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Essay Sample on Greed and Corruption

Essay Sample on Greed and Corruption In Macbeth, the theme of greed and corruption is largely concerned with an individual’s internal conflicts. This theme is explored in an expanded way in Hamlet –here the greed and corruption also affect other people. The only untainted characters are those who actively resist the influence of corruption. To this end, Horatio stands as the antithesis of Claudius, and it is to his model that Hamlet attempts to equal. Hamlet’s procrastination in killing Claudius can be viewed favourably as his unwillingness to be corrupted just to achieve an end, something many other characters feels perfectly willing to do, but it is a weakness nevertheless, because without him actively fighting corruption, it gains control over the whole of Denmark, as indeed is what happened. In Hamlet, the power of corruption is very  strong - people good and bad can all become involved. Even Claudius, the most corrupted character in the play, is not entirely black. In fact, he has many traits of an intelligent, effective leader - decisive, sympathetic, and possesses some moral values, in that he repents what he did, while Old Hamlet seems to be just a brute soldier. Perhaps it is exactly because he knows himself to be capable that he should feel the more ambitious. However, no matter how Claudius may have been a good king, he is not armed with legitimacy, and thus he has no right to the throne. When Claudius decides to usurp the crown, he has sinned by upsetting the natural order of the world, a sin aggravated further by the ‘foul and most unnatural murder’ he committed. In this, Claudius has, by the time of the meeting between the ghost and Hamlet, not yet been punished. The ghost’s concerns are realistic and relevant- the good of the whole of D enmark is threatened by the appeal of corruption as an apparently easy way of satisfying one’s desires. In this way, Claudius has ‘the whole of Denmark†¦Rankly abused’. Thus Hamlet’s revenge takes on an importance far out-powering that which is to avenge his father’s  murder - it is to prevent Denmark from rotting from top to bottom. Hamlet not only witnesses ‘ the rottenness of Denmark’ through the low reputation of Danes in foreign countries, where they are called ‘ drunkards’ by a ‘swinish phrase’, but he feels the corruption to be part of himself, and wished that his ‘sullied flesh would melt.’ Hamlet is then very concerned about upholding honesty and morality. A major part of his delay comes from his wish to be sure that the killing of Claudius is morally correct, since the ghost may in fact be a ‘damned ghost’ tempting him to corruption. In this, Hamlet spends a good half of the play passively allowing Claudius’ influence to grow unhindered. But even after Claudius’ guilt is proven, Hamlet still seems hesitant to kill him, which suggests that Hamlet is in fact unconsciously unwilling to commit a murder, certainly not in the same callous way as Laertes would, who is willing to kill ‘i’the church’. Hamlet is als o conscious to show his moral purity to others, and this is why he wants Horatio to live, in order to ‘tell my[his] story’. He mentions the need for the people to know that he does not want to kill Claudius because he wants to be king, and he tells his mother he chides her because he has to ‘be cruel to be kind’. The audience’s sympathy for Hamlet arises solely, then, from the fact that Hamlet could resist getting tainted by all the mud around him. After all, Hamlet has many  flaws - being ‘passion’s slave’, indecisive, jealous to some extent. Hamlet himself acknowledges Horatio’s superiority, praising him for his common sense, justice, consistency, coolness. Indeed, when compared with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Horatio’s ‘antique Roman’ like loyalty is extraordinarily laudable. Yet the Hamlet figure is pivotal in the play, for although Horatio is possibly a better example of human perfection, Horatio has no power whatsoever to fight corruption. Unbefitting his important role, Hamlet does not do enough to prevent corruption and greed spreading to other people, only making sure himself is clean, and this slowness in action has some serious consequences for Denmark. Like dominoes, one character after another fall into the trap of corruption. Polonius, always a shrewd, scheming man, collaborates with the king in shamelessly sacrificing Ophelia as their bait to dig out the secret of Hamlet. His corrupt cynicism regarding Hamlet’s love for Ophelia leads to their estrangement, and ultimately Ophelia’s death. While he does meet a deserved end when he is carrying out yet another corrupt  deed - secretly listening to the conversation between Gertrude and Hamlet, his spirit lives  on - particularly in Laertes, who seems to share a good part of his father’s view, also disapproving of Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship. Later on, Laertes, encouraged by the king, does not hesitate to use underhand methods to kill Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern start out as intimate school friends of Hamlet, and are greeted by Hamlet cordially with ‘My excellent good friends†¦ Good lads how do ye both?’ Nevertheless, they happily become faithful agents of Claudius, and ‘make love’ to their mission to kill Hamlet. This idea of the rapid infection of Denmark by corruption is also reinforced by the extended metaphor of the weed. Not only does Hamlet say to his mother not to ‘spread compost on the weeds To make them ranker’, but it is also very significant that Ophelia dies with ‘her weedy trophies’, a portrayal of her as a victim of the corruption in the world. In the end, while Hamlet succeeds in killing Claudius, Denmark is not any better than it started out to be. Although Fortinbras has Hamlet’s ‘dying voice’, it is questionable why Denmark would like to have a foreign prince as its ruler, who was formerly it s mortal enemy, and seems insatiable in his search for land and power, even greedy enough to waste many lives to gain ‘a patch of ground that hath in it nothing but the name’. Although corruption is very deceptively attractive and is embraced by many characters, it brings true happiness neither to those who submit to it nor those who do not. In a corrupted world, everybody lives a state of uncertainty and fear, for nobody can trust anybody else, nor oneself. Gertrude admits that ‘So full of artless jealousy[mistrust] is guilt, it spills itself in fearing to be spilt’, and Claudius can only rely on his ‘Switzers’ for his personal safety and realise in horror that his offence ‘smells to heaven’ and he will ‘never to heaven go’. The unsoiled people are affected equally, for either they are powerless to defend themselves against evil, such that Hamlet could easily have been killed by Claudius, or they will have to take up evil to counter evil. When Hamlet fails to distinguish deception from truth, he makes faulty judgment about the constancy of Ophelia, which must have contributed to her madness. The tragedy of Hamlet is not about Hamlet, or indeed the tragic flaw of any character, it is a tragedy of the entire human race, which is generally unable to resist greed and corruption when it provides immediate gains. When the growth of corruption is not stemmed, it has disastrous consequences on individuals and the society as a whole, as the state of Denmark at the end of Hamlet shows. Often it is only the minority of the people who has the faith to uphold virtue, yet often they are either politically powerless or do not have the determination to fight with corruption continually, and Hamlet is certainly too scholarly to take the heavy burden of preserving virtue in a dark world. In writing Hamlet, Shakespeare is warning us of the dangers to be a Claudius or to be a Hamlet, for we bear the responsibility to leave an uncorrupted world to future generations. You can also order a custom term paper, research paper, thesis, dissertation or essay on greed from our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality non-plagiarized papers at an affordable cost.

