Effects of the Internet

Introduction The dawn of the internet phenomenon has completely changed the way people conduct their daily activities. The internet allows people to access various forms of information at all times from any location (Serbin 9). The internet presents immeasurable convenience in undertaking activities such as payment of household utility bills. It also enables people to shop in the comfort of their homes without having to travel to shopping malls.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effects of the Internet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The concept of virtual shopping is unique and convenient because it simplifies the shopping experience by ensuring that people do not encounter queues that are usually common in conventional shopping malls (Serbin 11). The above statements exemplify and amplify the benefits of the internet revolution. However, the momentous growth of the internet is also a cause for concern because it comes with its challenges and negative effects (Serbin 11). For instance, the internet enables people to access pornographic materials without much effort. This situation is challenging because some of the pornographic materials are accessible to young people who should not have access to such adult content. The internet is also a hub for false information and other forms of inappropriate posturing. Conmen and tricksters use the internet as an avenue for conducting their fraudulent activities (Serbin 12). Discussion In modern world, the internet is undisputedly a necessary and vital part of our daily living. The internet is ubiquitous and supportive in performing various tasks at home, school, and even in the office (Serbin 15). The invention of the internet heralded a cocktail of advantages and disadvantages that manifest in our everyday activities. One advantage of the internet is that it enables people to access crucial research materials at all times (Serbin 18). The internet p rovides a rare variety in terms of basic and simple information to complex research ideas and materials. The internet also avails news information from all parts of the world. In fact, the internet era is characterised by availability of tonnes of information regarding different subjects of interest to humanity (Gehring 34). Through the internet, people have the ability to access regular updates on weather patterns in different location around the world.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The internet also provides numerous avenues for information that benefits children through learning and tutorials (Gehring 34). Through internet-based learning, children expose themselves to information that fosters their understanding and approach to crucial matters in life. The internet is also convenient and enables people to engage in more than one activity at a given time. For instance, a person can engage in household chores and pay their utility bill over the internet at the same time. The internet allows people to conduct their businesses with an amazing degree of flexibility that was impossible before its invention (Gehring 35). The benefits of the internet are many and diverse. Most notable is the emergence and development of search engines over the internet. Search engines enable people to access crucial information within a short period. Search engines are crucial internet features that increase and enhance the vitality and applicability of the internet (Gehring 37). The internet has a number of disadvantages that give rise to negative effects among its users. One disadvantage of the internet is the availability of pornographic content that is easily available, even to underage audiences (Cavalier 42). This issue continues to create challenges to parents as they struggle to bar their children from accessing such materials over the internet (Cavalier 42). Th e internet is also disadvantageous because fraudsters use it to relay false and inaccurate information for selfish gains (Cavalier 43). They lure people to traps where they rob them and subject them to bad experiences such as rape. In rare occasions, some people lose their lives. The internet is also flooded with uncontrolled advertising, which is annoying and frustrating to many users of the internet. A good example of such is pop-ups. They interfere with activities of internet users by directing their attention to useless and irrelevant information (Cavalier 45). Conclusion The emergence and subsequent development of internet-based technologies has brought a radical shift in the way people conduct their businesses and other activities such as household chores and shopping (Cavalier 67). The internet is an important tool for students and researchers because it offers a wide variety of information in various thematic areas of interest to them (Cavalier 69).Advertising We will w rite a custom essay sample on Effects of the Internet specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the internet presents many challenges to society. They include the availability of pornographic content and false information. Obviously, the internet has influenced the way people conduct activities in the contemporary world (Cavalier 75). Works Cited Cavalier, Robert. The Impact of the Internet on Our Moral Lives. Newyork: SUNY Press, 2005. Print. Gehring, Verna. The Internet in Public Life. London: Rowman Littlefield, 2004. Print. Serbin, Matthew. The Wired Tower: Perspectives on the Impact of the Internet. London: FT Press, 2005. Print. This essay on Effects of the Internet was written and submitted by user TheEnforcers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Corporate Crime in America essays

Corporate Crime in America essays With the latest string of corporate crime "busts," we are realizing more and more that wearing a suit and tie to work does not exempt one from criminal action. Corporate crime, though not violent in nature, is incredibly harmful with regards to society. Chief executive officers in companies such as Enron, Worldcom, and Tyco cheated their employees and investors out of millions of dollars (Puscas 2003). Much of that money was earmarked for pension benefits, retirement plans, and medical insurance for the company's workforce. Corporate crime can also be detrimental to the economy in that it reduces confidence in the stock market and other related There are two reasons why corporate crime is so prevalent (at least recently). Firstly, because those committing corporate crimes think they can get away with it, and secondly, because they believe that punishments for the crimes will be minimal. In order to fight corporate crime, we need to address these two prevailing notions. The first issue to address is criminal prosecution. It is often the case that prosecuters assigned to a case involving white collar crime will be reluctant to push the case as far as one involving drugs or violence. The reality is that corporate crime, at least in the past, was a low priority for District Attorneys. It was easier to justify sending someone to jail who had murdered another individual, then someone who falsified White collar crimes are defined as nonviolent crimes committed in commercial situations by individuals, groups, or corporations for financial gain. They include but are not limited to the following types of fraud: antitrust fraud, bankruptcy fraud, bribery, computer fraud, credit card fraud, counterfeiting, embezzlement, environmental fraud, financial fraud, government fraud, identity fraud, insider trading, insurance fraud, kickbacks, mail fraud, and trade secret ...

