Hanging of Billy Budd Essay -- essays research papers

The Hanging of Billy Budd The hanging of Billy in Melville’s Billy Budd was a faulty and complex choice made by Captain Vere. Chief Vere, or â€Å"starry Vere,† decided to agree with the law as opposed to save Billy to fulfill himself. The hanging of Billy was important for request to stay on the boat and for equity to win. Billy Budd, otherwise called the â€Å"handsome sailor,† was being investigated for slaughtering the ace at-arms, Claggart. Everybody wanted Billy’s life to be saved, however Captain Vere decided to follow the vow he vowed to the King. Therefore, Billy was given capital punishment and hanged. Billy Budd's passing was directed on entirely faulty cicumstances in spite of the fact that he was preferred by everybody, he was accussed of insurrection abored transport, and the muder of the Master at arms Claggert. His passing was looked st as a catastrophe by all abored transport even Captain Vere who settled on the choice to hang Billy, yet i t was the main choice which could have been made to keep the boat and the shipsmen from revolting and slaughtering each one of those individuals of higher order      Everyone on the boat delighted in Billy’s nearness, aside from Claggart. He was portrayed to be a â€Å"sweet, lovely fellow† (pg. 5). Chief Vere enjoyed Billy so much or more than the others, â€Å"†¦they all cherished him!† (pg. 6) Because of this, he thought about what the best decision was: spare Billy, or hang him? The choice to hang Billy was, all things considered, the correct one. On the off chance that Captain Vere decided not to hang Billy, nobody wo...

Islamic Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Islamic Finance - Essay Example The paper tells that regardless of the changes and disorder that exists between the Islamic world and the United Kingdom, as curious as it might appear, it is shrewd to state that Islamic banking and fund has discovered its way in the United Kingdom. Islamic account is the premise of Islamic financial framework. Establishing its framework on the guidelines and standards of Sharia, usually known as the Islamic law, this offers Islamic account its one of a kind and skillful highlights. As much as Islamic Banking has its test and opportunity, numerous western investors have sort to include themselves in this developing business. Their core values and decides express that Allah claims everything in this world and that man has just been rendered authorization to utilize it. In the United Kingdom, London has developed itself to be the center promotion focal point of Islamic banking. In the United Kingdom, 10 years prior, the business was seen to be in its early stages this being the explan ation with regards to why its degree is restricted. After 10 years, Islamic banking and fund has won in the United Kingdom because of its exceptional attributes. One of the most particular qualities that have made Islamic banking and fund business to develop is the way that Islamic banking doesn't offer premiums, which is usually alluded to as riba in the Islamic world. The prize for cash stored as apparent is finished by not charging or paying premium. As a method of controling the misfortune and benefits happened, Islamic financial utilize the strategy of sharing both the benefit and misfortune happened. This is ordinarily known as mudarabhah, which in lay man’s term implies benefit sharing. In cases that include contract purchasing, the bank itself purchases the home loan from the dealer at that point offering it to the purchaser making benefits consequently permitting the purchaser to pay the cash in portions. The home loan is enrolled under the purchasers name from the b egin to evade any doubts. This sort of plan is known as Murabah. The business visionary component of the Islamic banking and money is another trademark that has made this kind of banking to stick out. Putting its emphasis on budgetary development as well as physical extension of financial administrations and creation, this has made numerous western brokers to utilize the Islamic banking and fund administrations. Exchange financing and value financing have driven the route for the Islamic banks. No big surprise the developing pattern of individuals making the most of their financial administrations. The United Kingdom being one of the worlds’ generally modern and entangled banking and monetary frameworks, this has helped the Islamic banking and account to win. The principle reason concerning why Islamic banking and money has won more in London than in some other urban areas of the world is because of the way that London is a lot nearer to Middle East than some other urban area s. Truth be told, London is assessed to have facilitated the world’s biggest Islam’s in all the urban areas of the world (Anwar, 1995). In the focal point of London, the Arab people group is positioned among the most well-off Arabs on the planet. To add on to that, Arabs eateries and inns exists in London focus to provide food for the Arabs that visit the city from time to time. There has been an expanding number of specialists, architects, and understudies in the United Kingdom. London develops to be the main market on the planet for remote cash trade, dollar being the mainstream money exchange. In the ongoing years, the retail level banking in the United Kingdom has gone down. This is because of the presentation of the Banking Act of 1987, which permitted outer banking to exist. The huge four financial players predominance to be specific Barclays, Lloyd, NatWest and the Midland bank, the last being the one in particular that has figured out how to make sure about its piece of the overall industry. Developing from a little specialty bank in the Middle East over the most recent four decades, Islamic Banking and account have developed in to a dynamic, beneficial, and strong contender to every single significant bank in the United Kingdom. Before the finish of 2008, Islamic banks are assessed to be over $850 billion and

Five Types of Tutor Youre Guaranteed to Meet at University

Five Types of Tutor You’re Guaranteed to Meet at University Five Types of Tutor You’re Guaranteed to Meet at University By Lizzie Exton Wherever you go to university and whatever you choose to study, there are five types of tutor you’re almost guaranteed to meet over the length of your course.   Some you’ll love to work with and you’ll enjoy every minute of the lectures and tutorials you have with them.   Others you’ll want to run a mile from. If you’re already studying at uni or are about to embark on your new course this September, here are the five types of lecturers you might want to look out for. The Happy Eccentric via GIPHY It’s one of the oldest clichés in academia, but there are lots of very happy eccentrics employed in universities around the world.   They care deeply about their subject at the cost of just about everything else, but that’s what makes them so much fun to work with.   They might mutter to themselves periodically, and they might not have the greatest dress sense, but who doesn’t love the quintessential eccentric running their course? The One Who Doesn’t Care via GIPHY At the opposite end of the spectrum is the tutor who really can’t be bothered.   They’re just here for the pay check, and probably won’t care if you haven’t read the set text or don’t bother turning up to classes.   If the lecture theater was completely empty and they could just spend the hour doing their own thing they’d actually be more than happy.   Whether you pass or fail the module, they really have no interest. The Unbelievably Attractive One via GIPHY Academia has a somewhat old-fashioned reputation, and you might imagine that all your lecturers are going to be over-the-hill.   In fact, you’re almost guaranteed to come across one who has both brains and beauty, with rock star good looks which seem wholly out of place.   They appear to be ridiculously well-qualified for someone so young, and you’ll find they run some of the most well-attended lectures and seminars in the whole department. Fair warning though: it may be difficult to concentrate in this tutor’s classes, lest you get lost in their eyes… The Strict One via GIPHY The Strict Tutor is like the Happy Eccentric, but with none of the fun.   They care about their subject too much to let you make a mockery of it through failure, so they will push and push you almost to breaking point.   You will never get top marks from them because only they get top marks, so expect essays returned covered in red pen and vaguely sarcastic remarks.   Don’t bother trying to please them.   You’ll never be good enough. The One Who Still Thinks They’re a Student via GIPHY Maybe they  got into tutoring because they never wanted to give up the university life, but there’s always one who still seems to think he or she is in with the students.   They often pop up in the nearby pub or, worse still, when you’re out with mates on a Saturday night.   They’re also active on every social media platform and act like you could still be best friends, but every time you see them you cringe on their behalf. There’s at least one in every department of every university, so if you haven’t met them yet, you still have  a lot to look forward to.           Lizzie Exton writes for Inspiring Interns, which specializes in sourcing candidates for  internships. To browse our  graduate jobs London listings, visit our website.

