Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Media images Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media images - Essay Example This advertisement has two main characters, which include a young attractive lady and an elderly woman. The girl adorns a white top with red short and black shoes. The old woman wears a black dress. The advert portrays a girl posing as the old woman observes her. It shows two opposing personalities as the young liberal woman dresses in a way that she feels comfortable, and the elder woman has a conservative and reserved feeling. It has a very interesting thought provoking twist to it, which quickly captivates the mind of an audience. This stimulates the audience into thinking, as well as sending a strong fashion statement. It brings out strong emotions in viewers. Additionally, it brings out the feeling of adventure and boldness in fashion. The mood in the advertisement is very exciting yet pensive. It shows a new, fresh dominant feeling. The showed originality complements the characters very well. It inclines towards a modern approach to fashion. The gestures and expressions of both characters also help describe the mood of the picture and efficiently helps bring the concept of the image into play. There is a strong visual presence, and the photo easily appeals to the eyes and woos the intended audience (Bermejo 159). It inspires women who intend to dress the same way and serves as an example or a reference for others to follow. The advertisement successfully appeals to the audience by making them have a desire to dress in that manner. Many tactics are used to interpret an image. â€Å"The methods implemented in creating the image and the concepts that are applied will determine the effectiveness for the purpose of the picture† (Choi and Lee 504). It is vital that one understands the various concepts used in making sure that the image portrays meaning in a certain way. This will ensure that the intended audience will have the desired interpretation of the image thus fulfilling its purpose.  

