Exposure to Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exposure to Media - Essay Example However, with the changing time and age, this has become a reality which is difficult to change course, and has lasting impressions on their minds and bodies. Adolescent development is an important subject that needs to be given the consideration that it richly deserves and within the spectrum of the ever-changing youth attitudes, it attains even more mileage for a number of reasons. The readily available films, music, books and videos have actually put the elders in a quandary. They have felt the plunge because exposure to media has become explicit and the issue has become magnanimous. The adolescents have therefore relied more on their environments than their parents and guardians (MacKinnon, 2006). They have felt the pressure from their peers and this has been represented through the different manifestations which they have been getting into time and again. The risk element has become stronger with the passage of time where some adolescents have shown susceptibleness to attitudes and beliefs which are unbecoming of their age and stature. These books and other available materials have made the elders feel wary of them because their young ones know much more than they did at their age (Sebald, 1992). This has put the ball back in their court as far as their raising up domains is concerned. The emphasis has gone directly on how they have been brought up and how their domains have been hijacked by the elders who are indeed their parents and guardians. These adolescents have been exposed to such images which have more or less disturbed the elders. These adolescents believe that their development is being done the right way since they are in line with what the media has been projecting and what they are learning at the end of the day (Kim & Lennon, 2007). What they seem to forget is the fact that the media is giving out wrong and illicit behaviors which these young ones are easily getting hooked on to for a

Marketing and AMC Theatres Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing and AMC Theatres - Essay Example That aside, one of the most reliable of all surveys for the country is conducted by Gallup and one of their latest surveys on the subject of going to movies have been conducted from December 5 to December 8, 2005. The number of movies now seen by an American has now come down to four movies during a period of twelve months. This does not mean that all Americans see the same number of movies since among the entire population there are 33 percent who claim that they have not seen any movie in a year, and 42 percent say that they have seen more than one but less than four movies in a year while 24 percent claim to have seen more than five movies in a year. (Americans Saw Average of Four Movies in Last Year) This can be seen pictorially in the appendix. The position had started quite early, and it was seen even from the beginning of summer. One of the largest chains of theatres in the country, Regal Entertainment Group, which is based in Colorado and registered on NYSE as RCG as well as Carmike cinemas, which is recorded as CKEC on NASDAQ had shown drops in attendance in the first quarter. The first is the largest chain in the country and the second is the fourth largest chain in the country. Compared to the previous year, 2004, the drop in net income of Carmike was by 76 percent. (Lights dimming on movie attendance) Part of the drop in attendance can be explained by the observation recorded above, but, in general, trends do not move so sharply and in the case of AMC theatres, for the change to have taken place would have a sharp change in habits of persons staying in a relatively restricted area. This is again unlikely to happen so one has to look at some other reasons. The position is clear in that younger Americans are more likely than older individuals to go to the movies and the study by Gallup has shown that Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 had

The Western Region of Abu Dhabi Essay Example for Free

The Western Region of Abu Dhabi Essay The Western Region of Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates is suffering from a high illiteracy rate among adult nationals who are aged 40years and above. Due to the lack of reports/academic publications available for improving this condition, a research work is carried out towards investigating the reasons and providing feasible solutions to overcome this pathetic situation in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi. The research also aims at providing reasons why illiterate citizens didn’t participate in the adult education program organized for them and the effectiveness of VIP classes in solving the high illiteracy among older adults. The main purpose of the study was to understand the minimal requirements for adult learning, steps taken by government towards resolving this issue and the alternatives available to overcome this issue. The outcome of research was based on informal educational program in Western Region, where a group of illiterate female adults aged above 40 years participated in a survey/interview. The enormous data collected from the participants during survey helped in analysis towards originating a set of recommended actions and evolution of a proposal for reducing the illiteracy rate in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi with the help of Western Region Development Council and their stakeholders to pilot test the VIP adult learning program in some cities. The participation survey conducted for VIP adult learning program was positive, which conclude that the implementation of VIP adult learning program is an effective solution to overcome high illiteracy rate among adult nationals who are aged 40years and above.

