rights and remedy international problems, and to be a center for nations to negotiate. At the UN, all Member States of every size, class, and political viewpoint have a say. Five of the main components of the United Nations including the Security Council are based at UN headquarters in New York. There are 15 Council members of which the five permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Security Council is primarily responsible for keeping peace. The council convenes at any time that peace is threatened. The council always tries to correct problems peacefully before it takes militant measures. It sends... ...Require the five permanent and ten temporary members of the Security Council to provide a set amount of military personnel and equipment. Be prepared to back up negotiations with force, and quickly. Use more subterfuge to take the support of the people away from those like Usama Bin Laden. If a nation will not be reasonable in negotiating peace with those it conflicts with, then move such an enormous amount of military forces into the area that military action would be suicide for them. Use funding more sparingly and to collect in extreme cases, impose light sanctions on a member nation that does not pay its dues. Extreme changes within the organization will be the only way the UN Security Council will survive the twenty-first century. An Able peacekeeping department would be a great asset to this century but there is a lot of work to do in order for this to happen.

AIDS and Needles Essay

Becton Dickinson, one of the largest manufacturers of medical supplies, dominates the US market in disposable syringes and needles. In 2005, a nurse, Maryann Rockwood (a fictional name), used a Becton Dickinson 5cc syringe and needle to draw blood from a patient known to be infected with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus). Ms. Rockwood worked in a clinic that served AIDS patients, and she drew blood from these patients several times a day. After drawing the blood on this particular day, she transferred the HIV-contaminated blood to a sterile test tube by sticking the needle through the rubber stopper of the test tube, which she was holding with her other hand. She accidentally pricked her finger with the contaminated needle. She is now HIV positive. A few years earlier, in 2000, Becton Dickinson had acquired exclusive rights to a patent for a new syringe that had a moveable protective sleeve around it. The plastic tube around the syringe could slide down to safely cover the needle. The Becton Dickinson 5cc syringe used by Maryann Rockwood in 2005, however, did not yet have such a protective guard built into it. The AIDS epidemic has posed peculiarly acute dilemmas for health workers, including doctors and nurses. Doctors performing surgery on AIDS patients can easily prick their fingers with a scalpel, needle, sharp instrument, or even bone fragment and can become infected with the virus. The greatest risk is to nurses, who, after routinely removing an intravenous system, drawing blood, or delivering an injection to an AIDS patient, can easily stick themselves with the needle they were using. Needlestick injuries occur frequently in large hospitals and account for about 80 percent of reported occupational exposures to HIV among health care workers. It was conservatively estimated in 2005 that about 64 health care workers were then being infected with HIV each year as a result of needlestick injuries. Although the fear of HIV had heightened concerns over needlestick injuries, HIV was not the only risk posed by needlestick injuries. Hepatitis B can also be contracted through an accidental needlestick. In 2000, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) estimated, on the basis of hospital reports, that each year at least 12,000 health care workers are exposed to blood contaminated with the Hepatitis B virus, and of these 250 die as a  consequence. Due to underreporting, however, the actual numbers may be higher. In addition to Hepatitis B, needlestick injuries can also transmit numerous other viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, as well as toxic drugs or other agents that are delivered through a syringe and needle. The total statistics on needlestick injuries in 2005 are disturbing, although the exact incidence of contamination is unclear. It was estimated that each year, in the United States alone, between 800,000 and 1 million needlestick injuries occurred in hospitals – of these, between 60,000 and 300,000 resulted in Hepatitis B infection. By one estimate, the risk of contracting HIV from a known contaminated needle could be as high as 1 in 1000, and the risk of contracting Hepatitis B, a serious and often life-threatening condition, could be as high as 1 in 6. These estimates would imply that as many as 600 to 1000 health care workers were at risk of