English Contemporary Historical Fictions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

English Contemporary Historical Fictions - Essay Example Romance is for each character a state of mind and emotion that dominates the women’s affections toward another person; even one of the same sex. In each of the works, the protagonist’s perception of romance is subject to the views formed by each woman based on her own experiences. It is secondarily formed by the environments that each woman lives in. The notion of romance changes on the whole as the protagonists move from adolescence, into young womanhood, and into maturity. This essay examines the notion of romance, and the experiences of the protagonists in each of the works as their perceptions on romance evolve with their own sexual and family experiences. In Atwood’s book, Alias Grace, the story opens with a lengthy poem/song about the young servant girl, Grace Marks, who, along with her lover, James McDermott, murdered their employer, Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper/lover, Nancy Montgomery (pp. 11-15). It is a poem/song that is typical of the day, when tepid and sordid and often gruesome gossip was turned into poetic sing-song, which would survive in infamy down through the ages. Much like the poem about Lizzy Borden: These kinds of poems or sing-songs become obscure as to their origins, but the stories with which they were born out of are pieces of American history. This is the case with Lizzy Borden, and this is the premise upon which Atwood built her story of Grace Marks. The story that is about to unfold is told in the poem: For Atwood’s story, the experience of unrequited love that leads to the double murder of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery at the hands of Grace and McDermott relies upon the reader’s interest in the tabloid-like story that surrounds the arrest and trials of Grace Marks and James McDermott. However, the attention, like the poem, is more focused on Grace because any time

Fight Club - How Multiple Identities Were Portrayed in The Film Essay

Fight Club - How Multiple Identities Were Portrayed in The Film - Essay Example The symptoms vary over time according to different conditions (Ringrose 64). The movie, Fight Club, clearly shows how D.I.D can affect a person. This is as discussed below. Dissociative identity disorder normally tends to be exhibited by an individual during highly traumatizing, painful, and violent moments (Ringrose 123). This is fully exhibited in Fight Club when Jack fights to put off the bombs set by Tyler for the destruction of the credit card companies. The trauma at the scene transforms him into someone else such that he acquires two personalities while being in one body. He has exactly to know the side of the body where Tyler is hiding so that he can shoot him. He uses sense and conscience to determine the side Tyler is hiding and finally manages to shot him (Palahniuk 13). The main symptoms of the disorder are depression, sleep disorders like insomnia, and sleep walking. Mood signs, headache, panic attacks, and phobias can also be part of the first symptoms of the disorder. The disorder makes an individual perceive intrusive thoughts and emotions, which make the individual act in accordance with such emotions and thoughts (Ringrose 63). It also causes them to forget information and thus act as a blank personality driven by the implanted thoughts and no logic or reasoning. This is the most dangerous part of the disorder. It thus makes it necessary to take good care of such patients. The treatment of such a disorder is not yet fully defined but is mostly dependent on past case studies. The reaction a patient gives is the one that gives the doctor a clue about the required action to be taken. A patient is handled according to how a previous patient was handled (Ringrose 78). It is thus important to notice any early symptoms for the treatment to be easier. Complicated cases can be difficult to handle. Considering Fight Club as a movie, identity is used as a style. Identity is used to show how the character of Jack, the narrator of the movie has the same pe rsonality with Tyler. This is well exhibited at the end of the movie when Jack has to shoot through his cheek so that he can hurt Tyler (Palahniuk 23). It clearly shows how Jack and Tyler have merged into one person and are operating using the same body and characteristics. Identity is also exhibited at places when people are referring to Jack as Tyler. This was mainly when Jack was following the trail of places where Tyler used to do the preparation for destruction of the credit card companies. All the people he met during the trip referred to him as Tyler. Marla also is seen to refer to Jack as Tyler. She even gets confused and ends up having an affair with both of them. This shows that most probably the two personalities having have merged into one body are inseparable and unidentifiable (Palahniuk 16). Fight Club as a movie exhibits a number of film techniques. Suspense as a technique is used in the movie at the place when the narrator is not given a name at the start of the mov ie. In this case, the viewer does not fully understand the position of the narrator. Finally, it comes out that he is the main character and suffers from failure of identity (Ringrose 92). This again brings up another film technique of symbolism. The disorder affecting the narrator that leads to lack of identity makes the narrator not be given a name. Suspense is created at the place when

Visit Paper on Religious Sites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Visit Paper on Religious Sites - Essay Example The paper "Visit Paper on Religious Sites" gives a detailed information about the church. The scriptures that were read came from the Bible. The people attending the service without the bible were assisted with one. The provision of the Holy bible made it easy to follow along the service. The bible had no symbols on it. The church had a lot of images that were noticeable during the service. The sitting arrangement and the position of the pulpit were different from the one on musicians’ corner. The priest sat at the center of the church in front of the Isle. Behind the priest were elderly men and women who occasionally consulting with other officials. The ushers are charged with the responsibility of welcoming visitors and directing them to the vacant seats. Each bench has a number of hymns which appeared to belong to the church. Ushers were busy mopping the seats and placing the bibles and hymn books before the service began. A groups of leaders converged in the vestry where t he service was planned. The form of worship was engaging and entertaining. Different songs that worship God were sung. The pianist and other instrumentalists appeared to direct the congregation in playing the music. A group of young men were using displaying the events of the service through Laptop and projector. This meant that songs were displayed on a large screen in front of the congregation. As a result, the congregation was able to sing along. You could tell the extent of commitment through the observation.... The readings were also displayed on the screen through the electronic Bible. It was noticeable that the same readings existed in a small brochure given to the congregants upon entry. In the brochure, the name of the preacher was written and the theme of the topic. There were a number of brief singing sessions. The mode of worship demanded that people conduct deep thought through slow but rich music popularly called worship music. After worship long leader conducted the songs. Some people knelt, while others just sat on the seats. However, others remained standing. There were mummers across the congregation as some attempted to pray in soft but audible tones (Moore, 59). Initially, it was really weak but grew stronger am more prayers were made. Some people looked emotional and literary broke down. Others never seemed to have an idea what was happening. Many seemed to be praying through closing eyes and being in deep thought. All this happened simultaneously. After the session of praye r, a lead singer appeared to call people to attention through a song. The most of the congregation stopped praying and joined in singing the song (Armstrong, 41). Then a prayer was made in unison. The prayer appeared to be entirely dependent on the intercessor. He was not referring to any script but addressed some of the contemporary issues facing the society. The prayer was directed to God through Jesus Christ as a source of Help. At some point the congregation was asked to stand and recite the Apostles’ Creed. This is a piece of text which is perceived to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith. The devote members of the Christian faith were supposed to recite the proclamation of faith through the apostles creed. The preacher had a designated place while preaching. The doctrine