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Yaroslav Gromov In present time, the question about sustainable use of natural resources has become very important all over the world. People start to realize that nature cannot provide more resources that it has, and that the natural resources consumed a lot. Therefore, there should be found a way how to solve this particular problem energy crisis. Consequently, we should answer the question if the widespread of renewable energy is as serious alternative to the use of fossil fuels or not. There is no correct answer to this question, but if we definitely want to say ‘yes or ‘no, it will be better to weighting up the pro at contra. So let us find out the causes why renewable energy is a serious alternative to the fossil fuels. First of all, fossil fuels are non-renewable. Natural gas, coal and oil are the most common example of fossil fuels, and they are the three main types of fuel that people mostly use and depend on. Seitz (2008) states that ‘according to many analysts the world would not run out of oil, but in a few decades shortages will become prevalent. According to the Energy Information Agency, approximately 93% of the worlds energy sources are fossil fuels, and renewable energy is just about 7%. (2, 2008) Also burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, which is the greenhouse gas that leads to global warming and seriously damages our planet. Secondly, renewable energy sources, such as hydropower energy, solar energy and wind energy are renewable, efficient and non-polluting or causing little pollution. They are simple: all you need is sunlight, running water and blowing wind. Lastly, expanding the use of renewable energy will have a positive impact on employment, according to more than a dozen independent studies analyzing the impact of clean energy on the economy. Greater reliance on renewable energy would have large, positive impacts on economy, creating significant numbers of new jobs, driving major capital investment, stabilizing energy prices, and reducing consumer costs. (Flavin C. 2006, p.10). By contrast, employment in the fossil fuel industries has been in steady decline for decades, in large measure due to growing automation of coal mining and other processes. (Flavin C. 2006, p.10). As these three types of renewable energy were mentioned let us discuss them more specific. Hydropower energy is the most developed technology for renewable energy. The main potential that this type of energy has is that it can be used in multipurpose area. For example, benefits of hydropower are flooding control, irrigation and public water supplies. (6) Hydropower energy is usually generated form falling water, causing little pollution and it is a type of clean energy. Hydropower resources are usually divided into two main categories. As it is mentioned, the first category is resources that require man-made dam structure with high hydraulic heads; the second one is a â€Å"run-of-river† system that require minimum dam structure and with low hydraulic heads. (4, 2000, p.44-45). Similarly, World Bank (2004) believes that hydropower can play significant role ‘in poverty reduction in developing countries. In addition, World Bank (2004) also claims that ‘currently about 19 percent of the worlds electricity is produced from hydropower and that the greenhouse gas emissions ‘from most hydropower plants are relatively low. It is also important to weight the facts about advantages and disadvantages of hydropower energy. On the one hand, hydropower is a clean energy source. It does not pollute the air like fossil fuels do. (6) Hydropower plays a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The maintain cost is relatively low. It is renewable. The technology is reliable and proven over time. (7). On the other hand, if water is not available, the hydropower plants will not produce electricity. (6) USGS (7) reports that hydropower energy is not perfect and has some disadvantages. For example, ‘high investment cost, inundation of land and wildlife habitat, changes in reservoir and stream water quality, displacement of local populations. Solar energy is the second type of renewable energy that was mentioned in this essay. Solar energy is the second most common type of renewable energy. Basically solar energy is the energy of sun. It helps us to survive on our planet, it heats us, it makes threes grow up, and, mostly everything on our planet depends on solar energy. It is possible that ‘our current life cannot continue if we remain economically dependent on fossil fuels, as Hermanns (2004, p.4) claims, but as for me, we cannot predict the future and we do not know what will happen tomorrow. So Hermann claims that something is unlikely to happen./p> It is not so easy to talk about advantages and disadvantages of solar energy. Speaking about advantages of solar energy it is necessary to mention some of them. Firstly, solar cells can be used almost any place around the world. Secondly, solar cells silent and non-polluting. In addition, they require little maintenance and have log lifetime. Finally, solar cells can be easily used in places where there is no main electricity. Now let us move on to the disadvantages of solar energy. The main and most important disadvantage is initial cost. Lastly, solar cells are totally depends on weather, and can be used just during daytime and sun hours. It is because the only time when cells can generate electricity. (9) The last and possibly most interesting type of renewable energy is wind energy. There is an interesting point about wind energy. Wind is a form of solar energy; it is ‘caused by the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of the earth, and the earths surface irregularities (11). Seitz (2008, 141) reports that wind as an energy source was generally used for power as well as for the cooling houses, adding that wind energy source started to gain respect all around the world. In recent years the widespread of wind energy has been extremely rapid, but, for example, ‘despite that rapid growth, wind energy amounted to less than 1% of U.S. electricity generation (10, p.15). But as any other type of energy wind energy also has advantages and disadvantages. According to the Committee on Environmental Impacts one of the advantages is that ‘wind energy has the potential to reduce environmental impacts, because it does not result in the generation of atmospheric contaminants or thermal pollution (10, p.15). Another good point about wind energy is that it is ‘one of lowest-priced renewable energy available today (11). In conclusion there is a very serious question if the widespread of renewable energy is as serious alternative to the use of fossil fuels or not. Three main types of renewable energy were considered. So there is a chance in the nearest future that renewable energy sources will fully displace fossil fuels. It may happen, but not very soon and probably just when there is nothing to extract or mine. Now both renewable and non-renewable energy will be used simultaneously. People are not ready yet to abandon fossil fuels, and are not ready for spending huge amount of money for renewable energy. References Christopher Flavin. (2006, September). American Energy. The Renewable Path to Energy Security. Worldwatch Institute. Energy information administration. Renewable Energy Consumption and Electricity Preliminary Statistics 2008. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_energy_consump/rea_prereport.html John L. Seitz. (2008). Global issues: an introduction. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Committee on Programmatic Review of the U. S. Department of Energys Office of Power Technologies. (2000). Renewable Power Pathways : A Review of the U. S. Department of Energys Renewable Energy Programs. National Academic Press. World Bank Staff. (2004). Water Resources Sector Strategy: Strategic Directions for World Bank Engagement. World Bank Publications. U.S. Department Of Energy. Energy efficiency and renewable energy. Advantages and disadvantages of Hydropower. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/hydro_ad.html USGS (U.S. Geological Survey). Water use: hydro electronic power. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html Scheer, Hermann. (2004). Solar Economy: Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future. Earthscan Publications Ltd. Bristol University. Advantages of solar energy. http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/ledlie/advantages_of_solar_energy.htm Committee on Environmental Impacts of Wind Energy Projects. National Research Council. (2007). National Academies Press U.S. Department Of Energy. Energy efficiency and renewable energy. Advantages and disadvantages of Wind Energy. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_ad.html

