Research Articles Base: Television

EQUALITY IN THE WTO: A REBUTTAL ON THE ARTICLE OF JOHN MANZELLA

The article of Manzella on globalization presents an argument that is clearly in favor of the process. It starts of with his quotation of a Chinese proverb and relates this to his definition of the term globalization. He noted that with the emergence of globalization, “infinite possibilities, greater freedom and new hope for the poor” will come forward. He kept on with his discussions with citing the Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo. The main argument that is observable in this article is presented when Manzella stated that “helping the world’s poorest countries become globally integrated will position them for greater growth in the 21st century.” It is implied in his argument that what Manzella meant by “poor countries” include those developing and under developed countries. The problem with the promise of helping these countries in need is the apparent inequality in the system, particularly in the decision making process of the organization. Issues and proposals for restructurings in the WTO’s decision-making processes increased in eminence first following the fall down of the 1999 Seattle Ministerial Conference, on account of which Members undertook to have debates associated to internal transparency and involvement. The last foremost formal debate among Members on these concerns transpired for the duration of the July 2000 assembly of the General Council. Throughout that gathering, the then-General Council Chairman, Ambassador Kare Bryn of Norway, required to recognize, anchored on his discussions with Members, what he sensed were the typical of the debates with regards to internal accountability and involvement towards acquiring a consensus.  Official WTO decision-making processes are presided over by Article IX of the WTO Agreement. Consensus decision-making is profoundly entrenched in the WTO decision-making arrangement, and has its origins in GATT 1947 decision-making procedures. (WTO Agreement, Art. IX.1) Article IX.1 of the WTO Agreement specifically points out that an inclination for consensus decision-making above that of conventional majority voting.  Consensus is characterized in the WTO Agreement as the organization involved shall be believed to have made a decision by consensus on an issue presented for its consideration, if no Member, in attendance at the assembly when the decision is obtained, officially opposes to the suggested decision. The description of consensus in Article IX.1 of the WTO Agreement rests significance on the actual and learned or informed attendance of a Member’s delegate throughout the meeting in which the decision is completed; and the compliance of such Member, throughout the meeting, to officially and clearly point out that it is in opposition to consensus on the suggested decision. In this type of “passive” consensus, both nonattendance from the assembly and silence or non-objection throughout the assembly are corresponding to joining in the recommended consensus. However, given the capacity and resource constraints that many developing countries face in terms of their representation and participation in the WTO’s day-to-day business in Geneva, as opposed to what Manzella claims, developing countries might not be able to fully maximize the potential of the consensus decision-making approach indicated in Article IX.1 of the WTO Agreement in guaranteeing that their outlook and points of view are unmistakably attended to and completely emulated in the concluding outcomes of the procedure. To deal with the underperformances of the existing “passive” consensus regulation in the WTO, Members could probably aim to spell out the manner through which consensus could be put across. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

EQUALITY IN THE WTO: A REBUTTAL ON THE ARTICLE OF JOHN MANZELLA

The article of Manzella on globalization presents an argument that is clearly in favor of the process. It starts of with his quotation...

HIV Counselor, Phlebotomist

People in a certain community represent different beliefs, norms and cultures and personalities.  These are some of the reasons why an individual is totally different from other people even if they belong to a group.  College community is never an exemption to this reality; since it is known that college is composed of diverse population. As I decide to enroll in college, I know that I will encounter different people with different personalities.             However, with my experiences as a HIV Counselor, Phlebotomist, HIV Educator and Case Manager for 8 years, I know that I will be able to adjust to the diverse community in College.  With my job before, I have learned to become more patient in dealing with other people and to show sincerity in every people I met by showing concerns to their needs.  I also work as an Outreach Coordinator in a substance abuse agency.  This gave me the opportunity to enhance my personality in dealing with diverse population.  Through this, I am able to enhance my communication skills, become a better person and understand the differences of people.             I think, the lessons that I have learned from my past works and my enhanced personality in dealing with diverse people will serve as an important factor that I can use when I enter the diverse community in College. Through my past experiences I will be able to inspire other people in college that being different is not a hindrance to have a harmonious relationship with other people in college.  I can also share my past experiences to the people that I will meet in college and let them know that the key to have a good college relationship is to accept each other’s personalities, abilities and beliefs.  Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

HIV Counselor, Phlebotomist

People in a certain community represent different beliefs, norms and cultures and personalities. These are some of the r...

Guide in Truly Comprehending the Film

This paper will discuss a film that clearly illustrates the idea of ethnocentrism. It will try to identify and to and to highlight the process and concept of ethnocentrism through the ideas and thoughts conveyed by a film thru its viewers.  It will also try to provide a holistic account of a film using the ethnocentricity as a model and as a guide in truly comprehending the film.             The film that was chosen was the film entitled “Lost in Translation” starring Bill Murray as Bob Harris and Scarlett Johansson as Charlotte. Bob is an aging Hollywood actor on the downward slope of his career who went to Tokyo to record a whiskey commercial and to finally salvage his career. Charlotte meanwhile is the wife of a famous photographer who is always busy shooting his talents. Because of loneliness, alienation and depression in a foreign land, they met up in the hotel barroom creating a bond of friendship between the two. This film clearly illustrates and gives emphasis to the concept and process of ethnocentrism. On the textbook and other academic papers, ethnocentrism is defined as the tendency to view another society’s culture through the eyes of the culture that you belong. To make it clear, ethnocentrism refers to the viewing, interpreting and comprehending a specific culture by looking at it through the perspective and standards of the culture that a person belongs to. This concept refers to the judging and evaluating of a specific culture using the criteria and benchmark advocated by the culture of the person who is observing.             In the humble words of this student, ethnocentrism refers to the prejudging the intricacies of a strange and alien culture. It refers to the judgment passed by an individual to a strange culture without truly understanding the meanings and concepts behind that culture. It can also means the act of evaluating a culture based on a person’s preconceived idea and concepts that he/she learned from his/hers society. Since a person is using his own culture as a benchmark in judging and analyzing other cultures, there is a tendency to judge and label cultures as inferior or substandard. Ethnocentrism would turn into violence and hate when there is a move to eradicate, suppress or force people to overlook their own culture in favor of a “superior culture”. Ethnocentrism in its extreme form would also mean the suppression and killing or people which are judged as having inferior cultures.             The title of the film evidently illustrates the central point of the concept ethnocentrism. The film discusses the clash of cultures that happen between East and West and between the United States represented by Bob and Charlotte and Japan represented by the Japanese society composed of the ordinary businessmen and workers.  The phrase “Lost in translation” refers to the feeling that is felt by the two main characters when they are tossed into an alien and strange culture and society. The term “lost” would not only mean the physical confused feeling but would also mean the emotional reaction and sense when you are staying in a society where they don’t understand all its aspects. Bob and Charlotte therefore are lost both physically and emotionally inside the Japanese society.             The film’ plot was engaging and appealing since the story is directed towards the discovery and the budding relationship between Bob and Charlotte and the way that they used the setting and the situation to fully know each other. Friendship and discovery between the two is nicely done since the backdrop is a people and a society that they don’t fully comprehend thereby giving full emphasis and importance to the two main characters. The character also use the effectiveness of the time to fully forward to the viewer the sense of lost and bewilderment experienced by Bob and Charlotte. In the film, there are scenes that depict that they are exploring the city at night. The atmosphere and mode of these specific scenes contributes to the gloominess and unhappiness that is felt by the two main characters experiencing this aspect of their visit to a foreign society.  Darkness and night in the film reflects the pessimism, despair and misery of Bob and Charlotte while they cling to each other since the two of them “culturally” knows each other. The setting and the location of the place also reflects the mood and feeling that is being conveyed by the film. Throughout the film we can here several scenes where Japanese is spoken without any subtitles or English translations. We can see billboards, signs and advertisements that are written in Japanese. These visual treats are frequently captured by the camera to sincerely express and communicate the feelings of the two main characters to the viewers. These scenes reinforce the idea of being “lost”.             The character of Bob and Charlotte is well developed in the film. We can clearly see the misery that is felt by Charlotte when her husband does not spend time with her in Tokyo. We can see the confusion in Bob face when he listening to the comments and suggestions issued by director and other Japanese while he is filming the whiskey commercial. The two main characters met as strangers but ended up friends by exploring the city and the society that they are thrust in. In their conversations we can see that the two characters revealed their inner side. We then are told of the failed marriage between Bob and his wife and his forgetfulness with his son’s birthday and the humiliation received by Charlotte with his photographer husband. Ethnocentrism was clearly illustrated by the notion of the gajin in Japanese society. Bob, Charlotte and other foreigners visiting Japan is considered as a gaijin which literally means “outside person” or a person or individual who is ignorant of the culture and tradition of Japan. We can see the two characters making fun of the different aspects of Japanese society by making fun of the way Japanese speak and their small stature. In some scenes the film visibly pans a scene where Bill Murray is standing tall and being compared with the short stature Japanese businessmen in the backdrop. The film also underlines the ethnocentricity that is present in the American thinking since the film illustrates a Japanese downtown area with bright lights flashing billboards with Japanese businessmen wearing suits and tie. It is therefore safe to assume that the Japanese society had accepted the American notion on the idea of progress and development. This attitude is contradicted meanwhile by the conducts of the two main characters in making fun, misinterpreting certain aspects of the Japanese culture. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Guide in Truly Comprehending the Film

