Relationship between Film Form and Meaning Essay

Relationship between Film Form and Meaning - Essay Example The meaning of a film lies in the interpretation that  film  evokes as well as the magnitude of the nature of these interpretations, which can be derived from the  underlying  photographic effects that the film portrays. In most incidences, the  meaning  of films has  frequently  stirred a lot of concerns. Sometimes, some films tend to have an  obvious  meaning owing to their instant accessibility to a wide audience without any difficulty. On the contrary, some films have deeper meanings that are not easy to understand, and  are intended  for a special  group  of  enlightened  audience. Maya (1999) present that the most  crucial  issue in  film  depends on how the films  are meant  to be understood plus the  procedure  by which they  are understood. This issue is often  important  for  film  makers especially when they are intending to  introduce  an  unusual  element  in their product without  being noticed  by the viewers. ... mages in a film may be, if the form of the film does not  stretch  beyond the conventional approach, a film’s  meaning  cannot be easily understood. The form of a film  is usually interceded  through the use of various formal elements, which the film makers  employ  in order to  stimulate  a  certain  effect in the audiences. For instance, in a typical Hollywood  film, film makers tend to combine certain scenes in their films with flashbacks or even at times crosscutting the scenes so as to provide additional information. This way, an audience may be able to predict what  might possibly  happen. Therefore, this shows just how the  form  of a film can  influence  the  meaning  or understanding of a film. Similarly, to  enhance  the  form  of a film, the actions of a film can be shot from different angles thereby providing the viewers with  various  points of view.  Most films  are usually made  of  numerous  shots of different lengths, which  are edited  to  create  the rhythm and  meaning  of a particular scene. One the same  note  the  form  also helps to  distinguish  a  film  from  simple  random footage by incorporating certain stylistic elements such as narratives, sound, which  create  a given  logical  pattern  in a film. In turn, this logical pattern poses a significant impact on the audiences’ feelings,  expectation  as well as their perceived  meaning  of the film. Quite often, Maya (1999)  presents  that it is the  nature  of a film that  normally  leads the audience to have certain expectations that are likely to  follow.  This in turn breeds curiosity, which has quite often been described as the ultimate reason as to why people find themselves immersed and drawn into a film after a few minutes.  This  is sometimes bound  to  occur  even if

Global village Essay Example for Free

Global village Essay America was a time of challenging authority and established conventions. It was into this era that a Professor of Media studies at Toronto University rose to media personality status. Marshall Mcluhan is famous for introducing society to catchy aphorisms such as â€Å"the medium is the message†. Although his theories have always been contested, they were popular at the time and are currently enjoying a revival. One such theory is his vision of the â€Å"Global Village† which I will discuss in this essay. To understand the term, a comprehension of some of his other ideas is necessary. Mcluhan was influenced by Harold Adams Innis who suggested that each medium of communication had a time â€Å"bias† which affected the stability of society. In short, he saw that â€Å"time biased† media such as stone carving would endure time and lead to a stable society. â€Å"Space biased† media, such as papyrus, could easily be revised and lead to an unstable culture (Meyrowitz 1985:17). Mcluhan went beyond this to suggest that different media have â€Å"sensory bias† (Postman went beyond this to argue that the medium contains an â€Å"ideological bias†). Mcluhan saw each new media invention as an extension of some human faculty. In The Medium is the Massage he notes, â€Å"All new media are extensions of some human faculty† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:26). The book illustrates some examples; the wheel of the foot, the book of the eye, clothing of the skin and electronic circuitry of the central nervous system. In terms of the â€Å"global village† the last extension is the most important. He saw us as breaking our ties with a local society and, through our new electronic extensions, connecting globally to a new world of total involvement. â€Å"We now live in a Global Village†¦a simultaneous happening† (Mcluhan Fiore 1967:63). He refers to the village as a global community, existing with a level of connection associated with small rural settlings. We can see evidence for this in terms of what is sometimes termed an â€Å"always on† culture. News travels instantaneously across the globe, 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone (Guardian 2002) and the Internet smashes old barriers of communication. However, the Internet was in its infancy when Mcluhan used the term, which was first used in response to radio. There is some debate over the origin of the term â€Å"global village†. Eric Mcluhan writes that James Joyce reffered to a similar phrase, as did Wyndham Lewis. His opinion is that his father was probably already developing the concept and found it referenced in Lewis’ work afterwards. Mcluhan’s view of the â€Å"Global Village† was positive. He saw it championing greater social involvement and wrote, â€Å"In an electronic information environment, minority groups can no longer be ignored† This is a technological determinist attitude as it holds the medium as the single key to their involvement. Mcluhan also notes, â€Å"there is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:25). This is rather at odds with some of Mcluhan’s other material. He often makes poetically powerful statements about our helplessness in the face of technology (â€Å"All media work us over completely† (Mcluhan Fiore 1967:26)). Digital TV offers increasing interactivity with Internet functions such as e-mail and online banking available next to greater entertainment choices. It is being put to an alternative use in sheltered housing by allowing residents in difficulty to contact the manager; an example of how new technology is including minority groups. However, with the advent of digital TV the Government has come under pressure to sell the broadcasting spectrum that analogue occupies and is planning to do so before 2010. The effects of this look set to create a greater divide than the one it healed. 50% of homes currently have digital TV but a third of homes are unable to receive digital TV at all. A report by the Department of Trade and Industry found that 6% of the population are likely to object to the switch-off based on the cost of upgrading and the belief that we watch too much TV (The Observer, 2004). If the analogue signal were to be switched off, those who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) receive digital TV would have no access to TV. The gap between rich and poor would accelerate and a greater social divide would exist. Technological Determinists refer to a â€Å"technological revolution† and since the invention of this term there has been concern for those left outside. The issue is more complex than Mcluhan presents it and subject to factors beyond that of just the medium. In Mcluhan’s time the Internet was far from the widespread facility it is today. He died in 1980, but only 5 years later the system to which the phrase â€Å"online community† is most pertinent was operational. Internet forums allow a number of people across the globe to converse in real time. The Internet seems to provide the most convincing argument for the â€Å"global village†. With broadband most actions are instant, allowing the user to converse, transfer money, view information and order products regardless of geography. Mcluhan’s idea of electronic circuitry extending the nervous system is easier to comprehend when you consider someone sitting down at a computer. The physical action of typing becomes the cause, but the effect is realised in an electronic global network. Meyrowitz notes how â€Å"At one time, parents had the ability to discipline a child by sending the child to his or her room-a form of ex-communication from social interaction† (Meyrowitz 1985:Preface). This is no longer the case. The Internet offers the possibility of extending our central nervous system across the globe. It is intrinsic in today’s society and much has been written over its social effects. Wellman and Gulia remark, â€Å"those on either side of this debate assert that the Internet will create either wonderful new forms of community or will destroy communication altogether† (Wellman: â€Å"The Networked Community†). The reality is unlikely to be as clear as this (although Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† would suggest that it is). Meyrowitz has argued that new media blur the boundaries between public and private behaviour (Meyrowitz 1985:93-114). The same headline in a newspaper and read by a newsreader are two different messages. Print media does not invite the same depth of character analysis that TV does. The public broadcast begins to merge a private situation and invites a personal reading of the presenter. The personal homepage is an explicit example of the blurring between public and private boundaries. People from all walks of life are making available to the connected world their presentation of themselves. Cheung notes how it can be emancipatory as it allows you to rehearse your presentation (Cheung 2000). Unlike face-to-face communication you can refine your presentation until you are content. Mcluhan envisaged the â€Å"global village† as creating a greater level of social involvement and to some extent we can see this happening with the personal homepage. Individuals are reaching out to a global mass audience to say, â€Å"this is me†. Grosswiler notes that Mcluhan â€Å"would have agreed with the idea that electronic media increase the desire for closeness and intimacy in the Global Village† (Grosswiler 1998:118). However there is a problem in defining what we mean by â€Å"closeness and intimacy†. A personal webpage is more personal than the BBC homepage but not as personal as face-to-face communication. Mcluhan would argue that the â€Å"closeness and intimacy† on the personal webpage is the only type that exists as we live in the â€Å"global village†. For Mcluhan there was no other village and intimacy could be with anyone, anywhere. There is a tendency by those who consider the Internet in a technologically determinist way to view it in isolation. The Internet is for most people not the totality of their social interaction, although it is becoming increasing possible to live your life without human contact. It is possible to order almost everything you could need using the Internet, yet town centres still exist. I may talk to friends online but the majority of communication with them will be face-to-face. Mcluhan is often accused of exaggerating his conclusions and this is evident. While the personal webpage is popular it doesn’t provide a substantial system of interaction. It also clear that while a minority of people make friends online, face-to-face interactions comprise the majority. Mcluhan’s famous aphorism â€Å"the medium is the message,† represents the belief that the medium itself has social impact of which the masses are usually considered to be unaware. If the power of the media is so great, how is it that determinists such as Mcluhan can stand outside of it to comment? Furthermore Mcluhan thought that as soon as we are aware of something as environment, a greater process must be in effect (Mcluhan, Eric). However, Mcluhan was considered knowledgeable enough to sit on a board set up to examine â€Å"the totality of communications problems in modern society† (McBride cited in Briggs and Burke 2002:258-260). The outcome of this report would have made interesting reading but unfortunately political conditions halted proceedings. Maybe I would be discussing a different concept if the report had gone ahead. Mcluhan once remarked that the one thing a fish is not aware of is water. The water determines everything the fish does yet the fish is blissfully unaware. The point is that we are the fish and technology our water. However this doesn’t prove the argument, it simply explains it. At first glance the phrase appears clever yet contains no empirical evidence and is typical of Mcluhan’s inventive and persuasive useful of language. Mcluhan’s global village is perceived as optimistic. Yet a Marxist interpretation offered by Ang notes that â€Å"the making of the â€Å"global village† can be rewritten as the transformation, or domestication, of the non-Western Other in the name of capitalist modernity† (Ang 1996:150-180 cited in Grosswiler 1998:142). While the idea of the spread of communication remains constant, it is seen to destroy individual non-western cultures to make way for capitalist exploitation. The sociologist Tom Nairn argues that while Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† could be reality, it is prevented from being so by the social forms of capitalism† (Nairn 1968:150 cited in Grosswiler 1998:34). He is not denying that it is achievable, but notes, â€Å"The potential of electric media is, in fact, in contradiction with a great deal of the actual social world†. He accuses Mcluhan of creating myths and ignoring the contradictions of his theory. The graphic below compare the distribution of Internet routers and the global population. (Soon-Hyung Yook, Hawoong Jeong, and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi at http://www. cybergeography. org/atlas/geographic. html) It is obvious from the map that the majority of the world is not connected. According to this the â€Å"global village† is made up of a minority of the worlds population. This is a model far from creating greater social involvement and has the potential to create a global divide between the connected and the unconnected. In my introduction I cited a statistic claiming that 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone in support of the â€Å"global village† concept. As with Mcluhan’s aphorisms this initially seems persuasive but closer inspection reveals the truth. The statistic suggests proportionality. As Briggs and Burke explain, â€Å"While there were 600 million telephones in the world in 1982, half the world’s population lived in countries which together had fewer than ten million†. Again this undermines the â€Å"global village† vision and adds empirical weight to Nairn’s criticism that the potential of the media is in contradiction with reality. As with the Internet, the â€Å"global village† is presented here as almost exclusively existing between developed western countries. Mcluhan’s vision dictated that minorities couldn’t fail to be incorporated, yet they have been excluded by virtue of being unconnected. Furthermore the Marxist view upholds that where third-world nations are included, it is only as means of stripping them of identity for capitalist ends. These points considered, it seems that Mcluhan’s vision is not a reality. Much of the world is unconnected and I need cite no evidence that it has not led to world peace. However, it should be noted that Africa is currently leading the way in the realms of mobile phone ownership. It has become the first continent in which the number of mobile phone users exceeds that of landline subscribers. A report â€Å"has estimated that there will be 60 million people using mobile phones by the end of the year more than double the 27 million who have a landline† and mobile phone ownership is growing at an annual rate of 65%, double the global average (Guardian, May 2004). It seems that we may be fast heading toward a â€Å"global village†. However even with Africa’s growth in mobile phone ownership, this still only brings the total to 6% of the population (Guardian, May 2004) and Internet access is considerably lower. While it may be true that a virtual village has been created, it is far from the all-inclusive global vision that Mcluhan prophesised.