Monday, October 28, 2019

Comarative analysis of video games Essay Example for Free

Comarative analysis of video games Essay Introduction Pascal, after remodeling your house and adding a bonus/entertainment room, you mentioned that you would love to buy a new video gaming system. The last video gaming system that you owned was a Nintendo 64, which pales in comparison to the systems available today. Since owning a Nintendo 64, your experience with playing video games has been limited to playing MMORPGs (Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Games) on your personal computer. I have been researching your options and am constantly considering your preferences and restrictions. Your primary preference is game genre, with your most preferred genre being Role-Playing. Several other genres that you are interested in are Action, Adventure, Platformers, and Strategy. Your only real restriction is a spending limit of $700 for your entire gaming setup. Other preferences that have been noted are the system’s Blu-Ray capabilities, and that the system targets a mature audience. The three most prominent video gaming systems on the market that fit your preferences are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii, and Sony’s Playstation 3. The following criteria are being used to evaluate your options. * Cost * Hardware Specifications * Games Offered * Target demographic * Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches * Movie-Playing Features The remaining contents of this comparative study will be organized into the several sections. RESEARCH DATA will be presented organized first by option and then by evaluative criteria. Each of the evaluative criteria will be compared in the RESULTS section by showing the results for each option side-by-side. These results will be totaled and a final CONCLUSION will be made. Finally, I will make a RECOMMENDATION as to the most appropriate course of action. Research Data Microsoft Xbox 360 Cost: $199. 99 – includes a 4GB console with built-in wi-fi, one wireless controller, A/V cables, and a one-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 1: Xbox 360 Hardware Specification * Media Type| * DVD| * CPU| * 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon| * Internal Memory| * 4 GB Flash| * RAM| * 512 MB| * Online Services| * Xbox Live| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes| * Connector Types| 1 x AV cable port,5 x USB 2. 0, 1 x Kinect port,1 x HDMI output1 x SPDIF output,1 x Ethernet| * * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Xbox 360 games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 2: Xbox 360 Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 563| Role-Playing| 108| Strategy| 48| The following images show compiled game review scores by genre to show which console does best for several preferable genres. The results have been split into two types for each console. The lighter shaded color bars show the average score for all games for the specified system in that genre. The darker shaded color bars show the average score of just the top 5 best-scoring games in that genre for the specified system. Graph 1. 1: Role-Playing Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 2: Adventure Games Bar Graph Graph 1. 3: Platformer Games Bar Graph Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Xbox 360 is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Xbox 360 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE 303 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 213 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 535 Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 491. Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 149 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: The ten most common hardware malfunctions and glitches for the Xbox 360 are as follow: * 3 red flashing lights, also known as â€Å"Red Ring of Death† * Open tray and/or disc error messages. * No video or only audio * DVD laser replacement * DVD drive replacement * System freezes, dotted video or similar issues * 1 red light, E74 * 2 red lights * Stuck DVD tray * White screen Most of these issues must be dealt with by professionals and will be costly. Self-repair is a possibility, but is not recommended. Most systems run into issues eventually, but the Xbox runs into hardware problems more frequently than the other options. Movie-Playing Features: The Xbox 360 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (list does not include Blu-Ray): * Xbox 360 Discs * Xbox 1 Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R. * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs Nintendo’s Wii Cost: $149. 99 – includes one remote controller, one nun chuck controller, one wheel controller, one sensor bar, and Mario Kart for Wii. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 3: Wii Hardware Specification * Media Type| * Flash Memory Card, * Nintendo Wii Disc, * Nintendo GameCube Disc| * CPU| * 729 MHzIBM PowerPC â€Å"Broadway†| * Internal Memory| * 512 MB| * RAM| * 512 MB| * Online Services| * Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24,| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes|. * Connector Types| (4 pin USB Type A),4 x Game controller,Component video output,Composite video output,S-Video output,2 x USB| * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Wii games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 4: Wii Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 593| Role-Playing| 33| Strategy| 32| Also, see the graphics and information in the section Microsoft’s Xbox 360 – Games Offered. Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Nintendo Wii is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Wii titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 916 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 355 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 374. Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 57 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 61 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release. ) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: Three common hardware malfunctions and Glitches for the Wii console are as follows: * Power Supply Issue * WiConnect 24 Issue * Dual Layer Wii Disc Problem All of these minor issues are covered by warranty and do not occur on the same scale as other video gaming system. The most common issue relating to the Wii system occurs when an excess of light interferes with the Wii Remote. Movie-Playing Features: The Nintendo Wii is only capable of playing Wii and GameCube discs and doesnot support the playing of DVD or Blu-Ray Discs. Sony’s Playstation 3 Cost: $299. 99 – Includes access to the Playstation Network at no charge, 160GB harddrive, and one wireless controller. Hardware Specification: The following table shows vital hardware specifications that are important to your gaming preferences. Table 1. 5: Playstation 3 Hardware Specificaton * Media Type| * Blu-Ray| * CPU| * 3. 2 GHz IBM Cell Broadband Engine (8-core)| * Internal Memory| * 160 GB HDD| * RAM| * 256 MB XDRAM| * Online Services| * Playstation Network| * Online Multi-Player Services| * Yes|. * Connector Types| 2 x USB,1 x Ethernet,1 x HDMI output,1 x PlayStation 3 AV output,1 x SPDIF output| * Games Offered: The following table shows how many Playstation 3 games are offered in your three most preferred genres. Table 1. 6: Playstation 3 Total Games in Preferred Genres Genre| Titles Available| Action| 536| Role-Playing| 117| Strategy| 33| Also, see the graphics and information in the section Microsoft’s Xbox 360 – Games Offered. Target Demographic: The target demographic of the Playstation 3 is most easily identified and quantified by looking at the ESRB ratings of the most popular game titles. The following is a list of the number of Playstation 3 titles offered for each ESRB game rating. EVERYONE – 481 Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. EVERYONE 10+ 186 Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. TEEN 529. Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. MATURE 373 Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. RATING PENDING 145 Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a games release.) Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches: The five most common Playstation 3 hardware malfunctions and glitches are as follows: * Yellow light of death (3 red light beeps) * Not reading games/blu-rays * No video * Stuck discs * No power Doing self-repair is very difficult on the Playstation 3 is highly discouraged. Most of these issues are not easy fixes and require the replacement of key components. Movie-Playing Features: The Playstation 3 is capable of playing the following types of multimedia discs (list includes Blu-Ray): * Playstation 1,2, and 3 Discs. * Blu-Ray Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs RESULTS Comparing Costs The following table shows your three options with their prices and a ranking based on affordability. Table 1. 7: Comparing Costs Option| Cost| Ranking (1-Best Option)| Microsoft’s Xbox 360| $199. 99| 2| Nintendo’s Wii| $149. 99| 1| Sony’s Playstation 3| $299. 99| 3| BEST OPTION: All Because you have already identified that your spending limit is $700 for a gaming setup, none of these options go against your cost preference. Cost is not a preventative factor in purchasing a video gaming system based on this information. However, if you decide that you would like to readjust your spending limit given the substantial difference between your limit and the prices of the systems, the Wii is your best option. Comparing Hardware Specifications The table below lists the hardware specifications for each option, and also includes the online capabilities of each system and their respective networks. Table 1. 8: Comparing Hardware Specifications | Options| Hardware Specification| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3|. * * Media Type| * * DVD| * * Flash Memory Card, * Nintendo Wii Disc, * Nintendo GameCube Disc| * * Blu-Ray| * * CPU| * * 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon| * * 729 MHzIBM PowerPC â€Å"Broadway†| * * 3. 2 GHz IBM Cell Broadband Engine (8-core)| * * Internal Memory| * * 4 GB Flash| * * 512 MB| * * 160 GB HDD| * * RAM| * * 512 MB| * * 512 MB| * * 256 MB XDRAM| * * Online Services| * * Xbox Live| * * Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, WiiConnect24,| * * Playstation Network| * * Online Multi-Player Services| * * Yes| * * Yes| * * Yes| * * Connector Types| 1 x AV cable port,5 x USB 2. 0, 1 x Kinect port,1 x HDMI output1 x SPDIF output,1 x Ethernet| (4 pin USB Type A),4 x Game controller,Component video output,Composite video output,S-Video output,2 x USB| 2 x USB,1 x Ethernet,1 x HDMI output,1 x PlayStation 3 AV output,1 x SPDIF output| * Ranking| 1| 3| 2| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Because your preference is to play online Role-Playing Games, the focus of the hardware specification criterion has to be online capabilities. When it comes to online game-play, Xbox 360 has the technical specifications to make it the best option. One of the most important specifications in a system is its processor speed. The Xbox 360 boasts a 3. 2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon processor, which is the same speed as the Playstation 3, but far superior to the Wii. When it comes to intense online game play with potentially dozens of other players, it is important to have a processor that can keep up. To keep the whole system running smoothly and minimize lag time, it is also important to have a substantial amount of RAM. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have 512 MB or RAM, while the Wii only has 256 MB. At this point, the Xbox and Playstation 3 are nearly equal in terms of specifications that lean toward online gaming. What really pushes the Xbox 360 in the lead is their network: Xbox Live. As of 2011, Xbox Live has over 30 million users worldwide. Most of the games that are played on the Xbox Live network are geared toward your gaming preference of Role-Playing and Adventure games. However, due to the massive size of the network and the sheer number of users, even a less popular category like Strategy is available for multi-player gaming. According to Michael McNeilly, an experienced Xbox 360 online gamer, â€Å"There is really nothing like the Xbox Live network out there. The network for PS3 is okay, but it isn’t nearly as big and has a lot of bugs that still haven’t been worked out. † Michael Mcneilly has played all of the other systems extensively, but due to his love for online gaming, he chose the Xbox 360. Ralph Jones, an avid Wii owner and player, explained to me that he really has no need to play online. He mostly enjoys the physical nature of the Wii’s gameplay, and doubts that the Wii is even capable of serious online gaming. According to Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, the Wii is not a competitive option in terms of online gaming. When asked about the Playstation 3 and its online gaming community, Kyle explained that there is a reason that the Playstation Network does not have a subscription fee. It is not adequate when compared to Xbox Live, and the number of users sometimes makes it hard to play the less popular games online. Clearly, the Xbox 360 offers the best of both worlds. It has a massive online gaming community and also boasts a powerful 3. 2 GHz processor. With processor speed and RAM that are equal to the Playstation 3 and far superior to the Wii, the Xbox Live community is what gives the Xbox 360 the top ranking and makes it the best option in terms of hardware specification. Comparing Games Offered Table 1. 9 lists a calculated average of the two figures previously provided in graphs 1. 1, 1. 2, and 1. 3. These figures were mean game-review scores of all games in three genres, and mean scores of the top-five best-selling games for the three genres. Table 1. 9: Comparing Games Offered pt. 1 | Options|. Genre| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Role-Playing Games| 79. 4| 72. 7| 71. 75| Adventure Games| 76. 1| 76. 7| 77. 9| Platformer Games| 76. 2| 72. 2| 76. 2| Ranking| 1| 3| 2| Table 1. 10 shows how many games are available for each system in your most preferred genre: Role-Playing Games. Table 1. 10: Comparing Games Offered pt. 2 | Options| Genre| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Role-Playing Games| 108| 33| 117| Ranking| 2| 3| 1| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on the averages found for all five relevant genres, the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Games Offered criterion. Even though the Playstation 3 has a slightly higher total number of Role-Playing Games available for sale, it does not outweigh the fact that the Xbox 360 scored significantly higher on overall game-review scores. It is generally more important to have higher-rated games than a greater quantity of lower-rated games. For this reason, the Xbox 360 is the best choice for the Games Offered criterion. Comparing Target Demographic Table 1. 11 displays your three options and the total number of ratings received for each rating category out of all games available for each system. Table 1. 11: Comparing Target Demographic. | Options (Number of Ratings)| Rating| Microsoft’s Xbox 360| Nintendo’s Wii| Sony’ Playstation 3| Everyone| 303| 916| 481| Everyone 10+| 213| 355| 186| Teen | 535| 374| 529| Mature| 491| 57| 373| Rating Pending| 145| 61| 145| Ranking| 1| 3| 2| BEST OPTION: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Based on all of the games available for each gaming system, the Xbox 360 has the most games with ratings in the Mature and Teen categories. Since you, Pascal, are an adult and prefer the types of games that are most commonly rated Teen and Mature, the Xbox 360 gets the top rank for the Target Demographic criterion. Sony’s Playstation 3 comes in second with a comparable number of games in the Teen and Mature rating categories, but they are not quite as high as the Xbox 360. Nintendo’s Wii has least number of ratings in each of those categories. The Wii has a staggeringly low number of games in the Mature category at 57, and roughly 150 less games in the Teen category than the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. This makes it clear that the Xbox 360 is geared toward an adult audience, and will likely have more games that suit the preferences of an adult. The Playstation 3 is a close second, but still offers significantly less games in the Mature category. The Wii seems to be geared toward a younger, less mature audience, and will likely have the least number of games that will fit your preferences. With all of this considered, it is clear that the Xbox 360 is the best option for the Target Demographic criterion. Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches Table 1. 11 shows all of the common hardware malfunctions and glitches for each option. This table also assigns a ranking (1 being the system with the overall least severe hardware problems relative to the other options). Table 1. 12: Comparing Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches | Options|. | Microsoft’s Xbox 360| Nintendo’s Wii| Sony’s Playstation 3| Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches| *Complete System Crash – â€Å"Red Ring of Death†*Basic Hardware Failure (eg. DVD tray and laser failure)| *Power Supply Issue*WiConnect24 Issue*Dual-Layer Wi Disc Failure| *Complete System Crash –â€Å"Yellow Lights of Death†| Ranking| 2| 1| 3| BEST OPTION: Nintendo’s Wii Based on this table and other research, I have identified Nintendo’s Wii as your best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Even though the Wii does run into problems occasionally, they are rarely as severe as they are with the other options. All of the problems listed for the Wii are covered by warranty and are not worthy of complete system replacement. Alternatively, the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 both commonly run into full system crashes, which render the system unusable. Kyle Johnson, an avid gamer and owner of all three options, has never run into a problem with his Wii, but has experienced full system crashes on both his Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The only reason the Xbox 360 is ranked higher than the Playstation 3 is because self-repair on the Playstation 3 is strongly discouraged. Kyle Johnson and Michael McNeilly have both performed minor repairs on their Xbox 360’s, but have never dared to open up their Playstation 3’s. With all things considered, Nintendo’s Wii is the best option for the Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches criterion. Comparing Movie-Playing Features Table 1. 13 below shows all of the media discs played by each option, and whether or not that option satisfies your preference of having a built-in Blu-Ray player. Table 1. 13: Comparing Movie-Playing Features | Options| | Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Media Discs Played| * Xbox 360 Discs * Xbox 1 Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs | * Wii Discs * GameCube Discs| * Playstation 1,2, and 3 Discs * Blu-Ray Discs * DVDs * CDs * DVD-R * DVD+R * DVD-RW * DVD+RW * CD-R * CD-RW * Dual Discs | Satisfies Preference? | No| No| Yes| Ranking| 2| 3| 1| BEST OPTION: Sony’s Playstation 3 Based on the media discs that each option offers, Sony’s Playstation 3 is the obvious choice for the top rank in the Movie-Playing Features criterion. The Playstation 3 is capable of playing both DVDs and Blu-Rays, while the Xbox. 360 is only capable of playing DVDs. The Nintendo Wii, however, cannot even play DVDs. Because you have identified that you prefer a video gaming system that has a built-in Blu-Ray player, the Playstation 3 is the best option for the Movie-Playing Features criterion. CONCLUSIONS Table 1. 14 lists the rankings of each of the six evaluative criteria used throughout this report. In order to come to an overall conclusion as to which option to select, I have assigned reversed point values to the previously determined rankings. If, for instance, an option received a ranking of 1, it would be valued a 3. A ranking of 2 receives a value of 2, and a ranking of 3 is valued a 1. The total number of points will be shown at the bottom of the table along with the final ranking. The video gaming system with the highest number of points will be ranked as 1 and will be your best option. Table 1. 14: Overall Ranking | Options| Evaluative Criteria| Xbox 360| Wii| Playstation 3| Cost| 1| 1| 1| Hardware Specification| 1| 3| 2| Games Offered| 1| 3| 2| Target Demographic| 1| 3| 2| Common Hardware Malfunctions and Glitches| 2| 1| 3| Movie-Playing Features| 2| 3| 1| Total Points| 16| 10| 13| Overall Ranking| 1| 3| 2| RECOMMENDATIONS. It has been determined that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is the best option, and I would like to recommend to you several retailers where it is available for purchase. The price is universal when bought new, but may vary depending on bundling and other promotions. I have prepared a table showing three popular retailers, the nearest location, and the price of the Xbox 360 4GB system. Table 1. 15: Retail Locations and Price Retailers and Locations| Price| GameStop(425) 895-833116475 NE 74TH STRedmond, WA 98052| $199. 99| Target(425) 482-641013950 NE 178th PlWoodinville, WA 98072| $199. 99| Walmart(425) 741-94451400 164Th St SwLynnwood, WA 98087| $199. 99| Throughout my research I began to realize that the final outcome would depend heavily on how much any criterion was valued. Based on your personal preferences, the best choice is the Xbox 360. However, if you decided that you valued having a Blu-Ray player above everything else, then the Playstation 3 would be the best option. If you decided that the only way to play Role-Playing Games was to use a remote and a nun chuck, then the Wii would be the best choice. It all depends on the valuing of any particular criterion. If you are interested in doing further research, the bibliography lists all sources used. My personal interviewees may be available if you would like to ask them questions, and all of my other sources have a variety of useful and reliable information. Based on everything I have learned from this report and my personal experience with the system, I believe that the Xbox 360 is the best choice for a video gaming system. Bibliography Console at Nintendo Wii. Nintendo Wii Console. Web. 07 Aug. 2011. Dotree, Phil. 3 Common Wii Technical Problems. Associated Content from Yahoo! Associatedcontent. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions. Entertainment Software Rating Board. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems: Same Day Repairs, Low Prices. Same-day Xbox Repair. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Johnson, Kyle. Owns All Three Options, Personal interview. 29 July 2011. Jones, Ralph. Wii Owner, Personal interview. 30 July 2011. McNeilly, Michael. Xbox 360 Owner, Personal Interview. 30 July 2011. Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim Specs (4GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Nintendo Wii Specs (original, Wii Sports Bundle) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. PlayStation 3 160 GB System. PlayStation PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. Games for PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Specs (160GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Towell Justin, Games Radar UK, â€Å"Which console does best and worst in each genre? † 09 Aug. 2011. Wii Search GameStop. Games for Wii. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Xbox 360 4GB Console Xbox. com. Xbox 360 Official Site Xbox. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop. Games for Xbox 360. Web. 04 Aug. 2011.   [ 1 ]. Xbox 360 4GB Console Xbox. com. Xbox 360 Official Site Xbox. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 2 ]. Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim Specs (4GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 3 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop. Games for Xbox 360. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 4 ]. Towell Justin, Games Radar UK, â€Å"Which console does best and worst in each genre? † 09 Aug. 2011. [ 5 ]. Towell [ 6 ]. Towell [ 7 ]. Towell [ 8 ]. Towell. [ 9 ]. Towell [ 10 ]. GameStop [ 11 ]. GameStop [ 12 ]. ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions. Entertainment Software Rating Board. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 13 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 14 ]. ESRB [ 15 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 16 ]. ESRB [ 17 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 18 ]. ESRB [ 19 ]. Gamestop Xbox 360 Search [ 20 ]. ESRB [ 21 ]. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems: Same Day Repairs, Low Prices. Same-day Xbox Repair. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 22 ]. Johnson, Kyle. Owns All Three Options, Personal interview. 29 July 2011. [ 23 ]. Johnson [ 24 ]. Johnson [ 25 ]. Console at Nintendo Wii. Nintendo Wii Console. Web. 07 Aug. 2011. . [ 26 ]. Nintendo Wii Specs (original, Wii Sports Bundle) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 27 ]. Wii Search GameStop. Games for Wii. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 28 ]. Towell [ 29 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 30 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 31 ]. ESRB [ 32 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 33 ]. ESRB [ 34 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 35 ]. ESRB [ 36 ]. Wii Search GameStop [ 37 ]. ESRB [ 38 ]. Xbox 360 Game Search GameStop [ 39 ]. ESRB [ 40 ]. Dotree, Phil. 3 Common Wii Technical Problems. Associated Content from Yahoo! Associatedcontent. com. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 41 ]. Dotree [ 42 ]. Jones, Ralph. Wii Owner, Personal interview, 30 July 2011. [ 43 ]. Jones [ 44 ]. PlayStation 3 160 GB System. PlayStation PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 45 ]. Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Specs (160GB) Consoles CNET Reviews. Product Reviews Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews More CNET Reviews. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 46 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. Games for PS3. Web. 04 Aug. 2011. . [ 47 ]. Towell [ 48 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop. [ 49 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 50 ]. ESRB [ 51 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 52 ]. ESRB [ 53 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 54 ]. ESRB [ 55 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 56 ]. ESRB [ 57 ]. Playstation 3 Search GameStop [ 58 ]. ESRB [ 59 ]. How to Fix Common Xbox 360 Problems [ 60 ]. Johnson [ 61 ]. Johnson [ 62 ]. Johnson [ 63 ]. Johnson [ 64 ]. McNeilly, Michael. Xbox 360 Owner, Personal Interview. 30 July 2011. [ 65 ]. Johnson [ 66 ]. Johnson [ 67 ]. McNeilly [ 68 ]. Jones [ 69 ]. Jones [ 70 ]. Johnson [ 71 ]. Johnson [ 72 ]. Johnson [ 73 ]. Johnson [ 74 ]. Johnson, McNeilly.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Karl Marx and His Beliefs About Society Essay -- Karl Marx Philosophy