The Bean Trees :: essays research papers

There were many sacrificial elements that existed in The Bean Trees. Sacrifices that the characters in the novel made for the benefit of others or themselves. These sacrifices played a role almost as significant as some of the characters in the book. Some prime examples of these sacrifices are Mattie’s will to offer sanction to illegal immigrants, the fact that Taylor sacrificed the whole success of her excursion by taking along an unwanted, abused Native-American infant, and Estevan and Esperanza’s decision to leave behind their daughter for the lives of seventeen other teacher union members. Mattie sacrifices her business, her reputation, and her life to help out illegal aliens that are running, for one reason or another, from their original country. Most of these aliens are searching for a better life in America. Mattie assists them by providing them with housing, food, and medical attention whenever needed. She knows the consequences involved, and yet she perseveringly volunteers to give these people sanction. "There was another whole set of people who spoke Spanish and lived with her for various lengths of time. I asked her about them once, and she asked me something like had I ever heard of a sanctuary."(Kingsolver 105) It’s amazing how Mattie’s morals and beliefs make her sacrifice her everyday life for the benefit of people whom she had never met before. Taylor Greer had been running away from premature pregnancy her entire life. Afraid that she would wind up just another hick in Pittman County, she left town and searched for a new life out West. On her way getting there, she acquires Turtle, an abandoned three-year-old Native American girl. Taylor knows that keeping Turtle is a major responsibility, being that she was abandoned and abused. Yet, Taylor knows that she is the best option that Turtle has, as far as parental figures go. "Then you are not the parent or guardian?’†¦. ‘Look,’ I said. ‘I’m not her real mother, but I’m taking care of her now. She’s not with her original family anymore." (Kingsolver 162) As the story progresses, Taylor accepts Turtle as part of life. This sacrifice later turns into a blessing. Estevan and Esperanza’s sacrifice involved a major part of their lives. Both Estevan and Esperanza sacrificed their daughter for the lives of seventeen other people. Back in Guatemala, they were part of an secret underground teachers union where important information was passed by word of mouth.