Cicso Systems vs Huawei Technologies :: Lawsuit Law Intellectual Property Essays

Cicso Systems vs Huawei Technologies I. Cisco Systems files lawsuit against Huawei Technologies Cisco Systems filed a lawsuit against Huawei Technologies on January 23, 2003 claiming that Huawei had copied, misappropriated, and infringed on Cisco’s intellectual property in its rival line of low-cost networking routers.1 Cisco Systems is an industry leader in providing networking equipment for voice and data transfer. Huawei Technologies is China’s leading manufacturer of telecom and network equipment gear and is viewed by analysts as a formidable competitor to Cisco2. II. Details of the lawsuit Cisco’s allegations include the following:3 . Copying of IOS source code: IOS (Internetworking Operating System) is Cisco’s proprietary operating system. Cisco claims that Huawei’s operating system contains text strings, file names, and even bugs that are identical to those in Cisco’s IOS source code. . Copying of Cisco’s technical documentation: Cisco alleges that whole portions of text from Cisco’s copyrighted technical documentation are found in Huawei’s user manuals for their Quidway routers and switches. . Copying of Command Line Interface: A Command Line Interface (CLI) is the interface through which a user issues commands to a router. Cisco claims that extensive portions of its CLI and help screens appear verbatim in Huawei’s operating system for its Quidway routers and switches. . Patent infringement: Cisco alleges that Huawei is infringing at least five Cisco patents related to proprietary routing protocols. Cisco wants a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting the use, sales, marketing, and distribution of Huawei’s Quidway routers and switches. The suit includes an order to triple all damages, an amount to be determined by a jury during a trial.4 Cisco also took action against a Huawei distributor in the United Kingdom. Spot Distribution received a cease and desist letter for distributing Huawei products that allegedly infringe Cisco’s intellectual property.5 Cisco filed the case in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas,6 nearby Plano, Texas, where it has a subsidiary. The court is reputed to be knowledgeable about patent and intellectual property infringement cases, sympathetic to patent holders, and quick to issue injunctions. While patents granted in the United States are only enforceable in the United States, copyright laws are enforced worldwide.

Authentic Freedom Essay

A human being is free to do as what they please! That’s just an interpretation of authentic freedom. All too often humans think of freedom as a free for all. Authentic freedom is does not mean doing what one wants when one wants to whom one wants, but rather it means, understanding who one is , that a human being is not alone and here to contribute to society. Authentic freedom is a paradox, one that will make you think, but not a contradiction. The more freedom a human being has, the more one is called to respond. â€Å"Freedom is exercised in relationships between human beings. Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect. The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the human person. This right must be recognized and protected by civil authority within the limits of the common good and public order (Catechism, 1732). A human being gains freedom, by exercising freewill in a positive and productive way. People make choices in daily life, choices that affect the ability to live a free life. When one chooses to go counter to the common good, a human being chooses slavery, slavery to the consequences of one’s choice. †The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to â€Å"the slavery of sin† (Catechism, 1733). When a human chooses not to listen to their conscience one chooses to listen to the voice of evil, when that happens, a human being has just entered in to a slave/master relationship. With them being the slave. Freedom allows one to make choices that benefit themselves and more importantly the world around them. Freedom demands of one, or rather obligates one to concern ourselves with the affairs of the world around us. If you look at the world around a human being, countries where freedom is lacking, the overall population is less concerned with their fellow man, then in a freer society. The same can be said of individuals, the more freedom a human being has, and the more responsible one acts to other, on the whole.