District Nurses Work Within The Primary Health Care Team Nursing Essay

District Nurses Work Within The Primary Health Care Team Nursing Essay District nurses work within the primary health care team. They support patients at home or in residential care. They also provide a teaching role by enabling patients to care for themselves or by helping family members learn to care for their relatives. (NHS, 2011) Nurse consultants spend at least of 50% of their time working in direct contacts with patients. They are highly trained and are responsible for developing personal practice. They are involved in research, development and teaching. (NHS, 2011) Specialist nurses are also known as clinical nurse specialists. They specialise in a specific area of nursing, for example, patients suffering from diseases such as cancer, diabetes or viruses. . Some clinical nurse specialists also have a teaching and advisory role. They may also be involved in advising medical and nursing staff about caring for patients with particular conditions and/or in teaching nurses and other professionals. (NHS, 2011) Practice nurses work in a GP surgery and are part of a primary healthcare team, which involves other health professionals such as doctors and dieticians. In larger practices, there may be several practice nurses sharing duties and responsibilities but in smaller ones, youd be working on your own, taking on many roles (NHS, 2011). Asthma is a long-term condition  that can cause a cough, wheezing and breathlessness.  Asthma can be well controlled in most people most of the time. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten so that the airways become narrower and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Sometimes sticky mucus or phlegm builds up which can further narrow the airways (NHS, 2011). Salbutamol is a beta 2 agonist. Salbutamol works by acting on receptors in the lungs called beta 2 receptors. When salbutamol stimulates these receptors it causes the muscles in the airways to relax. This allows the airways to open. Side effects of these types of medication can include nervousness, tremor and headache. (BNF, 2011) Angina describes the pain and chest tightness and sometimes breathlessness or choking feeling caused when blood flow in the arteries that supply the heart is restricted (BUPA, 2011). Glycerol Trinitrate can be helpful in reducing angina attacks, rather than reversing angina started, by supplementing blood concentrations of nitric oxide. Side effects from Glycerol Trinitrate include, headache, dizziness, and diarrhoea, feeling sick and flushing (BNF, 2011). Congestive cardiac failure is something that happens when a heart does not have enough strength to pump blood around the body properly; this leads to fluid collecting inside the lungs and body tissue, which then leads to congestion. It tends to affect older people. It is a long term condition and can be managed with medication and changes in lifestyle. One of the treatments available for use in congestive heart failure is Furosemide, which is a diuretic. Diuretics get rid of excess fluid and salt from a patients body, but in turn the body produces extra urine. They reduce swelling in ankles, make breathing easier and potentially increase life expectancy. Cerebrovascular accident is the medical term for a stroke. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that: A stroke is caused by the interruption of the blood supply to the brain, usually because a blood vessel bursts or is blocked by a clot. This cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients, causing damage to the brain tissue. Aspirin is used in both the treatment and in the prevention of strokes. It works by thinning the blood, therefore reducing the risk of clots. Common side effects include stomach problems such as vomiting and pain. Long term effects can be serious and include a small risk of internal haemorrhage, which could lead to death. Diabetes is a condition in which the body produces too much glucose as a result of a decrease in the amount of insulin that is present in the body. In a healthy individual the pancreas produces insulin which helps to regulate the amount of sugar that remains in the blood stream. In the body of someone with diabetes there is not enough insulin in the blood stream to break down glucose and create energy. There are two types of Diabetes known simply as Type 1 and Type 2. In Type 1 diabetes the body is unable to create insulin on its own and is diagnosed generally during youth mainly during the teenage years. It is very uncommon as it is an inherited trait and only 5-10% of all people who suffer from diabetes fall into the Type 1 category. With type 2 diabetes, the illness and symptoms tend to develop gradually. This is because in type 2 diabetes you still make insulin (unlike type 1 diabetes). However, you develop diabetes because: you do not make enough insulin for your bodys needs, or the cells in your body do not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. The cells in your body become resistant to normal levels of insulin. This means that you need more insulin than you normally make to keep the blood glucose level down, or a combination of the above two reasons. Diabetes is associated with short term problems such as hypoglycaemia which can lead to death and many long term health issues which can develop as a result of the illness. The risk of these potential health problems can be reduced through lifestyle and diet management. Synthetic Insulin is used in the treatment of type 1diabetes in a carefully planned insulin therapy programme to replace the insulin that has not been produced by the pancreas. The longer a person has type 2 diabetes the greater the risk that they will have to start insulin therapy at some point throughout their lives. Appendectomy Removal of Appendix in cases of acute appendicitis. Total Knee Replacement Replacement of the whole knee joint. Used to treat severe knee pain, trauma, long term arthritis and mobility problems. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft A surgical procedure used to treat coronary heart disease. It diverts blood around narrowed or clogged parts of the major arteries, to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart.   Total Mastectomy A total mastectomy is also known as a simple mastectomy. It is a procedure that removes all of the breast tissue of an affected breast. The most common form of the surgery, referred to as traditional total mastectomy, includes the removal of the areola and nipple. However, the surgery can be performed using skin and nipple sparing techniques. It also leaves the muscle under the breast left intact. Prostatectomy A prostatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland. Blockages like tumors of the prostate can affect the normal flow of urine in the urethra. A prostatectomy can help with this. Laparoscopy A laparoscopy is a surgical procedure that is carried out using a laparoscope which is a small, flexible tube with a camera on it. Using a laparoscope means that a surgeon can access the inside of the abdomen and the pelvis without the procedure being invasive because large cuts are not needed; Sometimes known as keyhole surgery. According to The department of Health (2005) MRSA stands for Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It is a very contagious strain of the Staphylococcus type of bacteria. It can cause many different infections and some of these can be very serious. About 3% of the population are known carriers of MRSA and it can be transmitted by a carrier to another person or themselves through an open wound or into the blood steam. In order to reduce the risk of infection of MRSA healthcare workers can practice proper hand hygiene and they can encourage patients to wash their hands after going to the toilet. Gloves can also be used with known carriers. The Department of Health (2007) explains that Clostridium Difficile is a bacterium which is the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and colitis, an infection of the intestines. It most commonly affects elderly patients with other underlying diseases. It is present in a small proportion of the population but is usually kept in check by the good bacteria. When this good bacteria is not present illness develops. People who have been treated with antibiotics are most at risk. The disease can be spread by healthcare workers, therefore washing hands after contact with a patient can help prevent the spread and reducing the use of antibiotics can help reduce the harm that the bacterium can cause. Adult nurses work with old and young adults with a variety of health problems, chronic and acute. They are involved in many roles including caring, counselling, managing and teaching to improve the quality of a patients life, often in challenging situations. Adult nurses can hold positions at most levels of the NHS career framework. Adult nurses work at the centre of a multi professional team that can include doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, radiographers, healthcare assistants and others workers. They assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for individual patients. Adult nurses can work in both hospital and community settings. Learning Disability Nursing The World Health Organisation defines learning disabilities or LD as: a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind. Learning disabilities is an umbrella term encompassing a range of disorders and deficits that create problems for an individual in relation to learning. People with LD often have physical problems that go hand in hand. Learning disabilities are often diagnosed by psychologists, through a combination of intelligence testing, academic achievement testing, classroom performance, and social interaction and aptitude. Other areas of assessment may include perception, cognition, memory, attention, and language abilities. IQ or Intelligence Quotient is an attempt to measure intelligence using standardized tests. According to the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (2006) it is often used to classify the level of intellectual impairment in someone with learning disabilities. Below 20 would be classed as a profound learning disability; 25 to 35, Severe; 35 to 50, Moderate and 55 to 70, Mild. Errors in fetal development. Problems during pregnancy. Toxins in the childs environment. Tobacco, alcohol and other drug use. Genetic factors. According to the British Institute of Learning Disabilities (2006), between 1 and 2 percent of the UK population have a learning disability. According to Autism.org.uk, autism is a developmental disability that lasts for a lifetime. It affects how they make sense of the world around them and how they communicate and relate to other people. It is a spectrum condition so even though people with autism share difficulties, their condition will be personal to them and will affect them in different ways. People with autism sometimes experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours. According to the NHS (2010) Epilepsy affects the brain and can cause repeated seizures, also known as fits. Epilepsy usually begins early in someones life, although it can potentially start at any age. The severity of the seizures can vary in different people. Some may experience a trance-like state for a short time,  while some others lose consciousness completely and have convulsions where they shake uncontrollably. Downs syndrome is a genetic condition where a person inherits an extra copy of one chromosome. This additional genetic material can result in characteristic physical features such as a flatter than normal face and also intellectual features which can vary from moderate to severe LD. Cerebral palsy is not a learning disability, but is common to have a LD if you also have cerebral palsy. It is a physical condition that affects the movement and control of a body. It is caused by a lack of development in part of the brain during pregnancy or childhood. The severities of problems are dependent on which part of the brain is affected (Mencap, 2010). When talking about people with LD, dual diagnosis refers to the comorbidity of learning disabilities and mental health problems. People with LD often suffer with depression or anxiety. It is important for nurses to be aware of the common conditions in LD because they can easily be missed if they are not actively looked for. It can be much more difficult for someone with LD to communicate a problem with their health and also, symptoms can be missed due to diagnostic overshadowing which means that secondary illnesses are missed because the symptoms are mistaken to be related to the primary disorder. Most people with LD live at home with help from families and day care services. Care for people with LD is often provided by family members with support from a range of healthcare workers and professionals such as nurses, psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists and specialist behavioral therapists; healthcare assistants and day workers. Direct payments are made by councils to people receiving social care services, instead of the council providing the service directly (direct.gov.uk). LD nurses work in a variety of setting which include the home, family, adult education, education for young people and community/residential settings (NHS Careers Website). Social Role Valorisation is the name given to a concept formulated by Wolf Wolfensberger, Ph.D in 1983 which follows the principle of normalisation. Normalisation is a set of principles that underlie the idea that people with a learning disability should live in ordinary places, doing ordinary things, with ordinary people: essentially experiencing the normal patterns of everyday life. The five service accomplishments identified by OBrien and Tyne (1981) were: Community presence; Relationships; Choice; Competence; Respect. Person Cantered Planning is way of seeing and working with all people with disabilities. It helps people with disabilities plan and organise their future in a more ordinary way. Fundamentally the person is at the centre and family members and friends are made full partners in the plan. The plan should reflect what is important to the person and the capacities that they have. It should also help a person to make a valued contribution to society. People with learning LD have been referred to as patients, clients and service users. Service user is the current term used within healthcare but the term client is still used by some and probably depends on who you are talking to. The four principles of the 2001 white paper valuing people are: right, independence, choice and inclusion. Right means that people with learning disabilities should have the same rights and choices as everybody else. Independence means the people with LD should be helped to live lives that are as independent as possible. Choice means that people with LD should be empowered to have choice in the treatment they receive and the lives that they lead. Inclusion means that people with LD should be included in society, have access to services and helped to gain valued social roles within society. One of the issues with LD nursing is mental health. People with LD often also suffer with mental health problems. There is a distinct difference between a person having a mental illness and a learning disability,