contracting HIV and as many as 100,000 were at risk of contracting Hepatitis B. Several agencies stepped in to set guidelines for nurses, including the American Nursing Association, the CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FAD), who all developed such guidelines. The most comprehensive guidelines were issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), who on December 6, 2001, required hospitals and other employers of health workers to (a) make sharps containers (safe needle containers) accessible to workers, (b) prohibit the practice of recapping needles by holding the cap in one hand and inserting the needle with  the other, and (c) provide information and training on needlestick prevention to employees.  The usefulness of these guidelines was controversial. Nurses work in high-stress emergency situations requiring quick action, and they are often pressed for time both because of the large number of patients they must care for and the highly variable needs and demands of these patients. In s uch workplace environments, it is difficult to adhere to the guidelines recommended by the agencies. For example, a high-risk source of needle sticks is the technique of replacing the cap on a needle (after it has been  used) by holding the cap in one hand and inserting the needle into the cap with the other hand. OSHA guidelines specifically warned against this two-handed technique of recapping and instead required that the cap be placed on a stable surface and the nurse use a one-handed spearing technique to replace the cap. (Note that recapping the needles in this more time consuming way presented no risk of needlestick injury to the user). As noted above however, nurses are often pressed for time (and are keenly aware of the added danger of walking around with an uncapped needles) and tend to take the ‘two-handed recapping shortcut’ when no suitable surface is readily available for the safer one-handed capping technique. This fact is known to Hospital administrators, who regularly warn against such practices, and offer ongoing training and retraining opportunities to their nursing staff. Several analysts suggested that the peculiar features of the nurse’s work environment made it unlikely that needlesticks would be prevented through mere guidelines alone: The problem was not the worker, but the design of the needle and syringe. Experts on needlestick injuries argued that, rather than trying to teach health care workers to use a hazardous device safely, the focus should be on the hazardous product design and that a whole new array of devices in which safety is an integral part of the design was required. Regulators also urged manufacturers to provide the health care worker with devices in which safety was built into the design. The risks of contracting life-threatening diseases by the use of needles and syringes in health care settings had been well documented since the early 1980s. Well over half of all the needles and syringes used by U.S. health care workers since 1980 were being manufactured by Becton Dickinson. Despite the emerging crisis, however, Becton Dickinson decided not to modify its syringes, although it did include in each box of needled syringes an insert warning of the danger of needlesticks and of the dangers of two-handed recapping. On December 23, 2000, the U.S. Patent office issued patent number 4,631,057 to Charles B. Mitchell for a syringe with a tube surrounding the body of the syringe that could be pulled down to cover and protect the needle on the syringe. At the time, at least four other patents for needle-shielding devices existed. As Mitchell noted in his patent application, those devices all suffered from serious drawbacks. One of them  would not lock the protective cover over the exposed needle, one was extremely complex, another was much longer than a standard syringe and difficult to use, and a fourth was designed primarily for use on animals. It was Mitchell’s assessment that his invention was the only effective, easily usable, and easily manufactured device capable of protecting users from needlesticks, particularly in emergency periods or other times of high stress. Unlike other syringe designs, Mitchell’s was shaped and sized like a standard syringe so nurses already familiar with standard syringe design would have no difficulty adapting to it. Shortly after Mitchell patented his syringe, Becton Dickinson purchased from him an exclusive license to manufacture it. A few months later, Becton Dickinson began field tests of early models of the syringe using a 3cc model. Nurses and hospital personnel were enthusiastic when shown the product. However, they warned that if the company priced the product too high, hospitals, with pressures on their budgets rising, could not buy the safety syringes. With concerns about HIV rising fast, the company decided to market the product. In 2001, with the field tests completed, Becton Dickinson had to decide which syringes would be marketed with the protective sleeves. Sleeves could be put on all of the major syringe sizes, including 1cc, 3cc, 5cc, and 10cc syringes. However, the company decided to market only a 3cc version of the protective sleeve. The 3cc syringes account for about half of all syringes used, although the larger sizes-5cc and 10cc syringes-are preferred by nurses when drawing blood. This 3cc syringe was marketed in 2002 under the trademarked name Safety-Lok Syringe. It was promoted as a device that â€Å"virtually eliminates needlesticks.