Exemplary Leader Philosophy Paper Essay

I never aspired to be an ethical leader before this class. It is not that I acted unethically, but that I never understood the importance of being an ethical leader. As a child, I was constantly changing my mind about what I was going to be when I grew up, but never once did â€Å"ethical† cross my mind. It seems as though this is a common theme among human beings, that we see success through the masculine lens of materialism and consumerism. Being able to acquire the newest, biggest, most innovative thing is what motivates us from a very young age. This is not something to be necessarily ashamed about, because at one point or another, everyone acts out of self-interest and solely for self-advancement. The thing that has to change, however, is the amount of fully-grown adults who still act out of self interest, and more specifically, adults in leadership roles, managing corporations, institutions, cities, states, and countries, that pull their team in the right direction for themselves, and not necessarily for the organization. This class has taught me who I am, both as an individual and as a part of a cohesive team, who I can be, thanks to the concepts and thought-provoking readings and lectures, and how I can get there by utilizing these concepts and strategies. Throughout the course of this semester, I have been able to continue producing the same amount of success as I have in the past, but I have been able to do it the â€Å"right† way. By identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to those opportunities of my personality and character, I have been able to identify my true self. This identification process is the first step toward becoming an ethical and moral example for peers, subordinates, and even superiors, both in a professional sense and in a personal sense. â€Å"History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.† – B. R. Ambedkar This quote, spoken by Indian scholar B. R. Ambedkar, shows the belief in the common phrase, â€Å"business ethics is an oxymoron.† It is this mentality that began the self-fulfilling prophecy that business leaders use as an excuse for unethical behavior. The â€Å"slippery slope† of ethical breakdowns, as Badaracco calls it, begins with a mentality that justifies the diversion of ethics and economics. Throughout the rest of this exploration of the current self, the prospective self, and the presentation of a development plan, I will disprove this mentality. Current Self In order to effectively assess one’s ethical and moral fortitude, one must objectively identify his strengths and weaknesses relative to being an exemplary ethical leader. Furthermore, one must then address each individual aspect of his personality, including character traits, values, and integrity through relative ethical concepts and principles. By executing this process, one can truly learn about oneself and identify the necessary steps to becoming the possible self, or leader he wants to become. The process of identifying your own strengths and weaknesses can be difficult, especially in terms of being completely unbiased and objective. The key to successfully doing this is in relying on factual evidence that supports each strength and weakness. To be considered either, however, there must be a certain consistency in terms of actions as well as intent, which proves the validity of each strength or weakness. During my self-exploration, I thought back to some of my first memories in order to serve as a foundation for my moral potency and character, and to see how my experiences have shaped my personality, both positively and negatively. This process has given me perspective and helped me attain the knowledge necessary to complete an objective report of my own personality, values, skills, characteristics, and motivations. Without this process, I would have been subject to a common decision making fallacy that was taught in my organizational behavior class, known as the tendency to use information at hand, which describes a person’s inclination to make a decision based on readily-available information, rather than fact-based evidence. In this case, the â€Å"readily-available information† would be anecdotes and experiences that â€Å"stick out† in my memory. These examples are not necessarily wrong to use, but basing my process on them wholly would provide data inconsistent with my true personality. Since I can remember, I have always been a fierce competitor. This is shown through my spirited drive to achieve that has permeated my entire life, from academics, to extracurricular activities, to athletics. This competitiveness has both positive and negative effects on my leadership abilities, because I am driven and motivated to achieve goals, but can prove dangerous in team situations where group consensus is necessary. The competitive nature that is ingrained in my personality can lead to a concept called â€Å"me-ism†, described by Badaracco in chapter 4, which explains the phenomenon of being so goal-oriented that you lose sight of the effects that your actions have on other people. This concept can also relate to Badaracco’s inattentional blindness and motivated blindness, which describe occurrences in which one’s personal goals or lack of careful observation override that person’s ability to sense an ethical dilemma. My competitive nature has led to many successes in my life, including winning the New York under-18 state hockey championship, becoming the first non-senior to be an alternate captain on the Wake Forest club ice hockey team, and of course being accepted into this business school. These examples are all evidence of my competitive nature, and describe my desire to lead and win simultaneously. The concept of the future is tremendously fascinating to me. In another BEM class that I took this semester, we did a personality assessment that included over one hundred twenty questions and returned your five biggest personality strengths, and â€Å"futurism† was one of mine. I truly enjoy thinking about the future because of its uncertainty. I feel so much potential and possibility for myself, which is strengthened by my competitiveness. My ability to constantly think about the future while still keeping my â€Å"feet on the ground† and completing my assignments in the present is one of my most powerful strengths. My futurism keeps me on track toward achieving my personal and organizational goals. Becoming a transformational leader begins with the futurist outlook combined with a strong moral potency, which is the combination of three moral factors: moral ownership, moral courage, and moral efficacy. Moral potency, when combined with futurism, provides a leader with a strong moral and ethical foundation on which to base decisions, as well as the ability to envision the potential of a given organization. By acting in this way, a leader can start a chain reaction called the contagion effect, which is the phenomenon that occurs by promoting a transparent, ethical, and fair environment, starting from the C-level executives and â€Å"infecting† every employee underneath. The aforementioned strengths of mine, a strong competitive nature and a futuristic outlook provide me with an ethically-ambiguous foundation, meaning that both highly ethical and highly unethical leaders sport these qualities, and the actions that I make within the next few years will decide on which end of the spectrum I fall. In order for me to ensure that I do not start down the slippery slope of unethical decisions, I must be conscious of the fact that each decision I make has ethical implications, and I also must be weary of my weaknesses that could lead me down the wrong path. Acknowledging one’s weaknesses is critical to the process of defining your current self. As the saying goes, â€Å"nobody’s perfect,† and the only way to minimize the mistakes you make throughout your life is to accept the fact that you do have weaknesses, and to analyze what they are, why you have them, how you act on them, and how to correct them. My competitive drive has led me to have a strong desire to please authority figures, which is a major weakness of my personality, not in the sense that it is bad to desire recognition and achievement, but it frequently leads to Machiavellian, â€Å"ends justify the means† justifications of morally questionable actions. One of Badaracco’s ethical breakdowns, which he discusses in chapter five, the overvaluation of outcomes, directly relates to this personality trait. Two years ago I interned for a brokerage firm on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and my boss was a task-oriented, results-driven leader, a common type in the financial sector. He demanded that the team of four interns provide a daily projection of trade volume based on an algorithm and spreadsheets dating back to the early 1990’s. After being reprimanded by our boss for presenting him with unfavorable figures, we began to slightly alter the bottom line to get his approval. In this situation, we made a major ethical mistake by overvaluing the results. With the knowledge I have gained from this class, I would have analyzed the decision to alter the numbers using the categorical imperative, and in this situation, especially in the financial sector, it would be a very bad thing if my actions became universal norms. Fortunately, the trade projections were strictly internal, and I found out later in the internship that my boss would assign this project to new interns as a way of â€Å"breaking them in† and showing them the harshness of the business world. This desire to please has affected my leadership skills mostly within the context of leading peers, because, when combined with my competitive nature, I realize that there are few things that I will not consider doing to get ahead, which will ostracize me from my peers and create a divide within the group, decreasing my ability to influence others around me. Another weakness of mine is my tendency to overuse legitimate power when it is given to me. Legitimate power, which is defined as power bestowed upon someone over others, can come as a promotion, as it did in my case, when I was voted captain of my varsity hockey team in high school. This promotion gave me nominal power over my teammates off of the rink, but it was enough to leverage and coerce them to follow my orders. Trevino and Nelson outline the psychology I used to justify this behavior in chapter five, in their discussion of informal organizational cultural systems. The norms usually override formal rules, according to Trevino and Nelson. â€Å"†¦Despite formal rules, regulations, codes, and credos, informal norms are frequently the most influential behavior guides and clues to the culture†. The rationalization that â€Å"it’s the way we do things around here† was understood by my teammates, because the captain before me was the same way. It is this lack of moral potency to realize the unethical behavior and act on my personal values that makes this a weakness of mine. In the heat of the moment, it is hard to stop yourself and think about ethical philosophy, but necessary to promote the organizational culture that is conducive and necessary to running a hockey team. This self-exploration has provided me with a sound basis to analyze myself and prepare to make the jump into the business world with a strong moral compass and the ability to create a working plan to become the exemplary leader that I wish to be. However, first I must decide and articulate exactly what kind of leader that is. Possible Self The second step in becoming an exemplary ethical leader is to identify your possible self, that is, the leader that you wish to become at some point in the future. This can be done in a multi-step process, first by identifying exemplary leaders that serve as role models or mentors to you, and then by analyzing their leadership qualities and determining which of those you wish to attain. It is undeniable that every ethical leader chooses to lead with character and integrity, two of the most important characteristics necessary to manage an organization, but just how do you define character? According to Professor Sean Hannah, character is defined by three aspects: moral discipline, moral attachment or attainment, and moral autonomy. The combination of these facets provides a solid basis for the quantification of leadership characteristics. Moral discipline outlines the ability to act in alignment with your personal values, while moral attachment or attainment refers to one’s ability to hold true to your values over time, and moral autonomy is the ability to formulate moral decisions based on your values and decision-making skills, without the influence of outside factors. Both character and integrity play instrumental roles in the development of ethical leaders, as well as in their ability to become role models for lower-level employees. My most recent role model for ethical leadership is Dean Reinemund, because he has been extremely successful as a leader in two vastly different industries, which shows that he has the skills necessary to lead, regardless of the situational context. During his guest lecture in our class, Dean Reinemund spoke about his â€Å"Four C’s of Leadership.† I believe that these four characteristics are immensely important to become a transformational leader with a vision that inspires employees to work at the highest level possible. The first â€Å"C† is character, which Mr. Reinemund describes as having your internal compass point to â€Å"true north†. Having the character to act in correlation with personal and organizational values in the face of adversity is an extremely admirable quality, and is something that I wish to have in my possible self. Mr. Reinemund’s third â€Å"C† is the one that resonated with me the most, particularly because it is the only aspect of his leadership philosophy that cannot be readily learned. Commitment, Reinemund says, is the passionate, internal drive to succeed, and it is something that is ingrained in your personality. Although you can motivate yourself through other, extrinsic means, the â€Å"warrior’s ambition† that Mr. Reinemund describes is a burning internal passion for the work that is being done. This is another facet of an exemplary leader that cannot be left out. Badaracco writes about Aristotle’s â€Å"Golden Mean† in terms of leadership by describing the balance between having a high concern for oneself and having a high concern for others. By attaining this equilibrium, leaders can act ethically and morally to provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This philosophy also relates to Badaracco’s four spheres of commitments that leaders have to navigate during each and every decision they make. Managing the four spheres is an integral part of being an exemplary leader and must be included in my definition of an exemplary leader. The last piece of leadership that I would like to emulate as an exemplary leader is the characteristics of a quiet leader. Modesty, self-restraint, patience, and careful, incremental moves can right, or even prevent, moral wrongdoings without blowing the issue out of proportion. The public displays of heroism, as coined by Badaracco, depicted in movies and television are usually extremely unnecessary and their emotionalism and lack of careful planning undercuts their credibility, while simultaneously decreasing the amount of empathy received from the listener. Being a quiet leader means doing the right thing, especially when nobody is looking, and that is why I admire such a quality and desire to be the quiet leader who allows his exemplary actions speak for him. Action Plan The third and final step to becoming an exemplary ethical leader is to formulate and execute an actionable leadership development plan, which outlines the steps necessary to transform the current self into the desired possible self. By identifying my strengths and weaknesses, and then identifying the ideal leader that I want to become, I can precisely calculate the discrepancy between the two, and what specific steps I need to take in order to become the exemplary leader I want to be. By using course concepts and relating them to my current self, I have come up with the following steps for my action plan: 1. Do not underestimate the weight of any one decision, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be 2. Follow Badaracco’s steps to becoming a quiet leader 3. Apply Trevino & Nelson’s 8 steps to recognized ethical dilemmas 4. Read and reflect on the characteristics of an Authentic Leader every day 5. Establish a strong support group to help assist my decision making and provide comprehensive unbiased feedback These five steps, if followed correctly, will create the optimal environment to foster my development as an exemplary leader. My action plan is conducive to the type of leader that I want to be, because it focuses on further improving my strengths, and transforming my weaknesses into strengths by utilizing concepts and strategies learned in class. The first step is the most important one, because due to my competitive nature, I have a tendency to rush decisions in order to complete tasks more efficiently, but in the long run, especially in the professional world, I must be able to recognize the ethicality of each decision I make. By analyzing every decision I make from now on, whether it is my choice of shampoo or a multi-million dollar contract, I will be able to acknowledge the ethical repercussions of each alternative. My second step is to follow Badaracco’s steps to becoming a quiet leader, particularly the second rule, which says to â€Å"pick your battles†, and outlines the concept of political capital. Leadership is not defined by how many times you â€Å"blow the whistle†, but how much of an impact you had when you did decide to take a stand. Consequentially, I must make ethical decisions like Machiavelli’s fox rather than the lion. By building political capital and using it wisely, the respect that colleagues, superiors, and employees show you will increase, and therefore your ability to influence them will also increase, which will allow you to lead with confidence. Trevino & Nelson’s 8-Steps to ethical decision making are extremely important, because they provide a framework for which to analyze and come to a conclusion about any decision. The â€Å"action† piece of this step is simple: I have handwritten the steps on a small piece of paper and put it in my wallet, so that I can refer to it in any situation. By slowing down and analyzing each choice I make in terms of these 8 steps, I’ll be able to consistently make the best decision possible, which will instill confidence in my peers as well as show potential to my superiors. On the reverse side of my wallet-sized 8 steps, I have written the characteristics of an Authentic Leader, because I believe that simply being a quiet leader is not sufficient. Being a quiet leader is a great way to get things done, but in the long term may result with my leadership becoming â€Å"silent† leadership, wherein my peers and employees cannot easily see how I analyze ethical dilemmas and may start to infer that I rely on bottom-line statistics only. This is where the slippery slope begins, and my fourth step will counteract the possibility of being perceived as ethically neutral. My final step is to create a support group of people from different parts of my life, including peers such as friends and classmates, superiors (teachers and coaches), and subordinates such as the younger players on my hockey team. By establishing this group, I will be able to ask them to give me feedback on my projected personality. The first four steps of my action plan are important to my development as a leader, however they will be meaningless if what people perceive about me is different than what I want. Moreover, a support group will help me integrate my different lives, as Dean Reinemund spoke about in his lecture, by teaching me that in order to be perceived as an exemplary leader, I must have complete alignment between my espoused personal values and my in-use values in every aspect of my life. Solely having an action plan, however, will not give me the results I desire, which is why I must set both short and long term goals for myself in my journey to becoming an ethical leader. Short-term goals are imperative to maintaining my improvement in leadership skills, because without consistent feedback, it is impossible to gauge one’s progress. The support group I establish will provide me with that feedback. Specifically, I will create a point-based survey and ask each person in my support group to complete it. By doing this, I will have quantitative results at the end of each month to see which areas of my personality need improvement. By setting short-term goals, my competitive nature will enhance my desire to improve, until I reach my long-term goals. Perhaps the most challenging task of this assignment was to envision the evolution of my personality from a college student to a business leader, because I did not know exactly how to set long-term goals. After thinking it through, I believe that the most pertinent long-term goal that I can set is to reflect on my life as a leader, and have no decisions that I regret making. This seems vague, but it must be in order to work. By achieving short-term monthly goals, I will achieve my long-term goal as a result, which is the express purpose of short-term goals. If I can look back on my life as a leader when I retire, and I can honestly say that there is not a single decision that I made or failed to make that resulted in an unethical consequence, I will consider myself a success. Conclusion Throughout the course of this assignment, as well as the class as a whole, I have been exposed to completely new ways of analyzing situations and have been able to integrate those concepts and strategies into my daily life. By creating this action plan for the development of my character and leadership skills; I have begun the preparation necessary to successfully lead in the business world, which is an incredibly valuable head start on students in other business schools around the country. B. R. Ambedkar’s pessimistic quote regarding the ethics versus economics dynamic that I used earlier in the paper was a perfect way for me to gauge the effectiveness of my action plan. I believe that through the analysis of my current self, the reflection and projection of my possible self, and the creation of my leadership development plan, I have been able to disprove the mentality that â€Å"business ethics is an oxymoron† and begin to strengthen the mentality that â€Å"ethics is good business, and good business is ethical.† References 1. Sean Hannah, class lectures and PowerPoint presentations, 8/29/2012-12/4/2012 2. Hannah & Avolio, Moral Potency: Building the Capacity for Character-Based Leadership 3. Trevino & Nelson, Managing Business Ethics 4. Badaracco, Defining Moments 5. George, Sims, McLean, & Mayer, Discovering Your Authentic Leadership 6. Badaracco, We Don’t Need Another Hero 7. Reinemund, class lecture 10/4/2012 View as multi-pages