Summary of Zheng- He :: essays research papers

Zheng He was a Muslim eunuch who served as a close confidant of the Yongle Emperor of China during the Ming Dynasty. He went on voyages to Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java, Ceylon, India, Persia, Persian Gulf, Arabia, the red sea Egypt, and the Mozambique Channel. The number of his voyages vary depending on method of division, but he travelled at least seven times to The Western Ocean with his fleet. The fleet comprised 30,000 men and seventy ships at its height. He brought back to China many trophies and envoys from more than thirty kingdoms including King Alagonakkara of Ceylon, who came to China to apologize to the Emperor. Life magazine ranked Zheng He the 14th most important person of the last millennium. In 1405, Zheng was chosen to lead the biggest naval expedition in history up to that time. Over the next 28 years (1405-1433), he commanded seven fleets that visited 37 countries, through Southeast Asia to faraway Africa and Arabia. In those years, China had by far the biggest ships of the time. In 1420 the Ming navy dwarfed the combined navies of Europe. A great fleet of big ships, with nine masts and manned by 500 men, each set sail in July 1405, half a century before Columbus's voyage to America. There were great treasure ships over 300-feet long and 150-feet wide, the biggest being 440-feet long and 186-across, capable of carrying 1,000 passengers. Most of the ships were built at the Dragon Bay shipyard near Nanjing, the remains of which can still be seen today. Zheng He's first fleet included 27,870 men on 317 ships, including sailors, clerks, interpreters, soldiers, artisans, medical men and meteorologists. On board were large quantities of cargo including silk goods, porcelain, gold and silverware, copper utensils, iron implements and cotton goods. The fleet sailed along China's coast to Champa close to Vietnam and, after crossing the South China Sea, visited Java, Sumatra and reached Sri Lanka by passing through the Strait of Malacca. On the way back it sailed along the west coast of India and returned home in 1407. Envoys from Calicut in India and several countries in Asia and the Middle East also boarded the ships to pay visits to China. Zheng He's second and third voyages taken shortly after, followed roughly the same route. In the fall of 1413, Zheng He set out with 30,000 men to Arabia on his fourth and most ambitious voyage.