A Brief History of the African Country of Liberia

The Movie Babel - 862 Words

In the movie Babel there was four different stories that was all connected by a single shot gun. A Japanese girl’s father had sold a rifle to a Moroccan man, the man had then gave the rifle to his two sons. The younger boy was a better shooter than the older boy. The older boy became jealous because he was the big brother and he was ‘supposed’ to be the better shooter. The little brother shot at a tourist bus to prove that he was the better shooter, and in the mist of proving himself he shot a woman that was on the bus. The woman that was shot happen to be an American woman that was vacationing with her husband in Morocco. While the American couple was on vacation they had their Mexican nanny watch their two kids. The Japanese girl was deaf, so her way of communicating wasn’t the ‘common’ way. In order for her to communicate with other she had to use sign language or she need a person to speak extremely slowly, so that she could read their lips. Among her peers she was seen as an outcast, a monster, someone that didn’t fit in with the ‘in crowd’. She was struggling with the rejection of her peers and the distant relationship she had with her father, on top of it all she was missing her mom (which had recently passed). She often went out with friends and tried to experience common things such as going to clubs and listening to music. She was learning how to deal and cope with her way of life and communicating. The brothers had little secrets that they were keeping from theirShow MoreRelatedBabel Movie Analysis891 Words   |  4 PagesA movie highlighting societies’ issues, personal to political, that one faces from lack of knowing how to cross-communication throughout a variety of cultures. The film Babel, written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro Gonzà ¡lez Ià ±Ãƒ ¡rritu, depicts the failures of communication and the realistic effects that it has within certain cultures. The film reveals four different cultures: Middle Eastern, Hispanic, American, and Asian. The film expresses each character struggles with not only articulatingRead MoreBabel: Communication and Movie842 Words   |  4 PagesBabel (2006) Babel is a film about communication. There are four main storylines, which involved four countries and five languages. However, the director used a rifle to link up the four stories together aptly, which makes it a coherent movie. The first storyline was about the married American couple, Richard and Susan. They travelled to Morocco, but Susan was shot during the journey. Another storyline was about the two brothers lived in Morocco, and one of them unintentionally shot Susan. The thirdRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Babel 811 Words   |  4 PagesBabel Babel is a film that connects the stories of three families that suffer from extreme challenges due to their association or experience with one rifle. Babel opened in Morocco, where Abdullah, a goat farmer, bought a rifle from his neighbor. Abdullah purchased this rifle strictly for the purpose of preventing jackals from continuously killing his goats. After receiving the rifle, Abdullah allowed his sons Yuseff and Ahmed to take a turn practicing shooting the rifle. It was quickly revealedRead MoreThe Act Of Gift Giving1231 Words   |  5 PagesWestern world. Diving a level deeper by converting a gifted item into an item avaiable for resale creates an even more commerical approach to this act of kindness. In the film Babel(2006), the director Alejandro Gonzà ¡lez Ià ±Ãƒ ¡rritu employs the message that when something is converted into a capital good it becomes dangerous. Babel(2006) follows four interrelated sets of situations and characters across the world united by one item. A g un that was gifted from a Japanese man to a farmer in Morocco is soldRead MoreHow Homer s Work Is Relevant Today1072 Words   |  5 Pagesever a shooting on campus or how I would make an exit if there was ever a shooter in a movie theater. Guns and Children a Recipe for Disaster in Babel and Reality (October 14) In the movie Babel (Alejandro Gonzà ¡lez Ià ±Ãƒ ¡rritu, 2006) there were many questionable acts committed by the character. One of the acts that stood out to me was giving children a gun. Guns have become a huge issue in our country and this movie demonstrates the true danger of gun when affiliated with children and those who do notRead MoreModern Cinema And Its Effects On American Cinema1469 Words   |  6 PagesCinema in the film ‘Babel’, (2006) in terms of film aesthetics and narrative. It is an award-winning, transnational film, written by American Director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. It was also produced by an American distributor. A summary of Babel, ‘4 interlocking stories that are all connected by a single gun, they all converge at the end and reveal a complex and tragic story of the lives of humanity around the world and how we truly aren’t all that different’. (Mac, n.d). Babel is an American distributedRead MoreAuteur Theory 11662 Wor ds   |  7 Pagesmuch of Pauline Kael’s essay, in response to Sarris’s, â€Å"Circles And Squares.† Terrence Rafferty from NY Times wrote an article entitled â€Å"Now Playing: Auteur vs. Auteur† which follows a fight between a writer and director over the title of auteur on Babel. In a post from the University of Manchester, the author Jim covers a director that does not leave anyone out of the creative process in his post â€Å"The Case of Mike Leigh and the Missing Auteur.† While I believe that there are multiple creative mindsRead MoreThe Four Interlocking Plots : Show Us The Truth About Global Reality1338 Words   |  6 Pagesfood security, and women s empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.† â€Å" ~ Ban Ki-moon All of our consequences have actions. Whether anyone thinks about the long term consequences of their actions has yet to be seen. Babel is a movie about four families, in four separate countries whom are connected by one tragic accident. Two of these families live in first world countries, while the other two families are from third world countries. These four families have never met andRead MoreReflection Of Casablanca1282 Words   |  6 Pagesin general has developed. A reflection on two of the films from this term, Casablanca (Curtiz, 1942) and North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959) will carry the bulk of the essay. Though, I will also be discussing how this class changed the way I saw a movie just a few weeks ago. Casablanca’s script and acting are of particular caliber, and North by Northwest unfortunately does not deliver with the dialogue and casting of lead actor Cary Grant. Though, overall, they both have merit when discussing filmsRead MoreWhat I Have Learned Fro m Watching Blood Diamond And Babel2113 Words   |  9 Pagesaffect someone in another part of the world, and even more rarely do we care. Every once in a while we donate, send our prayers over Facebook, or rally against unjust treatment and terrorism. However, what I have learned from watching Blood Diamond and Babel is that more often than not, we unknowingly contribute to the very instances we seek to fight against. Every action we do, especially in affluent countries, has a global affect. In the movies, the intertwined story lines of seemingly separated characters

Hiv And Its Effects On Acute Infection - 2385 Words

HIV-1 establishes a reservoir in lymphoid tissue during acute infection that is the site of virus production from infected cells, storage in immune complexes on the surface of the follicular dendritic cell (FDC) network, and persistence in a pool of latently infected resting memory CD4+ T cells 1-8. While combinations of antiretroviral drugs can suppress viral replication and reduce viral RNA to undetectable levels in plasma, virus production from this reservoir of latently infected cells rekindles HIV-1 infection if drug treatment is stopped 9. The elimination or inactivation of latently infected cells in reservoirs that give the virus safe haven from antiretroviral drugs or immune attack is key to bring about a cure. Intermittent virus†¦show more content†¦Under these conditions, virus might continue to evolve in a small sanctuary site within the reservoir of cells in lymph nodes and remain undetectable in blood depending on as yet unknown trafficking relationships between the two compartments. Here, we tracked the evolution of HIV-1 and inferred the dispersal patterns among discrete anatomic compartments in time-resolved phylogenies. With a model of within-host infection dynamics, which encodes drug-dependent viral fitness and site-dependent evolutionary pressures, we show that, in patients with undetectable levels of virus in their blood, low amounts of viral replication can occur in a sanctuary site with suboptimal drug concentrations that do not breed drug-resistant strains. We applied massively parallel sequencing to HIV-1 provirus populations in cells from blood and lymph nodes collected at three separate times (day 0, and after 3 months and 6 months of treatment) and virus particles in the blood (day 0) from three study subjects studied previously (Fig. 1; 12). Two subjects (1727 and 1679) were well-suppressed patients; and the third subject (1774) continued to have measureable amounts of viral RNA in plasma after 3 months, but not 6 months of treatment. Subjects 1727 and 1679 were each infected with HIV-1 for approximately 3 to 4 months and were antiretroviral drug naà ¯ve. Subject 1774 was infected with HIV-1 for approximately 17 years and was antiretroviral drug