This paper will discuss a film that clearly illustrates the idea of ethnocentrism. It will try to identify and to and to highlight the...

ANIMAL TESTING

Animals have been used for many years to test products before these products are to be used by human beings. A wide range of products are tested on animals including medicines and cosmetic products. The supporters for using animals in research and testing believe that such a move provides many benefits to humans based on scientific evidence. But for many years, animal activists have been waging a war against the issue of animal testing.             Since the 1960s, society has grown increasingly concerned about animal treatment in the areas of scientific research, agriculture, and testing, and with that concern has come a social emphasis on issues of animal pain, suffering, fear, loneliness, boredom, and anxiety, which has in turn forced science to reckon with these notions. For example, federal law passed in 1985 compels researchers to control “animal pain and distress”.             Research and testing is not done on humans and is considered immoral since it causes pain and infringes on their freedom. If certain kinds of testing on humans are considered to be immoral, then philosophers argue that such research is immoral when conducted on animals. Much of the debate over animals in research centers on the values of how people view animals, humans, and their relationships. The animal-oriented philosophers argue that there is no clear-cut line between humans and animals from a moral point of view and that animals have moral rights from their nature, even as humans do.             Animals play a central and essential role in research, testing and education for continued improvement not only for the health and welfare of humans but for animals as well. Therefore, humane care should be used for animals in testing and the use of animals in testing should only be promoted if it is for a meaningful cause. Some organizations are finding alternatives for animals in research, but this is not a simple process. Alternatives research is a relatively new approach and may not give immediate or spectacular results. Supporters of alternatives suggest a step-by-step process in which the need for animals is first reduced and then possibly eliminated in many scientific areas. But to replace animals in various tests, valid alternatives to the use of animals must be found. As an alternative, products can also be tested on cultured human cells on the laboratory.             Although many people believe that animal testing is immoral, there is no other choice for products to be tested. Without animal testing, many important medicines would not be available to humans. Animals used for research and testing are subject to various regulatory controls with the aims of minimizing animal pain and suffering. Although we cannot say that this holds true for every animal tested, there is no better alternative at the moment. Many humans would not be so thrilled about the idea of being guinea pigs with new products tested on them. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

ANIMAL TESTING

Animals have been used for many years to test products before these products are to be used by human beings. A wide range of products ...

School Improvement for Young Learners

Introduction             When children do not succeed in school, educators and others disagree about who or what is to blame.  Because learning is a process that takes place both inside and outside school, an ecological approach offers a working description for the youth.  In this view, inadequacies in any arena of life–the school, the home, or the community–can contribute to academic failure when not compensated for in another arena.  The personal, economic, and social costs of academic underachievement are high and growing.  Each year, increasing numbers of students enter school with circumstances in their lives that schools are ill prepared to accommodate.  Yet from this academically and culturally diverse population must come the next generation of scientists, engineers, and other skilled professionals.  Today, schools are encouraging the development of thinking skills in remedial programs. They also are embracing school wide restructuring programs and heterogeneous grouping as alternatives to pull-out programs. Many of these new programs and practices have proven themselves in the classroom. Schools also are exploring new ways to involve parents and families in their children’s education. Research indicates that parent involvement makes an enormous impact on students’ attitudes, attendance, and academic achievement. Cooperative Learning             Cooperative Learning is a relationship in a group of students that requires positive interdependence (a sense of sink or swim together), individual accountability (each of us has to contribute and learn), interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face-to-face promotive interaction, and processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better).  Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement.             The Cooperative Learning Center is a Research and Training Center focusing on how students should interact with each other as they learn and the skills needed to interact effectively.  We have reviewed more than 800 studies dating back to the late 1800′s and have contributed more than 80 research studies of our own to clarify the issue of student to student interaction and learning. Our training includes instructors from pre-school through college in all subject areas. The training has concentrated on North America, but interest is growing around the world.             Cooperative learning has been around for a very long time—long before John Dewey and progressive education extolled its virtues in the early 20th century.  Documented more than 3000 years ago, students of the Talmud paired up to engage in lively debates.  Later, in the United States, the practice of group learning was a natural extension of the one-room schoolhouse.  It was a prominent component of John Dewey’s experiential classroom and was present in most American classrooms until the early 1940s, at which point it fell out of favor for about 30 years.  Cooperative learning is often at odds with the messages that most students get about collaboration in the classroom. Students are instructed from first grade on to “do your own work” and “keep your eyes on your own paper.” Most “collaboration” is treated as a form of cheating (GLENCOE Online). Community Service Learning             Service-learning is a teaching method that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and communities. Young people apply academic skills to solving real-world issues, linking established learning objectives with genuine needs. They lead the process, with adults as partners, applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to concerns such as hunger, pollution, and diversity. “Service-learning is education in action.” — Sen. John Glenn “Developing a social consciousness in the young means engaging them in meaningful activity”. Without a sense of community and family, many young people lose the connectedness that fosters these sensitivities, motivations and skills. The result for these youths is incivility and apathy as well as a lack of confidence that they can make a difference to others and to the world as a whole. Young people’s disengagement with the social and political world has become more serious over the past 30 years. In January 1998, the Higher Education Research Institute reported that the nation’s college freshmen were less connected to politics than any entering class in the 32-year history of the study. According to the study, this year’s college freshmen are less likely to believe that “keeping up to date with political affairs,” “becoming involved in programs to clean up the environment” and “helping to promote racial understanding” are important life goals. They have less desire than previous freshmen classes to influence the political structure, participate in a community action program, influence social values or even discuss politics. These findings are alarming because our democratic culture and social wellbeing depend on the renewing energy of young people who have the sensitivities and vision to help create a better world. Indeed, the very fabric of our national community depends on the degree to which we care about and treat each other with respect and civility. Parent Involvement             The term “parent involvement” includes several different forms of participation in education and with the schools. Parents can support their children’s schooling by attending school functions and responding to school obligations (parent-teacher conferences, for example). They can become more involved in helping their children improve their schoolwork–providing encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, modeling desired behavior (such as reading for pleasure), monitoring homework, and actively tutoring their children at home. Outside the home, parents can serve as advocates for the school. They can volunteer to help out with school activities or work in the classroom. Or they can take an active role in the governance and decision making necessary for planning, developing, and providing an education for the community’s children. The research overwhelmingly demonstrates that parent involvement in children’s learning is positively related to achievement. Further, the research shows that the more intensively parents are involved in their children’s learning; the more beneficial are the achievement effects. This holds true for all types of parent involvement in children’s learning and for all types and ages of students. There is a much higher incidence of parent involvement at the preschool level and in the primary grades than at the middle school or secondary level, and, consequently, the majority of research on parent involvement has been conducted with young children and their families. Indeed, just a few years ago, research on parent involvement in the education of older students was too limited to permit drawing any conclusions about its effectiveness. In recent years, however, more research has been conducted with middle school and secondary students and their families. This research shows that parent involvement remains very beneficial in promoting positive achievement and affective outcomes with these older students Team Teaching             Team teaching is open to several interpretations. Two or more instructors are involved in the same course. Team members may come from closely allied disciplines, or they may derive from fields as disparate as art history and theoretical physics. Thus, while team teaching is frequently connected with an interdisciplinary approach to learning, the mere presence of a teaching team in a classroom does not by itself indicate a crossing of disciplines.  Team teaching is a strategy that has been around for years, but creating teams, whether in response to district expectations or as a way of dealing with changes in teaching practice, needs careful thought in order to succeed. While teaming means the partners must reconfigure much of their teaching lives, it can be done successfully. Team teaching, in the most general sense, encompasses a wide variety of arrangements. One specific form, which has become quite prevalent in recent years, is having two teachers in the classroom teaching simultaneously. This is becoming more and more common throughout Japan and in other Asian countries.  Team teaching can be an extremely beneficial and professionally rewarding experience if all goes well. In order to accomplish this however, both teachers need to maintain respect for each other both inside and outside the classroom. Conclusion             There are a lot of ways on how to better improve the quality of education for the young learners.  Specifically declared in the above statements, the four reform strategies have aimed at promoting enhanced value of education for the delicate minds of the youth.  From the involvement of parents and community, there has been a continuing reformation of the system of education.  Why is this so? Why is there a search for the betterment of the youth education? This would be simply for the reason that these growing young learners got the future at their hands.  That would be a great reason for these educational reforms. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