Positive views of the International Monetary Fund Essay

Is there any harder job than regulating all of the international markets money? Probably not, the topic being discussed throughout this essay will be the international monetary fund and its involvement in the international market. Much has been said about the I. M. F whether it is positive or negative, neo-Marxist Che Guevara said â€Å"The interests of the IMF represent the big international interests that seem to be established and concentrated in Wall Street. Here he criticizes how the IMF is considered to be run by the United States which occupies a veto power in the decision making at the IMF, this is important to see because it brings up the other side to the IMF, the side that is not so positive and the one that people feel very critical of. Even though people like Che and Stieglitz bring up the negative characteristics of the IMF it is not the only qualities that the fund has. The IMF has also has many positive qualities, this essay will go over these qualities by looking at the IMF’s debt restructuring cases, looking at how the decisions are made in the fund and finally the long term positive effect that the IMF has on promoting democracy. As mentioned before the IMF has gone through much criticism in past years, yet the work they have done on debt relief has done much to boost up their reputation. Cases like Argentina, the Dominican Republic and much more show that the IMF is very capable of improving conditions within a country by debt restructuring programs. In 2005 the IMF started debt reconstruction in Argentina, the process was held back more that they would have liked due to court proceedings in New York. After this delay the IMF was able to do some real work in debt exchange with Argentina. The country participated 76% in the debt exchange and since then they have seen much improvements in their debt structure and debt-profile. In early may the Argentinean authorities regained market access for the first time since the year 2001. Also as a result of rebalancing of the countries credit rating, spreads of Argentina’s external debt fell tremendously from 6000 basis points to 462 basis points. ( ) The Dominican Republic is another country which was aided by the IMF for debt reconstruction, which ended in success. The Dominican Republic started on an economic recovery route by utilizing stand-by arrangements, which are†¦. The plan of this program was to eliminate the financial needs during 2005-06 through a debt exchange process and more, all of which being supported by IDB and the World Bank. The debt exchange ended on May 15th 2005, and had a very high participation rate by the Dominican Republic and this allowed for a large relief of overall cash flow (576 million US) for the government, an increase in the maturity profile of the debt and a decline in over 130 basis points which clearly outperformed the rest of the market ( ). These are great examples to how the IMF can have a positive influence on the economic conditions of a certain country. Apart from these cases there are many people who still oppose the IMF and its ways of intervening, like Joseph Stieglitz wrote in his book that the IMF set the bar so high for debt relief that few qualified (Stieglitz, 227), yet cases like Argentina and the Dominican do prove their potential for aid. Decisions can be crucial to one’s life, drawing the line between failures or success, same goes for the International monetary fund except their decisions could be the difference between saving a country and having that country’s economic system fail. When a person invests into a company or corporation and holds the majority of shares in it, that person can pretty much make all the decisions he wants. It is very similar in the IMF; the country becoming member attains a certain number of votes and then receives more voting power when that country invests more money. This is stated in further detail in the Funds article XII, section 5 â€Å" Each member shall have two hundred fifty vote plus one additional vote for each part of its quota equivalent to one hundred thousand U.  S dollars† (Gold, 18). The two hundred fifty basic votes were meant to give a chance to the countries who have just became members or were not largely developed, it was also intended so that countries were not entirely able to buy their voting power, as do most people perceive the United States did to gain its so-called Veto power. Gold (1972) brings a quote from an unstated source that brings up the argument of why all countries do not have the same amount of voting power. It is said that it would be unwise to have small countries have the same voting power as the larger ones, since it is for sure that there will be more small country members than there are large. Contrary to that point, he says that it would be unfair to give voting power on the solemn basis of how much money they put in. Although the exact figures of recent years are unavailable, the effect of the basic votes were quite visible in the 70’s, where 37 countries of the 137 members of the fund had basic votes that accounted for half or more of their total voting power (Gold, 19). The counter argument this type of voting formula could be that it resembles to much a private corporation, yet evidence shows that it has help the small countries to at least attain a sufficient amount of votes. People are very likely to pre-judge the outcome of a certain event, even without waiting to see what will happen in the end. This can also be the case for views against the IMF, judging its intervention or programs on the basis of the results produced in the first year. A study was done by Nelson and Wallace to see what type of influence the IMF lending plans had on democracy inside the country obtaining the loan. What they found in their study was that the impact of the IMF loans did not have very much effect on democracy within the given country in the time frame of one year, but the impact of IMF lending only took place between three and five years ( Nelson & Wallace, 24-25). Again this hints to the fact that anti-IMF people may be quick to judge the impact that the Fund has on whatever country being helped. Other results from the Nelson and Wallace research was that the impact of the IMF’s lending could vary from one region to another such as in Eastern Europe where one could see a 3. increase in polity[1] score over a period of 5-years and then in East-Asia there was a negative change of 1. 5 in the polity score (Nelson & Wallace, 27-28). Again these results presented shows that the IMF’s implication can have many different levels of influence depending on the region that is being lent the money. One thing is for sure, it is that there are more cases of improved polity 3:1 and having two regions that were not significant results (Nelson & Wallace, 27-28). Yet, anti-IMF people may say that it is unfair that that one country has a negative outcome and the IMF is unfair and bias towards the other countries. In conclusion, the IMF shows many positive characteristics to their involvement in the world. Their positive ranges from helping developing countries to reconstruct and eliminate their debt by means of a debt exchange with the IMF to the IMF having a positive influence on democracy when loaning money to a country. Also, the way that the IMF voting power is distributed shows a fair way to doing it by awarding all members of the fund with a start up amount of basis points to be able to have some power.