Glass beads Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Glass beads - Essay Example Its unit of measuring is in gallons and it costs $7.16 per. It is mainly used for finishing and requires a dry wall that is level 5 finished. It is also meant for walls such as living rooms. It is very lasting and has fewer odors. This type of paint is not designed for roads and this is the reason why it was not chosen over Hotline dry latex traffic making paint white. Alkyd interior trim enamel, semi gloss is the third paint available in the market. It costs $8.38 per unit and is known to give the best professional quality. Some of its characteristics include mild dew resistance, and an excellent stain remover. It is very fast drying and has durable enamel which is good for protecting both the exterior and the interior walls and surfaces against abrasion that is repeated and any other chemical that might come across the walls. This type of paint is not designed for roads and this is the reason why it was not chosen over Hotline dry latex traffic making paint white. Alkyd (oil) inter ior trim enamel, gloss is also a paint that is on the price list. It is $8.54 per unit and is mainly meant for interior design of walls. It is less sticky and has less odor compared to other paints. The paint is slightly thick and come in a variety of colors. This type of paint is not designed for roads and this is the reason why it was not chosen over Hotline dry latex traffic making paint whit

Sport in the American City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sport in the American City - Essay Example Cities usually accommodate many people from different background and working in different careers. In the city there is a mixture of different cultures and in the modern cities there appear to be an upcoming new city culture different from the culture of the people in the rural areas. The life in the cities is very different and unique in its own way from the life in the rural areas. One of the challenges facing the modern cities is poor planning which is often couple with less space for expansion and development of facilities for sports and other amenities. The lifestyle in the city is one which encourages a sedentary life. (Melvin, 1986) According to Mueller et al (2007), it has become a concern to many people that in the modern cities, although there is an improved health care and sanitary service, the mortality rate is still higher than expected and it has been concluded that all is not well with the city life. Many people in the rural areas, although having poor access to social basic needs like health care services, are living longer life than many people in the cities. This brings us to a great argument that have been debated the world over, concerning the city life and the future life in our cities. This illustrates that improved medical care and quality lifestyle is not the key to longer life span. It shows that there are other factors that are necessary for and individual to live longer. There are many factors like physical activity, diet, positive thinking and many others that raise the life expectation of individuals. The parameters used to gauge life expectation like improve access to basic health and oth ers have bee defied by occurrences in the in many instances. One of the factors playing a big role in the life of an individual is the kind of life one adopts. One can either lead an active or a sedentary life. We have said that city life encourages sedentary life. The normal city life starts in the morning with a heavy breakfast and then a drive to the place of work. Many workers in the city are white collar job workers and hence they sit all day long with little expenditure of energy. At the end of the working hour, the usual routine is a few beers with friends and then a drive home to the family. This pattern illustrates an inactive life that many city residents undertake. An inactive life has many disadvantages and many dangers to the individual in his present and future life. It has been observed that, residents of cities like Hong Kong and other cities in Japan and China who are very much active and shuns sedentary life have a long life span compared to residents of the American cities. There have been reports that the health care cost of most companies in America cities have been on the rise at an alarming rate. It has been reported that the health care spending on employees for the America companies' rose by 6.1% in 2007 and the cost is expected to rise further in 2008. This has been contributed by inactive life by the inhabitants of the American cites. A recent survey shows that an average medical cost for an active adult per month has been averaging $302 as compared to $228 for adult with an active life style. The monthly payment for medication amounted to $45 for inactive adults compared to $27 for active adults. On health care insurance, monthly spending for inactive adult amounted to $401 as compared to $342 to active adults. The above aggregate shows that the

Impact of Recent Specific External Environmental Change Essay

Impact of Recent Specific External Environmental Change - Essay Example Planning is the outlined steps on how to achieve your company’s goal. For instance, I am currently working with a toy company and I apply these skills on a daily basis. However, one will realize it is important to outline steps on how to offer the best services, attract a large market share and how to expand services internationally. Organizing falls right after planning. After the manager has come up with a good plan, the manager starts to organize the materials and staff according to the plan (Adrienne 2006, p. 68). He or she will give authority to staff. Similarly, different staff members usually perform different duties. Staffing is also a key contributor to a good managerial function. A manager must work hand in hand with the human resource department in the company to ensure recruitment, training, selecting and developing employees is perfect. This helps the company in having qualified and hardworking staff. In addition, the manager needs more than just organizing or pla nning. The manager needs to motivate his employees. He also needs to encourage his employees. He can achieve this by solving the arising problems that the employees are facing. This helps in building a good relationship between the employees and the manager. Consequently, controlling also being one of the major functions is important. After all the four functions are in place, the manager has to be checking on the progress just to ensure that the organization is running smoothly. He has to check and ensure that the company is running in accordance with the set objectives and goals. Hence, the manager has to be in control. The external environment has two major divisions, namely: direct and indirect interactive (Bassie 2008, p. 161). In direct interactive, the environment has an immediate impact on the organization. A new competitor entering the market is a good example for direct interactive. However, in indirect interactive the environment has a secondary impact on the organization . Similarly, planning being the major role of management requires modernized and accurate decision making for the company’s achievement. It is evident that without planning, one is destined to fail. Additionally, planning gives an organization a sense of direction in that they are able to deal with any organizational problem efficiently (Burke 2010, p. 8). Without a plan, organizations are likely to make temporary choices that will impinge on the organization in the end. With a plan, long-term decisions make the organization work efficiently. Planning gives the employees a sense of motivation. The employees knowing the results will work tirelessly towards the purposed goal. In addition, it brings teamwork, with a well-outlined plan; people of different roles are able to work together in harmony knowing what they are supposed to do. Planning helps reduce potential problems in the future; it makes problem solving easier because the people involved already know how they will han dle it. Similarly, a good plan helps in decision-making. However,