† The 3cc safety syringe with the protective sleeve was sold in 2001 to hospitals and doctors’ offices for between 50 and 75 cents. By 2003, the company had dropped the price to 26 cents per unit. At the time, a regular syringe without any protective device was priced at 8 cents per unit and cost 4 cents to make. Information about the cost of manufactu ring the new safety syringe is unavailable but is estimated at between 13 and 20 cents each. The difference between the price  of a standard syringe and the price of the safety syringe was an obstacle for customers. To switch to the new safety syringe would increase the hospital’s costs for 3cc syringes by a factor of three. An equally important impediment to adoption was the fact that the syringe was available in only one 3cc size, and it was perceived to be of limited application. Hospitals are reluctant to adopt and adapt to a product that is not available for the whole range of applications the hospital must confront. In particular, hospitals often needed the larger 5cc and 10cc sizes to draw blood, and Becton Dickinson had not made these available with a sleeve. For 5 years, Becton Dickinson manufactured only 3cc safety syringes. During that period, Becton Dickinson did not license its new safety syringe technology to another manufacturer that might have produced a full range of syringe sizes. Most hospitals and clinics, including the medical facility where Maryann Rockwood worked at drawing blood from many patients with Hepatitis B or HIV, did not stock the Becton Dickinson safety syringe. Most nurses in the United States continued to use unprotected syringes. Maryann Rockwood sued Becton Dickinson, alleging that, because it alone had an exclusive right to Mitchell’s patented design, the company had a duty to provide the safety syringe in all its sizes, and that by withholding other sizes from the market it had contributed to her injury. The case was settled out of court.

Body – Traffic Jam

Chapter 1: Introduction 1. 1Origin of the report This report has been prepared following the instruction of our course teacher Pro. Ali Akkas as a part of our course â€Å"Business Communication† under the EMBA program of Dhaka University. 1. 2 Objective of the report 1. Broad objective To discuss traffic jam, it’s causes and remedies 2. Specific objective -To discuss the effects of traffic jam on environment and social life, -To be introduced with the way of relief from traffic jam. – To find the way of upgrading the traffic systems . 3 Scope and Limitations of the report This report could have even more wealth and information. But, due to limited time, few information could be collected. More budgeting on this report could have given it a aristocratic look. In spite of these limitations, it has been tried to enrich this report by proper and authentic information. It has been tried to be rational with the real figure of traffic jam. It is believed that this repo rt will help the follower to go for further analysis. Chapter 02: Methodology 2. Population Parameters A parameter is a numerical summary of a population; because populations have so many members, these can never be known except if a census is taken. 2. 2 Sampling Design In the theory of finite population sampling a sampling design specifies for every possible sample its probability of being drawn. Mathematically a sampling design is denoted by the function P(S) which gives the probability of drawing a sample. 2. 3 Variables Covered Here we have included -urban traffic problems -suburban traffic problems high way traffic problems 2. 4 Methods of Data Collection There are four main methods of data collection. †¢ Census. A census is a study that obtains data from every member of a population. In most studies, a census is not practical, because of the cost and/or time required. †¢ Sample survey. A sample survey is a study that obtains data from a subset of a population, in or der to estimate population attributes. †¢ Experiment. An experiment is a controlled study in which the researcher attempts to understand cause-and-effect relationships.The study is â€Å"controlled† in the sense that the researcher controls (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and (2) which treatments each group receives. †¢ Observational study. Like experiments, observational studies attempt to understand cause-and-effect relationships. However, unlike experiments, the researcher is not able to control (1) how subjects are assigned to groups and/or (2) which treatments each group receives. 