British Irish Relations over the past 300 years Essay Example For Students

British Irish Relations over the past 300 years Essay British- Irish relations over the past three hundred years have been troubled. There have been many tensions caused by religion in Northern Ireland and Britains unfair rule of Northern Ireland. The British are guilty of many of the indignities suffered by the Irish people. They are also guilty of causing all of the religious and territorial conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The division between Northern and Southern Ireland dates back to the 16th century. A succession of English monarchs had used the planting of Protestant English and Scottish people on lands seized from Irish Catholics as a way of increasing loyalty to the British Crown. This is an example of how the British treated the people of Ireland unfairly. In 1912 British parliament gave home rule to Ireland. Home rule is when a country who is ruled by another country is giving the ability to govern its self. However some people in Irelands Northern counties did not want home rule. They wanted to remain governed by Britain. So the people in the Northern Counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) remained under British rule while the Southern Counties formed the Republic of Ireland. Shortly after the formation of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland hostilities pushed these two countries to the brink of civil war. This was prevented by the start of World War I. We will write a custom essay on British Irish Relations over the past 300 years specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now English persecution of the Irish people is one cause of the tensions in Northern Ireland. Before 1793 Irish Catholics were persecuted by British law. Catholics were not allowed to buy and sell land, get proper education, marry Protestants or vote. This fueled problems in Ireland. After 1793 Britain was afraid, after loosing America, that a revolution would happen in Ireland. So the restrictions on the Irish Catholics were done away with. This however angered the protestants who formed the Orange Order, who was against the Catholics. This all came to a head when in 1798 when a small rebellion broke out. It began with a blight of the potato crop that left acre upon acre of Irish farmland covered with black rot.(The Irish Famine, 1) This of course is in reference to the Irish Famine. The Irish Famine was another cause of the tensions in Ireland. As crops across Ireland failed, the price of food soared. This made it impossible for Irish farmers to sell there goods, the good which the far mers relied upon to pay their rent to their English and Protestant landlords. These people were thrown into the streets with no money and nothing to eat. This forced the people to eat the rotten food, which in turn caused the people to be consumed with cholera and typhus. With nowhere to go the starving people decided to emigrate to America and other English speaking countries. This was the peoples salvation. Even emigration was no panacea ship owners often crowed hundreds of desperate Irish onto rickety vessels labeled coffin ships. ( The Irish Famine, 2) Many people, on their voyage to America succumb to disease, starvation and many other causes. As much as one third of the passengers on the coffin ships died before reaching America. The Irish Famine which lasted from 1846-50 took as many as one million lives from hunger and disease. Overall the combined forces of famine, disease and emigration caused Irelands population to drop from eight million before the famine to five million 1 year after it ended. This all could have been avoided if Britains response to the famine had not been delayed. Many people criticized Britains response, and further blamed centuries of British political oppression on the underlying causes of the the Irish Famine.(The Irish Famine, 2)During World War I, people who wanted Ireland to become a republic continued their fight. These people belonged to various pol itical organizations, including the political party Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Irish Citizen army. On Easter Monday in 1916, 1,600 protesters rebelled against the British. They took control of several public buildings in Dublin and declared Ireland a republic. The fighting lasted for four days before they were forced to surrender to the Royal Irish Constabulary and the Black and Tan Soldiers . .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .postImageUrl , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:hover , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:visited , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:active { border:0!important; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:active , .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5 .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0e681e8ffcfc4e9136823e714a0faad5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Laser EssayIn 1905 Sinn Fein, the Irish nationalist party was formed by Arthur Griffith. It was and advocate of a politically and economic Ireland. And then in 1918 Sinn Fein Candidates were elected to every Irish political position outside of the Ulster providence. However instead of serving in the British parliament they set up their own parliament called the Dail Eireann, in Dublin. The Dail Eireann had its own courts, tax system and postal service. In 1919 the Dail Eireann declared Ireland a republic. This lead to three years of war between the militant wing of Sinn Fein and British soldiers known as black and tans. In July 1921 Michael Collins, who was the leader of Sinn Feins armies negotiated a treaty with the British government. This lead to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which left most of Ireland independent, but Northern Ireland under British rule. This lead to another outbreak of civil war. This time the war was between those who supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty (people who favored the separation of Ireland) and the Republicans, who wanted a united Ireland. The civil war lasted until 1923, when the republicans were convinced by their new leader to accept the division of Ireland for the time being. The new leader of the Republicans was Eamon De Valera. Valera was a native born American. He took part in the Easter uprising of 1916 but escaped execution because of his American birth. He was elected president of Sinn Fein and he opposed the partition of Ireland. In 1926 Eamon De Valera formed a new political party called Fianna Fail. The members of this party opposed the partition of Ireland under the Anglo-Irish Treaty. In 1932 Eamon De Valera was elected to be the Prime Minister of Ireland . And in 1959 he became Irelands first president. After Fianna Fail came to power in 1932 the party began to abolish the oath of allegiance to the British crown and some of the restrictive clauses imposed by the Anglo-Irish Treaty. An economic war followed in 1933.(Essays in History 7) In 1933 the British Government imposed a tax of 40% on Irish exports to Britain in retaliationOn January 30, 1972 a large demonstration in Derry took place against internment. The march, which was called to protest internment, was illegal according to British government authorities. (Bloody Sunday, 3) The British Armys 1st Parachute Regiment opened fire on unarmed and peaceful civilian demonstrators killing 13 and wounding a number of others. Bloody Sunday is just another example of the cruel and unfair treatment of the Irish people. British- Irish relations over the past three hundred years have been troubled. There have been many tensions caused by religion in Northern Ireland and Britains unfair rule of Northern Ireland. The British are guilty of many of the indignities suffered by the Irish people. They are also guilty of causing all of the religious and territorial conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The mistreatment of the people dates back to the 16th century. However the mistreatment still continues in Northern Ireland today. Today in Ireland there is peace. Although there have been a few incidents the peace seems to be lasting. However British troops still occupy Belfast.