Reconstruction Essay essays

Reconstruction Essay essays Reconstruction was the period of repair after the civil war. It was to repair the North and South, politically, socially, and economically. It was also to rejoin the South back into the union, as it had succeeded during the civil war. President Lincoln wanted to let the South come back to the union and make them pay for it, however the radical republicans wanted to make the South pay for succeeding in the first place and causing the union all the problems. Reconstruction was a dark era of total failure in the governments attempts to create a truly democratic society. When the black slaves were freed, Congress passed three new amendments. First was the thirteenth amendment, the abolition of slavery, second was the fourteenth amendment was that it granted black males citizenship, and third was the fifteenth amendment that granted black males the right to vote. This may sound great and a wonderful achievement, however these amendments were soon forgotten in the South. In 1877, the right to was effectively stripped from the black males. The wealthy whites in the South made sure that black males could not vote. They created poll taxes that black males had to pay. Most of them could not afford it because they were poor and could not get work anywhere. Even if you were a rich black, the money was due weeks in advance and blacks were never reminded that the money was due. They also placed polling places in white communities so as blacks would not be able to get in, they used sign posts to confuse blacks and send them to the wrong place. They used the literacy test as a means of preventing blacks from voting. They would ask black males the most impossible questions about the constitution that not even they knew and would fail them. While whites would get easy questions that anyone could answer. They also used the grandfather clause as well to strip black males of their voting rights ...

The Surprising Day Jobs of 20 Famous Writers

The Surprising Day Jobs of 20 Famous Writers Sure, being a bestselling author sounds glamorous, but its a long road to the top, and sometimes that road starts out with a job mopping up a locker room floor. Most writers who have made a name for themselves in the field had to spend at least a few years toiling away at jobs where no one appreciated their quick wit or their skill for crafting a lovely turn of phrase. Some spent their entire lives working in service industries and didnt have their greatest works published until after their deaths. It makes sense that working for minimum wages in utter drudgery may have been the main inspiration for some of the most revered literary works in history. When creative minds are forced to work mindless jobs, sometimes theyre inspired to create extraordinary stories set in ordinary places. Check out The Expert Editors infographic on the surprising first professions of some of the worlds most famous writers.

When Do College Acceptance Letters Arrive for Regular Decision For Early Decision or Early Action