2. 5 Data Analysis Plan The appropriate methods of data analysis are determined by data types and variables of interest, the actual distribution of the variables, and the number of cases.Different analyses of the same data set may reflect or represent different aspects of the underlying data structure. Once a plan has been established, it could contain any combination of the f ollowing types of data analysis strategies: †¢ Exploratory: This type of data analysis often occurs when a program is new, and it is unclear what to expect from the data. †¢ Descriptive: The most common type of data analysis, this approach will summarize your findings and describe the sample. †¢ Inferential: Inferential statistics allow us to draw conclusions about the larger population from which the sample is drawn.These powerful techniques may be able demonstrate if a change has occurred as a result of your program. PDA's Statistics Division specializes in many sophisticated data analysis techniques. Chapter 3: Traffic Jam, It’s Causes, Effects and Remedies 3. 1 Causes of Traffic Jam â€Å"During experiment, it has been found that human error is a major cause of most frustrating kinds of traffic jams†. ( Annexes – I) In generally the traffic jams are causes by following reasons- -Dishonesty of traffic polices -Insufficient roads and highways. P oor communication system. -Too many vehicles -Low price fuel ( CNG) and available motor cars. -Traffic jams are usually caused because there must be an accident. -Most often, traffic jam are caused by – those who drive too slow always end up compacting the faster drivers behind them -In rush hours when too many people start for destination. -Free parking here and there causes hindrance on traffic way -Some drivers tries to drive faster than the flow of traffic. -Some times drivers stop on the highway and causes a traffic jam. . 2 Traffic Jam Affects Society and Environment Traffic jam affects the society in some of the ways below: †¢ creates mental stress in the motorists †¢ paves way for wastage of fuel and wear & tear of vehicle parts which ultimately waste the money of the motorists †¢ becomes a cause for rash driving and road accidents involving loss of lives †¢ makes the motorists to inhale lot of vehicular smoke emissions in a short period of time ca using many diseases †¢ wasting time of motorists and passengersTraffic jam affects the environment in some of the ways below: †¢ efficiency of fuel usage by idle running of vehicle engines in low speed is very low leading to wastage of fuel which ultimately results in over exploitation of fossil fuel reserves †¢ vehicles at low speed emit lot amount of carbon monoxide, unburnt fuel particles, suspended particulate matters and other pollutants into atmosphere causing air pollution more grave †¢ when vehicles start to move slowly, noise pollution is created by blowing horns by the motorists. 3. 3 Remedies to Traffic JamIncreased regulation would not work in practice. Regulation either requires more cops, which are an expensive kind of work force, or automated systems, which are sketchy from a legal point of view. Technological solutions aren’t the way to go, either. They are predicated on the assumption that all (or enough) drivers would adopt this technolog y, which will be expensive and error-prone, and possibly encourage risky behavior. Traffic jams are a symptom of more vehicles than the planned carrying capacity of the roads. In order to prevent traffic jams: -one method is to reduce the number of vehicles. Imposing disincentives (taxation, congestion fees) is one way, but offering sensible alternatives (mass transit, a functional passenger rail system, telecommuting) is smarter. -no hand held cell phones while driving. -controlling Speed of traffic more efficiently during rush hours (points to one idea, the classic â€Å"slow down and keep a constant speed† method). Chapter 4 : Conclusion and Recommendation 4. 1 Conclusion The present problem of traffic jam has not created by one day. For long unawareness and long time plan and booming number of traffic cause this.As Bangladesh is a developing country, it should be more aware of time and money. Not only this, as Bangladesh is a low land country, so it should be aware of gre en house gas. Traffic jam is killing time, wasting money, causing more green house gas. If we can’t reduce traffic jam significantly we will be great looser. Our development may slow down due to traffic jam. 4. 