Juveniles And The Death Penalty Essays (1498 words) -

Juveniles And The Death Penalty Children Doing Crimes That End up In The Chamber It was a warm summer evening in a small town in the state of Missouri. John Freshman, a white male gang member fourteen years of age, drives down a street that he knows his rival gang members are usually standing along. John pulls his 9 MM. automatic pistol out from underneath his seat and points it at the group of rival gang members. John opens fire and unloads his weapon at anybody standing along the street. As John pulls away from the area, he almost gets into an accident with a parked vehicle and drops his weapon. When John regains control of the vehicle he shouts blood killer coming down the road. When the ambulance and police arrive, they find five people dead two children and one grand mother in the house, and two gang members in the street dead. The police find the weapon and test for fingerprints. They come back to John Freshman AKA Lone G. John has been in juvenile hall nine times and has been on probation or in custody for the past five years. John is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The previous statement is not real but it portrays the life of our country. This statement can be read and seen all over the country in newspapers and watched on the five oclock news. Was Johns sentencing appropriate? Should have John been sentenced to the death penalty? Is John old enough to be put to death? This paper will try to answer these questions. Terms Juvenile - A young Person, one below the legally established age of adulthood. A person under the age of eighteen when the crime was committed. Death Penalty- Capital punishment, sentenced to death. What age is too young for the death penalty? A better question is what age is it too young to die for the murder of another human person. In the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that juvenile under the age of sixteen should not be sentenced to death because they are too young. This was upheld in the case of Thompson V. Oklahoma (487 U.S. 815,1988). Since juveniles are beginning to get more violent in their acts, should the age be lowered? For instance, the previous scenario states that it was a fourteen year old doing the crime. What if it was a twelve year old? When does a juvenile have to pay fully for the crime he or she committed? If you look at the juvenile criminal statistics today and compare them to twenty years ago, we see a dramatic decrease in violent crime and increase use of death penalty sentences. For example, Proffessor Victor Strieb From Claude W. Petit College of Law (Death Penalty for Juveniles) stated juveniles are one to two percent of all people on death r ow in the United States, although they commit more than fifty percent of all the murders in the United States. As we look at the history of juveniles sentenced to death, we see that the rate has been steady and has fluctuated by little more than five percent. The History of the death penalty for juveniles began around 1642 with the execution of Thomas Graunger. Thomas Graunger was executed in Plymouth Colony Massachusetts for a crime he committed when he was sixteen years old. He became the first recorded juvenile in what was to become the United States to be executed for an offense committed under the age of eighteen. There were 343 executions of juveniles before the Supreme Court repelled the death penalty. There have been 13 executions of convicted juveniles since the beginning of the new era. Just like adults, the state of Texas is the leader of juvenile executed with seven. There has been seven Caucasians, five African Americans and one Latino executed. Twelve of those executed were seventeen when they did the crime. (Strieb, Juveniles on death row) Before June 30, 1988, thirty people were on death row for crimes committed while under the age of eighteen. As of June 1999, there are seventy people on death row for crimes they committe d when they were juveniles. About one in fifty

Hydrocephalus essays

Hydrocephalus essays Hydrocephalus is a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid, known as CSF, in the brain. CSF is produced in the choroids plexus and it is usually transported through the ventricles in the brain. It is also found outside the brain and in the spinal canal. Hydrocephalus occurs when the CSF is blocked or when there is excess fluid in the brain. This condition causes pressure on the brain that leads to the swelling of the ventricles. The ventricles are then pushed against the skull causing tissues to either be damaged or destroyed. Hydrocephalus can be congenital, caused by a birth defect, or acquired, caused by a trauma to the brain. In most instances, heredity is not a factor for acquiring hydrocephalus. Although it mostly occurs in young children, hydrocephalus may be present in adults and the elderly. The signs and symptoms of hydrocephalus vary depending upon the age of the person, when the problem developed, the cause of the condition, and the damage that occurred to the tissues due to the swelling of the ventricles. In infants, the primary sign of hydrocephalus is enlargement of the head. Other symptoms in infants include lethargy (sleepiness), vomiting, decreased mental functions, et cetera. Some symptoms in older children and adults are headaches, vomiting, vision changes, decreased coordination, or mental aberrations such as confusion. There is no known cure for hydrocephalus, but the condition can be treated and kept under control. Treatment of hydrocephalus involves the surgical insertion of a shunt, a flexible tube with a one-way valve. To allow the excess CSF to drain back into the bloodstream and to decrease pressure on the brain, the shunt is inserted into the ventricular system of the brain. There are some problems that can occur with shunting such as obstruction of the shunt or an infection. Complications occur with 25% to 60% of all shunt procedures. Antibiotics are used at the sign of an i ...

Roles of regulatory, and accreditation agencies Essay

Roles of regulatory, and accreditation agencies - Essay Example Other than education, they also facilitate social changes among the people they are targeting. The social change ensures that the people are able to live a better lifestyle which ensures and enhances quality health care for themselves and their offsprings hence securing even the future generation. They also team up with the government in providing greater access to quality healthcare through health programs that they initiate and follow up to ensure their success to the people at all levels be it local, national or global (Skolnik, 2012, p. 196). Politics in especially African countries is very influential and enables get together a lot of people. The organizations and agencies use the politicians to gather large crowds of people in the target area especially the grassroots level and they teach them about healthcare. The same politics is in-charge of making legislation and policies and hence by teaming up with them, the agencies are sure to influence them to pass health care policies that will be beneficial to the population. The policies are passed at both the state and national level and their success is adopted and replicated globally. Politics come into play also because people are more likely to listen to political leaders they elected and whom they believe hold the power to assist them and will, therefore, most likely follow to the letter what the politician advice. The politicians are therefore in this case used as lobbyists for the health care agencies (Silviu, 2010, pp. 4-6).

Essey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Essey - Essay Example Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business. Without it the resources of production remain resources and never become production." (Sharma, 2004 11) This definition emphasizes that the managers achieve organizational objectives getting things done through the employees. Human resource Management is very essential for successful running of an enterprise. It ensures proper use of physical and human resources by deriving the best results. It leads to efficient performance and higher productivity. Human Resource Management is very essential for every organization to make productive use of human physical and financial resources or the achievement of the organizational goals. It helps in determination of objectives. No organization can succeed in tits mission unless its objectives an identified and well denied. Management helps in achieving these objectives by the efficient use of resources. The entry of multinationals has also brought in fundamental changes in the work culture, work ethics and remunerating patterns in many countries, all of which have a clear bearing on the career growth path of individuals. Added to this are the rapid changes taking place on the technological front, flattening hierarchies and making people come together more than ever before. Amidst all this change, the high ethical standards of an individual, be it a workman on the shop floor or the Chief Executive Officer, matter more now than ever. The dual ethical standards often maintained by people front-often the exact opposite when it comes of the way they conduct business are counterproductive in the long run. The new authority is emerging and organizations are member led, officer driven, customer focused; a team environment where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; a flat management structure where employees and managers are learning rather than blame; a clear since of direction and purpose. A firm commitment to delivering high quality public services through a combination of direct-provision and effective partnerships. 2. ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Human Resource Management plays a very important role in managing the mode in business organizations, which are complex and complicated. The role of management is summarized below. 1. Role in success. Human Resource Management plays a very important role the success of an organization. It helps in achieving group goals. Human Resource Management assembles and organizes the available recourses for the accomplishment of the goals of enterprise. It adds effectiveness to the efforts of group persons organized to achieve the given objectives. 2. Role in efficiency. Human Resource Management utilizes the available physical and human resources productively. It eliminates all types of wastage and leads to efficiency in all business operations. Thus it results in effective running of business activities. To secure efficiency of operations, management is concerned with reducing the cost of production and increasing the output. Through better planning, organizing and control, and the use of various cost-reduction techniques, efficient management leads to reduced costs and increased output. (Sharma, 2004 13) 3. Role in soundness of organization. Human Resource Management lays down a pattern of authority- responsibility relationship. The structure so formed