When Do College Acceptance Letters Arrive for Regular Decision For Early Decision or Early Action SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Applying to college is a confusing and stressful process, but waiting to hear back from the colleges you applied to can be just as anxiety-inducing. When do college acceptance letters arrive? In this guide, we explain when to expect to receive your college decision notifications. We also give you a chart of estimated college acceptance dates for 2019 and offer helpful tips on what to do as you wait for your college acceptance letters. When Do College Acceptance Letters Arrive, Generally? First off, when do college acceptance letters arrive, broadly speaking? While the answer to this question really depends on what colleges you’re applying to, in general most decisions come out in the springtime, that is, in either March or early April. The latest you might hear back from a college will be the first week of April. This is because most schools require decisions from applicants on where they want to attend by May 1. Some colleges work together to release their decisions at the same time. The Ivy League, which is composed of eight highly prestigious colleges, releases its decisions on "Ivy Day," a specific day at the end of March (note that the exact date changes each year). But what if you applied to a college early action or early decision? In these cases, since applications are due earlier (usually in November), you can expect an earlier decision notification as well- usually around December. Some schools offer secondary early decision plans called Early Decision II for which applications are due a little bit later, usually in January. For these plans, decisions should come out around February. Here is a chart showing the general trends of when college acceptance letters come out: Application Deadline Estimated Decision Notification Date November (Early Action/Early Decision I) Mid- or late December January (Early Decision II) February December, January, or February (Regular Decision) March or early April These days, most college acceptance letters will arrive as either an email or application status update on a college’s own application portal. Afterward, you’ll usually receive a hard copy of your acceptance letter in the mail and further updates via email or mail. An Aside: What If You’re Waitlisted? Sometimes, instead of getting a college acceptance letter or rejection, you’ll get a letter stating that you’ve been waitlisted. This means that the college is still considering you for admission depending on how many admitted applicants choose to enroll. As a result, you’ll need to decide (typically by May 1) whether you want to stay on the waitlist to see if you get off it, or take yourself off the waitlist, thereby eliminating your chances of getting in. If you decide to stay on the waitlist, you won’t get a college decision notification until possibly as late as August, right before the school year starts. When you hear back ultimately depends on the school and how quickly it's able to fill up its new freshman class. College Acceptance Dates 2019 We have a general understanding of when college acceptance letters arrive. But when do college decisions come out in 2019? And how do these decision dates differ depending on the college? To answer these two questions, we put together an extensive list of popular schools and their reported or estimated college acceptance dates for 2019. All dates below represent the last day by which you should receive an admissions decision notification (unless otherwise noted); thus, it’s possible you could receive a decision earlier. All schools are listed alphabetically. School Early Action/Early Decision Regular Decision Amherst ED: Mid-December 2018 April 1-7, 2019 Boston College EA: December 20, 2018 Spring Freshmen: December 15, 2018 April 1, 2019 Boston University ED: December 15, 2018 ED 2: February 15, 2019 Late March to early April 2019 Brown ED: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Caltech EA: Mid-December 2018 Mid-March 2019 Carnegie Mellon ED: December 15, 2018 Early Admission (juniors only): April 15, 2019 April 15, 2019 Columbia ED: December 15, 2018 March 28, 2019* Cornell ED: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Dartmouth ED: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Duke ED: December 15, 2018 April 1, 2019 Emory ED I: December 15, 2018 ED II: February 15, 2019 Scholar Programs: March 1, 2019 April 1, 2019 Georgetown EA: December 15, 2018 April 1, 2019 Harvard EA: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Harvey Mudd ED I: December 15, 2018 ED II: February 15, 2019 April 1, 2019 Johns Hopkins ED: December 15, 2018 April 1, 2019 MIT EA: December 15, 2018 Mid-March 2019 Northwestern ED: Mid-December 2018 Late March 2019 Notre Dame EA: Mid-December 2018 Late March 2019 NYU ED I: December 15, 2018 ED II: February 15, 2019 April 1, 2019 Penn ED: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Pomona ED I: December 15, 2018 ED II: February 15, 2019 April 1, 2019 Princeton EA: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* Rice ED: Mid-December 2018 April 1, 2019 Stanford EA: December 7, 2018 April 1, 2019 SUNY System ED: December 15, 2018 EA: January 1, 2019 Rolling Tufts ED I: Mid-December 2018 ED II: Mid-February 2019 April 1, 2019 UC System - Mar 1-31, 2019 UChicago EA: Mid-December 2018 ED I: Mid-December 2018 ED II: Mid-February 2019 Late March 2019 UMass Amherst EA: Starting mid-December 2018 Spring Applicants: Starting mid-December 2018 Starting early March 2019 UNC Chapel Hill EA: End of January 2019 End of March 2019 University of Florida - Mid-February 2019 University of Illinois EA: December 14, 2018 March 1, 2019 University of Michigan EA: December 24, 2018 Early April 2019 University of Rochester ED: December 15, 2018 April 1, 2019 University of Washington - March 1-15, 2019 USC Merit Scholarship Applicants: February 1, 2019 April 1, 2019 UT Austin Priority: February 1, 2019 March 1, 2019 UVA EA: End of January 2019 End of March 2019 Vanderbilt ED I: Mid-December 2018 ED II: Mid-February 2019 Late March 2019 Vassar ED I: Mid-December 2018 ED II: February 1, 2019 Late March 2019 Wake Forest ED: Rolling (as early as December 1, 2018) ED II: February 15, 2019 April 1, 2019 William Mary ED I: Early December 2018 ED II: Early February 2019 April 1, 2019 WUSTL ED: December 15, 2018 ED II: February 15, 2019 April 1, 2019 Yale EA: Mid-December 2018 March 28, 2019* *Estimated Ivy Day 2019 based on the patterns of previous years. Ivy Day is always at the end of March. See our guide to Ivy Day for more info about how we came up with this date. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Waiting for College Acceptance Letters? 3 Tips for What to Do We've given you the general dates you can expect to receive your college admission decision. But what should you do in the meantime, after you’ve submitted all your applications and are waiting for decision notifications from colleges? Here are three essential tips to keep in mind during this time. #1: Focus on School One of the most important steps you can take is to focus on school and keep up your grades. Try your best not to let senioritis hit you, especially considering that most colleges will want to see your final transcripts before you get to campus- even after they’ve admitted you. If you have any big dip in your grades senior year, a college could rescind your acceptance and reject you instead. Do not take any chances at this time! Continue to work hard, study for all the tests you have, and finish your homework on time. Keep making school a priority. Finally, continuing to do well in school is especially important if you plan to take any AP tests at the end of senior year. You want to keep up your studying so that you can earn a passing score on the tests you’re taking, hopefully earning you some college credit. Resist senioritis- keep up with your studies. #2: Apply for Financial Aid and Scholarships If you know you’ll need some help with money in order to attend college, these months of waiting for decisions to come out are an ideal time to shift your focus from college applications to FAFSA and scholarships. Applying for FAFSA makes you eligible to receive federal-, state-, and/or college-sponsored financial aid, including loans, grants, and work-study. If you’re interested in winning free scholarship money, I'd advise you to do some research on any college scholarships you might be eligible for. These scholarships can be based on merit, such as your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, or financial need (or both). For more tips on how to find and apply for scholarships, check out our financial aid blog posts as well as our most popular scholarship and aid guides: Simple Guide: How to Apply for Financial Aid How to Find Scholarships for College: Expert Guide Top Scholarships for High School Seniors The Easiest Scholarships to Apply For Easy Scholarships to Win: How to Find and Apply The Complete List of Community Service Scholarships Amazing Full-Ride Scholarships You Can Win Complete List: Weird Scholarships You Can Win How to Get a Merit Scholarship: 6-Step Guide #3: Keep Tabs on Your Email and Application Status As you wait for college decisions to come out, it’s important that you routinely check your email (whichever email you put down for your college applications) and application status on the school's website. Some schools will only announce their decisions online through their application portals, some will email their decisions directly, and others will mail their decisions before sending out emails (this is becoming less common, though). Even if you’re not expecting to get a college decision anytime soon, try to keep tabs on your inbox and application status. This will help ensure you’re not missing any application materials and that the college isn’t trying to contact you about any last-minute problems with your application. Conclusion: When Do College Acceptance Letters Arrive? There are many answers to the question, "When do college decisions come out?" In general, most college decisions are released online by email or through an application portal in March or early April. If you applied early action or early decision, you can expect to hear back about your application status in December (or around February if you applied Early Decision II). The latest you’ll get a college acceptance letter is the first week of April, since most colleges require admitted applicants to submit their decisions about where they want to attend by May 1. If you get waitlisted at a college and choose to stay on the list, you won’t receive an official decision until possibly as late as August. Once you’ve submitted your applications and are waiting to hear back from colleges, be sure to take these three steps: Focus on school and continue to keep up your grades Apply for financial aid and scholarships, including FAFSA Keep tabs on your email and application status by routinely checking your inbox and the school's application status page As a final tip, stay positive- you never know where you're gonna get in! What’s Next? What do college acceptance letters look like? Learn what a typical college acceptance letter says and how it looks with our in-depth guide. Got rejected from your top-choice school? Or scared of getting a rejection letter? Read our guide to get tips on how you can get through a college rejection and what you can do to improve your chances of getting in. The key to getting a college acceptance letter is having a great application. And the best way to ensure you have an impressive application is to know what looks good on it. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Writing An Academic paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Writing An Academic paper - Essay Example Magill v Magill is a recent legal case. Therefore, my research efforts would be targeted towards websites where I could read the case and the judgments that were tendered, as well as articles in law reviews dealing with the implications of the case. I would also refer to text books that contain materials on the general subject matter of the case, in this case paternity and tort. In the case of a book debt, I would first read financial websites and articles to gain an understanding of the subject and then look into legal websites to find articles dealing with the subject matter and my notes drawn from these sources would form the basis for my arguments and conclusions. I would first of all research Magill v Magill(2006) on Google. This would provide me with an idea about the case itself. The link http://www.canadiancrc.com/Magill/ Magill_High_Court_Media_release_09NOV06.htm provides me information which lets me know that the case of Magill is an Australian case which deals with paternity fraud and the tort of deceit. The CCH website deals primarily with business law while the LBC website has materials primarily on housing law, therefore I would not look into these websites, where it is unlikely that information on torts could be found. However the Australian legal website is likely to be a good source for specific information about the Magill case, as also the Lexis Nexis and/or Westlaw websites. On the Lexis Nexis Academic website, I go to the Legal link. The search terms I enter are â€Å"Magill v Magill† while the sources I specify would be the International Law Reviews combined. However, this search also pulls up several articles on another Magill case which concern intellectual property. So I refine my search by entering Magill v Magill within quotes, and requiring that the word â€Å"tort† be found in the documents retrieved, in order

Diagnostic Radiography Medical Imaging Exam Question Essay

Diagnostic Radiography Medical Imaging Exam Question - Essay Example It also contains three small metallic filters - usually copper, cadmium, and aluminum – placed in different portions of the case to help distinguish among higher energy photons. Each of the metals attenuates photons of different energy values. In summary, this packaging has been devised so that the film badge can measure the air kerma which the wearer has encountered and can also help distinguish the type of radiation to which he or she has been exposed. The outside of the film wrapper has the name, date of issue, and identification number of the wearer imprinted on it. Film badges are a popular personnel monitoring device because they provide a permanent record of each individual’s accumulated exposure. They are also inexpensive and require no technical knowledge to the user. These personnel monitors can be used in the same way as film badges. They are common for whole-body monitoring as well as for special types of monitoring, such as monitoring the hands for radiation. Since they may be affixed anywhere in the treatment field and may be attached directly to a patient, they are often used in radiation oncology applications in particular to verify the treatment plan. Substance that posses the property of thermoluminescence are nonmetallic crystalline solids, usually in powdered form. When electrons in a crystal insulator absorb energy, they move to the higher energy conduction band and all the missing electrons or holes migrate to the valence band. In a thermoluminescent crystal, these excited electrons get trapped in the higher energy state until the crystal is heated to a specific temperature, known as the curie temperature, at which the electrons return to the valence state, radiating the extra energy in the form of visible light photons. Lithium fluoride, lithium tetraborate, and manganese-activated calcium fluoride are crystals commonly used for their thermoluminescent

Children with autism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Children with autism - Essay Example Peer influence plays a dominant role in the development of social relations with others in the community. Children with autism can benefit from friendship and good social relationships. Some of the functions of social relations include natural support function. In that participants can have a non-contingent source of support to enable them accomplish tasks. The other function is that social relations serve as informational and social learning. In this case, participants acquire information concerning the acceptable social convections through interactions and feedback from acquaintances. The third function is advocacy function where social relations cite statements to promote their self-worth. Lastly, social relations serve an affirming action where the participants gain a sense of competence. An analysis of social interaction of kindergarten children reveals that social exchanges prompt positive statements for children. The available developmental data indicates that interactions sta rt from social overtures to an equitable reciprocal basis. The initial intervention efforts aimed to evaluate the functional effects of an increased level of social overtures rarely expose to the positive approach behavior from peers. Chiesa & Serretti (2011) say that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are psychological treatments that can cure chronic pain. Other therapeutic interventions such as surgical techniques provide limited pain reduction in only a subset of patients. The author asserts that MBSR is a meditation initiative conceived in the late 70s in an effort to integrate Buddhist mindfulness meditation with modern clinical and psychological practice. The application of the program to treat different diseases shows good efficacy for mental and physical disorders. MBSR consists of three different techniques that include a body scan, sitting meditation, and