Karl Marx and His Beliefs About Society In the beginning of the nineteenth century, several aspects of life were coming together for those that lived in Europe, and especially for those that lived in England. The Scientific Revolution had ended in the late seventeenth century; consequently, leaving the lingering aspects of science as a proven way to show that some ideologies of the Catholic Church were incorrect. The Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century had caused all of England and Europe to decide where to let their lives lead them in terms of faith; either towards Christianity, or towards Protestantism. The final time period that had a major impact on the English and European society was the Industrial Revolution, which introduced new ways to make life easier in terms of the production of goods, and make life as simple as possible. These three main time periods gave Karl Marx the reason and drive to reform the way that society was run, as shown in the words that he wrote in the Communist Manifesto pertainin g to the life of the individual in terms of faith. The society in the time of Marx’s writing dealt with many past events in which their faith and social standing was questioned. The latter part of the Scientific Revolution, around the middle of the seventeenth century, greatly influenced a change in faith with the public as a whole due to the new developments brought about by scientists. Up to that point, the Church, which controlled the thought process of Europe throughout most of the previous centuries, had not ever really been challenged in terms of the theories taught. The Church said that Earth was the center of the universe, whereas philosophers, such as Copernicus and Galileo, proved oth... ... was ready to change the way life was lived. Endnotes: 1. Paulos Mar Gregorios, A Light Too Bright the Enlightenment Today: An Assessment of the Values of the European Enlightenment and a Search for New Foundations (New York: State University of New York Press/ Albany, 1992), 7. 2. Peter Gilmour, Philosophers of the Enlightenment, (Trenton: Barnes and Noble, 1990), 133-134. 3. Colin Gunton, Enlightenment and Alienation: An Essay Towards Trinitarian Theology (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1985), 125. 4. UD Humanities Document Binder, Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848), 41, 52. 5. UD, 41,53. 6. Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 141. 7. Plantinga, 367. 8. UD, 41, 52.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Roman Religion

Romans were very strict to their religion and beliefs. In ancient Rome, people involved worshiping multiple gods and deities. The religion practice was in two different stages; state and family practices: the state worships were held by the government which were more organized. There were also colleges which would counsel people to the right way of worshiping gods. Roman sought will of their gods in mass prayers such as Olympic games, religious events and sacrificing while in the household every family had their own protective gods. Worshipers would offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods in order to request their favor. In fact, the ancient Roman state's religion were practiced for the well-being of the government and the citizens. They worshiped multiple gods to seek success in all aspects of life, each god had its unique function and had been worshipped for the specific purposes; god of battle, god of love, god of peace and so on. In addition, there had been four colleges which have had control over the public and private religious practices. The two most important colleges were the Pontifices and the college of Augurs. The Pontifices college, as Warrior mentions, â€Å"had authority over the most important matters† (RR 48). Most likely, the accuracy of worshiping and sacrificing were depended upon Pontifices college priest's approval and they would assure that the practice was in its accurate way. The Augurs college was in charge of overseeing and connection between religion and the politics. Most of the member of Augurs college were priests and professionals. Furthermore, in Roman religion, people believed that gods were involved in their daily activities. They had several religious festivals which were accompanied by the Olympic games, these festivals were held by the state authorities and were practiced in the public. One of these events called â€Å"the laughter of god,† which they held to seek the laugher of the god Apollo. According to† Apuleius† in the book â€Å"The golden ass,† â€Å"we are the only people who on this day seek the benevolence of the god laugher in an amusing and joyful ritual† (TGA 38). Among all other religious practices, this event was called the god laugher. In this event, in order to make the god happy, the government would gather all the citizens and held a laughter ceremony for the favor of god Apollo. They would find someone who is not aware of the ceremony and put him in a situation, while he was struggling in the situation they would start laughing to favor the god. The people who gathered knew what was happening but not the stranger who makes the god laugh. In Roman's religion, the state and private practices were performed in many aspects, the religion was sought in different ways and for different purposes. One of the purposes of the state worshiping was sought for success in battles. Before the battle, they would seek the agreement of the god through worshiping and sacrificing in the ceremonies. Priests who were professionals in reading the signs of god would translate the signs, if the signs were suitable for the purpose they would prepare for the action, if not the worshiping and sacrificing were supposed to be redone for corrections. In conclusion, as I mentioned above, Roman worships were divided into the public and the private. Families would honor their household spirits while public worship was held by the government. Rome had colleges of official priests to ensure that its actions met with divine approval. Roman religion involved cult worship. In their religious beliefs, approval from the gods did not depend on a person's behavior, but on accurate observance of religious rituals. The gods were usually imaged in stone or bronze and would put them in a shrine or temple in which they would offer prayers and sacrifices.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Lady Macbeth Has Been Described as the ‘Fourth Witch’