Historical Development Of Radio And Recent Radios Media Essay

Historical Development Of Radio And Recent Radios Media Essay Since mid 1990s, with the liberalization of airwaves in Uganda, private radio FM stations have been mushrooming and have challenge the four decades of dominance of state radio. Majority of radios are located in big towns while a few at the countryside. Despite the increasing number of radio stations countrywide, womens access and participation has remained minimal. In war torn northern Uganda, The Department of International Development (DFID) built a community station radio station-Mega FM. Today it is highly revered for womens empowerment in the region than any other radio station. This is article is twofold. First, it seeks to explore the development of radio industry and the position of women in the ever growing radio industry today. Secondly, it highlights how an alternative radio, specifically Mega FM community radio is contributing to womens empowerment in Northern Uganda. In Andhra Pradesh, India, community radio is being used for womens empowerments. (Hindi 2010). In Haiti, The Haitian Womens Community Radio Network (REFRAKA) facilitates radio production on local community issues including womens voice (Bell, 2010). In Burkina Faso, Radio Pengdwendà © is sued for raising awareness and increasing womens participation in development Koala 2008. In Niger, The Bankilarà © radio station help in local mobilization of women. (Kohler 2008). Examples of womens driven initiatives like these are endless. They demonstrate womens determination for public sphere in different societies where their voices can be heard in development. While in some societies women have been able to set-up their own radios i.e. womens radios, others have not been successful in getting this space. Women still share radios with men but with greater womens involvement and participations. In Africa, according to African Media Development Initiative (AMDI) Report, the last two decades have seen significant growth in radio industry (AMDI 2006). These growths have been in both community radio and commercial radios. Commercial radios are situated in major cities and towns while community radios have mainly dominated countryside. According to sterling et al, [t]he number of community radio stations in sub-Saharan Africa has grown from 10 to more than 800 in the last 20 years. (Sterling et al 2007). This makes community radios the most effective form of communication in rural Africa. According to Sibanda, listenership is estimated above at 91.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa (Sibanda 2001; Sterling et al 2007). Womens ownership of the radio is estimated at 67.8%. In Uganda, since liberalization of airwaves in the mid 1990s, there have been mass waves of radio stations (Khamalwa 2006). There are over 150 radio stations countrywide (Nassanga 2007:4) To date, radios are now in almost all major towns in Uganda reaching all sections of people in the society. These radios have bridged the communication gap between the urban and rural, literate and poor, men and women. The rural poor and marginalized women are taking active in broadcasting. Radio is the main source of information for Ugandans with very high listenership. According to Khamalwa, who cited Intermedia Report of 2005 and Uganda Census Report 2002, he writes that: Listenership in Uganda is very high, with InterMedia estimating in 2005 that 100% of the population had listened to the radio in the past year, 92.8% in the past seven days, and 73.7% as recently as the day before (InterMedia, 2005).The 2002 census showed that about half of households (49.2%) in the country reported that word of mouth was their main source of information, followed by radio (47.8%). This is compared with less than 1% of households who reported the print media (newspapers and magazines) as their main source of information and 1% for TV (UBOS, 2002). (Khamalwa 2006:14) In Gulu, DFID, commissioned and built a new community radio station, Mega FM, to serve the rural war torn northern Uganda with information needs (Ibrahim, 2007). This station is operational since 2002 serving the marginalized communities of former ex-combatants, women and other sections of the population in northern Uganda due to over two decades of war between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and Lords Resistance Army (LRA). It broadcast in local languages with news and some occasional government and NGOs programmes in English. The radio uses different broadcasting formats to suit different audiences. It employs 45 people with some acting as full time while other works as part time staff (Otim 2007). The revenue for sustainability is majorly generated from NGO sponsored programmes and some commercial advertised by corporate companies. This radio is the most stable radio station in northern Uganda with powerful signal reaching as far as South Sudan and Democratic republic of Congo. This article is an attempt to show the history of radio broadcasting in Uganda and the position of women in the current fast growing broadcasting industry. It seeks to highlight the contributions of a community radio to womens empowerment in rural northern Uganda while challenging the role of other mainstream radios in the country. It illustrates the importance of alternative media for women as emphasized by feminist media scholars (Jallov 1992; Steiner 1992). This essay proceeds in several steps. First it traces the historical development of radio in Uganda from the colonial time to latest developments in the industry. Secondly, it seeks to show the position of women in radio industry in Uganda to understand womens portrayal, coverage and their participations. In the third section, I discuss several contributions of Mega FM community radio to womens empowerment in rural northern Uganda and finally highlight the challenges of community radios for womens empowerment in countryside nor thern Uganda. Growth and Development of radio in Uganda In 1937, a Committee on Broadcasting Services in the Colonies was set up by the British government. This committee was charged with the responsibility of investigating the role of broadcasting in the colonies (Chibita 2006: ). This committee recommended that radio broadcasting was to be instrumental not only, and perhaps not even primarily for the entertainment, but for the enlightenment of the population for their instructions in public health, agriculture, etc (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990:50). Acording to Chibita, it was until the 1940s, the British felt the need for communication more tha ever because they needed to explain it polcies, plans, programmes and intentions. It was by now clear that the print media could not carry out this roles. On recommendation of the Plymouth Report,The Uganda Broadacsting Servies was set up to cater for the interest of the colonial officials (Chibita June 2006:112). Kiwanuka-Tondo adds that this service was set up for major three reasons: Keep foreigners i nformed, mobilization and governance and public education (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990:54). These reasons are similar to one at the Gold Coast, the modern day Ghana (Head 1979). Therefore in 1954, the first radio named the Uganda Broadcasting Service set up by the British colonial government (Matovu March 1990, Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990). English became the dominant language on the station with a few Ugandan languages. (Chibita 2006; Chibita 2010; Matovu 1990). Indeed, radio was used by the governement as an information channel for the primary benefit of the British perosnnel in Uganda, the Asians, and the small but growing group of Uganda elite. (Matovu 1990:348). The radio remained under the control of colonial govenrment. According to Chibita, before independence, the colonial govenrment controlled the radio. She adds that: Under colonial rule the locals had little access to radio as a political space either as employees or participants in the programming. Apart from monopolizing the airwaves, the colonial government enacted or applied specific laws and statutory instruments including the Penal Code Act of 1950 which criminalized a wide range of media offences including defamation, publication of false news, sedition and embarrassing foreign princes and dignitaries. Inevitably, at the height of the independence struggle, the role of radio as a political space was limited (Chibita 2010 ) By 1957, Ugandan languages had started to dominate the station but they had very limited time on the air. 8 languages were incorporated into the programming (Chibita June 2006). The languages include: English, Luganda, 4Rs, Ateso, Lwo, Lugbara and Hindustani (see Chibita June 2006). The languges shows attempts at regional represnetationby the Bristih governement. For example, 4Rs, (Runyoro, Rutoro, Runakore and Rukiga) are langauges in western Uganda, Lwo is primarily Acholi Langi and Alur in the north while Ateso is primarily eastern and Luganda, the dominant language in the central region. Lungauges like Lugbara were incorprated because of their disticnt aspect. In 1957, a committee again set up to evaluate the broadcasting service in Uganda (Chibita 2006 Matovu 1990). This committee was led Gervase Harley Chibita 2006). The committee finding was came out in what came to be known: The Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Organization, Policy and Operation of the Governments Information Services. According to Matovu, this report underscored the relevance of broadcast services in the country. The report was also critical of the short broadcasting period in Uganda. Among the problems, It cited the lack of a more comprehensive news services as well as the low standard of translation and presentation over the microphone. Other criticisms were lack of sufficient programs reflecting the life, interests and culture of the African outside towns, insufficient attention to the needs of women listeners; and lack of diversity of views on current political affairs. The report also noted that local talent in many field was not being fully encouraged and developed. Also, little was being done to establish broadcasting as a patron of the arts. On the whole, the report summed up, the significance of many of the important elements in Ugandas life and society was not being adequately brought out in the programs. (Matovu 1990:349) Besides being critcal, It also made major recommendations on which the evolution of the Uganda Broadcasting services was to rely. It set up goals for the stations. Some of the recommendations included: Brodcasting in both English and Uganda local langaguges; proper prgramme content including information, education and entertainement; integration of local talent and music and drama; introduce broadcast in secondary schools and finally encourage use if English as a unifying langauge because if varity of Uganda langauges (Matovu 1990:349-350). In 1962, Uganda gained its independence. Uganda Broadcasting Service became a government broadcast station (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990). It was renamed Radio Uganda (Matovu 1990:350; Chibita 2010). Ugandan started getting access to the radio. Radio became a tool for national consolidation (Chibita 2010 ). Many different programmes and languages were added. By December 1962, Radio Uganda was bordacsting in 13 languages and the weekly total number of hours brodacst has risen from 19 hours in June to 112 in Decmeber 1962 (Matovu March 1990:351). There was no language policy guideline developed by the British for inclusion of the different languages. Chibita states that The Bristish Colonial governement did not have a written policy on language use in the media. She adds that in the post-independece years, The local langauge that got adpoted by state brodcaster came on board one by one, first basing on demographic consideration and later through political pressure (Chibita 2006:114). Due to increasing number of languages, broadcasts started on two channels .i.e. red channel and blue channel. The blue channel is for listeners who speak the Bantu language of the east, west, south and central regions. The red channel broadcasts to listeners who speak vernaculars from the north and north-east (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990:54). To increase coverage, four booster stations were set up in the four regions of Uganda to ensure countrywide coverage. These booster stations included Bobi in the north, Butebo in the east, Mawagga in the south and Kyeriba in the west (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990:54) This did not mean every person had access to the radio. It did not reach everyone since very few people could afford to own radio in the early post independence years. To complement radio Uganda, the first television station in Uganda was opened in 1963. This came to be called Uganda Television popularly referred to as UTV. This was a Black and White model. It was until 1975, that Idi Amin, a man known globally for his reign of terror in Uganda from 1971-1979, introduced the first coloured television in the face of Ugandans (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990). To enhance coverage, countrywide, The TV boosters were set up in Mbale in the east, Soroti in the north-east, Lira in the north, Masaka in the south-west and Mbarara in the west (Kiwanuka-Tondo 1990:54-55). The television access was much harder. It was accessible to only a few privileged persons especially elite and government civil servants. It is important to note that the introduction of Radio Uganda and Uganda Television laid the foundation for development of the broadcast media in Uganda. From 1963, Ugandas politics started changing drastically. There was no clear demarcation between the central government and Buganda kingdom. When Apollo Milton Obote became the first prime minister of the Republic of Uganda, tension developed between the central government and Buganda kingdom because Kabaka of Buganda was accorded the the position of ceremonial president (Chibita 2010) at the time of Independence. The tension between the Republic and Buganda kingdom continued for a long time eventually culminating into what is often referred to as Uganda crisis of 1966. Obote abolished kingdoms and he went ahead to proclaim himself as the president of the Republic of Uganda. According to Kasozi et al, the [t]raditional rulers were deposed in 1966-1967 not through votes of their subjects but by decree;à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦endorsed by the members of parliament (Kasozi et all:59). Kabaka Mutesa was deported to UK. According to Chibita, Radio Uganda slowly mutated into a government mouthpiece that was used to denounce those perceived as opposition, who, needless to say, had little access to this channel. She adds that political programming gradually became highly unsafe so radio resorted to parroting government propaganda and patriotic songs. (Chibita 2010: ). This souring relation between the central government and Buganda kingdom greatly affected the development of a free media in Uganda. In 1971, Amin came to power through a military coup. He à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦seized power from President Milton Obote, the man who led Uganda to independence in 1962. (BBC). On assuming power, he reconstituted all the ministries and replaced them with his right hand men. The military became the centre of the government. He restructured the ministry of information by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦employing military people to head the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, hiring and firing editorial staff at will and interfering, sometimes physically, in editorial policy and content. (Chibita, 2010: ) The years in between saw Idi Amin kill journalists and nationalize newspapers, a reversal that . . . significantly limited the role that the media could play. (Tabaire 2007:194) This greatly affected the growth of media in Uganda. Only radio Uganda and Uganda Television operated but with firm grip on them by them by the dictatorial regime. When Idi Amin was deposed by the support of government of Tanzania in 1979 (Tabaire 2007), in 1980, Ugandans went to poll to elect their president. Former president, Obote, was again elected as the president although there are claims of rigging. His second term popular known as Obote was short-lived. Many observers including the incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni, claims the elections was not free and fair. He formed the NRA and started a guerilla war against the then democratically elected government of Uganda but in 1985, Obote was toppled internally by his army man General Tito Lutwa Okello in a military coup. Obote for the second time was deposed by his own army leaders. Immediately, Okello urged all political and insurgent groups to support the new government, but the large NRA group refused to join. Peace talks occurred between the government and the NRA, but no agreement was ever reached.