School Improvement for Young Learners

Introduction When children do not succeed in school, educators and others disagree about who or what is to blame. Because...

The Survey Questionnaire

The focus and the importance for this survey questionnaire is to be able to find out and collate crucial and useful views and ideas from the people affiliated to the Seventh Day Adventist Church as this questionnaire intends to search and find out for solutions to the problem of losing members and in whatever way, this survey questionnaire will serve as a tool for the retention of Church members as needed relating from the Sao Paulo South Conference within the underlying issues and concerns. Thus, the survey questionnaire won’t take you more than thirty minutes to complete the questionnaire and that your views matter to every question as very important in answering that will need your most truthful retort: - Start Questionnaire - Part A: Screening 1.                  What is your age? 2.                  Sex of respondent 3.                  On the average, how many hours you would spend on your Church activities as well as attending mass or thanksgiving? Part B: Question Proper <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Name at least three practical reasons why the church members always remain loyal to their faith in the Church? Explanations are needed.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">What useful recommendations can you share and or contribute so that the number of the church members will increase amicably and the members will retain their membership? Mention at least five recommendations as possible. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Is there really a need to change certain doctrines and church systems in order to avoid losing their members gradually?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">What could be the appropriate church programs to be used for retaining the old members of the church as well as programs for acquiring new members? Illustrate the program and show some advantages and disadvantages. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">What important advice can you give to the member of the clergy that will help in the improvement of church member retention?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Could be the idea of goal setting in terms of baptism scenarios be a contributing factor for gaining as well as church members? Explain briefly.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify">How are the new members of your churches being added? Choose below </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">What is the percentage of the retaining members of the church on a </li>            monthly basis? <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Is there an increase of membership retention in your church for fostering old and new members?</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Elaborate three retention strategies that are helpful for the church in preventing their members leaving the church. </li> Write an example scenario of a successful indication of church member retention. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Survey Questionnaire

The focus and the importance for this survey questionnaire is to be able to find out and collate crucial and useful views and ideas fr...

