Analysis of the character of Frank McCourt in the story “Angela’s Ashes” Essay

â€Å"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.† –Mahatma Gandhi An assertive statement from the late Mahatma Gandhi pertaining to a person’s struggle that no matter how unfortunate a person’s circumstances may become, in the long run, a deserving achievement awaits him. I do agree to this statement. Everyone experiences similar kinds of battle, no matter how small it can be each in our own different ways. Frank McCourt, being the main character in his own memoir Angela’s Ashes, endeavors through his society and growing up. Frank McCourt shared his own fight through his memoir Angela’s Ashes. The setting was mostly during the 1930’s in Ireland where inequalities among the rich and the poor were distinctively obvious. When he and his father, Malachy McCourt, went to a church and had him signed up to be an altar boy, the minister did not even bother to look at them and slammed the door right on their faces. Not only had other people treated them badly but their own relatives as well. His mother’s relatives taunted him and his family in a different way although they were more supportive than his father’s relatives were. The grandmother always made dreadful remarks about how his mother married a useless man from the North of Ireland and how he got those â€Å"odd manners† form his father. These events clearly stated how society tormented him and his family by class distinction and conflicts between relatives and families. Frank McCourt’s childhood was moved by a common factor–his eagerness to know the realities of life. He portrayed an Irish-American kid who lived in the Great Depression of the 1930’s in America and in the agonizing poverty of Ireland. He wanted to help his family from the poverty they were in, at a very young age. He say three of his six siblings died during his childhood. He had a father who was most of the time drunk and does nothing, literally, to establish a family. He had to risk school in order to earn shilling for his family. However, he had endured all of these hardships by heading back  to America. Frank McCourt’s dream was to return to America. In the end, he made his dream come true. When he was nineteen, he found a relatively good paying job as a delivery boy, invested his money, and bought himself a ticket going back to New York. He actually did â€Å"win† over the â€Å"laughs† of society and growing up. Mahatma Gandhi’s statement certainly corroborated to Frank McCourt’s experiences. He won over his struggles by heading back to America and searched a better life for him and his family. The same thing that happened to our own struggles. That same feeling of achievement we had after we had gone through a tight situation or a problem. I really do believe to this statement by Mahatma Gandhi because I somehow experience a similar situation in my life, and I did win too, by the way.

Dropout of school Essay

The Huffington Post recently ran an article entitled, â€Å"America’s School Dropout Epidemic By The Numbers† about America’s dropout problem. I would like to add my opinions about why children drop out of school. I am a professional educator who served as a classroom teacher, school counselor and school administrator in the New York City school system for over 33 years. I believe that there are five major reasons why children leave school: 1. The students themselves They make wrong decisions. They get involved with gangs, drugs/alcohol, get pregnant and commit crimes. Many have a poor school attitude and are frequently bored by school. They are disconnected to their families, school and life. They do not see the reasons they need to go to school. They are not involved in school activities and lack self-esteem. Some have been promoted lacking skills needed for promotion. Some have undergone major illnesses and have missed too many days of school and have been informed that they will be held back. Because of many of the conditions listed above, they have been suspended and have fallen behind in their work and see little purpose of returning to school. 2. The family they come from There is often a clash between the family values and those of the school. Frequently, their parents have dropped out of school themselves. The students come from families from low socio-economic backgrounds, where there are many other children. Older children often have to go to work in order to supply the family with much-needed funds for basic family needs or need to stay home to take care of younger siblings so that their parents can work. Many children come from non-English speaking homes with high mobility. Single parent homes have become the norm in the United States. Many children are products of divorce, separation or, sometimes, family violence. hey are not being raised by parents, but rather by aunts, uncles and grandparents. Families are not meeting some children’s basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. 3. The community they come from Many children live on the wrong side of the tracks in places where education is not valued, where drugs, gangs and violence abound. And where schools are low-performing, they often lack community and health support. 4. The schools they attend The schools are toxic to student learning, students, parents and staff. Students are suspended for minor infractions (such as â€Å"talking back to the teacher†), or placed in â€Å"remedial classes. † The schools have a culture of low expectations. They lack adequate guidance counseling. The curriculum is not relevant to the needs of the students being taught. Passive instructional strategies are being used without regard to individual student learning styles. Teachers are not trained in the latest teaching/learning/technology techniques. Funding is based on property values so that low-income neighborhoods receive less funding than wealthy neighborhoods. Because some states pass budgets in a less than timely matter, teachers are not hired in time producing over-sized classrooms. 5. The teachers they have The least-experienced, least classroom-trained teachers are often assigned to the most difficult schools. They enter the field with the expectation that they have been adequately prepared by the schools of education with the skills they need and they haven’t received. (See Arthur Levine, â€Å"Educating School Teachers†) They are leaving the field faster than colleges can prepare them. The teacher â€Å"dropout rate† is higher than the student dropout rate. Forty-six percent of teachers leave the field within five years. When asked why they leave, a majority state that they haven’t been properly prepared, have had increased demands placed on them because of high stakes testing and are not getting adequate support from their supervisors in dealing with classroom discipline. Like all generalities, there are exceptions to the information provided above. But, by and large, the statistics bear them out.