(Marblestone 2005) The prevailing political atmosphere and legal regime combined to make it impossible for Radio Uganda to serve as an arena that contributed meaningfully to political competition or participation.(Chibita, 2010: ). On January 26, 1986, Museveni seized power from General Okello (Borzello 2007, (Natukunda-Togboa 2008)). According to Batabaire, Museveni took the oath of office on 29 January 1986 promising that the occasion did not simply amount to another mere change of guard but a fundamental change. In the spirit of this statement, Musevenis NRM government has indeed allowed freedom of expression to a greater extent than previous Ugandan governments (Tabaire 2007:230). He was then been glorified for making significant improvement compared to the past regimes of Obote and Amin. There was libration of airwaves in 1990s. Kavuma remarks that Museveni à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦was originally labeled one of a new breed of African leaders was because of media freedoms. Magazines and newspapers thrivedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and broadcast media were liberalised, leading to the creation, over the years, of more than 150 private radio and television stations (Kavuma 2010). In 1995, the new constitution of the Republic of Uga nda bestowed the freedom of speech on Ugandans (Constitution of Uganda 1995) This according to Tabaire earned president Museveni international praise for cultivating a relatively liberal media climate' (Tabaire Bernard 2007:204). There was a rise in private FM stations in Uganda. Radio Simba became the first private radio station in Kampala and Uganda. In 1994, Capital radio was again licensed. Later Sanyu FM emerged in 1995. All these were commercially driven radio stations. Radio Simba broadcast in Luganda while Capital and Sanyu are predominantly broadcast in English with only News in vernacular Luganda only. These first three private stations showed the way and in a decade the airwaves became so crowded. Each region started setting up a radio that would broadcast in its own languages. It worth noting that as several private radios emerged; the government owned Radio Uganda lost popularity due to attractive and more entertaining programme from private FMs. In 2005, the Ugandan two giant media houses: Uganda Television (UTV) and Radio Uganda were merged through the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Act of 2004 and became into effective on November 16, 2005. (Chibita, 210: ). Women and radio in Uganda. After a decade and half of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1994 in China, it recommended among many things: increased participation and access to media for women, there have been little gains for women in the media? There is still: Little women participations and access of women to media. There is still continued imbalanced in media and stereotyped portrayal of women. In Africa, women still lag behind both decision making and participation in media programming. This paper surveys women access to radio in Uganda. It covers among other things: number of women in radio, women coverage, portrayal and participation and finally a snapshot of factors hindering women participations. In Uganda, there is inadequate data if not almost none on women in decision making and participation in the radio industry. Many surveys on the state of media in Uganda only illustrate: Radio as the most popular media in Uganda. It estimates radio access to be at 92%. It also shows radio is also the main source of information for most Uganda. Many show ownership of the radio stations. Some surveys also show the increasing popularity in community radios while some also highlights the competitions among commercial radios. None of these shows exhaustive data on womens access and participation in mushrooming radios in Uganda. However, according to Global Report of Women in Media in New Media conducted in the Eastern African countries of Ethiopia; Kenya; and Uganda; surprisingly, it shows Uganda has the highest proportion (42 percent) of women employees in media organizations (Kiage and Macakiage 2009:1) followed by Ethiopian and lastly, Kenya at 30% and 26 % respectively. The report shows gender segregation in three radio station in Uganda. It points out that The Central Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Uganda employs 12 female and 48 males. KFM, a Kampala based radio station affiliated to the Monitor News Papers of the Nation Media Group, it employs 11 female and 9 male and Radio Mama employs 23 female and 12 male. However the report does not show what the male and female employees do but it highlights that There is widespread shortage of women professionals at senior and executive level. Only about a third of positions in top management and senior management are women (Kiage and Macakiage 2009:2). The ab sence of women in top managerial positions makes it harder for women to participate effectively through expression and decision-making in media. According to Daisy Anne Namono, Board member of Uganda Television, There is a woman at the level of Deputy Managing Director at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation and a few others at the level of Manager Radio or Editors. . . . The institutional structure does not allow effective participation of the Deputy Managing Director in decision making (UN Public Information 2009). This illustrates the challenges of women in the mainstream media in Uganda. The Coverage of women in Uganda is found to be very little (Nassanga 2002). According to Nassanga, citing Uganda Media Womens Associations baseline survey in 1994, women received 16% of the media coverage (Nassanga 2002). This coverage are agin concentrated on urban women or those who occupy significant position in society (Nassanga 2002). Women are potrayed as mothers and caretakers (Nassanga and Nattimba 1994). Nassanga argues that media often potray women as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦inept, loose, sex objects, and so on. Women were usually portrayed in traditional domestic roles, and in feminine occupations which involved caring or giving service. The few in professional jobs were often shown as social misfits, especially if they had marital problems. (Nassanga 2002), Mukama remarks that womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are also invariably portrayed as brainless, dependent, indecisive, subservient and sport for mens pleasure. She adds that Educated working women activists are portrayed as audacious insu bordinate agitators, while those who opt to remain single are portrayed as prostitutes, social degenerates, and immoral beings who sleep their way to the top. (Mukama 2002:147). According to Uganda Media Womens Association and Fredrich Ebert Siftung media report of 1998, findings show that: Women are perpetually stereotyped as domesticated, given to leisure, fashion and beauty interests. They are also invariably portrayed as brainless, dependent, indecisive, subservient and sports for mens leisure. Women are persistently objectified as mens possession. It adds that Educated working women are projected as audacious insubordinate agitators, while those who opt to remain single are portrayed as prostitutes, social degenerates, and immoral beings sleeping their way to the top. Those who hold high political or administrative positions are branded as incompetent and insufficient. They are ultimately demonised and isolated as irrational and inefficient. (UMWA FES 1998:11) Lewis and Boswell, citing Nassanga, the Ugandan mainstream media institutions are ruthlessly masculinist environments that wholly ignore gender-sensitive reporting, and practice extremely hostile forms of gender discrimination. (Lewsi Boswell 2002). As a reslut, mens dominance, Wanyeki argues that women à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦do not have the means to express their own realities, debate their interpretations of those realities and engage in discussions about potential solutions with decision and policy makers (Wanyeki 2000:33). Ojiambo asserts that Mianstream meida has done very little to help women organisations and women at alrge demistify (this kind) of stereotypical thinking (Ojambo 1999:11). Conclusively, Nassanga points that in terms of types of media, radio was found to be accessible than print media to women (Nassanga 2002). Finally, on factors hindering entry in managerial position and participation and, several reasons are cited. Anyango cites negative portrayal and poor working condition (Anyango 2009:24). Nassanga see it as due to lack of gender policiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. and keeping women for special purpose reporting (Nassanga 2002). According to According to Anyango, Research findings indicate that the Ugandan patriarchal society places a lot of barriers in a womans career path thereby inhibiting professional advancement. Right from birth, it is written that societal norms, values and practices are inculcated into boys and girls such that the boy acquires knowledge and skills for self survival and independence. (Anyango 2009:25). Ojiambo mainstream are doing very little in to alleviate womens position (Ojambo 1999). Nassanga In sum, the reviewed works illustrates inadequacy of data and insights in Ugandas media on women. They reveal little coverage on women and the negative portrayal and several factors hindering women in achieving a gendered media in Uganda. However, not all negative. For example, Khamalwa claims that in the last five years, more women compared to men joined Journalism (Khamalwa 2006:13) According to Anyago, there has been womens improvement in media coverage due to affirmative action by the governement and aslo the rise of women like Action for Development (ACFODE) and Uganda Media Womens Association (UMWA) which have championed womens by advocating for positive portrayal and public education and sensitization (Anyango 2009). In Uganda, with the growth of alternative media especially community radio stations, there are avenue for women participations and expressions. In these stations, womens participate in programming. Women have enough space for voicing their concerns although they s till lack representation at managerial level. Further study is required to fully understand the women in radio industry, if meaningful gender balance is to be accrued in Ugandas radios and media. How is it then done with Mega FM community radios? Women are underrepresented in media content when compared to the 50% of the population which they constitute. In reality many more women work than we get to see or read about in media content. (Zoonen 1994:30) Towards contributions of Mega FM to womens empowerment There has been contestation about the status of Mega FM. This has generated a great deal of debate. One group argues that Mega FM is a community radio while others reject this proposition and claim that it not a community radio at all. A community radio by definition according to UNESCO is A community radio station is one that is operated in the community, for the community, about the community and by the community.  [1]  It adds that It serves a recognizable community; It encourages participatory democracy; It offers the opportunity to any member of the community to initiate communication and participate in program making, management and ownership of the station; It uses technology appropriate to the economic capability of the people, not that which leads to dependence on external sources; It is motivated by community well being, not commercial considerations, It promotes and improves problem solving.  [2]  Whatever their view points, Mega FM calls itself a community radio a nd has been revered for according space for womens participation in their programming. It employs and produces many women programmes than any radio station in northern Uganda. It has been awarded for participation of women and children.  [3]   David Okidi, the station manager: Our programming is based on the fact that we need to inform and entertain so even when we are informing we need to do so in a way that is very interesting. So, coming from a background of conflict, our kind of programming should not forget the fact that listeners are depressed and the programming should appeal to them.  [4]  Its programming is similar to womens community radio in Andhra Pradesh, India, where The radios team of reporters collect stories related to agriculture, education, health issues, womens empowerment.  [5]  Womens programmes are mainly pre-recorded and played as magazines. This is because of lack of access to telephone access by women. Besides recording, womens participations are still welcome through phone-in into on-air programmes and letters which are read on the stations. Contributions The power of community radio to mobilize groups and bring change to societies is well recognized.)  [6]   Community radios and constructive broadcasting: Mega FM promotes constructive communication for in northern Uganda. Their constructive broadcasting is shape by their understanding concerns and challenges in the community. Programme makers argue that they have wealth of reporters who constantly keep them informed in most community events. According to one radio presenter, doing a community programmes require understanding of the community.  [7]  One radio producer adds that our programming is not just about giving women platform to talk, it about involving them in programming and developing content while aiming at one outcome together.  [8]  This reflects through understanding of radio programming. Elisa et al believe that Using radio as a catalyst for social change and development requires thorough understanding of the principles of radio programming. Such principles include the importance of clearly identifying and defining the specific target audience, ensuring continuity o f radio programming and making certain that programmes have a strong, locally relevant message.  [9]  In this way Mega FM works to show positive portrayal of women while carefully highlighting the issues for public understanding and tackling issues that emerge within society. Programmes are tailored to moderated and tailored to meet needs. According to Dyere womens group leader, who is a regular on Mega FM, she notes that Mega FM deals with womens issues that emerge within our different places.  [10]  Additionally, another one woman adds that It does not seek to damage women but it reports in an honest, responsible way.