Lady Macbeth is an insidious and complex character. Throughout the course of the novel, she manipulates her husband, Macbeth, and spurs him to commit his first murder in order for him to ultimately achieve what she believes he deserves. Lady Macbeth is shown to the audience as a loyal wife who wants the best for his husband, but at the same time, she is portrayed as a malicious character from the very beginning of the play. The line between an evil human being, and a scheming witch, is so fine that Lady Macbeth could easily be either. The fact that the three Weird Sisters’ predictions would not have become true without the supreme influence of Lady Macbeth provokes the thought that, perhaps Lady Macbeth is more than an anti-mother and a schemer, perhaps she is a witch. This possibility would also change the nature of the witches from the future-seers they are portrayed as, to merely influencers of a string of events that they plan. In order to differentiate or associate Lady Macbeth from or to the weird sisters, the similarities and differences of Lady Macbeth and the witches must be explored. Firstly, Lady Macbeth and the witches both call on to evil forces at times of need, such as when Lady Macbeth cries â€Å"Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,†(I, 5, 39-40) to discard her feminine traits in order for her to eventually be successful in fulfilling the witches plan by spurring Macbeth to kill Duncan. This invocation signifies a link between Lady Macbeth and the supernatural, or witchcraft, which is utilized by her and the witches. Soon after the invocation, she questions Macbeth’s manhood by telling him that â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man/ And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. †(I, 7, 49-51). As Lady Macbeth discarded her womanish traits and understands the true nature of a man, she began to share a certain gender ambiguity with the witches, Banquo observes the genderless appearance in the witches when he proclaims â€Å"You should be women / And yet your beards forbid me to interpret / That you are so. (I, 3, 46-48). If Lady Macbeth had successfully connected with the evil forces in her invocation scene, then both the witches and Lady Macbeth exhibit an androgynous character, although Lady Macbeth only has masculine mental traits, while the witches have a masculine physical appearance as well as mental character. Another common trait between Lady Macbeth and witches is that both are anti-mothers. The myths of witches through history are seen as anti-mothers, and Lady Macbeth reveals this evil characteristic rom within herself, and the fact of a previous maternal relationship when she says â€Å"I have given suck — I would — have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,/ And dashed the brains out! †(I, 7, 54-58). This shocking statement shows Lady Macbeths evil thoughts, which no mother could have for her child, in turn making her an anti-mother, which would probably have been linked to witchcraft by the original audiences in Shakespeare’s day, if not by today’s audiences. Parallel phrase with Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters are also evident in the play. The witches refer to â€Å"killing swine† (I, 3, 2) early in the play, and Lady Macbeth unknowingly echoes this when she refers to the two chamberlains as in a â€Å"swinish sleep,† (I, 7, 67). The chamberlains are sacrificed by Macbeth, to avoid any fault in their plan of the murder of Duncan. The sacrifice of swine has been known as a common act of mythical witches since before Shakespeare’s day, and again, links Lady Macbeth to witchcraft. The use of The aforementioned term (â€Å"swinish sleep†) corresponding with the sacrifice of the men being described as such, would be a hint to the audience of Lady Macbeth’s witch-like character, and would have, once again, have connected Lady Macbeth to witchcraft for the audience of Shakespeare’s day. Unlike the witches, Lady Macbeth shows signs of vulnerability, and becomes wracked with guilt. This is evident in her sleepwalking scene, when she says â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say! (VI, 1, 31) She, at that point in time, was haunted by the sight of blood on her hands, and was convinced the blood was still there, showing signs of madness as she becomes mentally unhinged. Lady Macbeth’s recollection of Macbeth’s words after Duncan was murdered also haunted and festered within her as shown when she starts to echo Macbeth’s statements and fears, when she said â€Å"To bed, to bed: there’s knocking at the gate! †(VI, 1, 59) When Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and imagines that she is in hell, as shown by her statement â€Å"Hell is murky,† (VI, 1, 32) she does not appear on stage again, and dies offstage. The two most likely scenarios for her death would be suicide, or an act involving the doctor and/or the gentlewoman, as they were the only people that witnessed the truth about the murders. If suicide was the cause of Lady Macbeth’s death, as is likely, an even deeper level of guilt is shown and this emotional trauma felt by Lady Macbeth is not felt by the witches. These signs of weakness are contrary to the connection she had with the evil spirits in her evocation scene, and contrary to the behaviour of he witches, as they do not feel, or even show any guilt or sympathy. Despite not having a masculine appearance and showing signs of guilt and weakness, Lady Macbeth has been cleverly portrayed as the ‘fourth witch’ by Shakespeare. I believe this is so, because at the time this play was written, links such as the ‘swine’ description of the attendants and the calling on evil spirits performed by Lady Macbeth would have been blatant parallels and links t o witchcraft for the audience in the Elizabethan era, but are perhaps more rarely understood by today’s audiences. This may be because the idea of witches has been dismissed by modern society and their characteristics are not as widely known making those links somewhat outdated. Although Lady Macbeth as the ‘fourth witch’ seems less believable as a concept today, we must not look at the play as two dimensional, as it is read today, but instead learn the views of the people of the time when Shakespeare’s plays were written, after all, Shakespeare wrote about what he knew, and Macbeth was written four-hundred and three to four-hundred and seven years ago.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Improve Your English Spelling

How to Improve Your English Spelling How to Improve Your English Spelling How to Improve Your English Spelling By Michael Addyson, a sixth grader who loves to write, asks, How can I learn to spell better? Thats certainly a worthy question, and over the years, weve given many suggestions for better spelling. I Before E, Except After C How Do I Become a Better Speller? Five Spelling Rules for â€Å"Silent Final E† The Six Spellings of â€Å"Long E† The Eight Spellings of â€Å"Long O† The Spellings of â€Å"Shun† But when young writers ask for advice on spelling or grammar, I always emphasize something else first. Spelling is not writing. Grammar is not writing. Writing is saying, in the clearest way you can, whats on your mind or in your heart. Despite what your teachers may be saying, poor spelling does not keep you from great writing. How do I know? Because people with dyslexia or dysgraphia have become successful authors, including Agatha Christie, John Irving, Avi, Jeanne Betancourt, and Fannie Flagg. And some of the most important writers of modern times couldnt spell. The greatest poor spellers Ernest Hemingway His reply when his newspaper editors complained about his bad spelling: Well, thats what youre hired to correct! He must have not been paying attention in school the day his teacher said, Drop the e and add ing, because he often spelled loveing and moveing. He often used and when he could have used a comma. He still got a Nobel Prize for Literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald His editors had to correct hundreds of spelling mistakes in The Great Gatsby, such as yatch, apon, definate, and critisism. He couldnt even remember how to spell the name of his best friend, who was Ernest Hemingway. One critic wrote, I have said that This Side of Paradise commits almost every sin that a novel can possibly commit: but it does not commit the unpardonable sin: it does not fail to live. William Butler Yeats He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923, but he got poor spelling grades on his report cards, for words such as â€Å"feal† and â€Å"sleap. Unfortunately, his handwriting and spelling counted against him when his essays were graded, though he did well when he could read them aloud. He also had a habit of forgetting his school books. Winston Churchill Works such as the four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples led to the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature. But a childhood report card said, Writing is good, but terribly slow - spelling about as bad as it well can be. William Faulkner One editor remarked on his misspellings, faulty punctuation and accidental repetition. Before achieving the literary fame that led to the 1949 Nobel Prize, he worked two years as University of Mississippis postmaster in a stream-of-consciousness sort of way, editing the mail by throwing it out if he didnt consider it important. Jane Austen Her misspellings included â€Å"scissars† and at age 15, she titled a novel Love and Freindship (remember, I before E except after C). Later editors tamed her spelling, punctuation, and grammar, but according to Oxford University English professor Kathryn Sutherland, a new study of 1,100 handwritten pages of Austens unpublished manuscripts shows she had a better gift for dialogue than anyone had suspected, when editors didnt mess it up. The best way to learn spelling One reason that spelling in English can be so difficult is that our words come from so many different languages with different spelling rules. Thats why spelling bees can be so competitive. Spanish schools dont have spelling bees. Why bother? Spanish is always written phonetically, so any native Spanish-speaking child can correctly spell anything they can write. This is not true of English. The best way to learn to spell better depends on your own learning style. If you learn by hearing, spell words out loud, or have someone else do it for you. Sing the letters. Listen to the rhythm, and you may sense the rules behind them. Teach someone else. If you learn kinesically; that is, by movement, tracing words on paper or in the air may cement their correct spelling in your memory. Typing them will help too. If you learn by seeing, the more you read, the more your spelling will improve. Using a keyboard will help. Seeing what you just typed appearing neatly on the screen may trigger your right/wrong sensors more reliably than trying to read your handwriting. If you learn logically, organize your word lists by rule or family. Not all logic is verbal, and you can sharpen your unconscious spelling sense simply by putting all the words together that end with ed or start with eu. Strategies for better spelling It helps to learn basic spelling rules, but dont worry if you still make mistakes. After a two year study, Stanford University researchers determined that you would need more than 650 rules to correctly spell the 20,000 most common words in the English language. If you learned 300 rules, you might be able to spell half of them. Learn to spell words according to families; that is, in groups of similarly spelled words. In a spelling bee, to make the competition harder, the judges make sure that every word is different from the next. But learning to spell is not a competition, so spelling lists should be as easy to learn as possible with each word similar to the next. In a few minutes, a child can learn to spell take, rake, make, lake, bake, cake, sake, and wake. So when you study patriarch, you may as well learn arch, archive, archaic, architecture, archipelago, and archaeology at the same time. Simply seeing arch on that list might be enough reminder to spell the others correctly. Besides, getting question after question right makes a student feel good. Learn to spell words according to their etymology; that is, according to their language of origin. Many Arabic words begin with al (meaning the) while many Hebrew names end with el (meaning God). In words that came from Greek, the f sound is spelled ph. If you remember those word origins, you will never spell algebra as elgebra, Michael as Micheal, or photograph as fotograf. Though some people may judge you for your mistakes, success in life doesnt depend on good spelling. Fortunately, spellcheckers and friends can help. But when opponents criticized Andrew Jacksons spelling, the future U.S. President retorted, Its a poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?How to Pronounce Mobile40 Idioms with First