The Legacy and Essence of Myth and the Heroic Quest portrayed

Introduction Myth, Heroic Quest, Magical Realism, Fairy Tale, and to add with, the Fantasy genre are all fields that are connected to one another.  Myth is a configuration and an archetype meaning to say it is a structure that is, theoretically speaking, shared in various unconsciousness and symbolism regardless of time and culture.  In Jung’s words, myth is collective mind.  It is not strange to find creation myths complimenting one culture from another and most particularly myths like the Flood myth wherein Noah’s ark compliments the story of the Gilgamesh flood myth.  The Heroic Quest is a more specific type of this mythical archetype founded by Joseph Campbell.  The Heroic Quest has been employed in several manners from Ancient Greek’s Hercules to perhaps Modern Popular Culture heroes such as Luke Skywalker of the Star Wars fame, Harry Potter or taking it some years back, Frodo of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  The Heroic Quest involved a hero (usually a man) in a journey who possesses extraordinary talents in a quest who will have to face trials in order to get past.  Fairy tale is also a form of the mythical archetype which involves a story once upon a time most likely including magical and extraordinary events.  Perhaps one very common example is the Cinderella fairytale archetype shared not only in English Literature but also Chinese Literature with Yeh-Hsieh.  Magical Realism, to configure in this comparison, is perhaps more aptly a mythical archetype employed in the realm of reality or in the Literature sense, fiction.  Magical Realism, it must be stressed, is a style of writing most likely invented by Latin American fictionists foremost of which is Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his novel 100 Years of Solitude.  It is set in a fictional town containing similarities from historical reality mixed with mythical influences.  The myth appears here as integrated to be a part of historical reality and not intended as an outright expression of magical phenomena.  Readers are supposed to take the birth of a child with a pig’s tail as historical fact despite it having some magical circumstance.  There is a blurring of what is fact and fiction.  This particular essay would compare two subjects already mentioned in the above introduction which would be two sagas employing the Heroic Quest in film: George Lucas’ Star Wars series and the Peter Jackson directed Lord of the Rings based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.    Describe your two subjects and tell whether each is an example of myth, quest, magical realism, fairy tale, etc. The two subjects are examples of the Heroic Quest (and in this manner they employ mythical elements).  Both film sagas portray the quests of chosen ones and the eternal battle of good and evil.  These are usually based in the Christian elements of a savior undergoing arduous tasks and sufferings in achieving his goal (as heroes are often male).  How are the two subjects the same, or similar? Both film sagas present elements in the Heroic Quest that have been archetypal in structure and used in other stories. The similarities only prove how the stories proceed in a structure that is determined by myth. One similarity is the presence of the wise sage, mentor or advisor in the characters Obi-wan Kenobi (in Star Wars) and Gandalf (in Lord of the Rings).  Notable also are the weapons employed and the colors they appeared in wherein the red sword or lightsaber is always the villain’s weapon and where the heroes’ swords and lightsabers are blue clearly depicting mythical symbolism.  There is the presence of villains who thwart heroes from their paths such as Star Wars’ Darth Vader and the Lord of the Rings’ Witch King.  There is also the presence of the prophets and the seers by characters Yoda (in Star Wars) and Galadriel (in Lord of the Rings).  The heroes are accompanied by a band of allies who help them in their pursuit to defeat evil.  Star Wars have allies such as Leia, Chewbacca, Han Solo while Lord of the Rings has Sam, Aragon and Legolas.       How are the two subjects different? The milieus in which the two films sagas function in are contrasting.  Lord of the Rings takes place in a fictional world called Middle-Earth which is a semblance of planet Earth.  Star Wars is considered a Space drama, the milieu of which takes place “in a galaxy far away”.  Star Wars is also futuristic in design with high technology machineries clearly used in warfare just by the enemy base called the Death Star alone.  Lord of the Rings in this regard would be seen as more primitive.  The premise of Star Wars is to destroy the Empire while the Lord of the Rings seeks to destroy the Ring, which is a more indirect and non-confrontational attempt to defeat evil as Lord of the Rings seek to defeat Power first.  Star Wars is more outright in its goal to defeat its villains.       Why are the two subjects important?  Why do they matter? These film sagas depict the eternal struggle against good and evil and how the good eventually wins in the end no matter how desperate the situation.  These film sagas attempt to mirror the human experience with human virtues and attitudes especially dealing with the concept of Power.  They matter because they have something valuable to teach the audience and promote a sense of hope, peace and justice.  They are vehicles of morality reminding reality of the perils of evil.  What do the characters and their story have to teach us? Other than serving to entertain the masses, the stories and the characters primarily teach how good prevails in the end no matter how dire the situation.  It also promotes virtues and unity that are aptly rewarded.  The films also represent different types of people and characters inherent in the world today.   Each individual is a hero in their own right with their own share of adversities in their journey to life.  These film sagas inspire and touch people to proceed in their quests by making the right decisions which would move towards the goodness of mankind rather those that would harm and endanger them.  Clearly they teach lessons and are warnings in their own.  The film sagas also promote a sense of humanity above all and how this humanity is shared and lived with others in communion.  Power may also be tools of goodness if performed in the right manner and they would consequently be evil if in the wrong corrupted hands.  Conclusion This comparison reveals not only how myth is truly shared collectively and unconsciously.  Every story, narrative and text are seemingly connected to a grand narrative which goes to show how each human is somewhat linked towards the good and the moral.  The essay also featured how the film sagas embody age old myths and how it can be refashioned and repackaged but yet be similar in essence.  They are reflections of the human history past, present, and future.  They are classics in their own right and even though they had been created decades ago they will continue to resonate in their appeal in the years to come.  That is the impact and magic of myth.       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The Legacy and Essence of Myth and the Heroic Quest portrayed

Introduction Myth, Heroic Quest, Magical Realism, Fairy Tale, and to add with, the Fantasy genre are all fields that are connected to ...

Effects of Television on Children

Effects of Television on Children    At this time and age, children are largely exposed to television; as well as to television culture at home; so as to television violence.    All these factors greatly affect the lives of young children; and in how they pattern their lives   as what they see in television.  This is also the major reason that  parental guidance is being recommended  every time that the children is in  watching a TV program or show that needs necessary guidance from parents or adults around the house.   In this connection, it has been reported that media violence has terrible effects in the lives of millions of children worldwide.  Based on various studies, elementary school children have already seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 violent scenes in television.  Majority of the cartoon and action TV programs these days offer more than 20 acts of violence every hour than during primetime hours which only show 5 acts an hour. This led to violence and aggression behavior among children.  Not only that, by watching violent scenes during early stage, can  give a notion to the very young minds of the children that the world  they live in is a frightening world that only offers violence and aggression.   There is a possibility that some children of today can acquire a “mean and scary world syndrome” a health condition that may push the children’s mentality backwards in terms of making decisions in life.  More than that, a medical research also revealed that sitting for long hours in front of the television will link to obesity.  This is a health condition that children usually acquire from watching television most often; since they do not have chances to   move their bodies in other outdoor and healthy activities.  Likewise, children have become more likely to eat junk foods; for there are a lot of commercials that they see in TV for various junk food enticements.  And, the worst thing is the TV sexual explosion that many children cannot even avoid in one single day in watching television.  There are much sexual content on TV that expose various sexual related ideas and promotion of sex even in the cartoon programs. Thus, in the event, all these factors are very dangerous signs and harmful to the mental growth and personality development of the children.   As a result, many students do not have time anymore for their studies that caused them poor academic performance in school. What else..?  a wide spread of beauty product advertisements and programs that  even add to the students interest to   on physical attributes or how they look  in front of other people.  They are more conscious now on their physical looks rather than focusing their attention and efforts to their studies.  It even add to the economic burdens of the parents; since many young children are  requesting to buy fashionable clothes, shoes and accessories in order to go with the new trend among the teenagers today. On the other hand, there are other young children who are developing inferiority or superiority complex that leads to depression and underestimating themselves if they feel that they are not as beautiful and sexy as what they see on TV. (http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=1809) In the contrary, watching television somehow has good effects to children; as long as they will be guided accordingly by their parents or guardians.  In the world that people live now; it is moreover important for the children to have exposure to various cultural experiences.  And, this can be possible by only watching cultural-related TV programs. There is no need to go different places in the world in order to acquire diverse knowledge of one’s culture and practices. Furthermore, through watching educational programs on television, kids are becoming effective and more active in school activities as well as in the academic performance; because they have many means to get information for their lessons aside from their books.  There are many best and quality TV shows that can still provide brilliant ideas and knowledge to the young children that at the same time give them moral values and lessons in life.  The only thing is; they must be managed well by their parents in watching television in order to achieve a balance and healthy environment at home even watching TV.  For instance, allowing the children to watch documentary shows suited to their age, as well as different music concerts, art shows and stage play are very helpful move in order to help them develop their interests in various fields of communication, arts and varied genres of music all over the globe.  Plus, watching television together with the whole family gives the child or children a chance to have bonding moments with their parents and siblings. This is actually a great chance to show to the children that watching television with proper time management and discipline is worthwhile past time of the entire family; along with voicing out different opinions and advices that certainly helps the children to realize other wonderful things around them apart from spending too much of their time in front of the television. (http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/television-effects-on-children-2745.html) In view thereof,   the effects of television on children greatly depend on how they are guided and managed by their parents at home. There must be certain rules to follow in order to educate them well that television   has both positive and negative points to offer to them.  References: http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=1809 http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/television-effects-on-children-2745.html   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Effects of Television on Children

Effects of Television on Children At this time and age, children are largely exposed to television; as well as to television cultu...