Capital Punishment :: essays papers

Capital Punishment During the Greek Golden Age, art and philosophy expressed hellenic "weltanschauung", their unique outlook on the world and way of life. Through the works of artists, playwrights, and philosophers, one can see both sides of the conflicted systems of the world, such as; good vs. evil, order vs. chaos, stability vs. flux, relativism vs. absolutism and balance and harmony. The Greeks were materialists. They adopted the philosophical doctrine which says that physical matter is the only reality in the universe; everything else, including thought, feeling, mind and will can be explained in terms of physical laws. Their materialism was expressed in an excessive regard for worldly, beautiful material things and concerns. They used their art to show the glories of humanity and man. The sculptors of the Golden Age aimed to create graceful, strong and perfectly formed figures. Their art showed natural positions and thoughtful expressions rather than abstract art forms. Their standards of order and balance became standards for classical art in western civilization. The Greeks were proud of their temples and other architecture, made to honor the gods and beautify the polis (city-state). Their famous architectural styles were the heavy Doric columns and the slender scrolled Ionian columns. The Parthenon, the Greek temple for the goddess Athena, is a impeccable example of symmetry and proportion. The sides of the Parthenon give an optical illusion of perfect balance on all sides. Their desire for balance in art and architecture represents the balance of the world; order and moderation are expressed in the simplicity of lines and shapes. The resulting overall structure works together to achieve harmony. In ancient Greece, public drama was more than entertainment. It was a form of public education. It dealt with issues of importance to the people, such as; the authority of the leaders, the power of the people, questions of justice, morality, wars, peace, the duties of the gods, family life and city living. Aeschylus wrote about the furies and how they punished man for wrongdoings. This shows that he believed that chaos would be punished because order (and law) is the ideal state.