Obama Administration - Israelis and the Palestinians Recently, the Essay

Obama Administration - Israelis and the Palestinians Recently, the Obama Administration has attempted to restart the peace proce - Essay Example Conversely, Palestinians assert that this is impossible. They argue that the only way to attain statehood is through violent attacks rather than non violent negotiations. Israelis are more likely to rate the Obama administration positively by stating that its policies are fair (PEW Research). The Palestinians on the other hand rate the administration negatively as they claim that it favours Israel. This among others is the major issue facing the peace process in the region as a whole. The first issue that involved in the process is concerning territory, settlement and borders. This has remained highly contentious on the Palestinian side. Israel is called upon to state the extent of its territory that is in Gaza, West Bank and the Dead Sea waters (Muasher and Djerejian). Following this transfer territory locations identified by both sides should be established. Finally, proposals should be drawn on both sides to ensure that the swap lands are equal in size and value (Muasher and Djere jian). The question of Jerusalem should be postponed until the final stages of the process as it is controversial and complex (Ibrahim). This issue is highly sensitive and the Obama administration should approach it with caution to ensure successful completion of the process. The second issue affecting the peace keeping process is security. There has been constant fighting between the two sides and this has led to loss of lives, destruction of property and poor rates of economic growth and development (PEW Research). First, it is of great importance to promote Palestine’s internal security abilities. It is imperative to ascertain that a state authority is in power rather than militia groups. Again, Israel should get assurance on their security concerns. Security is the major concern between the two sides and the Obama administration should employ peaceful means to restore peace and calm in the region. The third issue facing the process is economic development. It is important to note that ensuring economic stability of Palestine will be a basis of a finding a peaceful solution to the ancient feud between the two sides. The fourth issue facing the process is that relating to prisoners and refugees. There are numerous refuges particularly living in hazardous conditions. This has created attention world over and amongst humanitarian bodies. It is therefore important to relocate them to safe locations to enhance smooth running of the process. Prisoners are a key issue on the Palestinian side. Releasing prisoners would be a huge step in aiding the peace process. In a nutshell, the core issues are to establish security in Israel and sovereignty in Palestine (Cohen, John and Yellin). The US is coming up with measures to ensure economic stability in the region. In a recent delegation by the Secretary of State Kerry, it was revealed that the US was working with core companies such as Coca- Cola, GE and Cisco to invest in Palestine as a move to boost economic gro wth and development (Ibrahim). Additionally, the 1994 Paris Protocol should be renegotiated to draw the line between relations of the two independent states (Muasher and Djerejian). This is by agreeing to common approaches of sharing of resources and facilitating a tax and customs system that can be managed efficiently by West Bank. Concerning the security problem in Israel, Obama sent the Supreme Commander of the NATO forces, General John Allen to discuss

Amy Cuddy, TedTalk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Amy Cuddy, TedTalk - Essay Example We usually forget another important audience, influenced, mainly by our body language, and that is certainly ourselves. We are not only influenced by our body language our physiology and feelings but also our thoughts. Amy has researched on this issue extensively and has come up with an amazing maxim; fake it till you make it! Her study is based mostly on body language expressions of dominance and power. Amy narrates her experiences with MBA students, who really exhibit full range of body language. Some of the students come, get right in the middle of the classroom like they are occupying space. As they sit down, they are spread out, raising their hands. The other lot is virtually collapsing as they come in, its written all over their bodies and faces as they take their seats and continue making themselves small, even while raising their hands. These nonverbals have a close relationship with gender and the extent of participation and how good they were at it. Women most times feel that men are more powerful than them and thus exhibit nonverbals depicting their powerlessness. This gap in gender grade has been a struggle for business schools and although all students admitted are equally qualified, you realise differences in grades, which is partially attributed to participation. This is what led to Amy’s questioning whether it was possible to convince her students to fake cour age and thus lead to more participation from all. Thus Amy and her main collaborator at Berkeley, Dana Carney wanted to find out if one can fake it, till they make it. That is to say that you can practice this for some time and actually get to experience an outcome in behavior that makes one feel powerful. It is known that our body language governs how other persons may feel and think about us. Evidence exists to support this, but Amy’s and Dana’s question was whether our nonverbals control

Obama Administration - Israelis and the Palestinians Recently, the Essay

Obama Administration - Israelis and the Palestinians Recently, the Obama Administration has attempted to restart the peace proce - Essay Example Conversely, Palestinians assert that this is impossible. They argue that the only way to attain statehood is through violent attacks rather than non violent negotiations. Israelis are more likely to rate the Obama administration positively by stating that its policies are fair (PEW Research). The Palestinians on the other hand rate the administration negatively as they claim that it favours Israel. This among others is the major issue facing the peace process in the region as a whole. The first issue that involved in the process is concerning territory, settlement and borders. This has remained highly contentious on the Palestinian side. Israel is called upon to state the extent of its territory that is in Gaza, West Bank and the Dead Sea waters (Muasher and Djerejian). Following this transfer territory locations identified by both sides should be established. Finally, proposals should be drawn on both sides to ensure that the swap lands are equal in size and value (Muasher and Djere jian). The question of Jerusalem should be postponed until the final stages of the process as it is controversial and complex (Ibrahim). This issue is highly sensitive and the Obama administration should approach it with caution to ensure successful completion of the process. The second issue affecting the peace keeping process is security. There has been constant fighting between the two sides and this has led to loss of lives, destruction of property and poor rates of economic growth and development (PEW Research). First, it is of great importance to promote Palestine’s internal security abilities. It is imperative to ascertain that a state authority is in power rather than militia groups. Again, Israel should get assurance on their security concerns. Security is the major concern between the two sides and the Obama administration should employ peaceful means to restore peace and calm in the region. The third issue facing the process is economic development. It is important to note that ensuring economic stability of Palestine will be a basis of a finding a peaceful solution to the ancient feud between the two sides. The fourth issue facing the process is that relating to prisoners and refugees. There are numerous refuges particularly living in hazardous conditions. This has created attention world over and amongst humanitarian bodies. It is therefore important to relocate them to safe locations to enhance smooth running of the process. Prisoners are a key issue on the Palestinian side. Releasing prisoners would be a huge step in aiding the peace process. In a nutshell, the core issues are to establish security in Israel and sovereignty in Palestine (Cohen, John and Yellin). The US is coming up with measures to ensure economic stability in the region. In a recent delegation by the Secretary of State Kerry, it was revealed that the US was working with core companies such as Coca- Cola, GE and Cisco to invest in Palestine as a move to boost economic gro wth and development (Ibrahim). Additionally, the 1994 Paris Protocol should be renegotiated to draw the line between relations of the two independent states (Muasher and Djerejian). This is by agreeing to common approaches of sharing of resources and facilitating a tax and customs system that can be managed efficiently by West Bank. Concerning the security problem in Israel, Obama sent the Supreme Commander of the NATO forces, General John Allen to discuss

The impact on China foreign exchange reserve if china aids European Dissertation

The impact on China foreign exchange reserve if china aids European union debt crisis - Dissertation Example As economies of the world have become highly integrated because of globalization and therefore poor economic condition of one country or one region of the world could influence the other economy. In other words, China is looking to help the European nations out of this problem so that their poor economic situation does not influence the growing economy of China. Countries like United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, France and several other European countries have good trading relationships with China and sizeable amount of goods are exported from China to European countries and therefore it helps the economy of China to prosper. But if these countries will default then China would not be able to export its goods and therefore demand of their products would be reduced and it could hurt the economic condition of China as well. 1.2. Background to the Research Study: China is planning to give aid to European countries and China is looking this aid as an investment to keep its economic growth. The foreign exchange reserves of the country at the end of December, 2011 were $3.18. This foreign exchange reserve reflects the strong economic condition of China. This foreign exchange reserve would allow China to help and bail out European countries suffering from debt crisis. Although, China has made investment in several parts of Europe and even China has increased its investment almost thrice between 2009 and 2010 however Europe requires a lot more aid and investment to get out of trouble. Not only Chinese investors have made investments, but bonds of different European banks have also been purchased by China to boost the economic condition of European Union.... There are different benefits to China if they help the European region. The aid would help China to improve its image plus it would help them to have better return on their investment. Also with this aid, China would be able to have a greater say in European and financial talk. According to Chinese government, the investment would be safe because European countries are facing temporary issues however they are rich nations. Not only this would be a safe investment, but it would be helpful for China to enter into certain parts where their products have not been dominating and several other European countries could be entered by China in which they were not been able to export sufficient number of product. In addition to this, European countries like United Kingdom, Germany and France are important trading partners of China and helping them would give them advantage in the long run. Therefore, the investment would be highly beneficial for the country in the long run. 1.3. Rationale of t he Research Study: The researcher has started conducting research to identify and analyse the impact on Chinese foreign exchange reserves if China aids European nations to help them out of debt crisis. European nations are important trading partners of China and helping them out from this crisis could not only be an investment but this would be helpful for China to maintain their economic growth rate (REUTERS, 2011). If European countries default then the exports of China would be hurt and this could hurt the economic growth rate of China and as a result this would hurt the demand of Chinese products. So, with lower demand the industries in China would suffer and it

A Hunger Artist Essay Example for Free

A Hunger Artist Essay Misunderstanding must be exposed and handled accordingly in order for understanding to occur Throughout the short story, â€Å"A Hunger Artist†, misunderstanding often created a separation of artist from society. Franz Kafka uses various literary elements and devices such as symbols and conflict to demonstrate this theme. One way that Franz Kafka explicitly displays misunderstanding in â€Å"A Hunger Artist† is through his use of symbolism. Throughout the work, the hunger artist was locked inside of a cage to isolate himself from the fickle public. This cage represents alienation from society and also a barrier that prevents understanding. The spectators’ positions outside of the cage prevent them from truly appreciating the hunger artist’s feat and often times causes those to misunderstand the concept of â€Å"art† that the hunger artist is attempting to exhibit. In the artist’s case, being an artist means cutting oneself off from the world and this is reflected in the artist’s conscious choice to sequester, or seclude, himself in a cage. The physical separation of hunger artist and spectator that the cage creates mirrors the spiritual separation of the individual artistic ego and public will. This separation in mindset leads to a critical dividend in understanding in which only the hunger artist realizes the importance of his ambitions and accomplishments. In regard to the artist’s behavior, the impresario would apologize as stated, â€Å"He would apologize publicly for the artist’s behavior, which was only to be excused, he admitted because of the irritability caused by fasting; a condition hardly to be understood by well-fed people† (Kafka 3). Spectators often misinterpreted the point that the hunger artist was attempting to portray. The purpose of the cage was to secure him from those who do not understand him. Another way that Kafka demonstrates misunderstanding is through his use of external conflict. The hunger artist’s troubled relationships with his spectators suggest that the artist exists apart from society and must therefore be misunderstood since the spectators do not perceive art in the same sense that the hunger artist does. This conflict ultimately occurs on more than one occasion throughout the text. The artist does not want to be rewarded with materialistic contributions and/or praise from the public; he finds the greatest reward in others’ understanding of art from his perspective. The public pretend to admire the hunger artist’s accomplishments merely because they do not understand the true concept of art that the artist is striving to convey. Kafka states, â€Å"His public pretended to admire him so much, why should it have so little patience with him; if he could endure fasting longer, why shouldn’t the public endure it? † (2). The fickle public that the hunger artist encounters does not pay him as much attention as he expected. The public are glad to finally see the artist stop his fasting so they are able to proceed on with their lives; they don’t show much interest in the art of fasting. In an article, Ian Johnston translates, â€Å"In the last decades interest in hunger artists has declined considerably†¦Back then the hunger artist captured the attention of the entire city. From day to day while the fasting lasted, participation increased† (Franz Kafka A Hunger Artist). This explicitly expresses the reason why the public show no interest in the hunger artist’s fasting. An art that was greatly appreciated before has now died down and is not trendy. The hunger artist’s attempts to gain the public’s recognition of the true concept of the art of fasting have failed. From reading the short story, â€Å"A Hunger Artist†, one can gain the concept of how important it is to expose misunderstanding before true understanding can develop. Whether it be with an in-depth look at art or simply a misunderstanding between two people, developing an understanding is vital. The reason for misunderstanding must be addressed and handled accordingly prior to proceeding in the process of understanding. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. A Hunger Artist. Prague: Twisted Spoon Press, 1996. N. pag. Print. Yancey, Phillip. Good Reads. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. lt;http://www. goodreads. com/quotes/tag/misunderstandinggt;. Understanding. Def. 2a. Merriam-Webster. n. d. N. pag. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. lt;http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/understandinggt;. Johnston, Ian. Franz Kafka: The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories. Arlington, Virginia: Richer Resources Publications, 2009. N. pag. Web. 11 May 2013. lt;http://www. richerresourcespublications. com/Books/Classic_Books/Philosophy/Kafka/Franz_Kafka. pdfgt;.