The global stage

The global stage Global Media: Foreign Media Organizations in China In the globalization age, information flow, just like commodity flow and capital flow, increasingly takes place at the global stage. Global media and communication, although certainly has its flaws, has become a prominent phenomenon today. This constitutes the international environment in which the current development of media in China takes place. Globalization and Global Media When communications satellites and computer networks took off in the early 1990s, the world found itself faced with a new generation of media technology which not only undermined geographical distances but also national borders. Fueled by a wave of communications policy deregulation, changes in the media industries soon led to the belief that the whole world was now linked by global media which transmit messages in split seconds to audiences everywhere, including those living in the most remote corners of the world. The era of global media thus pronounced itself arrived. In recent years people have come to witness interesting, albeit somewhat puzzling, developments in the world of media, specifically the transnationalization of national, or even local, media in many parts of the world. These developments have painted a media landscape that quite different from what people used to be familiar with. In the discourse of globalization, there does not seem to be a generally accepted definition of the term. On many different occasions the term has been defined as the free worldwide flow of the production elements and resources, as borderless or stateless economy. It is also widely viewed as the cultural, political, and economic, integration of the whole world. Even before the term â€Å"globalization† became a catchword in the academic and popular vocabulary in the 1990s, global operations and transnational corporations in many industries had long aroused academic attention. In addition, many scholars have long been noticing the connection between the media and globalization. For instance, McLuhan, a media theorist, was claimed to have suggested their connection â€Å"by combining ‘the medium is the message with his ‘global village† (Rantanen, 2004:1.) Globalization suggests simultaneously two views of culture. The first, taking a monoculturalist point of view, treats globalization as the â€Å"extension outward of a particular culture to its limits, the globe,† through a process of conquest, homogenization and unification brought about by the consumption of the same cultural and material products (Featherstone, 1995:6). The second one, adopting a multiculturalist stand, perceive globalization as the â€Å"compression of cultures† (Featherstone, 1995:6). While the meaning of globalization remains ambiguous, â€Å"global media† or â€Å"media globalization† have quickly become clichà ©s in media studies. Two questions can be raised about the use of such terms, however. First, what is meant by a globalized media industry, and secondly, can we assume that a genuine globalization of the industry has already taken place? More precisely, what is the direction of changes that we can observe now-globalization, localization, or something else? Too often when the term â€Å"global† is used in conjunction with the media, it refers primarily to the extent of coverage, with the popularity of satellite television and computer networks serving as evidence of the globalization of communications. However, the linkages brought about by the globalization process are largely confined to OECD and G7 member countries, which constitute one-third of the world population. And even when a medium, e.g. CNN, can put over 150 countries on its map, the rate of penetration and actual consumption can present rather a different picture. As Street (1997:77) has said, the fact that a product is available everywhere is no guarantee that it achieves the same level of popularity, let alone acquires the same significance, meaning or response (Featherstone, 1990:10). It is no secret that CNNs audiences normally account for only a small fragment of a nations population. But even with its conceptual flaws corrected, coverage is merely one of the important dimensions of the media industry. The meaning of a globalized industry would be seriously distorted if other dimensions were left out of the discussion. These dimensions, including the dynamics of the market, modes of production, the contents and messages transmitted, are closely related to the perception of the role and function of media in the globalization process, the direction of change in the industry, and ultimately, the cultural images presented by the theories of globalization. What roles and changes, then, should be expected to see in the media industries according to the monoculturalist point of view? Media Development in China Since the 1990s, with broadcasting and newspapers outlets already reaching large numbers, China has moved onwards into a new stage of media development, prioritizing quality improvement, intensive management/operation instead of increase in numbers, and optimization of the industry structure. In the globalization context with a goal of making its media more competitive and more effective in the mass media market, as well as to strengthen the media industry, China has been adopting the strategy of optimization of the media industry structure (Zhang, 2007:78). The country has closed down, combined, or transformed several media organizations that failed to satisfy the needs of the market competition. In recent years, Chinas media development is also mirrored in the adoption of the latest information technologies, most especially the Internet, by media organizations. In the late 1990s, media organizations in the country used computer technologies extensively. The fever in adopting Internet technologies was spurred on primarily by factors like the eagerness to embrace the trend throughout the world, towards building an information superhighway, the need to stay competitive with other media institutions, and the desire to grasp the opportunities for the stations or papers new development (Zhang, 2007:78). The Chinese experience suggests a strong link between globalization and the enthusiasm of the media organizations to adopt Internet technologies. Starting from the year 2000, media in the country have maintained such desire to adopt state-of-the-art information and communications technologies. Along with the ever-increasing media websites, a new type of websites has emerged sites jointly established and operated by several media institutions in a region (Zhang, 2007:78). Presently, new media technologies are in the spotlight in the technological stage in Chinas media industry. For example, CTP technology is widely used in the countrys newspaper industry. Digital TV and digital audio broadcasting have also emerged in China. Internet protocol TV (IPTV) is also one of the highlights in the current development of the Chinese TV industry. In the area of online outlets, news websites have become a recent type of media outlets in the country. News websites are composed of three levels: websites of large national media organizations, major provincial/municipal ones, and city-level ones (Zhang, 2007:79). Moreover, cross-media operations in mass communications constitute another important aspect of the development of media in China (Zhang, 2007:80). Foreign Media Since China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the government has eventually opened its domestic media market. Because of the the increasing degree of the media openness, foreign media organizations have begun to enter the Chinese media market. In 2001, from October to December, the government permitted three overseas TVchannels to go into Guangdong province. These are Star TV, Phoenix Satellite Television, and CETV, which is owned by AOL Time Warner. It is the very first time for China to allow foreign channels to be played on local cable and satellite system. Despite these limited entries, the event has caused major ripples throughout the entire Chinese media industry. In addition, in October 2004, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SART|FT) enacted two regulation policies allowing foreign media in the country through more diverse formats (Chan and Ellis, 2005:1). It suggested a constantly-open media market toward foreign capitals in China, a fiery trial for the entire country. Due to the easing of regulation, foreign media organizations have started to swarm into China. In 2008, SARFT approved 33 foreign channels. Many broadcasting organizations had branches in Beijing, Guangdong,Shanghai, and Chongqing. These include Time-Warner, Sony, Disney, News Corp, and Viacom (China Business New, 2008:1). Shanghai, for example, houses competitive foreign media organizations like CNBC (US Cable Network), BBC (British Broadcasting Company), FBC (Italy FactBased Communications), NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.), and SUNSET (France), with investment flowing from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, among others. Localization According to neo-Marxists, who advocate a homogeneous world view, one of the major characteristics of globalization is that everyone has the feeling of being a member of one single society. The feeling, as described by Albrow (1990:8-10), is the sense of â€Å"the whole earth as the physical environment, where all are citizens, consumers and producers, possessed of a â€Å"common sense interest in collective action to solve global problems.† The increasing interdependencies of nation-states has been cited as a major cause for nurturing such a feeling. Today the comforts and assurances of local communal experience are now undermined by distant social forces. Communications media, TV in particular, is an important factor in the compression of time and space. It constantly brings distant events and concerns to the homes and minds of people around the world as they happen. This constitutes an intrusion of distant events into everyday consciousness. However, this compression of time and space is not without its limits. As pointed out by Mittelman (1996:229), capital and technology flows must eventually â€Å"touch down† in distinct places. These places, in contrast to the global phenomenal world, are where everyone lives his or her local life. To human beings, wanting a place where one feels a sense of belonging is natural. However, such a sense of place is cultural, as has been pointed out by Hall (1995:178). Despite the intrusion of distant social forces, feelings and perception of people about their environment remain closely associated with the memories and personal ties they have, together with the social, cultural, and even geographical and climatic setting of their environments. The emphasis on what is called a â€Å"local culture† is â€Å"the taken-for-granted, habitual and repetitive nature of the everyday culture of which individuals have a practical mastery† (Featherstone, 1995:92). This and the cultural forms, the common language, shared knowledge and experiences associated with a place, are the essence of the concept of local culture. Global political and economic factors and media technologies serve to compress, but not eliminate, time and space. In addition, the sense of place, something associated with the essence of a local culture, has become a major determinant in the restructuring of the world communications industry. To suggest that media globalization is no more than a part of a process of domination by Western media and ultimately of the Westernization of world cultures conflicts with the advocacy of Asian values in Asia and is reductionist. To modify the monoculturalist image of culture, Featherstone (1995:6) suggested that globalization may be better considered as a form, a space or field, made possible through improved means of communication in which different cultures meet and clash, or simply a stage for global differences. According to him, this conception points directly to the fragmented and de-centered aspects of the globalization of culture, and in the mean time suggests greater cultural exchanges and complexity. One may argue that a multiculturalist view of globalization does not advocate the localization of transnational media as the only venue for communication as a platform for cultures to meet and clash. But powerful as the idea may be, this view does not offer a clear picture, nor an indication of, how the structure of the world cultural industries has, and will, change; how different it is from what we used to have, and how the ideals of meeting/clashing points may be achieved and professed. According to cultural and media imperialism theories, the demise of local cultures and cultural industries was something predictable, as a consequence of the importation of television programs. By the 1990s, however, it has become evident that the theories have suffered from a lack of evidence. Destructive or Constructive? Since many foreign media organizations have penetrated China, it can be argued that Western media products transmitted in the process will challenge or damage the local culture. However, the impacts of these organizations in the local media market in China appear to be constructive, not damaging, to local cultural heritage. Foreign programs offer great opportunities for reflexive awareness. Audiences do not just receive meanings passively. They are critical and active during the reception process. Watching Hollywood movies and foreign TV shows does not mean the local audience are being American. Instead, in theory, Chinese viewers form a reflexive awareness (who am I? or, who am not I?). Also, many studies in China and the rest of East Asia have suggested that the opposition to foreign culture has been engendered by watching overseas TV shows and thus evokes a protective attitude toward their local culture. While the purity of cultural identity remains a much debated issue, there is no denying that the Chinese audience are also reflexively considering their own identities while being faced with increased importation of foreign cultural products. Regional or national consciousness more than a homogenous global identity enlarges as exposure to alien cultures speeds up. In spite of some visible evidence of cultural homogenization as part of the everyday life, like westernization, it seems that people have a stronger sense of membership in their groups (Morris, 2002:278). In addition, according to Harvey (1989:306), â€Å"localism and nationalism have become stronger precisely because of the quest for the security that place always offers†. On the contrary, there is little evidence of â€Å"cultural abrasion†, instead there is an increasing protective attitude and reflexive awareness within the receiving nations (Varan, 1998:58). The entry of foreign media organizations in China appears to be constructive, not destructive, when one views localization as a form of cultural adaptation. Cultural adaptation, in the mass media context, refer to a comprise strategy, like adding Chinese subtitles for overseas programs. It also refers to an active devotion into the local culture made by the transnational media. Foreign media organizations not only provide Chinese subtitles to achieve high ratings, but they also do research and make compelling contents for the local audience in China. In order to produce a program that will fit with the Chinese culture and one that will not offend sensibilities, many foreign media organizations actively delve themselves into local cultures. They also try to penetrate the market by employing local production groups, such as producers, directors, and performers, as well as as original scripts.. The contents are produced to satisfy the local taste, full of cultural factors and traditional background. Thus what transnational media organizations have brought to the country seems not to be the threat of foreign or western cultural products, but the significant amount of foreign investment used to produce local cultural programs. From the cultural point of view, these programs owned by foreign media organizations would not damage Chinese native norms or values. This is because many shows are produced considering the local audience and embedding with them strong traditional cultural background. From the economic point of view, the significant amount of foreign capital brought by the large media organizations can help the local media market prosper. Basically, local media companies benefit from the competition by cooperating with foreign companies. The localization process of the media in China not only induces the indigenized strategies of global companies; it also induces the globalized reactions of local media industries. The strategy of localization cannot be understood simply as a unidirectional flow of global power on the local media industry. Mutual influences suggest a complex and complicated reciprocal interaction between the global and the local, taking into consideration the reverse effects that the local brings to the global. For example, AOL/Time Warner promised to air CCTV 9th channel through its cable network in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York. CCTV 9th channel contains music, news report, travel and leisure, nature, as well as mandarin education specifically designed to expand the Chinese traditional culture. The aim of such move appears to be the reeducation of the Americans and Chinese Americans and changing of their attitude toward China (Rowe, 2001:1). This shows that Chinese TV officials have already realized the significance of exportation of Chinese programs. By borrowing resources from foreign media organizations, China is able to to send out locally produced products, shaping western attitude toward China and its culture ideologically. It is also noteworthy that many other broadcasters throughout Asia have already begun to target people in overseas market. For example, TVB has been serving Chinese speaking subscribers in North America and Canada. Likewise, MBC, a Korean broadcaster, has established a channel aimed at Koreans in the US. Zee TV, a South Asian broadcaster, has also penetrated The US and the UK (Chadha and Kavoori, 2000:415). As media globalization goes intensive, further reaction taken by the receiving societies is not limited to the cultural resistance of the local audience any more. It now has changed to the active competition among media organizations as well as the exportation of cultural products outside China. Such active activities from China, and also the developing countries in Asia, are seen to increase in the next few decades. With a stronger than ever economic development, the exportation of media contents will became more and more. It can be argued that there is actually no absolute weak and strong culture in the media globalization trend. Every culture changes over time no culture is exempt from this fact. In economic arena, the :Third World† or â€Å"developed countries† category has constantly been facing challenges and has been forced to change. The same is true in the media and cultural arena. No one culture in the world will be the stronger or weaker culture forever. Conclusion The influx of foreign media organizations in China has not yet threatened the local culture as seriously as many observers have proclaimed. There is a conscious effort among transnational media organizations to adapt culturally in order to produce programs that cater to the local taste and ones that embed traditional culture in them. Local Chines audience have a strong reflexive awareness, making them active viewers not passive. This safeguards local culture. Similarly, the local media industry is not passively waiting for challenge; rather, local media organizations actively pose serious competition with media conglomerates, borrowing their resources to promote Chinese culture outside China and to educate people around the world about their culture. Cultural hybridization is expected to be promoted by the strong influences of local responses. Recent exporting activities in China and other Asian nations suggest a novel reciprocal interaction between the global and the local. What the globalization of media brings to China, and the less developed countries in Asia, is not only the difficult challenges, but also the many benefit. While the eastern and western cultures become increasingly because of the media globalization trend, local cultures are also given the opportunity to keep its own characteristics and its independence. Overall, the consequences of media globalization to China seem to be constructive rather than destructive both from local cultural and economic points of view.