History of Film: Film Distribution

There were many changes in marketing and distribution of films from end of the silent period to the modern digital period. There was a studio system that existed at the end of the silent period and collapsed in 1949 with a court ruling. During this same time a sales era of marketing existed. After the Second World War the sales era was replaced with a new way of thinking and sales and marketing were not synonymous anymore.Marketing after World War II meant finding out what consumers’ needs and wants were and providing them with products to satisfy those needs and wants. Globalization began to occur rapidly in the 90’s and expansion in foreign market meant marketers had to concentrate on this market more than they had in the past. The digital period also meant changes of first runs and second runs for films. The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1950s.The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios (a) producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under often long-term contract and (b) pursuing vertical integration through ownership or effective control of distributors and movie theaters, guaranteeing additional sales of films through manipulative booking techniques. A 1948 Supreme Court ruling against those distribution and exhibition practices hastened the end of the studio system.In 1954, the last of the operational links between a major production studio and theater chain was broken and the era of the studio system was officially dead. The period lasted from the introduction of sound to the court ruling and the beginning of the studio breakups; about 1927 to 1954, when the studios no longer participated in the theatre business. During the Golden Age, eight companies comprised the so-called major studios responsible for the studio system.Of these eight, five were fully integrated conglomerates, combining ownership of a production studio, distribution division, and substantial theater chain, and contracting with performers and filmmaking personnel: Fox (later 20th Century-Fox), Loew's Incorporated (owner of America's largest theater circuit and parent company to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), Paramount Pictures, RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum), and Warner Bros. Two majors, Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures were similarly organized, though they never owned more than small theater circuits.The eighth of the Golden Age majors, United Artists, owned a few theaters and had access to two production facilities owned by members of its controlling partnership group, but it functioned primarily as a backer-distributor, loaning money to independent producers and releasing their films. The ranking of the Big Five in terms of profitability (closely related to market share) was largely consistent during the Golden Age: MGM was number one eleven years running, 1931 to 41.With the exception of 193 2 when all the companies but MGM lost money. One of the techniques used to support the studio system was block booking, a system of selling multiple films to a theater as a unit. Such a unit, frequently twenty films, typically included no more than a few quality movies, the rest perceived as low-grade filler to bolster the studio's finances. On May 4, 1948, in a federal antitrust suit known as the Paramount case but brought against the entire Big Five, the U. S. Supreme Court specifically outlawed block booking.Holding that the conglomerates were indeed in violation of antitrust, the justices refrained from making a final decision as to how that fault should be remedied, but the case was sent back to the lower court from which it had come with language that suggested divorcement the complete separation of exhibition interests from producer-distributor operations was the answer. The Big Five, though, seemed united in their determination to fight on and drag out legal proceedings for years as they had already proven adept at after all, the Paramount suit had originally been filed on July 20, 1938.The sales era is called the sales era because many companies' main priority was to move their products out of the factory using a variety of selling techniques. The sales era lasted from the early 20’s to the end of the World War II. Compare this to the cinema and both the sales era and studio system era align closing on a time period. During The sales era, companies felt that they could enhance their sales by using a variety of promotional techniques designed to inform potential customers about and/or persuade them to buy their products. This type of thinking was initiated by the economic climate of the time.The selling concepts related markets that already existed, where globalization hadn’t yet occurred and creating profit pools hadn’t even been thought of yet. However October 29, 1929—†Black Tuesday†Ã¢â‚¬â€marked the beginnin g of the Great Depression. This was the single most devastating financial day in the history of the New York Stock Exchange. Within the first few hours that the stock market was open, prices fell so far as to wipe out all the gains that had been made in the previous year. Since the stock market was viewed as the chief indicator of the American economy, public confidence was shattered.Between October 29 and November 13 (when stock prices hit their lowest point), more than $30 billion disappeared from the American economy— comparable to the total amount the United States had spent on its involvement in World War I (Schultz, 1999). The amount of disposable and discretionary income that consumers had to spend on necessities and luxuries also decreased dramatically as the unemployment rate approached 25 percent. Companies found that they could no longer sell all the products that they produced, even though prices had been lowered via mass production.Firms now had to get rid of the ir excess products in order to convert those products into cash. In order to get rid of products, many firms developed sales forces and relied on personal selling, advertising signs, and singing commercials on the radio to â€Å"move† the product. Theodore Levitt(1960), a prominent marketing scholar, has noted that these firms were not necessarily concerned with satisfying the customer, but rather with selling the product. This sales orientation dominated business practice through the 1930s until World War II, when most firms' manufacturing facilities were adapted to making machinery and equipment for the war effort.Of course, the war dramatically changed the environment within which business was conducted. This also changed companies' philosophies of doing business. The marketing concept era, a crucial change in management philosophy can be linked to the shift from a seller’s market, where there were more buyers for few good and services, to a buyer’s market, w here there were more goods and services than people were willing to buy them. When World War II ended, factories stopped manufacturing war supplies and started turning out consumer products again, an activity that had practically stopped during the war.The relationship marketing era follows the marketing concept era. Relationship marketing succeeds the marketing concept era; however most firms are still practicing the marketing concept use of marketing. The advent of a strong buyers market created the need for consumer orientation by businesses. Companies had to market good and services, not just produce them, but sell them to. This realization has been identified as the emergence of the marketing concept. Marketing would no longer