The Way Employee Union Are Organized in Malaysia

INTRODUCTION In the eye of history, Malaysian industrial relations undergo some valuable changes with the expanding European capitalism through Industrial Revolution from the early sixteenth century. Various parts of what is now Malaysia came under British rule some time during the nineteenth century. Then, the emergence of Malaysian industrial relations is also associated with immigrant laborers and British colonialism. Basically, industrial relations is known as relationship between employee, labour or employment. Industrial relations is not related to the relationships between one industry to another at all. And industrial relations in the public sector yet is referring to the relationship between the government and the public sector’s employees. The employer referred to in the public sector is the government which the employee will be under the power of them. As far as Malaysian industrial relations is concerned, the term public sector refers to the public services and to statutory authorities. Therefore, the term â€Å"public sector† refer to the federal and state government services, and to the federal and state statutory and local authorities. This government has been divided into few levels which is federal government (Ministry of Human Resource), federal statutory authorities (MARA), state statutory authorities ( Jabatan Agama Islam Johor) and also the local authorities (Majlis Daerah Segamat Selatan). We can see the differences between the public sector and those in private sector. The public sector has their own uniqueness which can be seen in few perpectives regarding to the principles underlying the systems, the parties involved, the way employees’ unions are organised, the way employees are grouped and also the machineries cater for industrial relations in the public sector. First of all, the public sector seems to be unique because of the principles underlying in industrial relations. The principles underlying in both public and private sectors are different at all. In Sec 52 of IRA stated that Parts 2, 3, 4 and 6 shall not apply to any public sectors since these parts are only been applied to the private sector. The principles involved are the trade unionism, recognition, collective bargaining and dispute settlements respectively. The trade union basically is an association or combination whether for employers and the employees too. The trade union is playing oles for protect the rights of workers by doing the collective bargaining to the employers. Before that, that particular trade union have to be recognized first to ensure that the collective bargaining may be successfully been achieved. The IRA requires that the union be recognized by the employer as the proper representative of those employees; in other words: the Act makes union recognition a ne cessary prerequisite to collective bargaining. Besides, regarding the collective bargaining, it is the principal means of improving the terms and conditions of employment of employees and thereby promoting their economic welfare. In contrast, all of these things are not applied to those public sector. And the largest employer in the public sector is represented by the federal government. Even the public sector has no collective bargaining and so on those the employer, employees and their trade unions also the government will sit together. This is based on the tripartite system which has been applied to this country. This tripartite system are made up of three parties which are the employer, employee and the government. There will be discussions made between them to resolve any disputes that arise among them This means the decision does not made by unilaterally; by the management on behalf of the employer without any interference by workers and the other parties. Next, the most unique characteristic that can be seen in Malaysian industrial relation system is the party involvement in the system. As we can see, Malaysia has allocated two areas in the employment sector, which is the public sector and private sector. It is important to differentiate between these two sectors. What is mean by the public sector actually? Public sector here refers to the Public Services as well as to Statutory Authorities. Statutory Authority in the other hand means a body established, appointed or constituted by any written law, whether federal or state, including a local authority. Thus, public sector is the largest sector in which the government acts as the employer of all civil servants. In addition, trade unions in the public sector are permitted to organize unions per ministry, department, profession or activity, as well as to join federations. Employees in statutory bodies (such as ports and the Employees' Provident Fund) are only authorized to join internal trade unions, which, in turn, may join the Civil Service Federation and the national trade union centre. Employees working for the defense sector, police force or prisons do not have the right to form or join trade unions. Then, there is no employer union in public sector as the federal, state governments and local authorities are said to act as the employer. Therefore, the government doesn’t need to form any union to represent themselves. Other than public sector, Malaysian also allocated the other areas for the servant whom is not in public sector which named private sector. This private sector servant usually involved the workers whom are working under their own employers. One of the biggest examples of jobs in this sector is from the banking sector. On the top of that, these private sectors have a little immunity that allowed the employers and the employees to form their union as the medium to protect their right. In fact, the union was also established to facilitate consultation and discussion for both sides. This is also help to communicate and understand each other well and ensure a conducive working environment as well as to avoid problem occurs. Moreover, the advantage of private sector unions is that they can carry out collective bargaining to voice their demands. The third uniqueness characteristic of public sector industrial relations in Malaysia is the ways employees are organized. What means here is the particular trade union must be representing of themselves only and not representing of the others. For example, regarding on the blue collar union and white collar union. Those in blue collar union can only represent for the blue collar union and those in white collar union can only represent for the white collar union . And the most important thing here is the employee unions in the public sector are organizing along ministry or department or occupation or statutory authority lines or local authority lines. It is because they want to determine the shape and nature of the public goods and services, which the members deliver so that workers and the communities they serve can see that the union is relevant to the needs of a changing world. It is good for the interests of all workers and the people who use their services and has a vision of the future, which ensures the centrality of unions in that future. The employees cannot join the trade union and also be an executive in another trade union. According to Oxford Dictionary, the term ministry is a government department headed by a minister. This means that a minister will heads every ministry. As in Malaysia we are headed by our respectful Prime Minister Y. A. B. DATO' SRI MOHD. NAJIB BIN TUN HAJI ABDUL RAZAK which he is also the minister in Ministry of Finance. Besides, Our Deputy Prime Minister Y. A. B. TAN SRI DATO' HAJI MUHYIDDIN BIN MOHD. YASSIN also is the minister in Ministry in Education. Examples of Ministry in Malaysia are Ministry of Human Recourse, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defense etc. Basically we have 24 of ministry after the last reshuffle in 2009. The employee unions in the public sector are organizing by ministry because they have different services to be served for the public. For example, The Ministry of Health’s role is basically to lay the policy and the direction of health services in the country also to enforce regulations and be the regulator. The Ministry of Health does not have the same service to the other ministries like the Ministry of Higher Education. Thus, employees in the Ministry of Health cannot join the trade union of the Ministry of Higher Education. The employee unions in the public sector are also organizing by department. Every ministry will have their own departments. For example in Ministry of Defence, they have development department, administration department, policy department, national service department etc. Each department been leaded by different persons. They might be in the same ministry but they have different tasks and responsibilities to carry out but still have to communicate to each other even they are not in the same department. However, if they want to form a trade union, they must form according to their department because of their different works Next is they are organizing by occupation. If they are in the same department that does not mean that, they have the same job. For example, in Ministry of Health, they have medical department and in medical department, they have another small department, which are the development of medical department, the practise of medical department, the allied health science department, the telehealth department and the nursing department. The practise of medical department, which are the doctors, and the nursing department, which are the nurses, cannot forming the same trade union. The doctors will form their own trade union and cannot join the nurses’ trade union and vice versa. They are also organizing by statutory authority. According to Trade Union Act â€Å"statutory authority† means any authority or body established, appointed or constituted by any written law, and includes any local authority. Example of statutory authority is ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S CHAMBERS, CENTRAL BANK OF MALAYSIA, FEDERAL LAND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (FELDA), NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY CORPORATION (NPC), TELEKOM MALAYSIA BERHAD etc. They must form their own trade union and cannot join another statutory authority trade union. For example, TELEKOM MALAYSIA BERHAD workers cannot join FEDERAL LAND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (FELDA) trade union because they have completely different work and an employee of a statutory authority can only join and been accepted as a member by a trade union whose membership is confined exclusively to employees of that particular statutory authority. They are also organizing by local authority. A local authority is an organization that is officially responsible for all the public services and facilities in a particular area. An employee of a local authority can only join or been accepted as a member by a trade union whose membership is confined exclusively to employees of one or more local authorities. There are four types of local government in this country who are prepared according to the hierarchy is The city also known as City Hall or the City Council, City also known as the Municipal Council, Rural areas also known as the District Council, Special area also known as the Corporation or Local Authority. Example workers in City (Municipal Council) cannot join trade union in Special area. The Fourth uniqueness characteristic of public sector industrial relations in Malaysia is the ways employees are grouped. The employees in the public sector may group themselves in union or in associations and still enjoy any of the benefits of union representation. This mean that the public workers can get any benefits of union representation even the public workers not joining the union. For the example, a teacher will get the salary increases in that year as decided by the government although the teacher is not a member of National Union of the Teaching Profession in Malaysia (NUTP). All the bargaining are discussed at the national level between the government with Congress of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS). Since the government is the employer of the public workers all of the decision is depends on the government budget. In contrast, in private sector, those who are not joining the trade union, thus will not get any benefits given to that particular trade union. For example, any benefits given to the Petronas Employers Union will not be given to any employers of Petronas who are not joining the trade union. Here we can see the advantages if those in the private sector are joining in the trade union since they will know their interest towards their job. They will know what their rights should get from the employers and the company itself, they can bargain more such as for the wages and also better working conditions. It is good for them to know their rights as well since they can make sure that their employer does not suppress their workers' rights. But in the same time, there will be some disadvantages to be in the private sector rather than those in public sector since the public workers may get the benefits whether ther are or they are not joining the trade union. Finally, finally yet importantly, the uniqueness of industrial relations in Malaysian public sector is the machineries that cater for industrial relation in public sector. In fact, these machineries in the public sector is unique and has no equivalent in the private sector. Thus, the following are the list of the machineries which are the first one is Salaries Commission and Salaries Committees. Then, it is followed by The Public Service Department, the Public Service Tribunal and last but not least, The Joint Councils. All these machineries have their roles in order to ensure the systematic structured in the public sector. Salaries Commission and Salaries Committees are appointed by the federal government and are necessary for the review of salaries and related conditions and these series of ad hoc commissions was kept on established since 1960s. The establishment of this commission is needed as they are also review working conditions and workers work as a whole or part of the public sector. Other than that, they are also assigned to make recommendations on those matters. In 1992 for example, the Special Committee of the Cabinet on Salaries makes the recommendations for the public sector and was known as New Remuneration Scheme and it has been renewed with the name Malaysian Remuneration Scheme in year 2002. Under this system, the employees got numbers of benefits such as paternity leave was introduced. . Thus, the reports from these two commissions will then be submitted to government and it is up to the government side, whether to accept or reject it. In fact, there is no legal obligation on the government to appoint such commissions or committees periodically, not to accept the recommendations made by them. If these recommendations submitted by them are not accepted by the government, then their recommendation will not be implemented. However, if these reports are being accepted by the government, then the recommendations will be implemented by the Public Service Department, which is also one of the important federal agencies in Malaysia. **** Next, move on the discussion on the matter of the Public Service Department (PSD) which is led by the Director General of Public Service. The PSD is organized along division lines in which there are eight divisions altogether as following divisions. The first one is recruitment division, and being followed by service division, training and career development division, wages and allowances division, pension division, negotiations division, The National Institute of Public Administration (Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara-INTAN) and finally the administration division. Each of this division has their own roles and function as for example the Service Division that formulates and implements personnel policies in the public services. These policies in addition cover such areas as the recruitment, confirmation, dismissal and re-employed of public service employees. Thus, this division also conducts all public service examinations, and it maintains the Government Staff Records Centre. Back to the main point, the Public Sector Department also acted as the human resources of the federal government and taking care only for the servant in the public sector. Besides, as being said above, the main function of PSD is to put into action on the accepted recommendations by the Salaries Commissions and Salaries Committee and thus, they are also responsible for all the implementation in the public sector includes supervise the National Joint Councils. Other than that, it is also functioned to negotiate any anomaly arising from the implementation of these recommendations with any public sector employees who is affected by it or with any organization of public sector employees whose members are affected by it. In short, the Public Service Department is responsible in initiating and also administrating personnel policies in all departments in which covered the public services employees too, from their recruitment until their retirement. ***** The Joint Councils (JCs) is machinery that is being modified from the Whitley Council machinery of the United Kingdom which was established in 1953. The Joint Councils is divided by two level which are the National Joint Councils and the Departmental Joint Councils. The National Joint Councils aim is to provide a body to establish communication through discussion between employers concerned and the government. It also constitute three councils which are one council for those in the Managerial and Professional Group and the other two councils are for employees in the Support Group. This councils are not available for Polices Forces, Armed Forces, Senior Managerial roup and public servants where the New Remuneration System (Sistem Saraan Baru-SSB) and Malaysian Remuneration System (Sistem Saraan Malaysia-SSM) does not apply. In the other side, the Department Joint Councils as well have it aim and functioned. This council provides a machinery to address any questions regarding work conditions and also obtain the views from the employees. It is also served for consultation between representatives of the ministry or department or statutory authority or local authority apprehensive and representatives of that ministry. ***** Finally, last but not least, the machinery that being use as a cater in the public sector is The Public Service Tribunal. The Public Service Tribunal was established in 1977 and it is to settle any dispute in regards to anomalies in the implementation of the recommendations by various Salaries Commission and Salaries Committees in which usually covered the issues regarding salaries and condition of service. Instead of that, any anomalies that come out will first referred to the Public Service Department (PSD). Once the Public Service Department rejected the claim, then the appeal can be made to the tribunal. The tribunal consists of a chairman and a panel of persons who have experiences and knowledge in matters of administration and was appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. However, this tribunal is being abolished in the year 2000 because the new approaches has already taken over and the new system will have a wider appeal. CONCLUSION As the conclusion, based on few perspectives that we have seen in comparing between both in public sector and private sector, the public sector seems to have their own uniqueness rather than the private sector. They are unique regarding to what has been applied to them regarding to the principles underlying the systems, the parties involved, the way employees’ unions are organised, the way employees are grouped and also the machineries cater for industrial relations in the public sector. Since the public sector have only one centered employer which is the government, thus the management of the public sector seems to be well-managed and well-organised rather than those in private sector which they have so many employers with different way of organizing their company at all. On the other hand, people works in the public sector also somehow get benefits than those working in private sector when everyone get the same things whether they are joining the trade union or not. REFERENCES )Wu Min Aun, (1982) Industrial Relations Law of Malaysia, page xviii, Heinemann Educational Books (LTD) 2)Dunston Ayadurai ,(2004) Industrial Relation in Malaysia Law and Practice, Third Edition 3)Maimunah Aminuddin,(1949), Malaysian Industrial Relations & Employment Law, Sixth Edition, page 6, Malaysia, MC GRAW HILL EDUCATION. 4)http://mgv. mim. edu. my/MMR/9004/900405. Htm retrieved june12,2011 5)http://survey07. ituc-csi. org/getcountry. php? IDCountry=MYS=EN 6) Zanko,M, (2002) ,The handbo ok of human resource management policies and practices in Asia-Pacific economies, United Kingdom, Edward Elgar Publishing. )Mumtaj Hasan, Harlida Abdul Wahab, (2003), Undang-Undang Pekerja Untuk Pengurus, Pahang, Malaysia, PTS Publication & Distributors Sdn. Bhd. 8)http://www. worldpsi. org/TemplateEn. cfm? Section=PSI_publications=2126=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay. cfm 9)http://www. pmo. gov. my/? menu=cabinet=1797 10)http://www. mod. gov. my/ 11)2006-2007), The constitutional role of the Attorney General, Great Britain, Parliament: House of Commons: Constitutional Affairs Committee 12)http://www. moh. gov. my/ 13)http://www. malaysia-food-beverage. com/government. htm 14)http://mgv. mim. du. my/MMR/9004/900405. Htm 15)http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Local_government_in_Malaysia 16)Parenti, M, (2010), Democracy for the Few, Singapore, Cengage Learning. 17) 1920), National Lumberman, Commercial Journal Co. 18) http://www. unioncimb. org. my/home/news/TheFutureoftheTUMovementinMs ia-CIMBConferenceArticle. pdf 19)http://mgv. mim. edu. my/MMR/9004/900405. Htm 20)Bowling, A. , (1981), Delegation in General Practice, United Kingdom, Routledge 21)(1989), Trade Union Act 1959 and Regulations Details on Trade Union Act 1959, Amendment with Index and Cases, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, MDC Sdn. Bhd.