Horsmandens Journal of the Proceedings Essays -- Analysis, Daniel Hor

Daniel Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings was written with a specific purpose in mind which he openly acknowledges in his introduction. Horsmanden claims that it was for â€Å"the public benefit† (Zabin, p.46) and inspired by the fact that some individuals believed â€Å"there was no plot at all† (Zabin, p.45). He hoped that by displaying the facts of the case he could prove to the people of New York City that the proceedings were just and that there was a great need to keep close supervision on their African slaves (Zabin, p.45). Having such an obvious bias the Journal is far from a perfect historical record of events, but under close examination Horsmanden’s account gives a vast amount of insight into the sharp divisions that characterized eighteenth century New York and can help explain why the people were so ready to believe in such a grandiose conspiracy. One can even see ways in which the conspiracy brought New Yorkers together and how it drove them apart. An analysis of Horsmanden’s work paints a picture of the social divisions present in the city. Race was a fairly obvious division, exemplified by Horsmanden’s statement that Peggy was the â€Å"worst sort† of prostitute because she was â€Å"a prostitute to negroes† (Zabin, p.49) and that blacks were much more prone to suspicion which can be seen in the fact that roughly 30 blacks were executed compared to four whites (Zabin, p.175). Economic status also shines through as a source of division. This is apparent by the fact that the Hughsons, who owned a disreputable public house (Zabin, p.48), were tried and executed largely on the testimony of Mary Burton. However, when Ms. Burton cast suspicion upon some people â€Å"in ruffles† (those of better means), the court quickly wrapped up the ca... ...stered togetherness among the people. Horsmanden’s journal provides a wealth of information about eighteenth century New York if one is willing to analyze it critically and ignore the bias present in it. If one does this they catch fascinating glimpses of a divided world, one where people are partitioned by race, economic status, homeland and religion. A world filled with fear and suspicion caused by the tension inherent within such societal division. The same tensions that either gave rise to a massive conspiracy to destroy the town of New York or gave credence to a nightmare constructed by the minds of the people and fed by individuals’ self-serving nature. Regardless, eighteenth century New York was a troubled place and Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings gives us a partial but valuable insight to the lives and interactions of colonial New York’s peoples.