Monday, October 21, 2019

END OF LIFE CARE AND SPIRITUALITY essays

END OF LIFE CARE AND SPIRITUALITY essays In the last century the average life span in the United States has increased by more then 30 years. One hundred years ago the average American died at the age of forty-six, at home surrounded by family and friends1. Death was seen as an inevitable part of the journey through life. People used spirituality to come to grips with their suffering. (Spirituality is that which gives meaning to ones life, it can be religious in nature, but it can also be found in art, family or friendship. Dying provides an opportunity to find this meaning to life, because it gives an individual the occasion to deal with the deeper questions of existence. This is how people approached death through most of human history.2) In the twentieth century the advances in medical technology have dramatically improved quality and length of life. This progress has also dramatically changed the way people die. Death has become institutionalized; today 90% of Americans die in a hospital, a sharp contrast to one hundred years ago, when 95% of Americans died at home1. Removal of death from the home has turned it into a foreign and frightening process, which is difficult to deal with and understand. It is much easier to isolate the dying to a hospitals intensive care unit (ICU). This institutionalization of death has created the modern-day medical nightmare a death alone, in pain, without dignity, tethered to expensive machines. Friends and relatives do not visit the dying, they avoid them in naive hope that putting death behind a sterile curtain will make it vanish. Death in the ICU can be devoid of spirituality; rather, it is agonizing, and humiliating. The broad spectrum of problems created by the institutionalized of death was discussed in the PBS documentary: Before I Die: Medical Care and Personal Choices3. In the program people were allowed to talk openly about the experiences and emotions they encountered while their loved ones w...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Count to 10 in Spanish

Count to 10 in Spanish Children sometimes learn how to count to 10 in a foreign language merely because its fun to do so. But knowing the numbers can also be quite practical when traveling or shopping. Difficulty: Average Time Required: 10 minutes Heres How: To say one, say uno (OO-no, same as the name of the card game, rhymes with Juno).To say two, say dos (like a dose of medicine).To say three, say tres (like tress except that the r is pronounced with a flap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth).To say four, say cuatro (KWAH-tro, but again the r has a distinctive sound that is unlike Englishs).To say five, say cinco (SINK-oh).To say six, say seis (SAYSS, rhymes with trace).To say seven, say siete (roughly SYET-tay with the first syllable rhyming with the Russian nyet).To say eight, say ocho (OH-cho, rhymes with coach-oh).To say nine, say nueve (roughly NWEHV-ay, with the first syllable rhyming with Bev).To say ten, say diez (dyess, rhymes with yes). Tips: Review a Spanish pronunciation guide, or listen to the numbers spoken if you can.Note that in a sentence, un (oon, rhymes with tune) and una (OON-ah, rhymes with luna,) are often used to mean one, just as we often use a or an to mean one.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The effectiveness of fiscal policy between the Neo-Keynesian and the Essay

The effectiveness of fiscal policy between the Neo-Keynesian and the Monetarist framework - Essay Example Fiscal policies affect the demand and supply patterns in an economy, if the government imposes heavy taxes on various commodities the consequences are that prices will increase and demand will be low. If such a trend continues, supply will reduce and eventually the company will quit the market if not shift its concern to another line of production and this will result to retrenchment processes and low-income rates to the losers (workers). At the long run, the government will observe a lower G.D.P (gross domestic product) and reduced income per capita (Dwivedi 17). If a government engages in operations that will see it maintain expenditures at a desired level, it will have practiced fiscal policies. The practice is effective through adjustments in taxes, interest rates and the spending styles of the government itself (Musgrave, Frank, & Elia 80). Through the practices, the government either helps the final consumer, but whether this happens as anticipated is dependent on the shifts th at the government employs either to vary rates on increased or decreased edge. The policies show relevance to those of the monetarists. Neo Keynesian theory stipulates that the factors to a progressive economy revolve around demand. The factors are demand itself, produced output and the rate of employment. The theory argues that an economy enjoys stability when the factors are exercised but not to the maximum exploitation of its output. The rate of employment in a country increases income per capita. This stimulates demand since buyers are able to decide and make purchases promptly at their will. Increase in demand will lead to increase in price or supply accordingly. The simultaneous changes in demand and supply factors will result to inflation if the prices increase considerably (Satora and Richard 67). At this point, government intervention becomes a point, and therefore measures must put in place to create harmony among the factors, this is referred to as fiscal policies. In mos t cases, the government will borrow money from the economy by issuing premiums, it may also issue decrees to the lending facilities on a stab to minimize the amount of money in supply, and it may impose taxes and duties over the produce. The practices as well will reduce spending patterns leading to reduced production. Eventually jobs will be lost resulting to economic recession. Monetarists argue that whenever a country revamps money into the economy, chances are that growth is in the short-term, and the ultimate result will be the pressure of inflation. They state that a slight change in government policies will affect the market either positively or negatively and reflect at the short and long runs. It is during inflation that the entire consumer group will cut down on spending since prices are high. The country will face unemployment problem since suppliers will be quitting the markets. Entirely, the country will not pose an attracting site to the investors due to adverse curren cy fluctuations. Understanding that subsequent currency fluctuations will result to devaluation, the country finds itself in a rather bitter position as its currency will affect exportation of goods. Therefore, it will have set an economic sanction to itself

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Progress of Women in Pakistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Progress of Women in Pakistan - Essay Example Muslim reformers like Sir Syed Ahmed tried their best to educate the Muslim women of the subcontinent (Virdee). There were a lot of hurdles for women, imposed by the society, and attainment of education in the sub-continent was not an easy task for women of that time. Many women participated in public rallies during the Pakistan movement and women leaders took active part in the movement along with the wives of the Muslim leaders. After independence, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah became a symbol of inspiration for the Pakistani women. She was the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and was very politically as well as socially active. The provision of reserved seats for women existed all through the constitutional history of Pakistan. They had the right of suffrage from independence (D. S. Ahmed 32-42). But the quota was, at the beginning, almost negligible. The progress of women in Pakistan suffered a great set back in the 1980’s, during the dictatorship of Zia-ul -Haq. He formulated and imposed oppressive laws that ran counter to the true spirit of Islam as he introduced his own radical extremist approach to Islam. On the other hand, this dark period for the women of the country was followed by the election of the first woman to be the prime minister of an Islamic state; Benazir Bhutto which was a big achievement for a woman belonging to a predominantly patriarchal society. Another major hurdle in the way of the progress of Pakistani women has been, and still is to this day, the strong feudal system. Women are still seen as objects of use, or rather misuse in feudally administered areas. Statistics show that violence against women is the greatest in these areas. This first decade of the 21st century saw the condition of women in Pakistan improve significantly, with inductions of ladies being carried out in all three armed forces in operational capacity. The proportion of women in the parliament has seen sizeable increase compared to the yest eryears. Women have access to equal education and are being inducted in all fields on equal pays. But the patriarchal mindset has not subsided, and women face discrimination and gender based prejudice and harassment in the workplaces. EFFECTS OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM The constitution of Pakistan is mostly based on the principles of Islam. In its true essence, Islam is a very moderate religion that gave women the right to suffrage and inheritance when the west was still in the dark ages. The much debated ‘Hadood Ordinance’ is a section of the law that deals largely with the punishments regarding limitations imposed on men and women individually and together. Some of the clauses are a distortion of the true limitations present in the Holy book of the Muslims; the Quran. The requirement of four witnesses to prove a woman’s claim that she had been sexually molested raised a storm of protest and criticism by the more sane minded people of the civil society (Khan 34). The l aw said that a woman could be held guilty of adultery herself if she fails to produce 4 male witnesses. This law was amended under the women protection bill of 2006 under the orders of Pervez Musharraf (Prisoners".). The women protection bill came under a lot of scrutiny from the radical religious factions who charged Musharraf with meddling with