ETHNIC MEDIA IN THE US (The Growth of Ethnic Chinese Media)

The past decade has seen an inspiring growth in the number of national and local radio stations, newspapers, magazines, web portals, public and cable television networks catering to the nation’s various ethnic communities. The America, being the melting pot of all ethnicities saw rapid growth of ethnic media which ethnic communities use primarily to re-connect with its ethnic roots. Ethnic media functions as a community-building institution, reporting news that is relevant to the ethnic community while at the same time offering a way for the community to exchange information and pass on tradition. It also offers the minority communities to voice its concerns with the larger public. Ethnic media also educates people about what is important in their communities and act as bridge in the smooth incorporation of the minority community to larger civic affairs.   The Importance of Ethnic Media             Of all the sectors of the news media, the ethnic and alternative media in America are still in many ways the most fluid, popular, and reaches wider coverage. There are not one ethnic media but more than a dozen in the United States. Some sectors of ethnic media are big business. Others are more political and less commercial. The ethnic media are growing rapidly in the United States. This can be particularly said of the ethnic newspapers, the media for which there are most data. Yet evidence suggests that the trend is also true for radio and television (State of the News Media, 2004). On July 1, 2004, 98 percent of all U.S. residents, or 289.2 million people, belonged to 1 of the 5 single racial groups, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program. People who were White and no other race made up the largest group and numbered 236.1 million in 2004, the single-race Black population was 37.5 million and the single-race Asian population was 12.3 million. The single-race American Indian and Alaska Native population accounted for 2.8 million people in the United States. Asians who were one race or in combination with other races numbered 14.0 million in 2004. Single race Asians represented 4.2 percent of all Americans. In 2004, 42 percent of people living in Hawaii were Asian, compared with 4 percent of all people living in the United States; California was a distant second with 12 percent. The next three states with the highest percentages were New Jersey (7 percent), New York (6 percent), and Washington (6 percent). The latest census also reveals that of the 513,000 Asian Americans living in New York City, almost half of them are Chinese, outnumbering Koreans and Asian Indians. Chinese American is the fastest growing segment of the US population (50%growth rate). Many Chinese Americans who live in the suburbs are successful businessmen from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and second or third generation successful professionals (Apia Voting Profile, 2004). At the same time, verifying from the same census study, other demographic groups increased. The Asian Pacific islander population for example grew in real numbers and as a percentage of the whole. Asians, as a single race living in California numbered to 4,256,198, or 12. 1% of the total state population. In Los Angeles, the Asian population as a whole numbered to 376, 480 or 10. 1 percent of the total city population. San Francisco boasts a large number of Asian populations. Thirty three percent of the whole city population is Asian, or about 240, 675 (US Census Bureau, 2004). Seattle also houses a large number of Asian populations. There are about 92, 568 Asians residing in it. They make up 16.6 percent of the total population. There is also a significant number of Asians in the Chicago area; they numbered around 125, 930 or approximately 4.6 % of the Chicago population (US Census Bureau, 2004). The US Census Bureau grouped the Asian ethnicity as whole, including Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese and other smaller Asian communities in the states and cities mentioned. Beyond simple ethnicity, and perhaps more to the point, there has been a large rise in the non English speaking population. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of people not speaking English at home grew from 31.8 million to 47 million, a staggering roughly 50 percent increase in a decade alone. Spanish speakers lead the growth, perhaps because of proximity of Mexico and the mainland US. Growing from 17.3 million in 1990 to 28.1 million in 2000, an increase in 62 percent. Chinese was second in growth, climbing from 1.3 million in 1990 to 2 million in 2000, still an increase in 54 percent (US Census Data,  2000). Together with radio, and to a lesser extent television, community newspapers serve as valuable guides for recent immigrants, introducing them to a new culture and way of life. In most cases, the publishers approach their mission to inform, educate, and entertain with great passion and enthusiasm. Studies also showed that people who read ethnic newspapers as well as mainstream newspapers were better informed of community as well as news of their homeland. They are therefore better informed of local and international events than people who just read mainstream newspapers,             For many groups in the United States, the media is perceived as credible and is heavily relied upon for health information (Brodie et al 1999). For immigrants the ethnic media is an important institution in immigrant communities because it caters to immigrants as cultural brokers for their communities by translating mainstream knowledge and practices (Miller 1987). The ethnic media can play a valuable role in disseminating health information to immigrant communities. For a variety of reasons the Asian Press is difficult to measure as a group, and the word Asian is more complicated, than let’s say Hispanic minority. Not only does Asian not speak of a single culture or nationality, it also does not define a single particular language. Even within Asian nationalities, there are language differences that make it difficult to group media. China alone has seven distinctly different dialect groups. That said, hat said, it is clear that some Asian language newspapers have large readerships. The World Journal, a Chinese-language daily based in New York, reports it has 250,000 in paid circulation. The Korea Times, in Los Angeles says it has more than 43,000 (State of the News Media, 2004).   Types of Ethnic Media in the US             Though no concrete figures exist for ethnic media nationwide, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the startling growth of print and television journalism in regions like California and New York is by no means anomalous. From Arab American newspaper competition in rural Michigan to Hindi pop tunes anchoring Radio Asia in Tampa, Florida, ethnic media has become a major player aboveground as well, seen most noticeably with NBC’s recent acquisition of the national, 24-hour Telemundo network. Ethnic media in the US can be accessed from all three medium of media, visual, broadcast and print. Internet is said to be the new medium and there is an increasing growth of ethnic media using Internet as its medium.  A study released by New Media America, an association of more than 700 ethnic media in the United States reveals the striking impact of ethnic media in the United States. Forty-five percent of all African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American and Arab American adults prefer ethnic television, radio or newspapers to their mainstream counterparts. These “primary consumers” also indicated that they access ethnic media frequently. This means that a staggering 29 million adults (45 percent of the 64 million ethnic adults studied), or a full 13 percent of the entire adult population of the United States, prefer ethnic media to mainstream television, radio or newspapers. More than half of all Hispanic adults are primary consumers of ethnic media. Approximately two-fifths of African Americans and Arab Americans and a fourth of Asian Americans and Native Americans prefer ethnic media to mainstream media (New California Media, 2005).             Similar study revealed that Asian American newspapers reach a substantial percentage of the nine million Asian American adults in the United States. More than half of all Chinese and Vietnamese adults read an ethnic newspaper on a regular basis. Nearly half of all Korean adults also read a Korean newspaper frequently. The reach of Filipino newspapers is smaller but still significant – one-fifth of the adults in this group read a Filipino newspaper a few times a month or more. The poll also indicates that Korean and Chinese television stations are rapidly increasing in popularity – a quarter of those interviewed reported watching Korean and Chinese-language television more often than English-language television. Access to the Internet is very high (67 percent) among all Asian Americans and half of them prefer ethnic websites to mainstream websites. Asian Indian adults access the Internet more often than other Asians (New California Media, 2005). Ethnic Media (Advertising Potential) In light of this startling growth, it should come as no surprise that mainstream players are getting into the act and trying to tap into these enclaves of prospective consumers. The recent acquisition of the Telemundo network by NBC for .98 billion had many initially scratching their heads–why had NBC seemingly overpaid for the underachieving network, a distant runner-up to Univision in Latino households nationwide? But if the growing Telemundo–which currently draws between 15 to 20 percent of Latino viewers–allows NBC access to the rising Latino population, in a few years that total may seem like a bargain. For companies like Viacom or NBC, it is beginning to make more business sense to acquire proven niche companies like BET (Black Entertainment Television) or Telemundo at high costs rather than going through the trouble of starting from scratch. (Why Advertise in Ethnic Media?) With Ethnic media’s wide access to ethnic communities in the US, it also plays a vital role in reaching and motivating vitally important ethnic consumer groups. Advertising that appears in ethnic media makes an emotional connection with consumers, which is critical to building sales and developing long-term relationships. In California, where the Latino, African-American and Asian-American communities combined make up about half of the state’s population, these groups prefer to get their news and information from ethnic media outlets. What’s more, nearly 65 percent of the ethnic Californians surveyed agreed that they are “more likely to buy a product or service advertised” in an ethnic-oriented publication or program. Latinos exhibited the strongest “advertising loyalty” characteristics followed closely by Asian-Americans. It is also advantageous for firms to advertise in ethnic media. Its chief advantage is cost efficiency since it reaches the people who the advertisement is addressed at a very reasonable price compared to mainstream media. Buying power among Asians and Latinos, California’s two largest minority groups, grew particularly strong. According to a study by the Selig Center at the University of Georgia, Asian buying power grew by 108 percent to billion. Latino buying