Strategic Leadership on Alliance or Vertical Integration Case Study on Essay

Strategic Leadership on Alliance or Vertical Integration Case Study on Cisco Systems - Essay Example It also wanted to use the expertise of employees of acquired companies. Cisco's employee friendly policies was instrumental to its success. This acquisition policy has played a key role in the swift development of hardware components used in the Internet field. As all the acquired companies had their own infrastructure and clientele base, it helped Cisco in development and expansion. Although it maintained its leadership role in the market, yet this did not deter it from entering into partnerships with other manufacturing and software designing companies. Morgridge's philosophy proved very successful. The strategy of integration with competitors and other associated companies have made Cisco a world leader in the field of Internet and IT. 2. Hi Writer, I think this framework will help you better. Forget about the write up. Please help to identify all the factors and analyze why it is important from the perspective of customer, employer and writer. I am very sorry, but when reading your paragraph, I am not clear even after reading a few times how to pluck the factors into the following table. This is exactly what the question is asking for. Thanks. 3) Many factors favor the purchase of INS. INS is a leading network consulting company with about 2000 employees. Most of them are senior professionals in their field of expertise. It is a rapidly growing company with very good market share.

Specific Language Impairment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Specific Language Impairment - Essay Example ely affects educational performance. The content of language refers to what individuals talk about or understand. The form of language refers to the shape and sound of the units of language and their combinations such as word endings, the words, or sentence structure. The use of language refers to the reasons why individuals speak and the ways they construct conversations depending upon what they know about the listener and the context. The child with language impairment may have difficulty in any or all of these areas furthermore it is fundamental to education because it is the major form of representation and articulation of knowledge and the principal medium of instruction. Language impairment can be further broken down into receptive and expressive language impairments. It may be helpful to determine that the impairment is receptive or an expressive or both, prior to examining form, content, and its specific affect on mathematical development. A child whose major problem is with receptive lang... behaviours as compared to children with expressive language difficulties, Also they are more likely to experience social and behavioural problems and to be the target for bullying. Their measures of cognitive and language performance tend to be consistent over time, but ratings or measures of behavioural difficulties are more variable they show higher level of behavioural, emotional, and social adjustment difficulties. A child with expressive language impairment has difficulty with the production of language that adequately represents the child intended message and may include problems with word retrieval, word use, sentence formulation, and/or conversational skills. The following characteristics may indicate difficulties in producing language. The child speaks in words, phrases, incomplete or inaccurate sentences, relies upon gesture to supplement or substitute for oral language, uses pronouns, plurals, and possessives incorrectly, has difficulty with the agreement of subjects and verbs, , has difficulty telling a story or describing an event or procedure in a logical sequence, uses run-on sentences, has limited expressive vocabulary, has difficulty finding the appropriate word (s) to express meaning, overuses filler words such as "ah" or "um". Language being the mode of communication is very important in comprehension, organization and for the articulation knowledge, As far as it affect on mathematical development is concerned the further areas such as oral language impairment, the use of language in instruction and assessment, the phonological process impairment, the role of working memory in knowledge of numbers, Basic Calculation, Knowledge of Combinations, and Story Problems and the counting process, principles will highlight the important details that

Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Obesity - Research Paper Example Obesity is considered as a major problem in the United States for many decades. The rate of obesity prevalence has multiplied in the last few decades of the last century. However, in the past few years the percentage growth of fat people in the US has declined to some extent. Since obesity can give rise to several serious health problems and even can cause death, therefore it is very important that every year the obesity rate of Americans be monitored. Every year the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) studies the health conditions and nutritional levels of American people including both adults and children. To make proper assessment this program includes both interviews and physical diagnosis (CDC, 2014). According to NHANES conducted for the year 2009-2010 several facts came to light – 1) In 2009-2010, there were more than 33 percent of adults and almost 17 percent of the youth who were considered to be obese, 2) the prevalence rate of obesity remained constant with the previous year 2008-2009 in case of both adults and children, 3) the prevalence of obesity between men and women was not different in 2009-2010, 4) the older people are more inclined towards obesity than the young adults (Ogden et al., 2012, p.1). Table 1 shows the prevalence of obesity among adult men and women from 20 years to over 60 in the year 2009-2010. Table 2 shows the prevalence of obesity among boys and girls in the age range of 2-19 in the same year. Among adult Americans, in the year 2009-2010 there were 41 million women and 37 million men who were obese. However, among adolescents between 2 to 19 years, more boys (approximately 7 million) than girls (more than 5 million) were obese. Moreover, the study showed that in between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010, the prevalence of obesity had increased among men but there was no major change among women. In the year 1999-2000, 27.5 percent of men were obese and this figure increased to 35.5 in the year

International Trade and Finance Speech or Presentation

International Trade and Finance - Speech or Presentation Example A trade deficit (excess import over exports) has a direct and stern upshot on the value of the U.S. dollar. A massive trade deficit means that the U.S. is spending more funds overseas than in its own homeland (Colander, 2010). The country’s manufacturing profit is lower than its consumption profit. Trade deficit, combined with the government’s large budget deficit, speeds up the decline of the dollar’s value. The trade deficit, talking in relation to buying power of the dollar, is the third rail of the market (Colander, 2010). The United States formerly used to manufacture goods and sell them, not just here at home, but all through the globe. The country led the way, but not any longer. The shift away from control, in the manufacture of things individuals need, has allowed other nations such as, India and China to pass the country (Colander, 2010). Now the United States has become a buyer rather than a seller (Colander, 2010). Take a product like oil for instance . America imports a lot of oil from the Arab nations. The importers, due to this, take advantage of the United States, and decide to raise oil prices whenever they want. This affects businesses and other normal consumers severely (Colander, 2010). Question 2 In order to comprehend international trade, it is essential to identify what the effects of foreign trade have on the domestic markets, GDP and university students. Foreign trade is fundamentally when nations exchange products (Colander, 2010). If a nation’s net exports are positive, then the nation’s GDP goes up, but if they are negative, then GDP goes down (Colander, 2010). Every state wants their GDP to be greater rather than other nations. Therefore, every state wants their net exports to be positive. It is, however, not possible for every nation to have positive net exports since one or more nations have to import more than they send abroad if the others export more than they bring in. America is one of the ke y contributors to foreign trade (Colander, 2010). In reality, our GDP is tremendously impacted since we are enormous importers. We depend highly on products from other nations than what we sell abroad. This not only affects our GDP, but also has an upshot on our domestic markets since we are purchasing more from nations abroad. For a university scholar who is considering opening a business, as an instance, when they leave school the effects can be tremendous when they enter a market where there is a strong contender abroad. Question 3 The U.S. government makes numerous choices especially when it comes to money matters (Colander, 2010). The crucial question is how these choices, in line with quotas and tariffs, affect foreign trade and relations? First and foremost it is essential to recognize that quotas and tariffs are, in place, to support the government in making choices on how much amount they will agree to have exported and imported (Colander, 2010). Tariffs and quotas, in addi tion, help the U.S. government determine the sum of taxes, which will be collected so as to avoid discarding of those products. Foreign traders are encouraged to play their part in international trade through having exchange rates in place (Colander, 2010). There are also government regulations that help to avert certain products from entering our nation. In reality, the main aim of the U.S. government and the choices, which they make concerning quotas and tariffs, is to do what is paramount for our country to keep it lucrative and