Eating Disorders: Mass Media and Its Influence on Body Image Essay

The influence and power of mass media in shaping perceptions about issues is uncontested. In the recent years however, there are questions being raised about the kind of information media, especially the commercial mass media, is feeding its viewers particularly those in their adolescence. More and more cases of eating disorders have surfaced in the latter years. More often than not, the victims of such disorders report that it was exposure and desire to be like the skinny models and celebrities that influenced them to diet, binge, purge and apply drastic measures such as surgery and starvation diets in order to lose weight. Just recently, Jennifer Love Hewitt made headlines when she hit out at criticisms of her weight after a not-so-flattering photo of her in a bikini surfaced on magazines and the Internet. Her statement â€Å"Size 2 is not fat! † has been welcomed and praised by other celebrities who feel that the media has been exerting undue pressure on women to be slim according to what are often unattainable standards (Slonim & Chiu, 2007). There are researchers who claim that the rising numbers of eating disorders among pre-teens and adolescents are caused by the continued portrayal of beauty as â€Å"thin† in media. It is according to researchers, this very portrayal of â€Å"thin† that fosters a trend of body dissatisfaction among women particularly those in their adolescence (Forbes, Doroszewicz, Card & Adams-Curtis, 2004). What is body image and why does it seem so important to people? Body image is defined as how individuals view and judge their own personal appearance (Morrison, Kalin & Morrison, 2004). This includes personal thoughts, feelings and behaviors directed towards one’s own body (Botta, 2003). This perception is further broken down into two types: the â€Å"body image evaluation† or the way a person critically evaluates his or her own physical appearance, and the â€Å"body image investment,† or the things that people do â€Å"to manage or enhance the way they look†(Morrison, Kalin & Morrison, 2004). People’s body images today run alongside perceptions of self-worth. If one doesn’t fit the stereotypical standard of beauty, it automatically makes an individual feel outcast and ugly. There are two ways by which media may affect a person’s perception of physical appearances in terms of weight: the first is by featuring thin and â€Å"beautiful† people/celebrities while the other is to feature conspicuously fat people who are often represented in comical situations (Harrison, 2000, p. 125). In the study conducted by Harrison in 2000, it was revealed that young adolescent girls who were exposed to media featuring stick thin celebrities experienced dissatisfaction with their own personal appearances. Those who were exposed to shows featuring conspicuously fat people showed an increased tendency toward eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia (pp137-138). What are eating disorders? Eating disorders refer to conditions describing a person’s food consumption behaviors that are considered â€Å"abnormal. † It covers whether people eat too much, or not at all including whether they practice purging after meals. The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa. The primary goal of people suffering from anorexia nervosa is to achieve maximum weight loss as possible (Palmer, 2003, p. ). It is important to take note that there is a difference between anorexia and anorexia nervosa. Anorexia pertains to a true reduction of hunger due to other factors such as illness or depression that thereby makes loss of appetite fairly normal and expected. The â€Å"nervosa† in anorexia nervosa is an indicator of a more complex relationship between a person’s eating behavior and the desire to lose weight (p. 6). People suffering from anorexia nervosa panic at any sign of weight gain and very often fail to realize just how abnormally skinny they are getting. Weight loss becomes compulsive. Each pound loss and food denied is a victory for people with anorexia nervosa. They are often given to obsessive dieting and exercise convinced that what little food they eat will turn them into obese slobs (Smith, 2004, p. 6) Bulimia Nervosa. Like Anorexia, the focus of Bulimia nervosa is as much weight loss as possible†¦the difference is that sufferers of Bulimia nervosa have discovered that they can lose more weight quickly if they immediately expel what food they have eaten. Bulimics also go through a series of â€Å"binge-and-purge† wherein they undergo periods of eating large amounts of food, then getting rid of it through purging (Farley, 1992). Purging is done through self-induced vomiting or the use of enemas and laxatives for forced evacuation. Often, bulimia nervosa comes soon after the onset of anorexia nervosa (p. 15). In contrast to the disorders associated with weight loss, there are also eating disorders where its sufferers do the opposite and eat compulsively. Binge Eating Disorder (BED). BED is demonstrated by a strong compulsion to eat without any restraint. Stress and strong emotions usually bring on these periods. Binge eaters usually feel dissatisfaction until they have answered the urge to eat. However, once having eaten, binge eaters often feel self-hate, shame and personal disgust leading to more depression (Palmer, 2003, p. 7). The integration of commerce, advertising and marketing in media also has its share of the blame in the way adolescents view their bodies. Famous actors and actresses have been employed in the promotion of various products from cigarettes to acne prevention treatments. Such move appeals to most adolescents who seek to emulate the image their â€Å"idols† project. While not all adolescents are susceptible to celebrity and body images projected by the media, those suffering from social and physical anxieties in addition to low self-esteem are often more vulnerable to being affected by body images present in the media. These people often end up having distorted views of their physical selves and are more prone to developing eating disorders (David & Johnson, 1998, p. 53). Emulation of a standard set by a beauty icon is not just limited to living and breathing celebrities. In fact one of the more famous icons that have been used to represent beauty and all the privileges that are perceived to come with it may be found in most young girls’ toy boxes. â€Å"Barbie,† the thin but curvaceous doll with the sparkling blue eyes, long blond hair, gorgeous tan and long legs so admired and desired by their human counter parts has always remained a favorite toy among young girls who often project their ambitions and life wishes onto Barbie as they play pretend. Little girls would brush Barbie’s silky blond hair and dress her up for her â€Å"dates† with the very handsome and muscular â€Å"Ken. † While â€Å"pretend play† is considered to be fairly normal and may even be considered â€Å"healthy† creativity-wise, there are times when the pretense is carried a bit far and extends beyond normal play to the point of crossing into real life. In December 2006, an article appeared in English newspaper the Daily Mail telling of an interview with â€Å"Human Barbie† Sarah Burge (â€Å"I’m the Human Barbie,† 2006, p. 22). In it, Sarah admitted to having had about 26 plastic surgery procedures within the twenty years costing approximately GBP 180,000, even candidly stating that in her whole body, only her feet remained in their â€Å"virgin† state. When asked what she thinks of the label â€Å"human Barbie† Sarah just beans with pride. â€Å"‘I find it extremely flattering,’ she says. ‘Barbie is very beautiful, glamorous and fun. What woman wouldn’t want to be all those things? ‘† (â€Å"p. 22) Burge also goes to point out the additional connection of her being born in the same year the Mattel Company launched the Barbie doll. Tom Knott (1997,p. 2) of the Washington Times probably best sums up the nice but mostly unrealistic and unattainable qualities of Barbie that have been the envy and ambition of females young and old alike: Barbie has had it all for 38 years: the great looks and body, plus the devotion of the equally flawless Ken. It has been a zit-free run. Nothing bad ever happened to Barbie. She did not develop complexion problems. She did not gain weight. She did not start to sag. She did not wake up to find facial hair on her upper lip. She looked as good in the morning as she did at night. Knott, 1997, p. 2) Botta (2003) explains that the problem lies in the fact that women are judged for thinness while men’s masculinity is measured against a rising cultural ideal stereotype of â€Å"V-shaped† muscularity. Botta further states that the connection between exposure to women’s and men’s â€Å"health and fitness† magazines to increasing body dissatisfaction and cases of eating disorders among its readers have already been proven by several studies (Andersen & DiDomenico, 1992; Nemeroff, Stein, Diehl, & Smilack, 1994, Levine, Smolak & Hayden, 1994). Botta, 2003) In addition to these, Botta decries the irony in all these studies was that of all the types of magazines used in the studies, it was the health magazines that presented more stimulus and inducements for their readers to do more body harm. For boys, reading was linked to increased muscularity, which means that the more time they spent reading health/fitness magazines, the more they intended to or took pills and supplements in order to gain muscle and the more committed they were to being muscular. For girls, health/fitness magazine reading was linked to a stronger drive to be thin and to increased anorexic and bulimic intentions and behaviors such as vomiting, abusing laxatives, and fasting. (Botta, 2003) Conclusion Adolescence is well known to be a fragile and confusing phase that everybody has to go through. In seeking to fit in with their peers as well as have an image that is acceptable to all, it is not unusual for young people to try and attain qualities that will make them attractive personally and socially to other people. The idea of beauty with all its accompanying privileges is not a new one. Neither is the fact that people will try to copy or emulate others whom they feel are everything they would want to be. It is a fact that marketers and advertisers are paid to make their wares attractive in whatever way possible. It is also another fact that media survives and makes money through the patronization of advertisers. However, there must and should be a point where the responsibility towards the audience especially those who do not sufficiently possess proper discernment must be factored into the equation. In the recent years, reports of fashion models that have died due to some eating disorder abound. There have been steps to ban stick thin models from the runway, a ban that is yet to be implemented by all the major fashion houses. Young and highly impressionable children are often plopped in front of the television often without any supervision. If adolescents can be so easily swayed by exposure to media, what more of these young kids? Already, news reports of children as young as seven being treated for eating disorders have surfaced (â€Å"Girl of Seven in Diet Danger,† 2006) It is frightening the way â€Å"0† can actually be considered a dress size. Even more frightening when media portrays thin celebrities as â€Å"beautiful† and leading glamorous, exciting lives. What person, young or old, would not want that? Currently however, the way that even celebrities who used to be the standard by which beauty is judged are now facing harsh criticism from their contemporaries is alarming in more ways than one. If celebrities who can afford high priced professional trainers, diets, gym memberships and plastic surgery can still be adjudged negatively, what more of those who do not have access or simply cannot afford all these â€Å"beauty aids†?