2 Recommendation: -We will have to go for long time plan to improve our roods and high way communication system. -Withdraw of old and slow vehicles. -Trained driver -Maintain LAN during driving -Use of dividerAnnexes-I |Bottlenecks (traffic demand   exceeds roadway capacity) |50% of total traffic jam | |Traffic incidents |25% of total traffic jam | |Work zones |15% of total traffic jam | |Bad weather |10% of total traffic jam | |Poor signal timing |  5% of total traffic jam | Fig :- On an average major causes of traffic jam References: 1.Text books: Giltow, C. & Oppenhein, R. (1995). Management: Tools and methods for improvement. Boston: Irwin-Mcgraw-Hill. 2. Websites: -HYPERLINK http://statisticssolutions. blogspot. com/2008/09/what-is-included-in-data-analysis-p lan. html -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_causes_traffic_jams -http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_some_ways_a_traffic_jam_affects_the_society_and_environment – http://freakonomics. blogs. nytimes. com/2008/03/10/what-causes-traffic-jams-you/ http://www. infoplease. com/ipa/A0931283. html#axzz0wBBDMA5L

Boeing 777 Finance Case Study Essay

Boeing is currently operating with the majority market share of the commercial sector of aircraft manufacturing. Frank Shrontz, our CEO, has recently stated his goal to increase the company’s return on equity from its current average of 12%. The following summary will delve into the most appealing project for the future of this firm: the 777 aircraft. The purpose of this new product is to maintain our competitive advantage in commercial airline production by completing a family of Boeing airplanes. The following net present value analysis will be used to determine the potential profitability of the 777 project. Our analysts concluded that a levered equity beta of 1.2939 was appropriate for the commercial division of Boeing. The levered equity beta was important to use due to its representation of the capital structure of Boeing and its value to the WACC calculation. This equity beta was calculated by removing the financial risk of four similar defense-oriented benchmark companies (over half of all revenues from their respective defense divisions). The Value Line betas of Lockheed, Northrop, Grumman, and McDonnell-Douglas were unlevered using the following formula U = (L) / (1+(1-t)(D/E)). The betas of these firms are important because by using the pure play approach, we can calculate an accurate equity beta for Boeing. Several adjustments must be made however, and those are discussed in the remainder of this paragraph. Once averaged, the Value Line betas equaled 0.4758. The next step required unlevering the total Boeing beta, which was found at 1.00. The formula used to unlever Boeing’s beta U = (1.00) / (1+(.66*.018)) = 0.9883. With the two betas we have calculated, Boeing’s unlevered commercial beta could be found. We found that the percentage of revenues derived from the defense division was 26%. The following formula provided the answer to Boeing’s commercial beta: U = (U-Boeing – (% defense)(U-Defense)) / (%commercial) = (0.9883 – (.26*.4758))/(.74) = 1.1683. After obtaining the unlevered commercial beta, our analysts then levered it by using the debt to equity ratio of 14%. The D/E ratio of 14% was chosen over the current 4% D/E ratio due to the additional financing needs in the future if the project were accepted. This yielded a levered equity commercial beta of 1.2939. The cost of equity of the project was then found using the equation: RE = rf + (market risk premium). Our team of analysts chose to use the long-term yield on treasury bonds in 1990 (8.82%) because it was similar to our investment horizon. The market risk premium is 5.4%. When these values are plugged into the previously stated SML equation, the cost of equity is (0.0882 + 1.2939*(.054)) = 15.81%. The return on equity for all-equity financing would be 15.13%. The only difference in the formula would be the use of the unlevered commercial beta 1.1683 instead of the levered commercial beta of 1.2939. This discrepancy between the two RE calculations makes sense because levering up increases the cost of equity. The weighted average cost of capital is then calculated with this equation: WACC = [RD * (1-t) * WD] + (RE * WE). The only new unknown is the cost of debt, which was 9.73%. The average yield to maturity of a AA-rated debt with 5 years to maturity is 9.73%–the cost of debt used in our analysts’ WACC calculation. Furthermore, a 34% tax rate and 14% weight of debt were used. WACC = [9.73% * 0.66 * 0.14] + (15.81% * 0.86) = 14.49% With all of the pieces of information our analysts gathered, the net present value (NPV) of all future cash flows could be found. Boeing has estimated the selling price of each 777 will be $130 million and includes adjustments for inflation over the time horizon of the project. After calculating the NPV over the 35-year project horizon, our analysts found it to be $1,736.34 million. Against