The poem Beowulf, edited by Daniel Donoghue and translated by Seamus Heaney, is a masterful piece of poetry

The poem Beowulf, edited by Daniel Donoghue and translated by Seamus Heaney, is a masterful piece of poetry. By looking at the roles that women played back in Anglo-Saxon times, one can get a better understanding into the function of Grendel's mother in the poem. By examining specific examples of other women in this time frame to Grendel's mother it helps to compare the differences from the expected behavior. In one of her essays, Jane Chance investigates some of the possible meanings behind the importance of Grendel's mother and her societal acceptance. Many people still debate the actual function of Grendel's mother, but in previously written words of Jane Chance some answers may be found. Jane Chance, one of the many people who have examined the poem Beowulf, wrote an essay that provided an explanation of the important role played by the women in Beowulf. She states: â€Å"The role of women in Beowulf primarily depends upon ‘peace making' either biologically through her marital ties with foreign kings as a peace-pledge or mother of sons, or socially and psycho-logically as a cup passing and peace-weaving queen within a hall† (p. 156). Chance also goes on to establish how each of the women in the poem are used to prove her point about their symbolic presence. The women of pagan history, mostly notably the queen, portray a symbolic gesture of peace in the form of bringing the mead cup to the men of the hall. Chance believes that as the mead cup is passed around, the people who drink from the cup are tied together. This is a symbol of weaving men and families together. The Beowulf poet also mentions that the women's role is to create a â€Å"peace-pledge between nations† (2017). The standard practice to perform this was to give away daughters, or sisters in arranged marriages to order to bring strong ties with neighbouring or feuding families. Hildeburh, wife of the Frisian king Finn, sister of the Dane Hnaef (249), was given in marriage to fuse both the Danes and the Frisianes together. Freawaru is betrothed to Ingeld for this same reason; to renew alliances within families and countries. A line from Beowulf proves this point, â€Å"The friend of the Shieldings favors her betrothal: the guardian of the kingdom sees good in it and hopes this woman will heal old wounds and grievous feuds† (2026-2029). The expected role of women in this era was to provide harmony and become the symbol of peace in the hearts of men. Women also had an important responsibility to speak for her people during events; a prominent speech was the one that Wealtheow gives to the hall after the death of Grendel. She gives of blessings to the warriors, and speaks of her own children and their importance to the future as the next of kin: Take delight in this torque, dear Beowulf, wear it for luck and wear also this mail from our people's armory: may you prosper in them! Be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance to these two boys, and your bounty will be sure. You have won renown: you are known to all men far and near, now and forever. Your sway is wide as the wind's home, as the sea around cliffs. And so, my prince, I wish you a lifetime's luck and blessings to enjoy this treasure. Treat my sons with tender care, be strong and kind. Here each comrade is true to the other, loyal to Lord, loving in spirit. (1216-1229) Wealtheow ‘s responsibility is that of a mediator to make everyone happy and yet ensure that she and her people survive. In comparing the women and their purpose in society to the events concerning Grendle's mother, one can see a female does not usually take action but Grendel's mother does despite her gender. Feeling â€Å"grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge† (1278) Grendle's mother goes on the attack in order to redeem her son who was killed. In doing this she consequently exhibits more masculine traits than other women of the time. She displays quite a different reaction than the one that Hildeburh gave when she lost not only her brother but her son as well. Hildeburh did exactly what was expected of her at the time. She mourned and â€Å"Then Hidleburh ordered her own / son's body be burnt with Hnaef's, / the flesh of his bones to sputter and blaze / beside his uncle's. The women wailed / and sang keens† (1115-1119). Comparatively Grendel's mother does not have a problem in reacting to the wrongs she felt that were done to her: â€Å"monstrous hell-bride; brooded on her wrongs† (1259). Unlike the women of the time she fights her own battles: â€Å"she has taken up the feud because of last night when you killed Grendel† (1333). This is the main difference between the women of the time and Grendel's mother since dealing with grudges was typically a job left up to that of the males in the family. Chance also believes that women's expected place in society at that time was one of non-aggression and they become the ones to make the peace as opposed to men who fight. Chance goes on to explain, â€Å"the idea is stressed that a kinwoman or mother must passively accept and not actively avenge the loss of her son† (p.157-158). Females do not usually take action other than in a peaceful or symbolic sense in this Anglo-Saxon time period. Though Grendel's mother proceeds like a man by acting out her revenge she is referred to in the poem as a: â€Å"ghastly dam† (2120) reflecting that she is still seen as a lady in that time period: Her onslaught was less only by as much as an amazon warrior's strength is less than an armed man's when the hefted sword, its hammered edge and gleaming blade slathered in blood, razes the sturdy boar-ridge off a helmet. Then in the hall, hard-honed swords were grabbed from the bench, many a broad shield lifted and braced; there was little though of helmets or woven mail when they woke in terror. The hell-dam was in a panic, desperate to get out, in mortal terror the moment she was found. She had pounced and taken one of the retainers in a tight hold, then headed for the fen. (1282-1295) These lines from the poem help to show that even though some of the actions taken by Grendel's mother are masculine by nature, she does have some female traits. These traits include not being as strong as the men and fleeing or not staying to put up a fight once confronted. Women stereotypically were seen as being fearful of danger once it has been provoked. The function of Grendel's mother in the poem seems to be quite different from the function that the monsters of Grendel and the Dragon play. She seems to be a symbol of the blood feuds and displays an unwillingness to act as the peace-pledge, which was the normal female role after an injustice. In her essay Jane Chance states: â€Å"As a monstrous mother and queen she perverts a role more important socially and symbolically than that of Grendel† (p. 167). The devoted mother or the feminine side of Grendel's mother comes out in her anger and her sense of loss at the killing of her son. But Grendel's mother's actions are not accepted by the people of this time, as a result there is a conflict between her actions and her purpose. Chance writes about how the poet wishes to â€Å"stress this specific inversion of the Anglo-Saxon ideal of women as both monstrous and masculine† (p. 155). As Grendel's mother changes roles between mother and vengeance seeker through the story one might think that the poet is against women from acting in the same manor as Grendel's mother. By making Grendel's mother feminine but also powerful and ruthless she is then referred to as a â€Å"swamp thing from hell, the tarn-hag in all her terrible strength† (1518-1519) and â€Å"hell-dam†(1292). Grendel's mother seems to be desiring revenge over peace and her contemporaries viewed this as horrible, since women are the symbols of peace, as explained by Chance. The essay written by Jane Chance looks at the women and the roles that they played in that time period and then comparing their behavior to Grendel's mother's ever changing role as mother to vengeance seeker. It also evaluates the function that Grendel's mother occupies in the poem. Grendel's mother in the poem seems to have the most challenging role in the poem itself. She does not seem to agree with the view of women in the time period that the poem was written. By exploring the differences of behavior in Beowulf one can see that Grendel's mother is an important addition to the poem.