British Car Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

British Car Market - Essay Example The perfect competition is mere terminology that is used to describe a situation which can be easily comprehended by new learners in Economics. In the real world there is no market that can be classified as being a perfect market. The main idea behind the perfect market is the term "perfect competition". Perfect competition refers to the case where every aspect of competition is known thus giving all information to the market. In a perfect competition, an individual firm is called a price-taker; this is because the market forces decide upon the equilibrium price and quantity. The point that everything is known means that regardless of how much a firm produces it will get the same price throughout its schedule as demand is constant and no one can raise the price or even lower it as the elasticity is 'ZERO' in this case and the addition of each unit in the output brings bout the same change as the previous one. This could be well reflected by the understanding of the Marginal Revenue p rinciple. In the perfect market, demand tends to stay at the same level throughout the schedule so any increment to the cost will only add up to the loss. The main tendency of a perfect market is to produce at the lowest cost possible because price is the only factor which is considered important. In a perfect market, there are a large number of buyers and sellers. This means that the market concentration ratio is very low for each firm which adds to the fact that there would be no effect upon the market if a firm collapses or enters into competition. The addition would only add to the overall output and nothing else and the addition would be of quite a low grain. Product Homogeneity Homogeneity of production is another factor that hinders the classification of the car market as being perfect. In a perfect competition, the products are homogenous that is they have the same attributes as of their substitutes or competitor products. This means that it will not make a difference that which item you buy and from where you buy as long as it matches your description. Since the products are homogenous in the market than quality issues can be raised whereas in a car market one is paying a worthy amount so it is important to have a distinction on what he buys. Cars are also classified as "Status Symbols", keeping this in mind we come to the point that distinction is necessary and thus homogeneity in this market is not acceptable. Entry and Exit Moving ahead we have the case for entry and exit. In a perfect market, every one is free to enter and exit at will. This means that costs are not an issue in this type of problem as free entry and exit means that the costs are low for firms and they can easily switch production among commodities. Further a perfect competition is dominated by small firms this is why the HHI (Herfindahl index) is low for these firms. Imagine that a car producer can switch production easily. SILLY isn't it Yes it is. The machinery required to manufacture a car is very different from that which makes Balloons. In this case if the demand for cars falls so can the producer shift to the Balloon industry in a momentary run Never, it is difficult to shutdown large

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Reaction Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reaction Journal - Essay Example The arrest of Eugene V. Debs is reminiscent of authoritarian governments which Americans now criticize in other global regimes, such as China. However, this had a positive consequence: the formation of the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘The Roaring Twenties’ appears to be a misnomer! Economic prosperity was concentrated in big business, but did not extend to the agricultural sector or rural area. Public support for the Ku Klux Klan, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, the National Origins Act of 1924, lynching, and the banning of interracial marriages indicated an upsurge in racism. Christian fundamentalism raised its head. Perhaps it assumed a connotation of general well-being, because it was sandwiched between the World War 1 and the Great Depression. Ironically, the New Deal failed to satisfy the privileged class (who resented the higher taxes imposed on them), critics in the Democratic Party (Huey P. Long declared that it failed to do enough for the poor), or the Republican opposition (Senator Taft condemned it for its socialist stance, deficit spending and its attack on private enterprise). The AAA’s destruction of ‘surplus’ agricultural production (during a period of acute food scarcity!) and discrimination against blacks, debase the New Deal.3 President Roosevelt’s ‘Four Freedoms’ – freedom of speech and worship, and freedom from want and fear, was accepted American ideology, but contradicted and undermined by racism. It is tragic to read Foner’s account of the government â€Å"bending over backward to accommodate German-Americans and Italian-Americans in the war effort† but â€Å"viewing every person of Japanese ethnicity as a potential spy†4. The meaning of ‘freedom’ was controversial during the 1950’s. The Cold War identified freedom with anti-communism: racially segregationist South Africa was part of the ‘Free World’ merely because

Foreigner's View of the U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Foreigner's View of the U.S - Essay Example From that time on, America has suffered its share of fortunes and misfortunes. Throughout the years, America has enjoyed the leadership of strong-willed and ambitious presidents who have seen to it that America grows to become politically and economically strong. In America, democracy and upholding of the constitution represent a stringent practice in order to assure America's status as respected and admired by other countries all over the world. This paper discusses the various opinions, both positive and negative, a foreigner would have on the United States’ impact on world developments. Foreigner’s positive views on the United States A foreigner will view the United States as a peace-maker and keeper, judging from the fact that being a superpower it has always tried to stop and contain regional wars and conflicts that have risen between different countries. On many occasions the United States sent peace keepers to the areas around the globe which were ablaze with atr ocious wars. It is important to note that the peace keeping missions America executed have resulted in relative peace between countries, which in turn has transformed into beneficial development of these countries (Watson 89). Particularly, a foreigner from Africa will appreciate the fact that the United States has allocated funds to facilitate the development of the third world countries struggling for better life. The U.S. has helped the third world countries in eradicating the three vices: poverty, disease and ignorance which for many years have been drawing the continent of Africa backwards. The American government gives out loans to the third world countries which are channeled to the economy for the infrastructure building and new jobs creation. The assistance from the United States in most cases is through USAIDs (Brzezinsk et al 164). A foreigner will view the United States’ policy of terrorists negotiation refusal as very instrumental in eradicating impunity and lawl essness. Since this foreigner may originate from a country in which the government does not abide fully by the rule of law, he/she comes to appreciate the policies implemented by the American government. Terrorism has been on the rise since the gunmen have been exploiting the weakness in unstable governments which are not powerful enough to resort to drastic measures against them. A country like the United States which stands firmly against terrorism is greatly appreciated by a foreigner with positive views (Watson 87). The United States has managed to sustain its population of more that 300 million people by producing its own food and at the same time export surplus. This is one of the positive views a foreigner will possess about America. Agricultural production in the United States is an undeniable success; surplus of food is regularly exported to needy countries. A foreigner will view the existence of a stable and democratic government in the United States as an inspiration for the countries with unstable or authoritarian governments around the world which strive to embrace democracy. America is staunchly focused on democracy and rule of law, which is instrumental in fostering good governance. The long history of the United States, particularly the civil war between the northerners and the southerners, helped to shape America as a democratic country (Brzezinsk et al 169). The United Stat

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Reaction Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reaction Journal - Essay Example The arrest of Eugene V. Debs is reminiscent of authoritarian governments which Americans now criticize in other global regimes, such as China. However, this had a positive consequence: the formation of the American Civil Liberties Union. ‘The Roaring Twenties’ appears to be a misnomer! Economic prosperity was concentrated in big business, but did not extend to the agricultural sector or rural area. Public support for the Ku Klux Klan, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, the National Origins Act of 1924, lynching, and the banning of interracial marriages indicated an upsurge in racism. Christian fundamentalism raised its head. Perhaps it assumed a connotation of general well-being, because it was sandwiched between the World War 1 and the Great Depression. Ironically, the New Deal failed to satisfy the privileged class (who resented the higher taxes imposed on them), critics in the Democratic Party (Huey P. Long declared that it failed to do enough for the poor), or the Republican opposition (Senator Taft condemned it for its socialist stance, deficit spending and its attack on private enterprise). The AAA’s destruction of ‘surplus’ agricultural production (during a period of acute food scarcity!) and discrimination against blacks, debase the New Deal.3 President Roosevelt’s ‘Four Freedoms’ – freedom of speech and worship, and freedom from want and fear, was accepted American ideology, but contradicted and undermined by racism. It is tragic to read Foner’s account of the government â€Å"bending over backward to accommodate German-Americans and Italian-Americans in the war effort† but â€Å"viewing every person of Japanese ethnicity as a potential spy†4. The meaning of ‘freedom’ was controversial during the 1950’s. The Cold War identified freedom with anti-communism: racially segregationist South Africa was part of the ‘Free World’ merely because

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Case Study-Apple in 2010 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

-Apple in 2010 - Case Study Example By 2004 the firm held a 70% market share in the digital music industry. The success of the iPod helped build the brand value of the company. The popularity of the brand helped the company revive its computer business. In 2005 the firm held a market share of 4% in the computer business which was a tremendous feat considering the firm had less than a one percent share a few years earlier. The transformation of Apple helped the firm visualize opportunities in other markets such as the cellular industry. In 2007 Apple released a product that changed the cellular industry. The iPhone was the first smartphone. Steve Job’s leadership was critical to the success of the company. He pushed his engineers and staff to provide innovative ideas. He also had the foresight of getting rid of unprofitable business segments and divisions. The firm had great leadership which motivated the employees to achieve their potential. The COO of the company, Tim Cook, was also instrumental in the success of the company. Apple Computers adapted well to market changes. The firm realized that the success of the company relied on the ability of the firm to look beyond the computer sector for sales. During the 21st century the generic strategy of the company evolved and the firm started utilizing a diversification strategy. â€Å"Diversification growth makes sense when good opportunities can be found outside the present businesses† (Kotler, 2003, pg. 101). The three main business segments Apple penetrated are the computer industry, cellular products, and music media players. The computer industry in 2009 was consolidated with five vendors accounting for 78.5% of the U.S. shipments and 60.3% of the sales worldwide (Marino & Gamble, 2010). The recession of 2008-2009 slowed down the growth in sales and negatively impacted the prices of computers. By the second quarter of 2010 industry sales rose once again experiencing a growth of over 20%. A tendency among computer users was replaci ng desktop computers with laptops and notebooks. As of 2010 Apple despite the fact that a growing number of its sales came from non-computer products considered the computer division its core business. The Mac product line differentiated itself from the competition due its superb quality, superior operating system and graphic interface. The market share of the company jumped from 4% in 2005 to 8% by 2009. The firm benefited from a halo effect of users of iPod and iPhone wanting a computer product from the same brand. The computer product offering of the company included the Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini. The notebook offering of Apple was composed of the MacBook Pro, MacBook, and the MacBook Air. The most recent innovation to the Apple line of computer products was the MacBook Air. This notebook targeted customers that seek durability and portability. The computer was designed to have a height of 0.76 inches when closed and it weighted only three pounds. All Apple desktop and notebook products were priced at a premium. This strategy helped boost the profitability of the company. Due to the fact that Apple no longer depended solely on computer sales the strategy worked better than in the past. In order to boost the demand for its computer products the company implemented a 10% or more discount on all its computer products in June of 2009. The law of supply and demand states that a decrease in price will