our hurdle rate, the Boeing 777 project is very attractive. The key to this project being economically attractive is that the return outperforms inflation to provide real value to the firm. The sensitivity analysis provided reveals several gambles made by Boeing. They include the use of the highest estimated selling price per plane, units per year, rate of price increases, and market size among others. Even with all of the risks and estimations, Boeing should launch the 777 in October 1990 because the firm must not only stay competitive but keep their market share in the future. While the 777 project represents a huge risk with high levels of capital, it is a necessary risk since other firms are also completing their full product lines of airplanes. Also, the introduction of a derivative after 10 years and reduction in R&D costs could provide additional sales revenue and further affect the NPV of the project. While this project was certainly a gamble for Boeing in 1990, hindsight shows they made the right decision in creating the new 777. In October of 1990, right after the project was implemented, United Airlines placed a $28 billion order therefore â€Å"cementing the program Boeing was close to scrapping.† By March of 1994 they were already loaded down with 147 firm orders and 108 options with expectations of quickly increasing numbers. In June of 2008 it became evident that this aircraft had the differentiating ability to beat out its competitors. Headlines read â€Å"Boeing under intense pressure to increase production of top-selling fuel thrifty 777-300 ER†¦as airlines struggle with the soaring price of fuel.† In November of 2007 production of the 777 was sold out through 2012 and just 6 months later all remaining 2012 and 2013 slots were filled; the next available date for a new order was in 2014. Boeing officials stated they were â€Å"experiencing unprecedented demand† and were â€Å"producing at a rate of 7 [aircraft] monthly.† In November of 2011 the 777 became one of Boeing’s best-selling models, and on March 5, 2012 United Arab Emirates, the largest operator of the 777 with a fleet of 102, purchased Boeing’s 1000th 777, surpassing the numbers they forecast back in 1990.

Ethnic Literature Essay

The term â€Å"ethnic† when in conjunction with the word â€Å"literature† in the academic discourse community of students, often brings out mixed feelings of excitement and dread. On the one hand, students understand that they will be getting away from the canonical American literature – which can equal boring in their eyes; on the other hand, students interpret the term â€Å"ethnic literature† to mean distinctive – which can equal confusing or ambiguous – and perhaps at times not relatable because it is outside their scope of experiences. Perhaps before jumping into why it matters, the term â€Å"ethnic literature† should be defined first and because I am still learning how to interpret this term myself, I searched for a suitable one I could agree with. I found one in an article entitled â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†, and the article actually used another source themselves to come up with a workable, layman’s definition. Ethnic literature as defined by D. E. Norton (as the article’s source) is, â€Å"Literature about racial or ethnic minority groups that are culturally and socially different from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the United States, whose largely middle-class values and customs are most represented in American literature† (qtd. in Hager & Thompson 22). I think this definition works well to define what ethnic literature is on a surface level, but the more I dig in, I feel that this idea goes much deeper. I asked myself, who can write about ethnic literature? Can anyone just pick up a pen so to speak and tell a story about a young Japanese boy, or a Hispanic family? Can an African-American writer write about Hispanic or Chinese people and claim it is ethnic literature? And the answer to myself is no. Why? Because unless that African-American has been submersed in the Hispanic or Japanese culture from the time of childhood, how are they going to capture the very essence of being, thinking, and living day-to-day in that culture? And even if that African-American had, they would still most likely have a different perspective from the average Hispanic or Chinese person because of being different themselves (i. e black) and perhaps are treated different by the community at large which corrupts the â€Å"normal† cultural thinking. At this deeper level I am trying to get at, I find John M. Reilly’s article â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story† helpful in acquiring this. He states that, â€Å"the assertion of ethnicity in literature can be made only through a procedure by which the writer resolves formal problems†¦ what moves from recognition