Operation management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Operation management - Assignment Example The bank also offers business related services to business clients that maintain both business personal and savings accounts with the bank. Banking at the Harrods Bank has been dramatically changed in the recent years. This dramatic change in banking services at Harrods Bank Limited is associated with the introduction of the efficient and fast modern system. The management of the bank believes that the advancement of the modern system must never be at the cost of customer service. Personal relationships maintained by the bank with its customers are considered the cornerstone of the bank’s ability to provide quality service (Berger, 2011). Harrods Bank Limited has had many years of banking experience. One of the areas of primary focus to the bank has been the changing customers’ banking needs that must be accurately forecasted. There are five broad categories of stakeholders at any organisation (Buckle and Thompson, 2014). A stakeholder refers to any individual who has concrete interest in the organisation or is affected by the operations of the organisation. There are five key stakeholders at Harrods Bank. These are: Customers- Customers are the group of stakeholders that are majorly affected by the operations of the organisation (Iyer, 2008). At Harrods Bank, the customers include the account holders, business clients, the loaned and all kinds of people and clients that rely on the banks’ services. Suppliers-The individual prosperity of a supplier and how efficiently they supply the required commodities to the business organisation depends on the effectiveness of the client (Ghosh, 2012). Suppliers at Harrods Bank would range from the people or companies that supply stationary to the bank, to those that supply the electronic machines used in the bank. Shareholders-people invests in businesses to earn a return on their investments in the end (Greasley, 2008). The efficiency and

International Business - COACH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Business - COACH - Essay Example These include indirect and direct-to-consumer. In its global operations, these segments can be regarded as channels of distribution. Through direct-to-consumer segment facilitates Coach with instant access to consumers, thus providing it with an opportunity to understand the tastes and preferences of its wide consumer bases especially in regions such as mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, North America and Singapore among others. This segment facilitated Coach with around 89% of the entire net sales in the year 2012. With regard to any future expansion strategy in a new market segment as well, direct-to-consumer strategy can be fruitful for Coach. In terms of its indirect segment of operations, royalties obtained from licensing of products is a major component. Moreover, wholesale channel is a critical aspect which also includes sales through online websites. One of the major prospects for Coach can arrive from emerging markets as it has already started to sell its offerings through au thorized retailers and distributors in a number of new markets. Shop-in-shops option created by the company can also facilitate the growth of the company in its global business operations. The company’s e-commerce strategy is also a major beneficial aspect in its global operations. In nations such as Japan, Canada and the US, a large number of visitors prefer to use online mode to purchase the products of Coach. Coach rules the global market for its fashionable handbags as well as attractive accessories. Coach focuses on merchandising and designing through team work and through having a close collaboration its licensed business partners to ensure quality offerings. Coach uses new technologies such as social networking sites like Facebook as well as Twitter to create awareness and to enhance its customer base. Coach also ensures its compliance with its Global Business Integrity Program which can enable it to maintain its legal and ethical responsibilities thus facilitating wit h significant opportunities in its business operations globally (EDGAR Online, Inc, 2013). B. Analyzing International Competitors Majority of organizations are changing their operating functions to global scale. This is likely to create a fiercely competitive global fashion retail industry. The competition against the operating firms in the global market can be analyzed by the intensity of the competition and by determining the growing competition between the fashion brands globally. Coach has significant number of major competitors in the luxury fashion products industry. Coach competes in global market with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermes. The competition in the fashion industry is densely intense, for having very less market-entry barriers. One of the world’s reputed fashionable luxury manufacturing product companies is Louis Vuitton. As of the year 2008, Louis Vuitton had a brand value of about â‚ ¬16.718 billion. One of the most competitive advantages of Hermes International S.A. is that it provides its consumer hand-made products, which ensures their uniqueness as well as quality. Gucci, an Italian luxury product designer brand, is a leading name in the global market, consequently having revenue of around â‚ ¬4.2 billion as of 2008 (Dickinson State University, 2011). Thus, it can be ascertained

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Psychology - Essay Example In that context the recent usage of scare tactics by some sections of the corporate world, media and politicians is an apt example of the usage of psychology knowledge and knowhow to influence public opinion and approach. The Health Debate It is a known fact that the healthcare is an issue of debate in the current American politics. The Obama administration wants to reform the healthcare system. However, there do exist people in the American political and corporate life who do not want these reforms to succeed. These people want the American people to oppose the healthcare reforms. These people are using the psychological weapon of scare tactics to make the people afraid of reforms and thereby oppose them (NPR, 2009). They are spreading the word that the reforms will make the healthcare system like the way it was during the Great Depression, when only the rich afforded medical care (NPR, 2009). In fact the opponents of health reforms are going as far as to claim that the system that these reforms will create will be somewhat like the health system existing in the communist countries. Some of them have gone as far as to say that the proposed reforms intend to convert the American democracy into a communist system. Thereby, by associating healthcare reforms with something bad that happened in the past or something that people hate and are scared of, these people are trying to scare the masses about the present reforms. This may cause some people to oppose the reforms (NPR, 2009). To put it simply, the opponents of healthcare reforms are using scare tactics. Psychological Importance The psychological importance of the media event under consideration is that it clearly shows the exploitation of psychological tactics by a section of the American politics, corporate life and media to scare people regarding the proposed health reforms and to make them go against the proposed reforms. The psychological weapon used by these opponents of the health reforms to subvert pub lic opinion is popularly known as the scare tactics. Scare Tactics Scare tactics is a psychological weapon that has been used by people since ages. It is based on the simple fact that fear is the most common human emotion. The human brain tends to remember the things or incidents that cause fear. In future when a person comes across a thing or incident that reminds him of the past incident that caused fear, the person responds to this stimulus by getting scared (Goleman, 1996). Suppose a person at some time in one’s life came across a poisonous snake and got scared. Then at some other time in the future the same person came across a rope lying in the dark. That person’s brain may associate that rope with the snake and may cause him to get scared, irrespective of the fact that the rope is not the snake. The use of this psychological phenomenon to achieve results in politics and social life is commonly known as scare tactics. Scientific Explanation of Scare Tactics The p art of the brain that stores the facts pertaining to past incidents and objects is the hippocampus. In contrast the part of the brain that stores the emotions associated with the past incidents and objects is called amygdale. For example if a person comes across a car accident, it is the hippocampus that stores the facts associated with the accident like the stretch of road on which the accident

The Jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights Case Study

The Jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights - Case Study Example Article 10 was alleged by the applicants as a ground for their action, as a matter of course, in view of the fact that the target of the attack was a media entity. Article 10 lays down the dictum that every person is entitled to the freedom to express or to speak out his mind albeit the same may be restrained according to the limitations which statutes of the Contracting States prescribe. Lastly, Article 13 of the Convention mandates that those whose rights and liberties are violated or encroached upon under the provisions of the Convention must be afforded an effective remedy or relief even if the perpetrators have acted in an official capacity. (European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. COUNCIL OF EUROPE. European Treaties. Press for Change [internet]). The focal issue in this discussion is the statement of the Court which declares that it is the obligation of the Court to consider the special character of the Convention pertaining to its role in the maintenance of European public order for the purpose of protecting persons or individuals. It also points out that the Convention has been covenanted to ensure that the engagements undertaken by the High Contracting Parties, meaning the treaty signatories, are observed. The latter principle is evident in the setting up of the European Commission of Human Rights and of the Court, both specified in Article 19 of the Convention. Since the principal matter which was resolved by the Court refers to the admissibility of the application, the arguments and debate presented in this treatise will center on that question. Some comments and opinions from literary sources will be considered for inclusion here. The Convention It is necessary to have knowledge of the history of the Convention in assessing the case... With all the foregoing backdrops, this essay will proceed to the questions of who are the people covered by the Convention and what cases does it cover. It will finally likewise be queried as to when the Convention applies. In short, there is a need to know what circumstances are embraced under the operation of the Convention. In the legal sense, the inquiry has to be directed into the jurisdiction of the Court which the Convention had created. Stated in another way, it has to be determined when, where and over whom does the Court exercise its judicial powers under the Convention in conjunction with the rules and principles of international law. Article 1 of the Convention is very specific. It provides that the signatories to the treaty are under obligation to secure to all the people within their jurisdiction the rights and freedoms enumerated in Section 1 of the Convention. Were the applicants covered as persons within the jurisdiction of the High Contracting Parties when the bombardment of the radio-television network was carried out? The answer is definitely in the negative. They were not. During the time of the bombing of the Radio-Television Serbia headquarters, Bank ović and his co-applicants and their deceased relatives, Serbia was not a member of the Convention and, therefore, they were not within the reach of the jurisdiction of the Court. The bombing party, NATO, was also found by the Court as not having Serbia within its (NATO’s) effective control or that of its members.