be regarded as supplemental activity performed after completion of the production process. Instead, the marketer ould play a leading role in product planning. Marketing and selling would no longer be synonymous terms. Today’s fully developed market ing concept is a companywide consumer with the objective of achieving long-run success. All facets and all levels of management of the organization must contribute first to assessing and then to satisfying customer wants and needs. Even during tough economic times, when companies tend to emphasize cutting costs and boosting revenues, the marketing concept focuses on the objective of achieving long-run success instead of short term profits.The firm’s survival and growth are built into the marketing concept; companywide consumer orientation should lead to greater long-run profits. Gone With the Wind, released December 15th 1939, was no doubt a cash cow. In the film’s 8th closing week it had already earned $5,567,000, where it began to see profit. By June 1st 1940 the film had already made its year and half goal of over 20 million; a very sizeable profit for the producers of the film. It did however require a large amount of investment from its producer David O. Selznick, of almost 4 million in production costs, and another million in marketing expenses.Adjusted for inflation it would have nearly been 50 million in production costs alone. David Selznick must have known his film was going to be a big hit. He paid $50,000 for the rights to a New York Times bestselling book. If the film was going to do as well as the book he knew he was going to see a large profit from his cash cow. It wasn’t common to have a worldwide release during the studio system era like it is today. Typically films would be released in their native country first and then a few months later it would be released in countries with speaking languages the same as the country of origin.In North America the first run of a film refers to the exhibition of theatres it would play in. A first run of a film would only play in the major cities in the downtown areas in the â€Å"de luxe† first run film theatre. These theatres would seat anywhere between 1500 to 5000 people in on e room to one screen. This is of course before the days of digitization where people can view the film on DVD, and before the days of multiplexes. First run films had a higher ticket premium than that of second run or subsequent runs of the film. Gone With the Wind is said to have charged $0. 5 for a matinee viewing of the film and up to $2. 20 at Manhattan’s Astor in its first run. Compare this to the $0. 23 average ticket price in that year, the price was very high. Gone With the Wind’s first run lasted two and half years and was seen by 203 million people. It played in 156 theatres in 150 cities domestically. Gone With the Wind was eventually released around the world. Box office revenue for foreign release is much harder to calculate. Gone With the Wind made $30 million in domestic revenue and $19 million in foreign revenue in its first run.Adjusted for inflation that amount would total about $755,821,500. 00 today. (Dollar Times) Most of Gone With the Wind’ s came from domestic revenue, about 63. 3 percent. Enter 2009. Many things have changed. Firstly a new marketing era is now in place. The studio system has collapsed. Globalization is not a competitive advantage of the studio system period, it is a competitive necessity. Films that do not compete in the global market do not compete at all. First runs last only weeks, months if the film is a really big hit.First runs are not only in the downtown theatres but also in the neighborhood theatres, and now in the muitlplex theatres. A second run in today’s language is when the film hits the new release section of the rental shop. In its third month Avatar is a big hit. At the time of this writing it is still playing in its first run. How does it compare to Gone With the Wind? Avatar is currently being seen on 3,452 theatres in hundreds of countries. Estimated to cost $280 million to make Avatar is much more expensive to make, even for adjusting inflation that Gone With the Wind.Curr ently domestic box office revenue is $710,842,764, and its foreign box office revenue amounts to $1,839,000,000. This is prove of the globalization of the cinema industry. The majority of the box office revenue no longer comes from domestic revenue but rather from the foreign market. Avatar is not only seen on the traditional 2D screens that Gone With the Wind was but it also seen on 3D screens, and IMAX screens, allowing for price alterations between the different formats the film is viewed in. It will be interesting to see how Avatar does when it ends its first run and enters its second run.A film that has ended its first run and second run is much more accurate to compare with Gone With the Wind since the film would have been shown at neighborhood theatres two and half years after it was first released. Titanic was released in 1997 and has ended both its first and second run. How did these two films compare? Titanic’s production budget was $200 million compared to Gone Wit h the Wind’s adjusted for inflation budget of 50 million. Total gross revenue for Titanic has reached $1,843,201,268, while Gone With the Wind has reached $400,176,459.Adjusted for inflation Titanic would have reached nearly 3 billion in total gross revenue at $2,996,049,690. If Gone With the Wind were adjusted for total gross revenue it would reach $3,099,918,548. Total gross revenue includes first run, second run, and all other revenue that comes from the film, including T. V rights, rentals, VHS and DVD sales. It can be concluded that the importance of globalization in the film industry is more important now than it was during the studio system period. The way in which films are exhibited today is very different than it was during the studio period.First run theatres do not exist in the same way they did during the studio system period. Second runs of films were in theatres and now they are a way in which the audience may view the film on their terms, following the marketi ng concept idea. Consumers choose the way in which they consume products. The industry adapts to this and finds new ways to market their ideas and invents new products for the consumer to consume.Works Cited ‘Avatar' Passes ‘Titanic's' Overseas Record. The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Jan. 2010. Web. . Boone, Louis E. and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing. [Mason, Ohio]: Thomson South-Western, 2006. Print. Box Office, Associated Publications. â€Å"What If the Government Wins Its Suit? † Editorial. Boxoffice 1 June 1940. Print. Crane, Fredrick G. , Roger A. Kerin, Steven W. Hartley, Eric N. Berkowitz, and William Rudelius. Marketing 6th Canadian Edition. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2006. Print. Frankly, My Dear â€Å"Gone with the Wind† Revisited. Yale University Press, 9 Feb. 2009. Web. . HBrothers. â€Å"Inflation Calculator The Changing Value of a Dollar. Web. IMDb. com, Inc. â€Å"Avatar, Titanic, Gone With the WInd. † Avatar, Titanic, Gone Wit h the WInd. IMDb. com, Inc. , 4 Mar. 2010. Web. . King, Clyde Lyndon, Frank A. Tichenor, and Gordon S. Watkins. The Motion Picture in Its Economic and Social Aspects. New York: Arno, 1970. Print. Rebecca Keegan, Rebecca. â€Å"How Much Did Avatar Really Cost? † Vanity Fair 22 Dec. 2009: 112. Print. Shindler, Colin. Hollywood in Crisis: Cinema and American Society, 1929-1939. London: Routledge, 1996. Print. TIME. â€Å"SHOW BUSINESS: Record Wind. † TIME