of identity to creation of a strategy for handling reality still is not literature until the individual author sustains her or his ethnic identity through a sequence of formal choices† (4). I am interpreting this to mean that as a reader of this literature, I should see and feel throughout the story (perhaps subtlety) that in some way, the characters mindset (and perhaps actions) in the story differ from my own specifically because of the culture they have grown up in in, which has shaped that character’s thinking. There are thoughts and feelings – ideas, I don’t understand without further explanation from the author, which is sometimes provided, and sometimes not. An example of this is in Brando Skyhorse’s novel The Madonnas of Echo Park, I find myself wondering what the significance of the jacaranda trees mentioned in different parts of the book. Looking up what they are, it becomes apparent to me as jacaranda trees are native to Central America – roots back to their homeland. The blossoms from the trees fall and are scattered everywhere. Felicia in chapter 2 states that â€Å"there’s no way getting away from them† (25). Basically meaning, you cannot escape who you are and where you come from. I would not have understood this had I not explored the history of that tree to uncover the significance in the book. Another example is in Seventeen Syllables in the story â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†. The story about a Japanese family is easy to read, but is hard to connect with as I don’t share the same philosophies about a woman’s place in the Japanese culture. A specific instance in the story was when Mrs. Hayashi, Rosie’s mother received her the first place prize for her stellar Haiku. When the man from the newspaper presented her with a package, Mrs. Hayashi, stating she knew it was unorthodox, asked if she might open it because she was very curious. (Yamamoto 17). At this point, I am thinking to myself, â€Å"I don’t get it – why wouldn’t she open it? † but upon reflection, I considered the patriarchal society that is dominant in this culture, and perhaps it is the wife’s obligation to consult or have the husband open the gift, even if it is not specifically for him. Yet another example is in Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. To come specifically to the point, I do not understand this idea of why it is understood that Dominican men are supposed to be these â€Å"manly men† that women flock to and fall on their knees for. That the sexual appetite along with innate sense of charisma from Dominican men is expected, and when it’s lacking, it doesn’t go unnoticed. â€Å"Anywhere else his triple-zero batting average with the ladies might have passed without comment, but this is a Dominican kid we’re talking about, in a Dominican family: dude was supposed to have Atomic Level G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands† (24). Why is this idea so indoctrinated in this culture according to the book? This is perhaps something I will never understand, except that it is a part of their culture. All of these examples are all good and well, but the important question is why is ethnic literature important? What can be gained from reading it? From a most basic viewpoint, it is a highly effective vehicle for helping people understand themselves and the world around them. Thompson and Hager in their article state that, â€Å"multi-ethnic literature mirrors and validates the experiences for minority groups and juxtaposes the familiar with the less familiar for mainstream children† (22). In other words, through reading ethnic literature, readers can find ways to connect with others around them that are different. The article also states that when readers are exposed to divergent thoughts, language patterns, value systems, and different ways of living, that it can open up awareness about others and create compassion and understanding towards them that might not have happened without the literary exposure (23). To sum it all up, I will never argue against the instruction of ethnic literature in the school setting. In fact, I think teaching it should begin right from the beginning in kindergarten, and perhaps one day we won’t need the designated term â€Å"ethnic literature† – perhaps one day it can just be â€Å"American Literature† and part of the regular American canon of literature. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. Reilly, John. M. â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story†. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. 5. 1 (1978): 2-13. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. New York: Free Press, 2010. Print. Thompson, Deborah L. and Jane Meeks Hager. â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†. Yearbook of the American Reading Forum. 1990. 21-29. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Print.