Liberace Biography and Profile

Wladziu Valentino Liberace ( May 16, 1919 - February 4, 1987 ) was a child piano prodigy who became a star of live concerts, television, and recordings. At the height of his success, he was considered one of the worlds highest-paid entertainers. His flamboyant lifestyle and stage appearances earned him the nickname Mr. Showmanship. Early Life Liberace was born in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother was of Polish descent. Liberace began playing the piano at age 4, and his prodigious talent was discovered at an early age. At age 8, Liberace met the legendary Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski backstage at a Pabst Theater concert in Milwaukee. As a teenager in the Great Depression, Liberace earned money performing in cabarets and strip clubs despite disapproval from his parents. At age 20, he performed Liszts Second Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Pabst Theater and subsequently toured the Midwest as a piano player. Personal Life Liberace often hid his private life as a gay man by allowing public stories about romantic involvement with women to gain traction. In 2011, actress Betty White, a close friend, stated that Liberace was gay and she was often used by his managers to counter homosexual rumors. In the late 1950s, he sued the U.K. newspaper Daily Mirror for libel after it published statements implying that he was gay. He won the case in 1959 and received more than $20,000 in damages. In 1982, Liberaces 22-year-old former chauffeur and live-in lover of five years Scott Thorson sued him for $113 million in palimony after he was fired. Liberace continued to insist that he wasnt gay, and the case was settled out of court in 1986 with Thorson receiving $75,000, three cars, and three pet dogs. Scott Thorson later said that he agreed to settle because he knew that Liberace was dying. His book Behind the Candelabra about their relationship was adapted as an award-winning HBO film in 2013. Music Career In the 1940s, Liberace reworked his live performances from straight classical music to shows that included pop music. it would become a signature element of his concerts. In 1944 he made his first appearance in Las Vegas. Liberace added the iconic candelabra to his act after seeing it used as a prop in the 1945  film A Song To Remember about Frederic Chopin.   Liberace was his own personal publicity machine performing from private parties to sold-out concerts. By 1954, he earned a record-breaking $138,000 (more than $1,000,000 today) for a concert at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Critics panned his piano playing, but his sense of showmanship endeared Liberace to his audiences.   In the 1960s, Liberace returned to Las Vegas and referred to himself as, a one-man Disneyland. His live Las Vegas shows in the 1970s and 1980s often earned more than $300,000 a week. His final stage performance took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York on November 2, 1986. Although he recorded almost 70 albums, Liberaces record sales were relatively small compared to his celebrity. Six of his albums were certified gold for sales. TV and Films Liberaces first network television program, the 15-minute Liberace Show, debuted in July 1952. It didnt lead to a regular series, but a syndicated film of his local live show gave him widespread national exposure. Liberace made guest appearances on a wide variety of other shows in the 1950s and 1960s including The Ed Sullivan Show. A new Liberace Show started on ABC daytime in 1958, but it was canceled after only six months. Liberace eagerly embraced pop culture making guest appearances both on the Monkees and Batman in the late 1960s. In 1978, Liberace appeared on the Muppet Show, and, in 1985, he appeared on Saturday Night Live.   From early in his career, Liberace was interested in earning success as an actor in addition to his musical talents. His first film appearance occurred in the 1950 movie South Sea Sinner. Warner Bros. gave him his first starring role in 1955 in the film Sincerely Yours. Despite a big-budget advertising campaign, the movie was a critical and commercial failure. He never again appeared in a lead role in a film. Death Outside of the public eye, Liberace was tested positive for HIV by his personal physician in August 1985. More than a year before Liberaces death, his lover of seven years, Cary James Wyman, was also tested positive. He later died in 1997. Another lover named Chris Adler later came forward after Liberace died and claimed that he received the HIV virus from sex with Liberace. He died in 1990. Liberace kept his own illness a secret until the day he died. He did not seek any medical treatment. One of Liberaces last public interviews took place on TVs Good Morning America in August 1986. During the interview, he hinted that he might be sick. Liberace died of complications of AIDS on February 4, 1987, at his home in Palm Springs, California. At first, several causes of death were publicized, but the Riverside County coroner performed an autopsy and declared that those close to Liberace conspired to hide the real cause of death. The coroner stated it was pneumonia as a complication of AIDS. Liberace was buried at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Legacy Liberace achieved his fame in a fashion unique to his own personal style. His presentation of shows as a piano-playing entertainer borrowed from classical music traditions, flamboyant circus-style shows, and the intimacy of piano bars. Liberace maintained an unparalleled connection to his core audience. Liberace is also recognized as an icon among gay entertainers. Although he fought against being labeled as homosexual during his lifetime, his sexual orientation was widely discussed and recognized. Pop music legend Elton John has stated that Liberace was the first gay person he remembered seeing on television, and he considered Liberace to be a personal hero. Liberace also played a key role in the development of Las Vegas as an entertainment mecca. He opened the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas in 1979. It became a key tourist attraction along with his own live shows. The proceeds from the museum benefited the Liberace Foundation of Performing and Creative Arts. After 31 years, the museum closed in 2010 due to declining admissions.