Effect of Print Media on Society and Social Change

Effect of Print Media on Society and Social Change How Far and in What Ways is it Reasonable to See the Development of Print as a Motor of Revolutionary Social Change? Abstract Print and the ways of presenting the written word have had a long history in which the ideas that were possible to be communicated through these written words profoundly influenced human history. The first movable type of print consisting of baked clay was developed in China in AD 1050. This was followed by the wooden movable type of print that was also invented in China in AD 1300. However, it was the invention of Gutenberg which brought together a number of technologies to bring about the first printing press which had a capability for conveniently and inexpensively bringing print to the masses. The Mid – 15th Century invention has since then assisted in bringing about profound and revolutionary changes in human societies and culture around the world. The development of print, which was by itself a revolution, made it possible for knowledge and ideas which had previously been the preserve of the privileged nobility to be brought to the masses. The media was born as a result of the invention of the print and this media not only brings culture and information into the private domain of individuals, but also sets societal standards, trends and a whole way of life through print advertising. Print made it possible for ideas to be discussed and a societal consensus to evolve as a result of these ideas being able to be communicated cheaply and effectively. Political revolutions, the evolution of science and technology, culture, religion and the interactions of humanity have all been profoundly influenced by print, which is still evolving from its earlier beginnings and has the capacity for inducing profound as well as revolutionary social change. This brief essay takes a look at how print can act as an agent for bringing about social change and also just how far print can go towards influencing such a change.   Contents (Jump to) Introduction The Capacity of the Print to Influence Revolutionary Social Change in the Future Conclusion Bibliography / References Introduction Ever since the Mid-15th Century when Gutenberg had discovered the idea of the first movable type printing press, the print media has profoundly shaped the world in which we live. Printing brought together the technologies of paper, oil based ink and the engraved lettering to quickly as well as cheaply make many copies of the content which was required to be printed. Although the written word had been discovered much earlier then the time of Gutenberg’s invention, its power and value had been limited because of the difficulties associated with its quick and inexpensive reproduction. Written manuscripts containing ideas, human knowledge and information had been very expensive and cumbersome to reproduce, limiting their access to the privileged and the noble classes with mostly oral traditions of communications being relied on. As a result of inventions such as the movable type and later the electronics communications technologies, humanity now lives in the information age when ideas abound and are communicated to millions instantly. The advent of electronics communications technologies has invariably propelled the print into a new light, making it easier to store, process and exchange information. Obviously, such capabilities expanded the breadth as well as the depth of thinking of an average individual and thus transformed the society in which they lived. Because the technologies associated with printing are constantly evolving, therefore, it is very likely that the evolution of these technologies will continue to have a revolutionary impact on the society at large. The invention of printing by itself was revolutionary and since its inception, the technology has continued to shape the world and humanity (Jones, 2000, Chapters 1 – 6), (White, 1979, Chapters 1 – 5) and (The University of Vermont, 2005, Complete). Literature related to history has indicated that printing profoundly influenced change in the Europe during the Middle Ages, assisting in bringing about the Reformation, Renaissance and the Scientific or Technological Revolutions. The Protestant Revolution and humanity’s change in the concept of the earth – centred to the sun – centred universe were also influenced by the print making it possible for the ideas to propagate. Print made it possible for the many millions to examine ideas, debate their usefulness and present their own views, resulting in a consensus being developed much more rapidly then would have been otherwise possible. A greater level of homogeneity was brought about then would have been otherwise possible. The print is something which could be understood and interpreted by humanity and its processing, reproduction, transmission or storage only assisted in making it more appealing or conveniently presentable to the mass audience. It is the conven ient and ready availability of sound ideas in print with a capacity for appealing to the mass logic which has the capacity for bringing about radical social change, if the ideas that are being presented in print are logically sound and appealing to the mass audience. It was the availability of information, ideas and the desire of the masses to be informed of these, along with their desire to have access to knowledge that was the birth of democracy. No longer was knowledge and wisdom in the sole custody of the privileged few and it was the collective will of all who could access as well as understand the print which determined the future of societies, cultures and nations. Nearly all political revolutions in the world after the Middle Age in Europe were made possible because there was the support of the masses which was pitted behind such changes and such support was only made possible because it was convenient to communicate through the print. Oral traditions had required a vastly s uperior effort and because of a limited capability for the oral message to be communicated to a large audience, societal decisions were made by a few. Even established religion benefited enormously from the capabilities of the print. Although the wine or olive oil screw type press had been in use in Europe much earlier then the invention of Gutenberg and block – print technology had been known of since the time of Marco Polo’s return to Europe from his travels to China at the end of the 13th century along with mass paper making techniques which produced paper that was considered to be too flimsy for use in books, it was Gutenberg’s invention that brought together many technologies to make print seriously feasible, opening up the way for a capacity to influence social change like it had never been possible before. The private experience that was made possible as a result of the print invariable led to the public expression of an individual’s personality, c haracter and beliefs which had been shaped by their private experiences (Eisenstein, 1979, Parts 1 and 2), (Eisenstein, 1993, Chapters 1 – 5) and (Briggs, 2001, Chapters 1 – 5). It was the development of the print which gave birth to the media which used print to bring culture and information into private spaces of individuals. In addition to bringing culture and information into the private spaces, the media also shaped society by presenting advertisements which prompted individuals to purchase, prefer a way of living, develop societal standards and highlight issues as well as setting trends. Having advertisements presented in print led to more print as more newspapers, magazines and journals were sold and print itself blended into the fabric of the society, transforming culture, thinking, values and expectations for the future. This domino effect also provided a vocation for many who are associated with the print industry and a new set of professions was introduced. It was print that assisted in the evolution of technology in general and the design of the new electronic communications media which is in the process of further changing societies (Dewar, 2000 , Complete), (Eisenstein, 1979, Parts 1 and 2) and (Eco, 1995, Pp 71 – 74). The history of the print had to be discussed in order to be able to make some sort of predictions about the future. The potential for bringing about revolutionary social changes in the future is still very much a possibility and it is worth investigating how print can influence and bring about social change. Technology and lifestyles are constantly changing and the way in which print technology influenced society is also evolving. Without the development of the print, humanity will be living in an oral society with its enforced illiteracy of the masses and the manipulation of the oral tradition or knowledge to suit the purposes of individuals or the state, as was the case in China prior to the development of the print. In such a society, the creation as well as the possession of knowledge is only restricted to the few creators of knowledge and there is a capacity for the masses to be fed what versions of oral truths that suited the political powers of the day. Development of exact sc iences, technology, logic and reason was, therefore, very much hindered in the oral society which emphasised more on rote memorising rather then an understanding of its knowledge (Dewar, 2000, Complete), (Eisenstein, 1979, Parts 1 and 2) and (Eco, 1995, Pp 71 – 74). In this brief essay, an attempt has been made to take a look at the development of print and its potential for as well as the manner of bringing about revolutionary social change in societies. The Capacity of the Print to Influence Revolutionary Social Change in the Future It is necessary to understand the historical influences of the print in bringing about revolutionary social change so that the future implications for social change can be considered. The history which has been discussed in the introduction to this essay was presented with this concept in mind. The modern educational systems around the world, the production of books, the growth of the literati culture and the popular culture are all made possible because printing and the economic reproduction of the written word is possible. Books on a subject have to accumulate in order to make a difference and these books must be logically correct and present the truth in order to be of lasting value. The ideas that are presented in print are still subject to criticism, debate, investigation and understanding prior to acceptance. Advances in technologies which continue to make the production of print easier, faster and more economical also attempt to present the print in more innovative ways. These technologies also free up humans to try and produce better quality of print and to try to understand the message instead of devoting more time to the production of the message. In developed societies, it is not just the print which counts but the quality of the ideas in print that are of the greatest importance. The qualities of ideas that are presented and recorded in print determine the state of intellectual development of the society and its capacity for improvement as well as gaining an edge over other societies. Some print is very highly regarded because it represents the essence of human knowledge, understanding or universal truths. Encyclopaedias, handbooks, the Scriptures and standard texts represent the print which the society has accepted as being of timeless importance after much debate, criticism and consternation. Often, the knowledge stored in print in these important books will represent the culmination of great struggles, triumphs of understanding, conflict and even bloodshed. However, print represents ideas and the truths which have to be utilised in order to be of benefit. The print must be of importance and it should be given importance for the benefits of the print to become available. Respecting print means that the ideas, knowledge and truths that are contained in the print are being respected, considered, given importance to and are held as being profoundly important for the individual, humanity and the society. Giving respect to the Holy book does not mean that there is respect for the paper, ink or the quality of craftsmanship but that there is respect for ideas. Hence, unless the print is capable of producing ideas which are accepted as being profound, important and of significance for the future, the capacity of the print to bring about revolutionary change is restricted. Therefore, a progressive society which has the capacity for benefiting from revolutionary change must also have a system for producing the ideas which are of profo und importance. These ideas must then be held as being important and acted upon or implemented into practical realities. Unless the message which is considered to be of importance is transformed into practical reality by a society, the society cannot benefit from the message or the ideas and hence the print itself is not able to induce change. In the context of social change, there has to be a