Art Essay Example for Free (#3)

Art Essay * Art is a term that describes a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities, but here refers to the visual arts, which cover the creation of images or objects in fields including paintings, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media. They are two paintings that have been drawn by Dmitry Levitzky in 1773 and by Millais in 1871. The first portrait by Dmitry levitzky is called Nelidova, Ekaterina Ivanovna who she is the daughter of Lieutenant Ivan Dmitrievich Nelidov. She was raised in the Smolny Institute for Young Ladies and was noticed there by Empress Catherine II, who made her a maid of honor to the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna, later Empress, whose husband Emperor Pavel I. She was sincerely attached to him, although their relations were never intimate. She was able to influence Pavel I, preventing some of his unwise decisions and tantrums. She was also a close friend of the Empress Maria Feodorovna. The second portrait by John Everett Millais is called The Martyr of Solway the â€Å"Margaret† depicted by Millais was Margaret Wilson, who was born in 1667 in Glenvernoch in Wigtownshire. She was a young and devout Presbyterian who was a member of the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement of the 17th century in Scotland who signed the National Covenant in 1638 to confirm their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Stuart kings embraced the belief of the Divine Right of the Monarch. However, not only did they believe that God wished them to be the infallible rulers of their kingdom – they also believed that they were the spiritual heads of the Church of Scotland. This latter belief was anathema to the Scots. Their belief was quite simple – no man, not even a king, could be spiritual head of their church. The following piece will demonstrate the differences and similarities between the two images in a compare and a contrast manner. Analyze the fundamental differences. Point out the major mutual points. Art. (2017, Feb 05).

In the name of the Father, Death and the Maiden, The Torture Question, Movie Review

In the name of the Father, Death and the Maiden, The Torture Question, The killing Fields, or The Burning Season - Movie Review Example Later after he started to work and settled in the same area he was accused and considered to be responsible for the Guilford bombing. In this case he was not the only one to have been accused, but his family and friends were considered to be responsible either. Thus, the filmmakers began â€Å"to explore their real theme, which is the intimate emotional consequences of oppression and prejudice" (The New Yorker n. p.). The story revolved around an era known as â€Å"The troubles.’’ This era faced conflicts between two forces: the first one was the IRA, that is the Irish Republican Army, and the second one was UVF, that is Ulster Volunteer Force. The reason behind the conflicts that started in 960 was the change or the raise in the trend of bombing, terrorism and riots. The area where our protagonist dwelled was Belfast, the city in Northern Ireland, which was transformed into a battle zone and became a barrier between the two forces. It came to be known as ‘†™the barricaded city’’. The story dealt with a boy named Gerry. The IRA considered that he was the person who spread terror and was the one responsible to plant a bomb, the accident that resulted in killing five innocent people. The people who were suspected for this crime were Paddy, Gerry, Paul and Carol, were literally abused and physically tortured during their seven day interrogation. The worst part was when Gerry Conlon refused to speak up and the agency threatened to kill his father. This got him in a very weird situation when he had to confess, although he had not committed any sort of a crime. Gerry Conlon served 15 years of imprisonment and was eventually released. The Lawyer of Gerry, namely, Gareth Pierse, discovered a proof that the IRA tried to hide from the courts and the media. After these facts of evidence were brought to the authorities the "Guilford four" was released after a period of 15 years in jail. During this time Gerry Conlon lost his father , who died while he was in jail (Kenigsberg n. p.). This story revolves around the life of man, which cannot be called an ordinary one, and depicts his battle against the forces that made him go through a terrible experience. He faces the most brutal and unfair treatment by the British judiciary and casts into question the competence of the system that was being enforced back then. There were lots of people who experienced torture being innocent citizens and could not simply live in peace having become the victims of the unfair system. The protagonist of the story is the embodiment of every individual who experienced brutality and injustice of the said era. This movie has an irresistible and moving plot. The book, which was eventually transformed into a movie, was considered by critics as "thoughtful and thought provoking book that proposes suggestions for fixing society through common sense and faith" (Breckenridge-ayers 48). The movie has a unique style, which is seldom on the big screen. The way it condemns the British system is very brave in its own way. The thing about this movie is that it certainly does not intend to exaggerate the impact of the IRA. Likewise, it is not made with the purpose to promote getting out of the British Government from Northern Ireland or damage the Crown Prosecution Service in any way. The reason behind this movie was to narrate the story of the local masses that are stuck in the wrong place at wrong time and try hard to resist injustice. It also deals with