Scope of Practice for Regisers Nurses Essay Example for Free

Scope of Practice for Regisers Nurses Essay The Regulation states that registrants of CRNBC may practise nursing. Nursing is defined as the health profession in which a person provides the following services: †¢ Health care for promoting, maintaining and restoring health †¢ Prevention, treatment and palliation of illness and injury, primarily by assessing health status, planning and implementing interventions, and coordinating health services This definition does not refer to evaluation, but neither does it exclude it. Evaluation is, of course, an important part of nursing practice. The Regulation does not refer to education, administration and research in the scope of practice statement for nurses or any other health professionals in B. C. However, CRNBC’s Professional Standards make it clear that clinical practice, education, administration and research are all considered part of the practice of registered nursing. College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia 5 Scope of Practice

Part I Professional Development Plan Nursing Essay

Part I Professional Development Plan Nursing Essay Introduction Nursing is a profession of caring. As a nurse respect for human dignity is one of the core values I strive to maintain throughout my career. Advocacy is the consequence of that respect and requires that as a nurse, I am accorded the ability to understand healthcare from the patients perspective and range of socio-cultural factors that influence their decisions. I have acquired the knowledge to assess how each individual interacts with and relate to others, families, and communities within a constantly changing society. As a nurse and agent for change, it is my responsibility to analyze how their environment can positively or negatively affect health and research means that will promote the modification of stressors and develop alternative resources that can be made available to the individual. As a nurse on the forefront of my career, I hope to continue to evolve and assist our future nurses to be adaptable to those changes. Part 1: Personal and professional goals My name is Melinda Kelly, and I would like to share with you information about myself and my career goals. I currently reside in El Paso, Texas which borders New Mexico and the country of Mexico. I also reside in Scotland seasonally from June through August of each year. I came to the Southwest from Natchez which is a small town in Mississippi, because the opportunities available in my chosen profession of nursing were limited. My mother who was the charge nurse at a local convalescent home gave me my first nursing opportunity in the eleventh grade when she hired me on as a Nurses Aide in training. My mother is my role model. Every day of her working career, she displayed love, compassion and empathy towards her patients. The nurses under her tutelage were a source of information and never made others feel as if they were an inconvenience. My professional goal is to obtain my Doctoral degree in Health Services self-designed program which will allow me the opportunity to choose courses that are education based. I chose this specialization because I have a commitment to learning, both personally and professionally. I know that returning to school and pursuing my degree will open up other opportunities in a world in which knowledge and class interaction will inspire me to advance my career even further. Now as an online student at Waldens University, I hope to develop the skills and the foundation for the facilitation of learning through research, evaluation, advisement, and mentoring (NLN, 2008). Part II: Educational Background and Research According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2005), the shortage of faculty in schools of nursing with baccalaureate and graduate programs is a continuing and expanding problem. The deficit of faculty has reached critical proportions as the current faculty workforce rapidly advances toward retirement and the pool of younger replacement faculty decreases. It is because of this shortage I feel that all nurses should have the opportunity to give back to the field of nursing through education. After I left Mississippi, I continued my career as a Nurses Aide and worked as one for 5 years, during which time I found a rekindling of the love I had for caring for others and decided to continue my career by enrolling in nursing school in the Bachelors of Science of Nursing (BSN) program. In 1986, I challenged the Licensed Vocational Nurses licensure while in my second year of the (BSN) program and to my surprise passed the boards. I then worked as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for 5 years in Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Geriatrics while returning to school part-time. I attempted to return to the Bachelors of Science of Nursing program full-time, but was put on a waiting list and not wanting to wait any longer, I chose to complete the Associate Degree of Nursing program at New Mexico State University in 1991. Working as an Associate Degree Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric ICU and Newborn Nursery was fulfilling but the long hours became impossible after my divorce. I needed an occupation that would allow me the freedom of being available for my children and earn a living. I left the hospital for Home Health Nursing. In Home Health, I discovered the independence in nursing that few hospital nurses can experience without an advanced degree. But I found that I still felt inadequate when it came to discussing and applying research to the work environment and also felt limited in my conversations with other (BSN) nurses. It was working as a school nurse and being around educators which instilled in me the desire to follow a specialization in education. I felt it was imperative that I further my education and gain the knowledge that I felt lacking for all those years. This led me to Grand Canyon University where I could attend class online and continue to work full-time and obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I completed my degree August 27, 2008. While attending Grand Canyon University I completed the Capstone Project: Effects of Nursing Shortage on Patient Care. The devotion to this project and the information I obtained encouraged as well as motivated me to go all the rest of the way in my education. Attending Walden University was the next step in my learning. I entered Waldens Masters program in nursing education and graduated June 2011. Entering collegiate education as a faculty member, I found I would have to return to school in order to obtain my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development. I will also have the opportunity to perfect the APA style of writing as well as learn more in the field of research and its various applications in nursing. I am encouraged when I read how Wal dens faculty is contributing to professional nursing journals and hope to one day to be in their league. I am also encouraged that Walden, as a reputable institution, will provide me with the knowledge and skills I will need in order to be successful in my future endeavors. I viewed other colleges information on their Doctoral courses and their descriptions that was provided and I was impressed that Waldens University did not treat their students as a financial entity but had a vested interest in their success. I also liked that the Doctoral program provided a course that would assist the student in beginning their program of study (Foundations of Graduate Study in Health Services (HLTH 8001 3). Waldens mission, vision statements and visions of social change states Walden University supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society (Walden, 2008). By contributing to the nurse educator faculty shortage, I hope to better society by assisting with educating the nurses of tomorrow. Part III: Plan of study and program of study form Now that I have returned to school, I am reading more research papers and reviewing the APA writing style. I plan to devote more time to reading, reviewing and applying the information I learn into my daily routine. The subsequent pages include my Program of Study Form for Health Services Degree Program plans for the Doctoral program. My completion date is targeted for March of 2014. I am dedicated to becoming a professional researcher and educator through Waldens University. Upon collegiate education, I found I would have to return to school for my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development.

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece

What Does Education Mean to You? Reflective Piece Education, in my opinion, is something that has an enormous scope. It does not only covers academics, but also every aspect of a persons character and mentality. For instance, a man, with moral integrity, even without education academically wise, may be someone yearned for in the society but a man, equipped with just academic excellence may become a pest in the society. Those who think of education narrowly would presume that all of it is just about studying and achieving good academic results. Education is wide and to me, it is the thing that makes me alive. Since young, my parents mould my character and attitude. In school, teachers educate me academically and aid me in my character development. Stepping into the outside world, my experiences educate me every moment. In my point of view, Singapores education is generally fine However, in early stages of academic education, it seems to focus way too much on books and examinations. This sets the mentality of academic education slightly haywire in the young minds. They may think that cooping themselves up in a room studying is the only way to be first in academics. To me, education is way much more than simply just sitting in a classroom and reading textbooks. It is about experiencing the world, discovering and learning through different ways. Education in academics should not be based on conformity. For instance, learning mathematics is one which does not stimulate creativity in students mind. The steps needed to solve a question are actually similar throughout every other questions of its same topic. This may result in students having apathy towards such subjects as it is nearly all repetitive. Prior to this, I think that a new subject could be introduced into secondary school curriculum to help students develop much better academically and that is critical and creative thinking skills. This subject would get students to think unconventionally and look at questions from different perspective, allowing them to reach a new level of innovativeness, problem-solving and mind philosophy. A university degree will give people a competitive edge in the workforce and it is only achievable by education. However, in this fast-changing world of ours, even with a degree, one may still be losing out to others. This is because these degree-holders may be held onto their conventional way of thinking while others, even those with lower academic qualifications, have proceed far ahead with their creativity. Increasingly, employers want employees who are creative problem-solvers. Problems creep up in the workplace everyday, particularly regarding customer service. Employees need to be able to think on their feet and must be willing to try fresh approaches to solving problems. Cited from a website, this is something that I absolutely agree with. This aspect of employee is extreme important to an employer as it will prevent their business from stagnating. Hence, the demand for creative talents has escalated immensely. Despite that, it is important to have good attitude and moral integrity in order to be wanted by employers. This is something that academic education by a teacher is unable to achieve. In educating one in his attitude and character, the teacher is himself. Often, it is extremely difficult for someone else to drill in these characteristics into him though they still do play a small part in aiding his character development. In this day, our academic education system has become an instrument for one to earn a livelihood and climb the corporate ladder. The objective has shifted drastically from all-rounded education to making the student more viable in the job market at the shortest time possible. It is more emphasized on mere textbook knowledge rather than overall development of student. Thus, creativity, veracity and social values have been lost in this transformation. In conclusion, complete education is something that helps one in utilizing ones senses confidently and innovatively. Good education would be one that aids the learner in differentiating right from wrong, making the accurate choice and transcending the boundary of conformity. Self-discipline is a trait that only complete education can impart and it is of upmost importance to anyone who wants to become someone great one day.

Elizabeth Bishops Poem Filling Station Essays -- Elizabeth Bishop Fil

Elizabeth Bishop's Poem "Filling Station" In poetry many elements are used to bring life to a literary work. Some of these include style, structure, imagery, diction, and allusion. In Elizabeth Bishop's poem, Filling Station, the author uses them skillfully to create meaning in a story that otherwise would be banal. Her usage of expressive details supports the writing which helps the reader to imagine what the author is describing. Her style also appeals to the readers emotions and imagination to draw them into her harsh reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the elements that she uses to engage the reader is through the use of diction. In the first verse, the author opens by describing the setting as dirty. She further supports this in lines 3 - 5 by stating that the station is "oil-soaked", "oil-permeated", "over-all black translucency". These compound phrases gives the reader a clear image of the unpleasant environment that the author is portraying to the reader. In the second verse, the author introduces the father, a character who embodies his surrounding environment. Dressed in what the author describes as "a dirty, oil-soaked monkey suit" which does not even fit the character's stature, the reader can infer that the family is living under poor conditions. This is further confirmed when the author describes the son's appearance as "greasy" and "throughly dirty".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the next verse, the author moves away from the disgusting scene of the gas station and uses vivid imagery...