power grew by 102 percent to 7.6 billion (Wagner, 2003). Banks, for example, are one of the major advertisers in ethnic media. They know that in order to gain customers from different ethnic groups they have to build relationships with communities,. So banks like Bank of American or Wells Fargo will advertise in a variety of languages through ethnic media. Telecommunication services like AT&T and MCI, and financial services like Schwab, know they will pay little to reach a loyal and substantial customer base, that’s why they are one of the More and more companies are now realizing that advertising in ethnic media is cost effective and reaches a wider range of consumers especially in the ethnic community. The Growth of Ethnic Advertising Agencies             Seeing the overwhelming growth of the potential buying power of ethnic communities, particularly the Asian communities in the US, big and small companies feel the need to tap these growing resources. The only problem is, most firms have only limited idea how to reach and communicate with these groups. Who could understand better the culture of a certain ethnicity, than a fellow ethnic itself? Taking advantage of this knowledge and first hand experience and information, a number of businessmen and creative people belonging to the minority group ventured into advertising agencies, helping big firms in the US make contact with the growing ethnic market. Among the many advertising agencies that cater to ethnic population are Admerasia and Allied Media Corp. Admerasia is owned by Zan Ng, a Chinese immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1975. Admerasia according to Ng helps clients market to Asian communities in the U.S. and elsewhere. Most of his clients belong to business segments such as automobiles, telecommunications and financial services. Because large companies are eager to built relationship and tap the consumer buying power of the Asian market, Ng has put up a consortium of advertisers and marketers. Admerasia is billing its clients more than million a year for ads placed. Its clients include E-trade, Fannie Mae Foundation, McDonalds and Citibank.   Ng, added that there are still many big companies that don’t yet recognize the huge buying power of the Asian-American population in the U.S. but those who have recognized it already are willing to commit significant resources to win them over (Admerasia Inc., 2005). Allied Media Corp. are more diverse than Admerasia because it offers its services to many different growing ethnic market segment. Its targeted ethnic markets are Arab-American, Russian, South Asian, Middle East, Polish and Portuguese language ethnic markets in the U.S. True to its multicultural diversity, the company is managed by a diverse team with multi lingual capabilities. Allied Media Corp. have been in business for almost two decades and it developed partnership with on behalf of various Fortune 500 companies creating successful multi cultural campaigns. Its clients includes AT&T, British Airways and General Motors. And what’s best is that, Allied Media Corp. work with in its clients budget level, whether it be a small regional campaign or a global effort of advertising (Allied Media Corp., 2005). Chinese Media in the US Mass media are perceived to be powerful shapers of culture and communication in society. National majority media and ethnic minority media are both influential on achieving such reconstructed ideology. Thus, the new form of media business not only differs from the old, but also should be examined for its role of Chinese ethnic minority media. The ethnic press,  are once viewed solely as a special-interest voice and forum for minority groups, has become a fast-growing media market because it is one of the few places helping to document and report on cultural changes in America and its impact to Chinese community. The World Journal is a Chinese-language daily newspaper with 90,000 readers in New York State and 360,000 readers nationally. Founded in 1976, it is the largest Chinese-language newspaper in North America and is part of the 50-year-old United Daily News Group of Taiwan. One of the few U.S. daily newspapers distributed nationally, The World Journal is published in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Vancouver and Toronto. Staff members in each city contribute local articles to the newspaper, which focuses on China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. It has been a steady growth pattern, rather than sudden, said Ms. Lee, who said staying relevant to a younger generation has been a key to growth. Census data rank Chinese speakers second to Spanish speakers in America’s non-English-speaking population; the former grew from 1.3 million in 1990 to 2 million in 2000. The overseas Chinese press is known for its enormous size. Some 30 million Chinese are living outside China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in dozens of countries. Serving them are a large number of Chinese-language newspapers and magazines, which could be traced well back to the early 19th century, when the first overseas Chinese newspaper San Francisco News was founded in 1854 and the first overseas Chinese daily was founded in 1856. At the beginning of this decade, there were 64 daily Chinese-language newspapers published outside China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. If the weeklies, biweeklies and magazines were included, the total number would reach 300. Among many other things, the ethnic Chinese publications cover local Chinese communities, report news from the “mother country” and advocate Chinese values, tradition and culture, and by doing so they have greatly contributed to increasing the cohesiveness of the Chinese community. A study of the Chinatown in New York City, for instance, shows that, Chinese immigrants in the New York City are living in a rather comprehensive Chinese media environment, complete with diverse and familiar sources of print and electronic materials. Chinese media inform immigrants about events that have taken place within and outside their community and about available social service. These media also offer an easy source by which older immigrants can maintain a stabilizing continuity in their cultural and entertainment life and younger immigrants maintain contact with their roots. Chinese Media Setbacks Political suppression was one of the main reasons for the significant set back of Chinese ethnic media. Even in the United States where freedom of the press is defended as a pillar of American democracy, publications by Chinese immigrants were also harassed for their support of the People’s Republic of China during the Cold War. Chinese press has also been suffering from a decline in the use of the Chinese language. To maintain a sizable audience, the Chinese press depends very much on the Chinese education of second and third generations of Chinese immigrants, yet this has become increasingly more difficult. Although the overseas Chinese education saw fast development following World War II, it has been suffering continued setbacks since the 1950s. On the one hand, as more and more Chinese immigrants began to be assimilated into the local culture, the second and third generations of Chinese immigrants often could not use the Chinese language effectively to consume the Chinese-language media. On the other hand, the assimilation policy adopted in many countries towards their Chinese population had a direct impact on the education of overseas Chinese. In some Southeast Asian countries, governments imposed restrictions on Chinese schools. Market competition with the mainstream media causes another problem for the Chinese-language press since it is much more difficult for ethnic media to survive financially. The early overseas Chinese media often faced more financial strains than other media because the potential size of its readership was always limited; and the distribution usually more difficult, with many potential consumers living in faraway and isolated places. As a result, the development of Chinese-language press has been fluctuating all the time, with a fast rate of coming and going. For example, of the 10 Chinese dailies published in the United States in the 1980s, more than half of them are gone today. In the early days of Chinese-language press, a newspaper was often started as a mission rather than a viable financial operation. In most cases, the Chinese-language media were financed by Chinese businessmen through individual or collective investment. Such investment was usually aimed at providing a community service rather than generating profits. The Internet and the Chinese Ethnic Media Although the Internet is still neophyte and computer media are not yet in a position to replace the traditional media, there are already signs that computer-mediated mass communication is bringing about a new turn for the conventional Chinese-language press by solving or easing some of its problems. The global nature of computer-mediated communication has drastically changed the way information is disseminated, making it hard to identify and terminate the source of origin. A government will find it more difficult to keep its people from publicizing and receiving information. In other words, although the Internet does not necessarily lead to change in government attitude towards the Chinese publications, it reduces the effects of restrictions imposed on them. The Internet has also expanded the role of the traditional mass media by blending their news function with entertainment and education. And this development is significant in helping the Chinese immigrants and their children to maintain their cultural roots. Conclusion Despite the large number of Chinese immigrants in various parts of the world, the ethnic Chinese press has been on the decline due to political restrictions, financial strains and the decline of Chinese education overseas. Although the new waves of immigration from China and other Chinese-speaking regions over the last two decades helped to boost the development of ethnic Chinese press overseas for the time being, there is no guarantee that the new immigrants and their children will not follow the steps of earlier immigrants in being culturally assimilated. The development of the Internet is thus bringing a new leaf to the life of overseas Chinese language press by effectively easing its problems. Moreover, the Internet is also helping to expand the functions of the traditional media by offering more diversified and specialized communication among overseas Chinese. Considering the role the ethnic press plays in the formation and consolidation of ethnic communities, the impact of the Internet goes far beyond the fields of publication. It has long been established that minority language newspapers helped minority people to keep their ethnic identity (Werner, 1984) because they function to pass on knowledge, values and norms from one generation to another or from the members of a society to newcomers. In this way they serve to increase social cohesion by widening the base of common experience (Won, 1974). It is in this sense that the ethnic press is said to be a force in adjusting the balance between the maintenance of native ways and adoption of new ways of life by immigrants, who are pulled in two directions. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