Locating Macbeth at the Thresholds of Time, Space and Spiritualism Ess

In the preface to Folie et dà ©raison, Michel Foucault unmistakably locates madness at the limen of cultural identity: European man, since the beginning of the Middle Ages has had a relation to something he calls, indiscriminately, Madness, Dementia, Insanity. †¦ [It is] a realm, no doubt, where what is in question is the limits rather than the identity of a culture. (Foucault xi) By describing madness in this way, he demonstrates his understanding of madness as a cultural phenomenon, defined not by the analysis of a subject’s symptoms, but rather the shared assumption that a subject is not ‘right’, does not conform to the prevailing ideological norm. Written in the late twentieth century, his work is a treatise about the wider cultural effects produced by a policy of confinement of the social outsider. Three centuries earlier, William Shakespeare completed and staged what are now considered the greatest and most evil of all his tragedies, the tragedy of Macbeth. Themes of witchcraft, infanticide, suicide and death pervade the fabric of the play, which possibly contributes to the theatrical superstition that surrounds its production to this day. Nevertheless, it seems curious to me the play is seldom discussed as one that focuses on madness, when it deals with two of the most insane and depraved characters in all of Shakespeare. 1 It seems curious to me that Shakespeare’s tragedies so often revolve around common themes of â€Å"Madness, Dementia, Insanity,† and there is much scholarship as to how this discourse of madness should be interpreted1, but less with particular reference to Macbeth. Curiouser still is that Shakespeare’s Renaissance understanding of madness, as demonstrated in his portrayal of this madness is... ...ephen, et al. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print. Somerville, Henry. Madness in Shakespearian tragedy. London: The Richards Press Ltd., 1929. Print. Styan, J. L. "The Drama: Reason in Madness." Theatre Journal 32 3 (1980): 371-85. Print. ---. Perspectives on Shakespeare in performance. Studies in Shakespeare vol. 11. New York: P. Lang, 1999. Print. Weimann, Robert. Shakespeare and the popular tradition in the theater :studies in the social dimension of dramatic form and function. Ed. Schwartz, Robert. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978. Print. ii Wheelwright, Philip. "Philosophy of the Threshold." The Sewanee Review 61 1 (1953): 56-75. Print. Wilson Knight, G. The wheel of fire : interpretations of Shakespearian tragedy, with three new essays. University paperbacks, U. P. 12. [4th rev. and enl. ed. London: Methuen, 1965. Print. iii