10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer Protocol or Recipe

10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer Protocol or Recipe TBE and TAE are used as buffers in molecular biology, primarily for electrophoresis of nucleic acids.  Tris buffers are used under slightly basic pH conditions, as for DNA electrophoresis, because this keeps the DNA soluble in the solution and deprotonated so it will be attracted to the positive electrode and will migrate through a gel. EDTA is an ingredient in the solution because this common chelating agent protects nucleic acids from degradation by enzymes. The EDTA chelates divalent cations that are cofactors for nucleases that may contaminate the sample. However, since the magnesium cation is a cofactor for DNA polymerase and restriction enzymes, the concentration of EDTA is kept purposely low (around 1 mM concentration). 10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer Materials 108 g of Tris base [tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane]55 g of boric acid7.5 g of EDTA, disodium saltDeionized water Preparation for  the 10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer Dissolve the Tris, boric acid, and EDTA in 800 ml of deionized water.​Dilute the buffer to 1 L. Undissolved white clumps may be made to dissolve by placing the bottle of solution in a hot water bath. A magnetic stir bar can aid the process. You do not need to sterilize the solution. Although precipitation may occur after a span of time, the stock solution is still usable. You can adjust the pH using a pH meter and dropwise addition of concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl). Its fine to store TBE buffer at room temperature, although you may wish to filter the stock solution through a 0.22-micron filter to remove particle that would foster precipitation. 10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer Storage Store the bottle of 10X buffer solution at room temperature. Refrigeration will accelerate precipitation. Using 10X TBE Electrophoresis Buffer The solution is diluted before use. Dilute 100 mL of 10X stock to 1 L with deionized water. 5X TBE Stock Solution Recipe The advantage of the 5X solution is that its less likely to precipitate. 54 g of Tris base (Trizma)27.5 grams of boric acid20 mL of 0.5 M EDTA solutionDeionized water Preparation Dissolve the Tris base and boric acid in the EDTA solution.Adjust the pH of the solution to 8.3 using concentrated HCl.Dilute the solution with deionized water to make 1 liter of 5X stock solution. The solution may also be diluted to 1X or 0.5X for electrophoresis. Using a 5X or 10X stock solution by accident will give you poor results because as much heat will be generated.  In addition to giving you poor resolution, the sample may be damaged. 0.5X TBA Buffer Recipe 5X TBE stock solutionDistilled deionized water Preparation Add 100 mL of the 5X TBE solution to 900 mL of distilled deionized water. Mix thoroughly before use. Limitations Although TBE and TAE are common electrophoresis buffers, there are  other options  for low-molarity conductive solutions, including lithium borate buffer and sodium borate buffer. The problem with TBE and TAE are that Tris-based buffers limit the electric field that can be used in electrophoresis because too much charge causes a runaway temperature.