ETHNIC MEDIA IN THE US (The Growth of Ethnic Chinese Media)

The past decade has seen an inspiring growth in the number of national and local radio stations, newspapers, magazines, web portals, publ...

Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce

The Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce website congregates the video and audio elements and tenders off an adequate website. It extends beyond the norm of website publishing with an easy interface complemented by the subtle hues of color and pictures; this creates an enticing and hassle-less experience for the web visitors upon navigating. Additionally, it offers the visitors access to comprehensive details which are important for potential clients of the resort by multimedia means. While the website offers multimedia content at a decent mean. The website falters on the general design of the website. The horizontal cut in the middle of the website disorients the visitor from focusing on the contents. This can be alleviated by removing the horizontal cut altogether and settling for a more basic design and instead focus on the general interface of their website. While the website is generally decent enough, the website administrators must continually revert to another design / template after a period of time to keep the content fresh and new. Conclusion:             A successful website is something that most business entities staking a claim into Internet marketing and communications wants to have as these websites will often be the potential client’s first impression of them and their business. In lieu of this, the latest advances in the computer industry have led to the development of the diverse technologies. Multimedia provides communications using text, graphics, animation, and video. The combination of several media often results in a powerful and richer presentation of information and ideas to stimulate interest and enhance information retention. The FTV website draws upon these varied elements to offer a better website in comparison against the one offered by the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. These elements offer powerful set of tools for collecting, storing, retrieving, transforming, managing, analyzing, and displaying spatial data. (Oostendorp, 2003). And needless to say that the integration of those technologies do improve the services offered to any market. FTV uses these technologies and integrates them to create multimedia which offers seamless integration of data, text, sound and images of all kinds within a single, digital information environment. By ‘seamless’ integration this means an interweaving that the discrete character of the different types of individual media is submerged in the experience of the multimedia application. Multimedia design involves several specialisms that are technical subjects in their own right. This must be always kept in mind as this serves as an important factor in website development. For instance, design of text is the science (or art) of calligraphy that has developed new fonts over many years; visualization design encompasses calligraphy but also considers design of images either drawn or captured as photographs. FTV’s design of moving images, video, and film are created with further specializations, as are the musical composition and design of sound effects. Many of these design specializations are taught in arts degree courses that teach skill by example, case study, and mentoring. Braczyk, Fuchs and Wolf (1999) say that, this approach encourages creative and aesthetic design; in contrast, computer science encourages a systematic, engineering based approach. Additionally, the growing number of internet users has created a larger market for multimedia. The new tools are enabling artists to become better developers. Noting how multimedia is used to enable individuals to create course material, that once required teams of specialists, individuals can now produce multimedia desktop video productions. Consequently, multimedia design lies on an interesting cultural boundary between the creative artistic community and science-based engineering. Successful multimedia design often requires teams of specialists who contribute from their own disciplines. It is then considered that FTV, in contrast with Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, invests heavily on creating an effective web presence and employs these teams of specialists. And suffice is it to say that FTV’s website indeed stands out. The distinguishing characteristics of FTV’s multimedia website are that they are information intensive and have a complex design space for presenting information to the website visitors. Design, therefore, has to start by modeling information requirements then working on these designs and for-gathering a group of specialists work and publish the website contents. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce

The Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce website congregates the video and audio elements and tenders off an adequate website. It extend...

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

1.0 Background of the Study Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily routines. Hundreds of SNSs, with various technological affordances, supports a wide range of interests and practices. While their key technological features are fairly consistent, the cultures that emerge around SNSs are varied. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Some sites cater to diverse audiences, while others attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.   Social networking sites is the lifeline that fuels startup aspirations for graduates. Skill and grit can get you far, but it is only networking that will take you far enough. Social networking has taken on a whole new meaning in the internet age. Executives at companies of all sizes, especially in startups, are connecting with professionals around the world through SNS to learn strategy, hire the best people and form alliances. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging on to these social sites.   2.0 Statement of the Problem Keeping up with the competition demands in cultivating contacts at warp speed in acquiring work is the way to get ahead of the game. There are plenty of tools — many of them free —and one of them are the  social networking sites. SNS are all the rage these days and younger people use such sites for dating and hobbies,  and most especially there are sites devoted to professional collaboration. The important features of an SNSs so that graduates can be lured and sign up to one will be the main issue here. How does all this affect entrepreneurial and business firms? Social networks connects people at low cost, and this is both beneficial for the graduates and business firms (Donath&Boyd,2004). Maintaining a healthy social network through SNSs and embracing diversity, then, is crucial for graduates in having contacts that will help them have a place in the corporate world.   3.0 Research Objectives             The main purpose of this study is to analyse the several activities or events that graduates engage in to have effective social networks. This research, specifically, purports to determine how these activities affect their social life and distinguish the role of the internet in making people connected professionally. This research also takes into account the practices the students do that help them shape business ideas. The study also seeks to evaluate how the graduates are connecting with the services that facilitate business-oriented connections through SNSs and explore the sites that are effective to this kind of networking.   4.0 Research Methodology This study will use the descriptive type of research. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research (Creswell, 1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing. In this study, primary and secondary research will be both incorporated. The reason for this is to be able to provide adequate discussion for the readers that will help them understand more about the issue and the different variables that involve with it. The primary data for the study will be represented by the survey results that will be acquired from the respondents. On the other hand, the literature reviews to be presented in the second chapter of the study will represent the secondary data of the study. The research will be presented in written form with the addition of data charts which will present the project’s results. Pie charts and network charts will be needed to illustrate some of the analyzed data.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

1.0 Background of the Study Since their introduction, social network sites (SNSs) such as MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, and Bebo have attra...