Jim Crow Laws Essay -- civil war, supremacy, black people

â€Å"Jim Crow Laws were statutes and ordinances established between 1874 and 1975 to separate the white and black races in the American South. In theory, it was to create "separate but equal" treatment, but in practice Jim Crow Laws condemned black citizens to inferior treatment and facilities.† The Jim Crows Laws created tensions and disrespect towards blacks from whites. These laws separated blacks and whites from each other and shows how race determines how an individual is treated. The Jim Crow laws are laws that are targeted towards black people. These laws determine how an individual is treated by limiting their education, having specific places where blacks and whites could or could not go, and the punishments for the â€Å"crime† committed. What are the Jim Crow Laws? They are a series of rules and precautions that are directed towards blacks and do not always mean that black people agree with the Jim Crow Laws. First passed in the North, long before the Civil War, such laws were based on the theory of white supremacy. In the depression-racked 1890s, racism appealed to whites who feared losing their jobs to blacks. (A Brief History of the Jim Crow Laws). The Supreme Court decided that public facilities would be separated by black and white soon to be called â€Å"separate but equal†, 1896. Then two years later the court would determine that black men could not vote, the Southern states began to limit the voting right to those who owned property or could read well, to those whose grandfathers had been able to vote, to those with â€Å"good characters,† to those who paid poll taxes. Guess what, this meant that only one percent could pass these new laws. These laws touched everyone. Blacks and whites co uld not work in the same ro... ...ks Cited â€Å"A Brief History of Jim Crow† 30 April 2014 http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow â€Å"Jim Crow Laws† 1 May. 2014 http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/jim-crow-laws.cfm â€Å"Jim Crow Laws.† 23 April. 2014. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1559.html â€Å"Jim Crow Laws-Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.† 22 April. 2014. http://www.nps.gov/malu/forteachers/jim_crow_laws.htm â€Å"National Council of Negro Women.† 28. April 2014 http://www.ncnw.org/about/bethune.htm â€Å"Separate is Not Equal.† 24 April. 2014. http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/jim-crow.html â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.† 22 April. 2014 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow â€Å"What was Jim Crow† 1 May. 2014 http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

Kinship System in Foraging and Horticultural

I have chosen to write about the San Tribe because their ways are very intriguing to me. The San or also known as the â€Å"Bushman†, are located in the Kalahari Desert. These tribes have lived in this area for around four thousand years. They have a diet of primarily nuts, fruits, melons, and berries. Since their women gather about eighty per-cent of the food for their unit there is more of these fruits and other things than there is meat. Their men gather meat about once or twice a week and accountable for about twenty per-cent of the food which is meat of some kind. San is a group of people who know how to enjoy their lives since only gathering food two or three times a week they spend the rest of their time on leisure activities. These activities could include any of the following, visiting one another or just sleeping. (Lee, 1979) When you do not have to get more and more you can enjoy what you have and not have to over work yourself and it would have to b4e more comfortable for your body with less strain and worry. The San is a Ban society and their livelihood comes from foraging, which is hunting and gathering what they require to survive. These Nomadic tribes of kin people travel over the land year after year to prime locations for known where they gather food and water and not only do they survive they are a thriving community. They travel in small independent communities that break apart and then rejoin other members at different times. They tend to live in the most marginal environment in the world. Their community is a reciprocal unit in the fact that they have an exchange economical system. Among the kinship group, there is a form of giving of services and goods in a mutual agreed upon atmosphere. This is not only among the family unit but also by the completely camp residents and visitors alike share in the quantity of food available equally. The collectors distribute the food in either a raw or a prepared portion and then distributed around to each. You can find a constant flow of nut, berries roots as well as melons around the fireplaces of each resident all given to meet the standard of equality (1969a’p. 58). This foraging system is an immediate return system; they must consume to stop spoilage. Woodburn, 1988) It is also a way to prevent a large amount of produce from remaining in the event of there moving about, as they tend to move constantly. This foraging system works because even as they give without expectation of exchange or immediate return there is an unwritten rules that all has even in the event there is no kill by some of the parties on a certain day. There are some times when hunters can go weeks without a kill and they must rely on the hunters that h ave luck in those times. Even though San men are widely skilled at hunting there can be different level of success but this does not have a status level on it for anyone as far as being accepted. There is a great deal of modesty in the village as the hunters return to camp upon a successful hunt. The hunter coming into camp does not give off an atmosphere of bragging; in fact, it is to the contraire. There are unspoken rules followed by the hunter as well as the others. This keeps one from feeling inferior or superior to another bringing forth feelings of jealousy. This also brings a reinforcement of social ties and helps to be closer knitting together of family units. You could also feel safer in the event a family member is hurt or was to become ill and could not provide their part of the food for a while.. Well I am afraid in comparison to our society there is not a great deal to say is the same as foraging. We here are more likely to let those that will not work go hungry. Of course, we have the welfare system and food pantries that do make it easier for those who do not have to get food. However, we do not work on the general idea of every one being equal those that work harder have more. The more you apply your self the more you have. We also do have leaders that can make us do things whether we want to or not. The seat belt law is an example of this. As far as kinship in our family my children and grandchildren would be considered one that I personally would share anything I have with but not all in our family feels this way. We are in a dog eat dog society and I fear it has rubbed off on most everyone. I believe if you do not work for it, you do not get it and I have tried to teach my family these same rules to live by. However, we do tend to do for our own kin folk first in taking care of them. We look out for our immediate family in providing for them and making sure, they have what they need. I remember as a child we lived in the city and my mothers family (brothers, sisters and some of their children would come and stay with us and we would help them get a job and get started. Dad owned an apartment house so they could stay in one of our apartments and we would feed them until they could do for themselves. Rules followed now are less kinship in our society in this present time.

Raslila Essay

Raslila has a basic script which has to be followed, but it has enough scope for improvisation as well. Though the emphasis of Raslila is on ‘darshan’ or the visual appeal, it is important to capture the ‘bhava’ or the sentiment. This is done through music, dance and drama enacted by the actors. The various ‘raasas’ or dramatic flavors like friendship, conjugal love, parental love, amazement, compassion, humour, chivalry, fury, fear and dread are expressed through this traditional folk form. The range of the villagers who perform raslila is quite vast. They perform legends that portray different stages of Krishna’s youth. In some areas of Uttar Pradesh raslila is performed only by Brahmin boys in the age group of 13 to 14 years. Even now, many roles of sakhis or mother of Radha and Krishna are performed by men disguised as women. Raslila is also performed by mobile troupes moving from village to village. A traditional raslila usually lasts for three and a half hours. The dance form was originated during the amorous encounters of milkmaids with Lord Krishna. Legend goes that when all the milkmaids started demanding Krishna to be their dance partner, Krishna cast a spell so that each of those milkmaid thought Krishna wasdancing with them. This marked the birth of Raslila. Raslila is generally performed by mobile troupes that roam around village to village. This dance is performed primarily on Rasia, a song form that is entirely based on the theme of Krishna-Radha love. Raslila is a folk tradition that has incorporated elements of Indian classical music, drama and dance. This presentation goes beyond professionalism. Though the dramas have basic scripts there is ample room for improvisation and extemporization, only to return to its formal delineation after the inspiration of the creative force is consumed. The emphasis is on ‘seeing through sound’ (darshan). The visual sense is to enhance, but the ultimate ingredient is the ‘bhava’, a particular mood or sentiment conveyed by the music and songs, which along with the action of the drama enable the actors and the audience to personally taste the different dramatic flavors, such as friendship, servitor ship, parental love, conjugal love, amazement, humor, chivalry, compassion, fury, fear and dread.

Conflict in Romeo and Juliet Essay

The play that I have studied is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Act three, scene one, the climax of this play, is a scene where much conflict occurs. This scene opens with two of Romeo’s friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, talking. Tension and suspense is established when Benvolio says, ‘The day is hot, the Capulets abroad, And, if we meet, we shall not ‘scape a brawl’ The ‘fiery Tybalt’ enters looking for Romeo. He felt that Romeo had insulted him by going to the Capulet masked ball and he wanted to exact his revenge. Mercutio deliberately insults him and draws his sword. Just as Benvolio tries to calm them down, Romeo enters. Tybalt tries to incite Romeo into fighting by insulting him: ‘Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford/ No better term than this, – thou art a villain. ‘ Romeo resists Tybalt’s challenge because he is now related by marriage to him. Mercutio is embarrassed by Romeo’s inaction and he challenges Tybalt. As Romeo tries to stop the fight Mercutio is mortally wounded by Tybalt. As Mercutio dies he says, ‘A plague o’ both your houses! / They have made worms’ meet of me. ‘ Romeo realises he is partially responsible for his friend’s death and his anger leads him to kill Tybalt. He then realises he is ‘fortune’s fool’ and flees the place. The Prince of Verona arrives and decides to exile Romeo from the city. What are the underlying causes of conflict in this scene? The main cause of the conflict in this scene arises ‘From ancient grudge’ between two major families in Verona – the Capulets and the Montagues. The feud is so strong that the play opens with their servants fighting. Indeed, the rift is so strong that the Prince of Verona is prompted to announce, ‘If ever you disturb our streets again/ Your lives will pay the forfeit of the peace. ‘ Another cause of the conflict is the mercurial nature of Tybalt. He saw Romeo’s appearance at the Capulet masked ball as an insult and was determined to challenge Romeo. Mercutio also contributed to the conflict. He was very quick to engage in a quarrel with Tybalt and condemned Romeo for avoiding conflict, ‘O calm, dishonourable, vile submission! ‘ Finally Romeo has much internal conflict in this scene. He is being challenged and insulted by Tybalt but feels he cannot retaliate because he is now secretly married to Juliet, Tybalt’s cousin. It is clear there is much conflict in this scene and many reasons for it – this conflict adds greatly to our enjoyment of the play.