requirement for change which is embodied in a vision of something better and this vision must be sufficiently appealing to the many, or to those who are important in the society, for the vision to be attempted to be transformed into practical reality by committing resources, effort, taking the risks involved in change, going against the established order, getting organised or the pitting of an organised movement against tyranny to produce change. A developed society has to have a system for using print to disseminate or generate ideas, conduct discussions and a scrutiny of these ideas. There h as to be a constant desire to have something better and to transform ideas into practical realities. Print can act as a vehicle for conveying ideas and their wider scrutiny but print by itself is important because it can do this in an economical, effective and appealing manner in order to effectively make the ideas available to the many (Jones, 2000, Chapters 1 – 6), (McGINN, 1991, Chapters 1 – 4) and ( Dewar, 2000, Complete). Although the basic reason behind the importance of print and its capacity for influencing change are the ideas that are contained in the print, the manner in which the print can be presented, communicated, stored, manipulated and the knowledge which is considered to be of importance retrieved from the print is also constantly being influenced by the force of ideas and changing. The capability of presenting the printed word as a sequence of signals in a computer and its rapid manipulation has made it possible for the society to consider and develop ideas much more rapidly then it was previously possible. This capacity has been of great benefit to the society but it has also had an impact on the printing of ideas on paper. Print on paper must now coexist with print as an electrical signal and the society has progressed sufficiently for the rapid and cheap transformation of the print on paper to the electronic print to be made possible. Hence, centralised printing presses are now still useful but they are being challenged by the distributed printing presses which are capable of quickly transforming the electronically stored print into print on paper when required. A cheap printer connected to a computer which is linked to the World Wide Web has the capacity for tapping into a huge reservoir of ideas and the human repository of knowledge. These ideas can be selectively printed as required on paper for the convenience of the human users. The larger press is used for printing material for which there is a confirmed demand and it is very likely that in the future all kinds of books will be downloaded from websites when and if required to be viewed on small or computerised portable reading equipment. The price of such computer equipment which need not be as sophisticated as a laptop computer, but which can also integrate a lot of other functions into it such as the communication function and the entertainment function is progressively declining. This does not mean that the printing press is likely to become idle, because humanity has a requirement for all kinds of packing, wrapping and informative material which is in constant demand. However, it is very likely that the high value added print material will be preferred in the electronic format and stored on web servers or the CD – ROM to be downloaded when required for payment by electronic means. The benefits of purchasing a book in the electronic format are much superior to having a published book on paper. New editions can be rapidly produced and information in the electronic book readily manipulated. This is already happening and the only reason why individuals still prefer to read paper books is because the display technologies which provide the written word in human readable form need to be improved and made more affordable. That this is happening is the beginning of another social revolution which is likely to gain momentum with time. Hence, humanity is moving towards an age in whic h there will be far fewer books in the paper print form and very many web repositories from which electronic books, newspapers and magazines can be downloaded. There is likely to be an emphasis on having small portable devices which will have the telecommunications capabilities and pleasant displays that are affordable. Such devices can usher in a new social revolution. Such a social revolution is not likely to be bad because the dwindling global forests require new attempts to conserve energy and reduce waste. A burgeoning repository of human knowledge means that permitting rapid access and manipulation of the electronic print is required. This, however, does not mean that there is not going to be a demand for the editors, the creative writers, researchers, scientists, technologists and philosophers etc who generate the content which could previously have been printed on paper only. There is in fact likely to be a greater demand for such creative individuals, especially those who a re capable of producing quality. The creative content industry will continue to boom and there will be a greater demand for good content because content will still be king. It is very likely that even schooling will be more distributed with pupils being able to download their lessons from a server rather then physically carrying backpacks of books to school. Universities will become more of a place for conducting research and generating new content then a place for disseminating this content through print on paper. The transmission of knowledge through the vastness of the globe and even into space and under the ocean will become an instantaneous affair rather then requiring the transportation of huge piles of bulky paper across the vastness of oceans, on ships, for the force of ideas and enlightenment to be unleashed in a dark region of the world. Language and the printed word, or rather the represented word is still important because this is what humans understand. However, the nee d to print this word on paper will be diminished. It is all a question of economics and developing newer and more capable computerised devices is gradually changing the way humans live. Sufficiently reduce the cost of portable computing equipment, software as well as the cost of telecommunications and the revolution will be very much accelerated. It is surprising that many publishers have not taken up the challenge and produced important books which can be downloaded from web stores. This most certainly has something to do with the price an individual has to pay for the right viewing hardware for electronic text. Widespread adoption of such hardware is also limited by its fragility and complexity. Young children and many elderly individuals can find it difficult to operate viewers of electronic text and hence prefer the printed word. Perhaps there is a need for the invention of a cheap device with the human / computer interface vastly simplified for the purpose of reading and intera cting with the electronic text. A new revolution is certainly possible and it is very likely already happening, in which humanity will live in a world without the printed book (Dewar, 2000, Complete) and (Smith, 1994, Chapters 1 – 4). Revolutionary social changes have always depended on the force of ideas which used to be conveyed through the print after an age of the oral tradition. However, the printed word on paper is now becoming rather inconvenient as a medium for transmitting and disseminating these ideas and humanity has found more convenient ways for doing this. However, for revolutionary social change to be possible there has to be a need for change, merit in the ideas and a capacity to topple the existing order or norms of the society. History has indicated that despite the force and the might of tyranny, it is the soundness of ideas and their appeal to the masses which are the engines for change. Hence, ideas presented through the written language must be widely available and considered to be important by the masses for revolutionary social change to take place. Because of the high cost of the computing equipment and the complexities involved in its operation as well as the fragility of the equipment, s uch equipment is still in the process of gaining a wider acceptance. Costs associated with communications and a decent bandwidth for telecommunications is also another deterrent. It will still take some time for the full effects of the information age to become apparent and there will be many unintended consequences of change in this age. However it is very likely that in the future, the print media will give way to the electronic text viewers / communicators as the most widely means for distributing these ideas and conducting social debates on them. Humanity has indeed come a long way since the invention of the printing press (Briggs, 2001, Chapters 1 – 5) and (Cooper, 2004, Complete). Conclusion The print media has contributed very significantly to bringing about social change since the invention of the Gutenberg printing press. The renaissance, the scientific revolution and many other political revolutions benefited from the capability of the print to cheaply and conveniently disseminate ideas. It was, however, the force of these ideas which was behind the revolutions and the print acted by accelerating the dissemination, debate and acceptance of ideas, something which was not possible to be done in the oral tradition. In the present age, the electronic word is gradually going to replace the printed word as a more convenient and faster means for disseminating ideas as the technology and its present limitations are gradually overcome. References/Bibliography American, p. International Printing Pressmen and Assistants Union of North America 1965, Development of the printing press, 1450-1965 : 75th anniversary of the American Pressman [Pressmens Home, Tenn. : International Printing Pressmen and Assistants Union of North America]. Atiyeh, G. N. 1995, The book in the Islamic world: the written word and communication in the Middle East Albany; [Washington, D.C.]: State University of New York Press: Library of Congress. Atton, Chris. (2002). Approaching Alternative Media: Theory and Methodology. Napier University, Scotland. Retrieved: August 25, 2005. From: http://www.ourmedianet.org/papers/om2001/Atton.om2001.pdf Banks, W. H., International Conference of Printing Research Institutes (, Krems) 1971, Recent developments in graphic arts research : (proceedings of the tenth International Conference of Printing Research Institutes held in Krems, Austria, 1969) Oxford : Pergamon Press. Barker, N. 1992, Aldus Manutius and the development of Greek script type in the fifteenth century, 2nd ed edn, New York : Fordham University Press. Batey, C. 1954, The printing making of books: an examination of tradition with an assessment of the trends of invention and the development of techniques presently discernible in the several crafts devoted to the making of books Oxford: Privately printed at the University Press. Baumgarten, J. Frakes, J. C. 2005, Introduction to old Yiddish literature Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bernard Quaritch (Firm) 1888, [A general catalogue of books offered to the public at the affixed prices], Monumenta typographica: a catalogue of books produced by the earliest typographers in all countries, arranged so as to illustrate the history of the origin and development of the art of printing; as well as the publications of the famous Aldine, Giunta, and Elzevir Presses; preceded by some examples of prae-typographical printing edn, [London]: [B. Quaritch]. Bijker, W, Hughes, T and Pinch, T (eds) (1988) The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology, Cambridge MA: MIT Press. Blades, W. 1968, Books in chains, and other bibliographical papers Detroit: Gale Research Co. Bolton, C. Alembic, P. 1981, DeLittle, an English wood-letter manufacturer: including a brief history of the development of wood-type Winchester: The Alembic Press. Braden, C. S. 1970, Spirits in rebellion. The rise and development of New Thought. (Third printing.) Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press. Briggs, Asa and Peter Burke. (2001). A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Paperback). Polity Press. Retrieved: August 25, 2005. From: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0745623751/002-0897207-2795222?v=glance British Printing Industries Federation. Development and Technology Committees Composition Group 1984, The ASPIC handbook: a guide to authors symbolic pre-press interfacing codes London: British Printing Industries Federation. Cambridge University Press 1938, Cambridge University Press: notes on its history and development, 6th ed edn, Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: The Press. Carter, R. Open University 1984, Systems, management and change: a graphic guide London: Harper Row in association with the Open University. Ceruzzi, P. E. 2000, A history of modern computing Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press. Charles, R. 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