Exploring Racial Segregation in Holly Hills

Exploring Racial Segregation in Holly Hills Free Online Research Papers De facto racial segregation is a common practice in the United States today. The civil right movement fought to abolish this practice. Winning its first of many legal victories in 1952 with the Brown vs. Board of Education Case, the Supreme Court’s ruling required the segregation of schools to be phased out â€Å"with all deliberate speed†. (Desmond, Emirbayer, 2010) This Vague suggestion allowed public schools to take their time carrying out the court order. This in turn caused a backlash that can still be felt today. Due to property covenants and the discriminatory practice of redlining minority populations are currently severely concentrated in almost every city in America. According to the King county census (http://www5.kingcounty.gov/KCCensus/), Washington state is home to 5,894,121 people, 1,737,034 of those people live in King County and 75.7% are Caucasian, only 5.5% of those people are of Hispanic/Latino descent. I have gone looking for them and found the largest concentration of our Hispanic population in census tract 218.0.The block group that contains tract 218.0 consists of a 36.1% to 41.5% Hispanic population. Tract 218.0 runs along the king county/Snohomish county border, between NE Bothell and NW Woodinville. In the middle of this tract is a neighborhood named Holly Hills. I will explore this neighborhood and as a comparison I will explore a neighborhood that the 2000 census finds to contain a pradomately Caucasian population but first let’s explore Holly hills. As I walked through the Holly Hills community I quickly realized it was a neighborhood that consisted of entirely manufactured homes. I started my expedition at the community club house. This was a modest building in the center of the neighborhood that the residents, or anyone for that matter, could rent out for events and the homeowners association used it for events, like the pot luck they are going to be having next week. On one side of the club house is a gated pool and on the other is a large grass field and a diminutive playground with mix matched play systems. You could tell some of the structures where recently upgraded while others were relatively older. The playground was occupied by what appeared to be a family, possibly a biracial couple, playing with their children. Aside from than this family, I saw about twenty other people, of many different races, on my walk through this neighborhood on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. The residents that I did see seemed to be m iddle class, although on the lower end of the middle class, economic spectrum. I would say seven of the twenty people I saw appeared to be of Hispanic descent, about 8 were Caucasian, three were Asian, and one was native American and semmed friendly and some even waved as I strolled through their neighborhood taking pictures. While walking a snaking route through this community’s pot hole riddled streets I noticed that there were a lot of homes for sale, at least one on each block. This is one of the few manufactured home communities where you own the land as well as the home. The median price of homes here is $202,375 and the average home is 1393 sq. ft. that is a cost of $124 per sq. ft. (Reed A. May 16, 2010) As far as I can tell this area appears to be in the process of gentrification, wealthier individuals are beginning to move in to this neighborhood that was previously only inhabited by lower income families (Desmond, Emirbayer, 2010), with this abundance of homes for sale at such reasonable prices I wonder what this neighborhood will look like in a year from now. The closest school to this neighborhood is the K-6 school, Woodin Elementary. Woodin is in the Northshore School District and is the only school in the district that offers a bilingual educational program. According to Jill Crivello, the principal at Woodin elementary, the dual language program is open to both native English speaking students and native Spanish speaking students. This program is beneficial to both types of students in three ways. First, it helps develop cognitive abilities due to the fact that bilingual students execute better divergent thinking, pattern recognition, and problem solving skills. It also benefits the students in a socio-cultural aspect since adeptness in two languages allows students to widen their world views by interacting with peers who are fluent in the â€Å"target† language, and students are exposed to apposite social convections of language. Lastly this program opens up economic opportunities as bilingual individuals are in a higher deman d in the employment arena. (Crivello J. 2010 May 14) This program was also the reason that Northshore School District won the 2005 Diversity award during the WSSDA annual conference in Seattle. (http://wssda.org/wssda/WebForms/ EnUs/News /2005/20051122_divawards.asp) This elementary school is the only school in this district with a large enough Hispanic population to execute the dual language program properly. As a comparison I also researched another school in this district, Hollywood Hill elementary, this schools population is predominantly, 84.4%, Caucasian, and located in the affluent neighborhood where the school gets its name from, Hollywood Hills. When comparing schools there is not much of a difference in WASL test scores yet poignant differences can be seen on almost every other aspect of the schools dynamics. Hollywood Hill elementary has a much smaller student base, resulting in a smaller teacher/student ratio and 64.4% of the teachers hold a master’s degree. (http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/SideBySide.aspx?schoolId=1631Org Typed=4reportLevel=SchoolorgLinkId=) As I explored the surrounding Neighborhood I noticed obvious differences between this neighborhood and the Holly Hills neighborhood. Let me elaborate, The Hollywood Hills neighborhood is in census tract 323.2 and the residents here are 92.6% Caucasian. (http://www5.kingcounty.gov/KCCensus/), Unlike the previous neighborhood I could not walk around to explore Hollywood Hills due to the fact that the houses in this neighborhood are on extremely large lots of land surrounded by woods and there were few sidewalks and no safe way to walk on the street. The houses where very large and the yards where meticulously landscaped. I noticed a few houses that were for sale and discovered that the median price of a home in this area is $875,492 with the average sq. footage of a home being 3,282, that equals out to $235.84 per Sq. ft. (Reed A. May 16, 2010) I did not see any people on the street, walking around, or any children playing on the playground. I cannot say for sure if their where no chi ldren present at, what appeared to be, the community park, I was unable to tell due to the fact that the park was behind a locked iron fence and the play equipment was far enough from the street that recognizing individuals was nearly impossible. During a time when most families would be home eating dinner I noticed an absence of cars in driveways or on the streets. Everything seemed very sterile, devoid of all neighborly interaction, and to be completely honest I was extremely uncomfortable driving around this community. On the outskirts of this neighborhood I did come across an equestrian center that was offering riding lessons to the public. The individuals present in front of the welcoming center where friendly and cordial. They were willing to talk to me about the neighborhood and described it as a pleasant place to live, where everyone minded their own business. As I wandered through out the two neighborhoods I noticed divergences, other than the exceedingly obvious economic differences. Disparate from the Holly Hills neighborhood, Hollywood Hills showed no displays promoting community events and was lacking the appearance of what I would consider social interactions. I also noticed that the Holly Hills neighborhood had access to public transit, King County Metro stops where prevalent, where the Hollywood Hills neighborhood lacked any form of public transportation. This can be explained by the need for public transit if one was to assume that the residents in Hollywood Hills probably do not need to take the bus. In both neighborhoods I observed vehicles driving on the residential roads and noticed a minor difference in the quality of personal transportation. In Holly Hills the vehicles were slightly older, less expensive models that where considerably more economically friendly like Honda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi. Whereas in Hollywood Hills they were newer luxury models like Porsche, Lexus, and Mercedes they were also predominately SUV’s and therefore less eco-friendly. As I look back on my exploration into racial segregation I am left with many questions. I don’t understand why anyone would chose to live in a neighborhood that was entirely lacking any sense of community. With wealth do you also acquire a taste for social isolation? If so, I don’t think I will aspire to obtain the title of affluent. I enjoy the friendly relations I have with my neighbors and if given the choice would rather have that then a huge home and an overabundance of resources any day. The Hollywood Hills housing development is an unequivocal example of how racial segregation makes close-knit communities and any true sense of humanity impossible. The residents in the Holly Hills community seemed to have achieved a reasonable form of racial integration, a melding of separate cultural elements into a balanced community. America’s racial segregation is still exceedingly prevalent, however I am hopeful that one day will overcome the misery that racial dominat ion perpetuates, it is an unnecessary wall put up between neighbors and the loss of a piece of our humanity. Resources Crivello, J. (2010 May 14) Personal Interview. Principal of Woodin Elementary Desmond, M, Emirbayer, M. (2010) Racial domination, racial progress: the sociology of race in America. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. King County (2000) King County Census Data: Tracts and Blocks. Retrieved May 15, 2010, from http://www5.kingcounty.gov/KCCensus/ OSPI (2009) Office of superintendent of public instruction Washington state report card. Retrieved May 18, 2010 from http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/SideBySide.aspx? schoolId=1631OrgTypeId=4reportLevel=SchoolorgLinkId= Reed, A. (2010, May 16) Personal Interview. Windermere real estate agent of Redmond. WSSDA (2010) Northshore and Shelton school districts receive WSSDA Diversity Awards. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from http://wssda.org/wssda/WebForms/En-Us/News/2005/20051122_divawards.asp Research Papers on Exploring Racial Segregation in Holly HillsComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHip-Hop is ArtPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyCapital PunishmentInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaTrailblazing by Eric Anderson

Mass media criticism - semiological analysis from ads Essay

Mass media criticism - semiological analysis from ads - Essay Example to their audience by shaping and lending significance to their â€Å"experience of reality† through the use of â€Å"non-verbal semiotic messages† (Najafian & Ketabi 64-65). The ad under discussion also uses images and text effectively to lure its audience to the product through its appeal to their sense of semiotics and aesthetics. The ad is set in pitch black background that highlights both the red font of the text message as well as the red jacket of the female in the picture. This tactic draws the viewer’s attention to the image and holds it there as he or she will feel intrigued to know what the whole story is about. On the other hand, the man’s face only is clear, which prompts the viewer to look closer and pay focused attention on the image. Once the audience gets a clear idea that the couple is attempting to kiss, leaning out of their cars going in different ways, it makes them think about the message. Obviously, what Diesel want to say is, â€Å"We even unite people from different levels through our product,† or â€Å"No matter where people head, our product makes them pause and take notice.† The image provides a sense that the man and woman, despite their different purposes and intentions, are united by the singularity of the brand’s appeal to them. The brand mostly targets youngsters and the image as well as message will immensely appeal to such an audience. The text message â€Å"Smart Listens to the Head, Stupid Listens to the Heart† challenges the popular notion that smart is better by appealing to the emotions of the audience rather than their intelligence. Besides, the image connotes to a carefree attitude and a liberal way of life, which will also have immense appeal to the younger generation as well as the older generation who think differently. Similarly, the ad also accentuates a passion for life, and Diesel’s motto of doing things â€Å"differently from others† (Saviolo & Marazza 100). Thus, while reflecting the lightheartedness of

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACION - Essay Example The variety of guests, with respect to their level of experience with technology, provided exposure to multiple genres of viewpoints and angles with which human computer interaction can be analyzed. The low tech guests provided the information regarding the expectations of users with technology and the common issues that are faced due to overestimation of the skills of the end users. The high tech guests provided valuable feedback regarding the technological methods with which human computer interaction can be enhanced and how user interaction with machines is influenced by different factors and circumstances. The liberty to inquire questions proved to be an effective method of letting the students clear out their confusions and concerns about the topic. The interactive session with the guests gave the students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and set a broader perspective in their minds regarding the relation of human computer interaction with the environment of the users. Another mode of teaching that proved to help me understand the concepts were the presentation sessions of the students. I believe that an individual can understand any concept from his fellow students as effectively as any of his teacher since the young mind explains the content in the easiest manner. All students have more or less the same level of knowledge for a topic; therefore, they highlight the factors that prove to be easier for the other students to comprehend. It was a pleasure to attend the presentation sessions of my fellow students and learn about the different methods with which they approached the topic. My ‘Aha moment’ in this course was the freedom to choose any topic (within the context of technology) to write the responses and develop presentations. Research and exploration are the most effective modes to make the students understand the content and to enable them to think in a broader perspective. The