What is the Worst Song in the World

What is the Worst Song in the World The Worst Song in the World The Era of Good Music The 20th century blessed the world with so much great music – from jazz to blues, rock, and roll to funk. That may not be a case with 21st-century music, but that’s another story altogether. Last century was a revolutionary time in western culture, as well as other parts of the world, and it produced some extraordinary art, including music. However, not everything produced was solid-gold music. Just look at John Mellencamp’s 1985 hit â€Å"Small Town.† It is easily one of the worst songs ever made. Not only is the song a big let down, it’s also repetitive, and it’s glorifying small-town mentalities, lifestyles and limitations almost to the point of condescension. In no way, shape or form is the song a good one; rather, it is surely one that should never be played or listened to ever again on the public radio. Guitar Rhythm Going Nowhere For starters, â€Å"Small Town† could be considered the worst song in the world because it’s one big disappointment after another. It’s a catchy intro, the guitar rhythm, but it seems to go nowhere. It illustrates that silly, simple drumbeat typical of music from the 1980s, which is all just terrible; except for anything by bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan, which is absolutely excellent. But Mellencamp’s â€Å"Small Town† is just a small-minded song that is barely a song. It’s mostly a bunch of shoddy lyrics backed by even lamer music. It’s the worst song in the world, and it clearly was an expedient effort to get paid. Secondly, and most importantly, it’s the worst song in the world because it can drive anyone nuts with its mindless repetition. It lacks creativity, originality, and diversity. In just seven stanzas – it has six four-line stanzas, and one five-line stanza – Mellencamp says the world â€Å"small town† 17 times – again, 17 times! It’s so annoyingly redundant that the listener has no choice but to anticipate him saying it, almost to the point of an anguishing dread. Some of the better songs have diverse choruses, interesting phrases. But, no, Mellencamp went a different route. How it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is surely a mystery that no cultural expert or art critic could explain. If anything, it alludes to the sheer idiocy of the 1980s – with its hair-metal bands, outlandish behavior, and working-class sensationalism. Too Depressive Song Thirdly, that latter point brings up another reason why â€Å"Small Town† is so horrible, probably one of the worst songs ever made: It clearly is pandering to a demographic – the small-town natives with their small-town mentalities – that it’s more depressing than encouraging. In the second stanza, he sings, â€Å"All my friends are so small town/My parents live in the same small town/My job is so small town.† Now it’s quite a challenge to look beyond the sheer, mindless redundancy of the lyrics, but he sings like he is celebrating the small-town life while making fun of it. He is a sort of condescending. And yet, Mellencamp left the â€Å"small town† to become a â€Å"big† star. In a sense, he is making fun of the dumb people buying his album, who thinks he is glorifying them and their lifestyles. But that is not the case. It is essentially Mellencamp catering to this poor, working-class demographic, knowing he can easily get them to buy his new album. It’s basically marketing at its finest, a business effort to make money. Only, art and music are these beautiful gifts that should never be used as tools to merely make money. â€Å"Small Town† did just that, and it should not be considered a good song. It should be seen as one of the worst songs – if not the worst song – ever made. To conclude, every time Mellencamp hears â€Å"Small Town† on the radio, he probably cringes, lights a cigarette and promptly changes the station. In fact, he has likely removed every single radio his family owns, whether in cars, unused rooms, everywhere that could house a radio, and replace them all with iPods of only his greatest hits. â€Å"Small Town,† because of its disappointing, repetitive, trolling, sold-out nature, is assuredly the worst song on the face of the Earth. It should be banned from universities, public libraries, and hospitals. It has no place in American culture, no place in the lives of hard-working, decently intelligent people – and we should make sure children grow up never hearing of such a terrible, soul-sucking song.

Communication Within The Construction Industry Essay

Communication Within The Construction Industry - Essay Example In this context, it has been found that the Simon reports (1944, 1945, 1948) could be possibly regarded as a primary theoretical approach to the issue of communication in the construction industry. These reports refer to the â€Å"distribution of building materials, awareness of the problems faced and the contingency planning required to overcome post-war problems† (Emmitt et al., 2003, 12). In other words, there was an ‘indirect’ reference to the communication as a necessary element for the successful completion of a construction project. The study of the role of communication in the development of a construction project was expanded after the decade of 1960s while in the 1970s one of the most important studies appeared in the area is that of Broadbent’s Design and Architecture in 1973 which included â€Å"an entire chapter for the issue of communication† (Emmitt et al., 2003, 16). Another important study was also that of Paterson ‘Information Methods: For Design and Construction’ in 1977 which refer to the value of information towards the successful completion of a construction project. Other studies also followed in recent years emphasizing the need for effective communication in order to achieve the targets set in any construction project. Communication should be considered as an element of primary importance for the success of any construction project. In this context, it has been supported by Brown (2001, 1) that â€Å"communication has been cited by 25 per cent of all construction employers as a basic reason for failure†. On the other hand, it has been found that â€Å"differences in communication techniques, language and subsequent translation of the language into the design product mean that the existence of certain hurdles must be accepted; techniques need to be developed to ensure that they become simple obstacles, as opposed to

Sustainability issues in providing Healthcare Services at Nicaragua Research Paper

Sustainability issues in providing Healthcare Services at Nicaragua Canal Project - Research Paper Example The HCSS proposed project’s objectives are focused towards developing a new canal project in Nicaragua whose most beneficiaries are employees and their families in conjunction with provision of healthcare services to the indigenous people. In addition, the proposed project has provoked the HCSS and CSR expertise to design a health management program that proactively identifies evacuating and healthcare services related issues with aims of reducing accidents, trauma and congestion of shipping traffics. Therefore, marketing, environmental management, and human resources related issues are identified within the organization illustrating environmental, Capacity Building and Corporate Social Responsibility dilemmas as the central challenges that needs resolution for mitigation measures (Frutos-Bencze, 2014). The analysis presented in this paper is helpful in understanding sustainability and health care services in relation to Nicaraguan canal development. Further analysis in this paper uncovers the entire organization dilemma, issues, and concepts or approaches used to tackle in tackling all the related issues in relation to HCSS developers, locals, and Federal Government agencies. In details, the paper explores and explains the Nicaraguan environmental issues exposing out the significance of the government structure and the corporate social responsibilities and the theories generated to support the arguments (Ogawa & Suzuki, 2015). Based on international context for sustainability, capacity building, and Corporate Social Responsibility the paper critically evaluates the impacts of environmental implications in relation to the Nicaraguan environmental issues as well as business growth (Grove & Berg, 2014). As Nicaraguan health care program experiences foundational dilemmas from different components of marketing, environmental management to human