Physical Therapy Essay Example for Free

Physical Therapy Essay The major that I will be going into in the next four years is Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy is basically a health care profession, that provides therapy for those who have been injured, have a physical disability or for those who are experiencing minor pains in their body. I chose to get into Physical Therapy for many different reasons. I first thought of being a Physical Therapist when I realized that I was a hands on type of person, meaning that I like to work while being active. I then discovered that a lot of Physical Therapists work for college and professional sport teams and that to me was very exciting considering I want to play in the NFL one day. For the past year I have been interested in becoming a Physical Therapist. Everyone that I have talked to about my decision on choosing this field has been very supportive and has said that it is perfect for me. There are many different courses you must take to become a Physical Therapist such as, Biology, health sciences, kinesiology and ATC. Hearing from past students that were involved in the Physical Therapy field, they have told me that it takes a lot of hard work to really advance in the field. A major assignment when you’re entering the Physical Therapy field is learning the human body and a project that involves learning the human body is having to observe a diseased body. This project will benefit me in the field because it gives me a broad look on the way the human body is and looks inside. Being that you have to know the muscular system and the skeletal system, observing a body will let you take a deeper look into how the body looks and will teach you everything you need to know when you’re working with a live person. Being a Physical Therapist has really advanced throughout the years and therapists have now been considered doctors. Being a doctor is a very difficult thing to do, having to get your masters and then your working for your doctorates degree requires a lot of time and a lot of work. Being a Physical Therapist depending on how sophisticated you get, can bring in a lot of money. Also it can open up a lot of job opportunities. Whether you choose to work for a team or work for an office, you can eventually open up your own business with the right level of education. Another positive thing about Being a Physical Therapist is that you know how to treat injured people, so god forbid someone in your family gets injured you can treat them without orrying about some other person making things worse. A negative part about being in this field is that it will take up a lot of your time either at school or when you’re actually working. If you’re getting involved with a professional team then you also have to consider the traveling part of the business, going from state to state every week during the season. Also it will require a lot of money to go far into your major. College will give me the resources and the knowledge that I need to know in order to do well with patients. You must have a masters or doctorate degree to become a physical therapist. A recent study has shown that about there was about 199,000 jobs in the US for being a Physical Therapist. Athletic Training is a career that is very similar to Physical Therapy and both degrees can be used for each other. The average Physical Therapist gets paid about 78,000 dollars a year.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Should Uber be Banned in London?

Should Uber be Banned in London? On September 22nd, 2017, the city of London, England declared that it will not re-issue Uber Technologies Inc.’s (â€Å"Uber† or the â€Å"Company†) private-car hiring license that was set to expire on September 30th, 2017. The months following led to an appeal to Transport for London (â€Å"TFL†) by Uber, which become a stalled and slow process that ultimately could take years to move forward. While the appeal could take up to a year to fully process, the commissioner of TFL, Mike Brown, and Uber were able to converse in early November over potential resolutions prior to Uber’s hearing in December (Smith, 2017). Although talks between the Company and TFL ultimately have not become deciding factors in the appeal, they are important in creating a professional dialogue between the two bodies. As the Company has tried its best to develop a relationship with the city of London, two Uber employees came into the public eye. Yaseen Aslam and James Farrar, two Uber drivers based in London won a legal dispute on behalf of a group of nineteen Uber drivers in early November. The dispute, which involved the category in which Uber drivers were to be placed, ended with upholding regulation to deem all drivers as workers for Uber rather than self-employed. This regulation enforces the Company to pay all of its workers a minimum wage, allow time off, and holiday pay (Rao, 2017). Another defeat in UK’s court system has not only damaged Uber’s reputation in the island nation even more but made the company’s London division increasingly susceptible to an unfavorable outcome in its upcoming December hearing. Financially, Uber has done very well, especially in the United Kingdom. Boasting over 3.5 Million users in London alone (Cummins), the giant ‘ride-share’ service company keeps over 40,000 people employed in the city (Rao, 2017). Simply put, Uber’s status as a licensed taxi or ‘ride-share’ service is very important to the economy of London and its people. Stakeholders in the company’s continued operation in the British capital include local users as well as far-reaching shareholders spanning the globe. It is because of Uber’s large role that we need to pose the question, â€Å"Should Uber be allowed to operate in London with less restrictive regulation than other taxi services?†. Stakeholder(s) Stakes Transport for London, governmental organization TFL’s stake is the well-being and protection of its citizens from malpractices and the legality of business operations dealing in transportation. Due to their power as the decision maker in renewing Uber’s license in London, they are considered one of the most powerful stakeholders. Uber driversDrivers of Uber are one of the most urgent and legitimate stakeholders because of the direct impact the decision would make on their jobs and careers. Uber drivers outside of London While not directly impacted by the outcome, Uber’s international drivers are affected by the possibility of other cities following in London’s footsteps of barring Uber. Uber clients in LondonUber is fairly popular in London, with 40% of the population having used Uber at one point. Their clients would have to find an alternative, such as using Black Cabs, which are generally more expensive. They are directly impacted by the outcome and the refore can be considered an urgent stakeholder as well as a legitimate one. Uber Shareholders/Investors As 5% of all of Uber’s revenue stream, London’s consumer base for Uber is a considerable market. Losing this market could dissuade potential and current investors and shareholders through lost faith in the company. These investors and shareholders are responsible for Uber’s existence as a company which makes them a very powerful, urgent, and legitimate group of stakeholders. New Car sales companies Since most Uber drivers use their own cars for transportation, and some Uber drivers buy and lease cars specifically so they can get potential discounts, the outcome of this decision will materially impact car sales. London Public Transit Commuters If Uber loses its license, there is a good chance that previous Uber clients will opt for public transportation which is a cheap alternative, causing a large influx of commuters and crowding the already crowded public tra nsportation options. London police Uber is well known to use anti-law enforcement business tactics. There is the distinct potential that if Uber’s right to operate is revoked, they may still operate under-the-radar causing more work for London’s police to make sure Uber is compliant with their laws. London’s air qualityLondon is notorious for having one of the worst air qualities in the EU, and reducing the number of people driving will help improve the air quality situation. This affects all Londoners and tourists. Gas stations Uber contributes to a decent amount of various gas station’s revenues, as their business is to drive all day which consumes gasoline. Reducing the amount and frequency of which people drive will affect their revenues as well. Black cab companies Black cab companies want the rule to be upheld, as they will directly benefit from Uber losing their license, as they are (an albeit expensive) substitute for Uber’s services. Black cab drivers Similar to the Black Cab company itself, black cab drivers only make money (generally) when they are driving clients. Since they will see an increase in volume, the black cab drivers will make more money. TX4 Hackney Carriage Black Cab manufacturers As the manufacturer of ‘black cabs’ TX4 has a direct stake in the decision determining Uber’s fate in London. With Uber gone the company can continue producing the same black cab’s that are part of London’s large private taxi service. Rental car companies Uber has a rental car program with some rental car companies so not all Uber drivers have to own their car. If Uber were to get pulled out of London, the revenues of London rental car companies would suffer as a direct result. The London Underground transportation service and system The London Underground will similarly profit as the black cab companies due to the relationship of being a substitute to Uber as well. London Banks When people or car sales companies buy cars, they get a loan from a bank. Fewer cars being sold reduces new loan volume. Additionally, Uber drivers relying on their job to pay off the car loan may be forced to sell or remit their car to the Bank. London Car commuters A reduced volume of drivers on the road will favor car commuters, reducing traffic and congestion. However, Uber clients who are new or are returning to driving their own car could pose a risk to current car commuters because of driving inexperience and unfamiliarity. Local wildlife, in and surrounding London. (Hawks, Foxes, Badgers, Ducks, Deer, and Others) Poor air quality, light pollution, and noise pollution all affect the local London wildlife. With more Uber drivers, especially those who are new to the London area, comes a greater chance of local wildlife having incidents with motor vehicles. Environmental activists (Love Clean Air, Client Earth, EPUK, EEA, LSx, WWF, and Others) Since London’s air quality and wildlife will not speak for itself, activist groups that represent both of these stakeholder groups will likely push for Uber to lose its operating license for the reasons that are stated in their respective sections. London Tourists Since Uber is the current combination of the cheapest and most convenient option for tourists, they will have to find alternate forms of transportation which may be either more expensive (cabs) or less convenient (transit). Potential Actions & Implications There are three clear potential actions that the Transport for London can take to resolve our ethical question, â€Å"Should Uber be allowed to operate in London with less restrictive regulation than other taxi services?† along with doing what is best for the Stakeholders involved on a legal and economic scale. They have the option of continuing to treat Uber as they currently are and apply no extra regulation or restrictions to Uber’s operations, create new regulation to specifically address Uber’s operations, or decide to let Uber’s operation permit expire thusly eliminating Uber from London. For the first option, letting Uber retain its current operations and re-instating its operations permit, Transport for London would continue to support Uber as â€Å"ride-share† service as opposed to a taxi service. The implications of this are that Transport for London would be encouraging the demise of the Black Cab industry in its current state, forcing either closure of said companies or a prompting the creation of new business models. In doing so, there could potentially be long-term benefits for the general London community who use ride-share and taxi services as their primary mode of transportation. This is because the Black Cab companies would be now directly competing with their modified business plans against Uber and any competition between companies is always good for consumers. Other stakeholders, such as car sales companies, other services that compliment car sales, gas stations, Uber drivers, Uber Investors, and London Tourists would similarly benefit from this decision. If Uber was allowed to continue operations as it currently is, this would have repercussions on stakeholders such as London’s police, The London Underground, the Black Cab companies and associated stakeholders, Transport for London as a governmental body, London’s air quality, London’s local wildlife, and the local London activist groups for the environment and wildlife such as detailed in the stakeholder table above. Uber is well known for its practices regarding law enforcement evasion through its â€Å"Greyball† program, which its sole purpose is to identify and blacklist any law enforcement personnel from using Uber’s services which is both a short-term issue and if it persists, can turn into a long-term issue. It can turn into a long-term issue because as well when trying to make sure Uber is compliant with government regulations, as it will be difficult to get an unbiased audit of Uber’s operations that are conducted by a law enforcement agency. The Black Cab companies and associated stakeholders along with the London Underground will continue to lose profits and employees unless they change their business models. This can make or break the Black Cab industry, as these Black Cab companies are almost as old as London itself and have not changed their business model since then. The environment and wildlife in and surrounding London will continue to have a deteriorating quality-of-life, because of the stated reasons in the Stakeholder table. These will have some measurable immediate impact, but the long-term effects are the most worrisome where pollution reaches a point of no return and is incurable. Because these detriments exceed the benefits that would be provided by letting Uber retain their operations license, this is not a recommended answer to our question. For the second option, letting Uber continue operations but with additional regulations, the Transport for London body would invoke regulations regarding Uber similar to those that apply to the Black Cab industry. Contrasting with the first option, this would potentially allow the Black Cab industry to survive under its current business model, albeit with a shift in pricing to efficiently compete with Uber. This would benefit the Black Cab industry to an extent, Uber and Black Cab users, car sales companies and associated services, gas stations, Uber investors, and Uber drivers. However, this decision would have repercussions on other stakeholders as well. Similar to the first option, the London police, The London Underground, Transport for London as a governmental body, London’s air quality, London’s local wildlife, and the local London activist groups for the environment and wildlife would also be negatively impacted by this course of action. Letting Uber continue operations but being restricted by additional regulations is a better solution than the first option because it benefits more stakeholders. However, it is still not our recommended solution. The negative impact that stems from letting Uber operate in London is too great a cost compared to letting their operations license expire. The third solution is to let Uber’s operation license expire. This recommendation is the complete opposite of the first solution and as a result, would imply Transport for London is condemning Uber. This would have inverse benefits and drawbacks as the first solution as well, meaning it would benefit London’s police, The London Underground, the Black Cab companies and associated stakeholders, Transport for London as a governmental body, London’s air quality, London’s local wildlife, and the local London activist groups for the environment and wildlife. Since Uber would no longer be able to operate in London, it would be a huge win for the Black Cab industry as a whole and would help London preserve its age-old transportation of choice. Additionally, the surrounding wildlife and atmosphere would benefit from the reduction of cars on the road and new drivers to the area. London’s police would no longer have to conduct wild-goose chases to make sure Uber is compliant with Transport for London’s regulations. Overall, it would be a benefit to the local London community. This would imply that Transport for London has London’s best interests at heart. Like with all decisions, there are costs associated with making said decisions. Uber moving out of London would be bad for Uber as a company, its employees, its investors, gasoline companies, and car sales and associated stakeholders. Most of these stakeholders are not from London, nor are residents in the UK. However, they are having a large negative impact on London as a whole, compared to the benefits they bring. This is our recommended solution. Recommendation & Cost of Implementation: As chair of Transport for London, I, Sadiq Khan, believe that the most ethical and overall best way to proceed with Uber in London is to recommend that they remain ineligible to renew their license and that no change be made to their status. With their current disregard for minimum wage and basic benefit packages for their employees, they violate London’s idea of operating under business practices deemed, ‘fine and proper’. By doing so I believe that we will be upholding the quality that Londoners have come to expect out of everyday businesses while also doing what we at TFL believe is best for our historic city. This will, in turn, mitigate possible blowback by the community for allowing Uber to continue operations that financially damage London’s public transportation and Black Cabs. There is a multitude of costs associated with this option, many of which must be estimated due to Uber’s financial records being strictly private between the company and perhaps investors (non-public corporation). As a company, which has over 40 thousand employees in London (as stated prior), it is fairly obvious that many people who work full time as ‘ride share’ drivers will be negatively affected by this decision. Since Uber has been deemed a taxi service in early November and thus must pay minimum wage ( £9.15 an hour) to employees in the United Kingdom, there is a possibility of a people losing upwards of  £380,640,000 (Assuming only half of all drivers in London are full time) each year and more, should they apply for unemployment due to the decision. This is, of course, an estimate and not a real working number of pounds lost by employees but while an estimate, it is not a figure that we at TFL take lightly. Since keeping this decision would essentially be changing nothing in terms of a recommendation, financial costs by the city of London, and Transport for London would be minimal to non-existent. That being said some businesses would suffer somewhat, such as car companies and automobile dealers in our city who have deals with Uber to rent and sell cars for the sole purpose of being used by the Company’s drivers. To add, there could be a small loss in terms of sales by gas stations, though it would possibly be partially offset by the increased use of Black Cabs and personal vehicles by the general public. Finally, a cost in terms of tax lost by Uber’s exile from operating in London would go unnoticed except for in the case of employee’s taxes, seeing as the company does not pay a large amount in taxes. In 2015, Uber’s London division only paid  £411,000 in taxes while making over  £23 Million (Bowers 2016). It’s safe to say a city such as ours, will not miss what little Uber had to offer both London and its people.  Ã‚   Overall the costs of implementing a solution that is already in effect register no change in current costs. Since finding Uber to be an unethical business dealing in unfair and otherwise unregulated business practices since this decision, we know that the Company is not one that we as a city can stand. References: Smith, Rebecca. â€Å"TFL Boss Plans Fresh Talks With Uber’s Chief Executive Officer Over Loss of London License† City AM (November 6, 2017) Rao, Prashant. â€Å"Uber Hit With New Blow in London as Panel says Drivers Aren’t Self-Employed† The New York Times (November 10, 2017) Cummins, Chip. Uber Is Losing Its Car-Hire License in London. What Happened? The Wall Street Journal (2017). . Bowers, Simon. â€Å"Uber’s Main UK Business Paid Only  £411,000 in Tax Last Year† The Guardian  (October 10, 2016)