Country Risk Analysis †Peru Essay

SWOT analysis Strengths: Peru is a country blessed with natural resources. In 2010 its exports reached some 23 billion GBP, which was mainly made out of minerals, petroleum and agricultural products. Its mining industry is the largest in Latin America, accounting for 7,7 billion GBP of its total exports in 2010. The climate is also favourable for agriculture, representing 13% of GDP, and employing 30% of the population. In addition, sites like Machu Picchu, Cuscu and Sacsayhuaman make Peru a popular tourist destination for millions of people every year. Weaknesses: Although an advantage when the business climate is favourable, Peru’s heavy dependence upon natural resources and agriculture can prove to be an Achilles heel. Volatile commodity prices and low productivity and fragmented land ownership in agriculture makes the economy susceptible to economic fluctuations. What’s more the country lacks vital infrastructure such as high quality roadways, bridges and flight routes. And as with so many other Latin American countries, high unemployment* threatens the economic and political stability, which in turn affects investor confidence. *Despite a fairly low unemployment rate of 7,9%, the underemployment rate is above 40%, which causes similar effects. Opportunities: In the period between 2000 and 2005 the number of visiting tourists to Peru doubled, and the figure has grown by approximately 11% annually, a trend that is expected to continue. Enforcing the rise in tourism is the announcement that there will be eight long weekends in Peru in 2012, generating some 500 million GBP in extra tourism revenue this year. In 2005, the US and Peru signed a free trade agreement enabling a non-barrier trading relationship between the two countries, which is a huge opportunity as the U.S accounts for 16.3% of Peru’s exports, and 19.5% of its imports annually. Threats: Almost 50% of Peru’s population is poor. This is mainly caused by the extraction industry, where people are oppressed in mining villages and remote communities. Income distribution is extremely skewed, as the richest 10% controls 35.4% of the wealth, and the poorest 10% only control 1.6%. PESTLE analysis Political: Peru is a quite democratic country, after the election of Fernando Belaà ºnde in 1980. However the political environment has been troublesome at best, with several attempts on overthrowing the government, last in October 2000. Alan Garcia, the same man who ran the country into the ditch with four-figure inflation rates in the 1990s, has in his second reign as president (2006-2011) witnessed an amazing economic recovery and growth. Corruption has long been a big problem in Peru, but counteraction was taken in February of 2010 when a dedicated commission was created to deal with the problem, which is especially brought on by the drug cartels. Peru also has a stable relationship with most of its neighbour countries, although their ongoing border conflict with Chile keeps that relationship tense. Economical: The economic environment in Peru has gone from hyperinflation (1991) to deflation (2002) to what appears to be stable growth since 2006. Being an exporting nation they where hit hard by the financial crisis, but kept the growth figure above 0, unlike many other Latin American countries. It regained GDP growth of 8.8% in 2010. In 2011 the credit rating agency Standard & Poor raised Peru’s credit rating from BBB- to BBB. In general, Peru has one of the most prosperous economies in Latin America, having tripled in size in the past 11 years. In addition of being a member of the WTO, they also have a non-tariff trade agreement with the US, which has proven most advantageous as the US represents some 30% of both imports and exports. It is worth mentioning that Peru’s economic growth is very much aided by growth in private investment of 13% annually. This is acknowledged by the government, and has led to minor barriers to entry for foreign firms. Social: Since the early 21th century the conditions for Peruvians has improved in many measures. Life expectancy has increased by 4 years to 73 since 2004, and the literacy rate is stable at 90%. However, there is a big split between the rural areas and big cities such as Lima, with 8.5 million people. While people in the cities are lifted out of poverty due to the economic growth, the people living in the rural areas are subject to underemployment and bad infrastructure. The main language used is Spanish. Although some speak Quechua or Aymara, these are mainly spoken by people living in the Andes Mountains. Technological: Peru is known for its substantial bureaucracy and inefficiency, much of which is due to its low amount of technology available. However, more and more people now possess a mobile phone, and Internet usage is increasing steadily. This said these number should be growing as only 10% owns a personal computer, and there are only 3,7 internet subscriptions per 100 people. (http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/per_ict.pdf) Legal: Although the legal system in Peru appears to lack both independence and efficiency, it has been severely altered to attract foreign investors and aid business. Through removing the requirement for small enterprises to deposit start-up capital in a bank before registration they have made it easier to start a business, and investors are protected through a new law that allows minority shareholders to request access to non-confidential corporate documents. The tax-system has been made electronic, which not only makes it work more efficient, it also makes taxing a lot easier for both parts. It is also legislated that eight-hour days and 48-hour weeks are the maximum working hours, with a minimum wage of $128 a month. Environmental: In August 2010 Peru obtained the Third Programmatic Environmental Development Policy Loan. This money is dedicated to â€Å"strengthen environmental governance, including regulation & enforcement, and mainstreaming of environmental sustainability in the mining, fisheries, urban transport and energy sectors.† The funds will also be used to improve parts of the health sector, especially for those exposed to health risks from environmental degradation. This illustrates Peru’s awareness and concern about the environmental issues and their ability to handle them in a way that draws the World Bank’s attention.