Nursing Excellence

The definition of nursing excellence can be defined in many ways. What is common amongst all of the definitions of nursing excellence is that providing the patient with high quality compassionate care seems to be the common thread. Florence Nightingale (considered by many to be the first nursing theorist) initiated the elevation of the nursing profession by educating those in charge of caring for patients and teaching them to use the environment to assist in patient recovery. From that point on, the definition of nursing excellence has been constantly evolving.Virginia Henderson, much like Nightingale, a pioneer in the nursing profession, went on to include caring for the healthy individual as an degree of nursing excellence. There are 7 qualities that have been identified as being the qualities required to excel in nursing. Those qualities are: Compassion, Ownership, Partnership, Dignity, Integrity, Knowledge, and Communication (Tomes. C, n. d. ). Nurses who exemplify all of these q ualities have proven to be leaders in their area of practice, displaying qualities that other nurses can look up to and seek professional counsel from.Nursing excellence results in competent, cost effective high quality care. The push for excellence in the nursing profession is exemplified in The National League for Nursing model for education. This model of education prepares nurses to achieve excellence by teaching nurses to â€Å"fulfill various roles- providing high quality care to individuals, families, and communities; teaching effectively; influencing public policy; and conducting research† (The National League for Nursing, 2006).This model represents the fact that the NLN believes that excellence in nursing starts before one graduate from nursing school, and before your very first patient encounter. I agree with the NLN’s approach to stress excellence in the educational arena of nursing. There has been an increased interest in nursing as a second career, possib ly after a lay-off of closing of a person’s job. The enrollment in BSN programs has increased by 3. 5 percent from 2008 to 2009 (AACN, 2009). The ability to pass nursing classes doesn’t mean that someone can become an excellent nurse; excellence must be taught and demonstrated.

New Media Convergence and Audience Fragmentation and Programme Content in International Broadcasting