Effects of Television on Children

Effects of Television on Children   Introduction             Since the mid- 1970s a shift in perspective has occurred on the relationship between TV and young viewers.  For the past two decades, researchers have characterized the child viewer as a naive, uncritical, and passive receiver of TV information.  Social commentators and parents have variously considered TV a powerful and mesmerizing “waste of time,” a stimulus to undesirable responses in children, a social educator, a babysitter, a technological agent for mass consumer socialization, and a perpetrator of questionable social values, morals, and mythified human behaviors.  Most recently, however, researchers, parents and teachers, policymakers, and consumer advocate groups have shown an increased interest in clarifying the complex and wide-ranging controversies about TV and children. The recent popular literature on TV and children has led many to believe that TV is usurping the role of schools as a primary institution for socializing youth, for transmitting culturally relevant knowledge and values, and, in short, shaping life and society in North America.  Some teachers comment on how TV intrudes into the classroom: schoolyard play replicates the behaviors, relationships, and interaction of popular, often violent, TV programs; others have found that creative writing and journal-keeping, for many children, is little more than an exercise in recounting the endless hours and TV programs watched. Undoubtedly, what and how much TV children watch is of serious concern to educators. Most children plug into the world of television long before they enter school: 70% of child-care centers use TV during a typical day.  In a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a TV.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV a day – even though the AAP guidelines say children older than 2 should watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming. And, according to the guidelines, children under age 2 should have no “screen time” (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, TV can get in the way of exploring, learning, and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which help young children, develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. Of course, television, in moderation, can be a good thing: Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it – TV can be an excellent educator and entertainer.   TELEVISION VIOLENCE: DOES IT PROMOTE AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR?   The possibility that children who view television violence are more likely to behave aggressively in everyday life has become a major concern of parents, educators, and scientists over the past 20 to 25 years.  Today we have a large body of scientific literature that by and large justifies this concern. Concern has also been expressed that viewing violence may reduce sensitivity to real life violence and that the pervasiveness of violence on television may induce a distorted view of reality in children who use TV as a major source of information. Alternatively, there are proponents of the catharsis hypothesis who argue that viewing violence may reduce aggressive behavior. In the first part of this chapter we review the evidence concerning these various effects of viewing TV violence on children’s subsequent behavior and attitudes.  Second, we will turn from the question of what effects television violence has to the question of how television violence affects children. This will involve an examination of how violence is portrayed on TV and children’s understanding of these portrayals.   EFFECTS OF TELEVISION VIOLENCE Imitation and Disinhibition of Aggressive Behavior The issues that have most concerned researchers, educators, and parents are both the possibility that children imitate the aggressive behavior they see on television and that viewing violence may weaken children’s inhibitions leading to a general increase in aggression. One way of studying these issues has been to do an experimental laboratory study. Typically, in these studies, a child is randomly assigned to see either a short film portraying violence, a nonviolent film, or no film. After viewing the film the child is allowed to play, usually alone, with toys which are the same as or similar to those seen in the film. Observers who are not visible to the child record the child’s behavior, especially any aggressive behavior. The results of such experimental studies have been quite clear: Children who watch a film with aggressive content imitate the portrayed aggression and furthermore, they show an increase in other aggressive behaviors. Thus, their behavior is more aggressive than that of children who view either a neutral film or no film (1965, 1978; 1963, 1963). American children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today’s television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> become “immune” to the horror of violence </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> imitate the violence they observe on television; and </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers </li> </ul> Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child’s behavior or may surface years later, and young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence (AACAP, March 1999). While TV violence is not the only cause of aggressive or violent behavior, it is clearly a significant factor. Parents can protect children from excessive TV violence in the following ways suggested by the AACAP: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> pay attention to the programs their children are watching and watch some with them </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> set limits on the amount of time they spend with the television; consider removing the TV set from the child’s bedroom </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> point out that although the actor has not actually been hurt or killed, such violence in real life results in pain or death </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> refuse to let the children see shows known to be violent, and change the channel or turn off the TV set when offensive material comes on, with an explanation of what is wrong with the program </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> disapprove of the violent episodes in front of the children, stressing the belief that such behavior is not the best way to resolve a problem </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> to offset peer pressure among friends and classmates, contact other parents and agree to enforce similar rules about the length of time and type of program the children may watch </li> </ul> Parents can also use these measures to prevent harmful effects from television in other areas such as racial or sexual stereotyping. The amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated because it decreases time spent on more beneficial activities such as reading, playing with friends, and developing hobbies. If parents have serious difficulties setting limits, or have ongoing concerns about how their child is reacting to television, they should contact a child and adolescent psychiatrist for consultation and assistance. Studies of the Effects of TV Violence A 1982 report by the National Institute of Mental Health confirmed an earlier study done by the Surgeon General and concluded that “Violent programs on television lead to aggressive behaviour by children and teenagers who watch those programs.” The American Psychological Association passed a resolution in February 1985 warning the public of the potential dangers of children watching violent television programs. The Research Showed children who watch a lot of violence on television are: §   more likely  to become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others. §   more fearful of the world around them. §   more likely to behave in aggressive ways toward others. §   more likely to act out the violence they see on TV in playing. §   more likely to commit violent acts. §   less bothered by violence in general. §   more likely to eventually commit crimes. Kids who watched violent programs were slower to intervene or to call for help when they saw younger children fighting or playing destructively than kids who watched non-violent ones.  Studies by George Gerbner, Ph.D., at the University of Pennsylvania, showed that children’s TV shows contain about 20 violent acts each hour.  Another study determined that children’s TV show had about four times more violent acts than occurred in general audience programming. The Hidden Effects of TV on Children The hidden effects of TV are real risks for emotional, social and cognitive deficits. Children spend more time watching TV than any other single activity during the height of the most critical period for language and cognitive development. In many homes, TV is curtailing the role of free play as a formative activity of early childhood. National reading test scores have declined dramatically over the last twenty years and continue to decline. The causes of this are complex and include socio-economic, familial, and geographic factors. Numerous studies indicate an inverse relationship between television viewing and reading/language achievement. Children who plug into their regular evening programs spend less time reading or being read to, less time in family conversations, and less time involved in challenging mental activities such as puzzles, board games, etc. According to Gloria DeGaetano, media specialist, educator and author of Screen Smarts, kids are not creating pictures in their minds while they watch television the way they do when they are being read to. Children need opportunities for developing their own capacity for symbolic thought in order to eventually become successful readers themselves. Ms. DeGaetano suggests that parents who want to limit their children’s use of TV follow these guidelines: ·         No more than one hour of TV a day for young children. ·         Adult modeling of intention when viewing is very important. Stating a reason to watch a program teaches constructive use of television. ·         Parents can regularly watch with their children, or mediate the experience by asking questions and hearing their child’s feedback about what they understand from the program. Conclusion             While it has been perceived in this contemporary world that the advent of television brought about desirable and unpleasant effects to children, there had been no such thing as a proper guidance of parents to these innocent ones.  Despite the fact that researchers have suggested ways on minimizing undesirable effects on children, we still cannot risks having these numerous unpleasant effects outnumbered the good side that television can offer to children.  There would be no better suggestion than for parents and social programs guiding these delicate minds of the future.       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Effects of Television on Children

Effects of Television on Children Introduction Since the mid- 1970s a shift in perspective has occurred on the relationsh...