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Film Contributions of the Sixties Essay -- essays papers

Film Contributions of the Sixties Beginning roughly with the release of Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Loved the Bomb in 1964, and continuing for about the next decade, the â€Å"Sixties† era of filmmaking made many lasting impressions on the motion picture industry. Although editing and pacing styles varied greatly from Martin Scorcesse’s hyperactive pace, to Kubrick’s slow methodical pace, there were many uniform contributions made by some of the era’s seminal directors. In particular, the â€Å"Sixties† saw the return of the auteur, as people like Francis Ford Coppola and Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed their own screenplays, while Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in his own films. Kubrick, Coppola and Allen each experimented with characterization, narrative and editing techniques. By examining the major works of these important directors, their contributions become more apparent. Dr. Strangelove (1964), an adaptation of Peter Bryant’s novel Red Alert, although still bearing the usual traits of a Kubrick film, is something of a departure for him in terms of editing and spatial strategies. The film’s run-time more or less corresponds with the fictional or represented time in the story. This direct correspondence between fictional and real time adds to the sense of temporal compression induced by the film’s insistent editing patterns. Although Dr. Strangelove employs many long takes, it contains the shortest average-shot-length of any Kubrick film. The film consists of roughly 700 shots and has a run time of 94 minutes for an average-shot-length of 8 seconds. Despite the rather short average-shot-length, Dr. Strangelove still resorts to crucial long takes to slow down the rapid momentum of the story (Falsetto, 35). Several spatial and temporal procedures are at work in Dr. Strangelove, such as the use of the long take. Conversely, the B-52 sequences, often accompanied by various versions of â€Å"When Johnny Comes Marching Home,† employ different editing patterns than the rest of the film. These edits reinforce the film’s theme of inevitability. Through editing, the B-52 sequences display a strong cinematic rhythm. The shots are generally shorter than the other sections of the film, and they significantly contribute to the film’s shorter average-shot-length, despite Kubrick’s deliberate use of long takes (Falset... ...ng shots, all three experimented with elements of characterization. Kubrick used both subjective and objective points of view quite deliberately in his films. Coppola took the Mafia, and humanized them more so than previous gangster movies, in addition to redefining what a sequel should be. Woody Allen took comedy back to its roots, and in the process, was able to created some of the most groundbreaking comedy since Charlie Chaplin. In addition, this return of the auteurs paved the way for many of today’s prominent filmmakers. Without Kubrick or Coppola, there would be no Quentin Tarantino, and without Woody Allen, there would be no Kevin Smith. Coppola, Kubrick and Allen have each made enduring films, and continued to do so well after the â€Å"Sixties† had ended. Bibliography: Falsetto, Mario. Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT. 1994. Girgus, Sam B. The Films of Woody Allen. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1993. Johnson, Robert K. Francis Ford Coppola. Twayne Publishers, Boston, 1977. Mast, Gerald and Bruce F. Kwan. A Short History of the Movies. Allen & Bacon, Boston, 2000.