New Media Convergence and Audience Fragmentation and Programme Content in International Broadcasting The new media technologies have been referred to as the communication revolution due to the immense changes they have brought to mass communication and social lifestyles in past decade or so. The expression ‘new media’ has been in use since the 1960s and has had to encompass an expanding and diversifying set of applied communication technologies such the it is somehow impracticable to tell just what the ‘new media’ comprise. As far as the essential features of new media are concerned, however, the main ones seem to be: their interconnectedness; their accessibility to individual users as senders or receivers; their interactivity; their multiplicity of use and open-ended character; and their ubiquity and almost limitless extended located-ness. The new media could be said to have brought a communications revolution because it seems to have brought a revolt against mass communication and all that it used to stand for. The two main driving force of this communications revolution are satellite communication and computer technologies. The key to the immense power of the computer as a communication device lies in the process of digitalization that allows information of all kinds in all formats to be carried with the same efficiency and also in a multiplex. New means of transmission by cable, satellite and radio have immensely increased the capacity to transmit. New means of storage and retrieval including the personal video recorder, the mobile phone, CD-ROM, compact disc, DVD, etc, have also expanded the range of possibilities, and even the remote control device has played a part. The many possibilities of ‘media-making’ (camcorders, PCs, printers, cameras, etc, especially in digital form) have changed immensely the practice of journalism whether print or broadcast, such that the amateur or the professional are being bridged. There are also new kinds of ‘quasi-media’ such as computer games and virtual reality devices which seem to be overlapping with the mass media in their culture and in the satisfaction of use. The communications revolution has being of benefit to traditional media and the audience due mainly to the interactivity that has become possible. What is the nature of convergence? Convergence is the coming together of different technologies, the fusion of two or more technologies to form something new and different, something that has attributes of each but is altogether unique. The new technologies and products that result from convergence are greater than the sum of the original parts, and the two most powerful and pervasive technologies – information and media are converging. The result of convergence has been called ‘techno-fusion’. What are the differences between the old and the new? Today the differences between the old and new are difficult to distinguish partly because some media forms are now distributed across different types of transmission channels, reducing the original uniqueness of form and experience in use. Also, the increasing convergence of technology, based on digitalization, can only reinforce this tendency. Thirdly, globalization has reduced the distinctiveness of domestic content and institutions and as such content and practices are becoming global or universal though some are domesticated variants of the global. Nevertheless, there are some clear differences in terms of physical and psychosocial characteristics, in terms of perceived trust and credibility for example. Differences are obvious concerning freedom and control where the new seems to be freer and less controlled especially by government. Secondly, differences are clear concerning what each is good for and the perceived uses by individual audience members. What is New Media? New media rely on digital technologies, allowing for previously separate media to converge. Media convergence is defined as a phenomenon of new media and this can be explained as digital media. The idea of new media captures both the development of unique forms of digital media, and the remaking of more traditional media forms to adopt and adapt to the new media technologies. Convergence captures the development futures of old media and merges it with new media. Blogs, and Podcasts are all part of new media. MySpace and Facebook are part of social media (also known as viral marketing), which is a branch of new media. What is new about the new media? It is pertinent at this point to understand that a medium is not just an applied technology for transmission of certain symbolic content or of linkage among people but that it also embodies a set of social relations that interact with features of the new technology. There are some evidences that mass media have changed from the past two or three decades from the days of one-way, one-directional and undifferentiated flow to an undifferentiated mass audience due to certain features of new technology. What is new is basically due to the fact of digitalization and convergence. Digitalization is the process by which texts can be reduced to binary form and used in production, distribution and storage. Convergence is the digital linkage and symbiosis between media forms in terms of organization, distribution, reception and regulation. Mcquail (2006) has defined convergence as the process of coming together or becoming more alike of media technologies due to digitalization. The new media transcends the limit of traditional print and broadcast in the following ways: ? It enables many-to-many conversations ?It enables the simultaneous reception, alteration and redistribution of cultural products ? It dislocates communicative action beyond national boundaries bringing in the ‘death of the distance’ across the world More succinctly, what is new about the new media may be the combination of interactivity with innovative features such as, the unlimited range of content and content format, the scope of audience reach, and the global nature of communication. Other features include, that the new media are as much private and public communication and that their operation is not typically professional or bureaucratically organized to the same degree as the mass media. Another feature of the new media is that the boundaries between publisher, producer, distributor, consumer and reviewer of content are blurring, leading to a general meltdown of roles that may result in the emergence of separate, more specialized institutional complexes of media skills and activities. So, what is new? ?Digitalization ?Convergence Divergence from mass communication ?Adaptation of media roles ?Interactivity and fragmentation of audience ?Fragmentation of media organization and institution ?Reduced control Categories of new media While new media technological forms continue to multiply and diversify, there are as at now four main categories. ?Interpersonal communication media ?Interactive play media ?Information search media ?Collective participatory media Key ch aracteristics of new media The following are the key characteristics unique to the new media across the four categories. Interactivity ?Sociability ?Media richness ?Audience autonomy ?Entertainment ?User privacy ?User personalization Audience Fragmentation and Programme Content in International Broadcasting Countries and cultures have long been in communication across borders; however, in the 20th century, first radio, then television and the internet accelerated that process dramatically. National leaders are often unnerved when broadcasts or other information comes straight across borders without any chance to stop, control, or mediate it. In the 1930s and 1940s, around World War II and the cold war, radio seemed menacingly effective in propaganda across borders. Radio competitions and clashes, even some miniature cold wars of their own, erupted among a number of countries in the Asia, Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the West and USA. By contrast, broadcast television seemed comfortingly short range as it took preeminence from the late 1940s on. Satellite television was the next big technological development in international broadcasting. As early as the 1960s controversies started concerning the use of this type of transmission for fear of the propaganda and intrusion into national borders. The debate culminated in a schism between the developed and the developing regions of the world concerning cultural imperialism, media imperialism and the imbalance in news flow across the globe. The global spread of satellite and cable TV channels in the 1990s has seemed to increase the outflow of American and European television programming and films to other countries. The internet has become the latest major t technology to deliver radio, television, music downloads, video downloads, films, news stories, newspapers, and new forms of content, like weblogs, across national and cultural borders. The growth of the internet in the late 1990s and 2000s has also threatened the ability of national governments to control cross-border flow of information and entertainment. The internet continues to bring a great deal of content from the USA and the West into other parts of the world. However, it also much cheaper to produce either information or entertainment for the internet, so many governments, cultures, religion, and ideologies now produce for and distribute over the internet. Governments dominated activity in international radio, despite early developments and precedents from commercial international shortwave broadcasting prior to World War II. However, it seems private actors instead of governments now dominate global television news and entertainment. What are the implications for the audience of the shift from government international radio broadcasting to private international satellite television? What of the further shift on the internet to supplement or replace the dominance of major international radio and international commercial TV? What of the implications of the fact that most radio audiences today tend to be quite localized, given a choice, particularly with the spread of higher fidelity stereo FM broadcasts, which deliver the best available radio sound quality but seldom cover more than a limited urban area? What are the motivations for broadcasting internationally? Four major reasons have been adduced for both state-run and private organizations transmitting directly across borders: to enhance national or organizational prestige; to promote national or organizational interests; to attempt religious, ideological or political indoctrination; and to foster cultural ties. When governments are the primary actors as it is here, the goal is often summed up as public diplomacy. That is the deliberate effort by governments to affect foreign public opinion in a manner that is positive to their goals. Public diplomacy may be defined as the influencing in a positive way the perceptions of individuals and organizations across the world. Another perspective on this sees motivations in terms of: being an instrument of foreign policy, as a mirror of society, as symbolic presence, as a converter and sustainer, as a coercer and intimidator, as an educator, as an entertainer, and as a seller of goods and services. Evidence of the importance that governments attach to international broadcasting can be found in their total commitment to funding and support using diverse models as may be found in BBC, VOA, Radio Moscow, RFI, etc. Similarly, as the internet now permits a greater variety of players to broadcasting, many more have entered to pursue all or some of similar goals. Why audiences listen or view across borders? According to the categories of listening motivations listed by Boyd (1996) as cited by Straubhaar and Boyd (2003), audiences tune in to hear news and information, to be entertained, to learn, to hear religious or political broadcast, to enhance their status, to protest, or to pursue a hobby. Concerning the question of media effects on audience in international broadcasting, the available studies show that the effects of international radio broadcasting are relatively limited. Nevertheless, there are at least some historical cases in which international radio as part of public diplomacy had considerable impact. Radio Free Europe clearly had a role in fomenting the Hungarian uprising of 1956. The USA conducted ‘radio wars’ against Cuba and Nicaragua fomenting refugee flight if nothing else. The use of radio in international broadcasting is changing decisively; however, as most of the services are moving away from transmitting on shortwave radio and moving towards re-broadcasting or re-transmitting on leased local FM facilities and also supplementing these efforts by web casting. Today, international radio broadcasters tend to put their signals out as streaming audio feeds on the internet. International radio is also sometimes sought by those who do not trust the local or national media readily available to then. This and other factors may be affecting the international audience in the direction of fragmentation. Few international broadcasters today have anything resembling a mass audience, instead they have fragments of core listeners of viewers who are attracted by tradition or habit or interests in specific programming such as news, music, documentaries, sports and so on. Audience Fragmentation in International Broadcasting The rise of new media has brought the question of audience fragmentation and selective exposure to the front burner of concerns by the broadcast media. This is because audience fragmentation has emerged as the inevitable consequence of audience diversity based on diversity of participation and reception that have been enhanced immensely by the convergence of media technologies. Audience fragmentation may also be due to diversity of media content and the loyalty or otherwise of the audience to these various programmes. In the same way there are many broadcast channels and stations even at the external broadcasting level such that loyalties may have become fragmented over the multitude of international stations available to the audience. The array of broadcast options available to the audience may have thus created a remarkable degree of audience fragmentation. There has been created a new multi-platform world due to the convergence of new media. For example, the number of listeners or viewers who now use their PCs or mobile phones for monitoring the newscast instead of waiting for specific time periods of broadcast from their station of choice usually on traditional media may be increasing as more and more people adopt several new media options available to them. Such fragments of listeners or viewers may actually replace their traditional media channels with the ones they now have in multimedia. Some viewers now choose to watch news highlights on the web at their convenience rather than the scheduled news cast they used to frequent. Traditional broadcasters cannot afford to ignore cable and satellite operators as well as the web, mobile and other alternative distribution channels who may have contributed to the fragmentation of their traditional audience. Today media scholars and practitioners have continued to debate whether the mass audience really exists any more or whether mass audience has not become a myth. This issue or question persists because they challenge them to re-think presumed givens of the past while also providing a framework within which to examine the undeniable evidence of fragmentation of the broadcast audience today. As information and communication technologies increasingly become available and affordable to people and are more widely adopted news and current affairs media may have to strategize on ow to move away from being mass media to media targeting and specific niche programming and distribution. The external channel may have to do some audience research to find out what type of audience are disengaging form their traditional media and for what reasons. So also the world-view of such audience may have to be ascertained and embedded in programme content so as to attract the audience. Other forms of distrib ution that may compliment the traditional may have to be considered and appropriated. How to view and review the audience against the backdrop of fragmentation? Any evaluation of audience should start with a disturbing doubt about the continuing validity of the term. On the threshold of an era in which pressing a button summons any song, stock number or movie episode on display anywhere in the house and ‘grazing’ and ‘on demand’ viewing or listening replace the regular traditional listening or viewing habits. The notion of audience as a community or solidarity group, or as a form of involvement in a text which one has not summoned or invented oneself, a text that can surprise, becomes problematic. The danger to audiences posed by their disembodiment into individual dreams bubbles, or their disappearance into time-shift recorders who never find time to listen or view, is not as close as the technologies that allow it. The conditions underlying identity, sociality and community are slower to change than technologies. We know that the world cup or the English league or the Olympic Games find us attending as faithful audience members, be it within the community, the nation or even the globe. These examples however suggest that the term ‘audiences’ is too general. Fans may be more fitting in the case of football, and ‘public’ in the case of an al-Qaida attack. But, whether listening or viewing as we used to know it is seriously threatened, the acutely destabilizing transformations of communication technologies suggest that the concept of ‘audience’ should be studied in tandem with its counterpart: the dominant media and genre it faces. Those changing technologies also suggest that the way in which audiences are situated – is everyone listening or viewing at the same content, are they listening or viewing alone or together, are they talking or silent, is the transmission live or recorded – is inseparable from characteristics of the media they interact with, marked by their technological and institutional characteristics, and the ways in which they perceive their consumers. The larger picture suggests that the contemporary media environment holds two types of threats to audiences. One is the abundance of what is offered, chasing viewers or listeners to an endless choice of niche channels or stations and time-shift options which may operate as a boomerang pushing us to turn on good old broadcast radio or TV and find out what is on. The second threat is the internet. It has been contended that internet user are not really ‘audiences’ as it can not be seen as an electronic mass medium but rather as an umbrella, multi-purpose technology, loaded with a broad range of disparate communication functions, such as shortcutting mediators in the management of daily life. In reality the internet fosters audiences but goes beyond that to provide a myriad of services that may not be in the mode of mass communication especially as it does not fulfill the need of listening or viewing texts over which audiences have no direct control and /or texts that enable the suspending of unbelief. Assuming that in spite of the dramatic transformation in the media environment, audiences are still alive, so do the technologies that nurture them , what follows is a review of the changes undergone by mass media audiences and the ways in which these changes were defined. A very useful scheme to define audiences categorizes them into three: citizens, consumers and jugglers. The audience is categorized thus based on the historical progression of broadcasting through three eras, moving from ‘scarcity’ to ‘availability’ to ‘plenty’. Each phase carries an image of the audience. Scarce broadcasting addresses audiences as a unified mass of ‘citizens’ while available broadcasting addresses them as individual ‘consumers’. Today’s broadcasting of plenty seems to be addressing lonely ‘jugglers’ somewhat paralyzed by endless choice, offering listeners or viewers to either commute between isolated niches or listen or view broadcast as ‘impotent witnesses’. Ellis (2000) as cited by Straubhaar and Boyd (2003), implied that in the first era of scarcity of broadcast, radio and then TV address ‘citizens’ who in the period of availability turn into ‘consumers’ and in the phase of plenty become ‘jugglers’. The ‘citizen’ is a passive audience’ often comprising a lonely crowd subjected to broadcast directed at the mass audience as such broadcast reaches all groups uniformly, but this is soon changed to the ‘consumer’ who is an active audience who has choices and multiple interpretations and plurality of ways of getting involved and varying tastes that can be addressed. The age of plenty provides endless options for activity for the ‘juggler’ audience, but raises the issue of how such activities should be defined. Here, near endless choices weakens commitment and makes the audience to resort to juggling between competing programmes, stations or channels, or media. The monstrous dimensions of choice in this present phase may be leading in two directions. As indicated by Ellis, jugglers can choose between retreating to any obscure, esoteric, isolating niche of broadcasting or joining the citizens and /or consumers by turning to broadcast of traditional radio or TV. What is the implication of audience fragmentation for programme content? Following the identification of today’s audience as a ‘juggler’ audience due to fragmentation the main programme content strategy should border on how to retain the core listeners and viewers and provide niche programmes at the same time. This requires audience research on a more or less continuous basis. International broadcast channels may have to imitate the local FM channels that have mastered the art of creating programme formats that make them unique even where there is a proliferation. The BBC and VOA do a lot of audience research but hardly make them public but they have started utilizing re-distribution and re-transmission on local FM in some regions of world and also making their presence available on the internet and on satellite and cable. What are the prospects of new media? The new media have been widely hailed as a potential way of escape from the oppressive top-down politics of mass democracies in which tightly organized political parties make policy unilaterally and mobilize support behind them with minimal negotiation and grass-roots input. They provide the means for the provision of information and ideas, almost unlimited access for all voices and much feedback and negotiation between sender and receiver in the mass media. They promise new forums for the development of interest groups and formation of opinion, and allow social dialogue without the inevitable intervention of governmental institutions or state machineries. They promise true forms of freedom of expression that may be difficult to control by government. There is the prospect of a reduced role for professional journalist to mediate between citizen and government and to mediate in the public sphere generally. There is also the promise of absence of boundaries, greater speed of transmission and low cost of operations compared to traditional media. The biggest prospect is the ready access for all who want to speak, unmediated by the powerful interests that control the content of print and broadcast. What are the challenges? The new media are no different from the old in terms of social stratification of ownership and access. It is the better-offs that can access and upgrade the new technologies and they are always ahead of the working class or the poor. They are differentially empowered and if anything move further ahead of majority of the people. The new media require new skills and new attitudes to learning and working. There must be the attitude of life-long learning to catch up with new skills demanded by the pace of technological changes. There is also the issue of multi-tasking and its burden or otherwise on the users of new media technologies. 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