The Failed Offensive

The year 1961 saw the attempt of Cuban exiles to replace the Cuban government led by Fidel Castro, and it was on April 17 on the same year when aerial bombings were launched as an attack by a coalition backed by the United States against Cuba which later came to be known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Although the United States helped in the planning and in the funding of the invasion, it failed right after the night landing of the invasion was discovered which led to the defeat of the invasion just within three days.It is because of the immediate discovery and the reports about the invasion which practically enabled the Cuban government of Castro to frustrate the invasion and capture a large number of invaders. The consequence of the failed invasion is for Castro to start obtaining nuclear warheads from the Soviet government in the fear of another invasion backed by the United States, thereby leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis. History The history of the Bay of Pigs invasions stems b efore the time of the Kennedy administration.Miller and Miller observe that the strains between the relations of Cuba and America stems back from immigration issues. They observe that: As the number of immigrants increased, relations with Cuba began to deteriorate after 1959. In June 1960 U. S. oil refineries in Cuba refused to process Russian crude oil. The Cuban government retaliated by nationalizing the oil refineries. On July 5, 1960, the Cuban government nationalized all U. S. property in Cuba.In retaliation, the United States canceled Cuba's sugar export quota. This action amounted to an economic sanction against Cuba (Miller and Miller, p. 53). In the following years, the tension between the two countries grew and the desire to free Cuba from the leadership of Castro intensified. Miller and miller notes: Attempts to free Cuba from Castro's regime began under the Eisenhower administration, and under the Kennedy administration, U. S. -Cuban relations continued to deteriorate.Le ss than three months after becoming president, Kennedy authorized an invasion of Castro's regime by Cuban exiles on April 17, 1961. Regrettably for the United States, the 1,500-man exile force was defeated in less than 72 hours. The invasion increased Castro's political power and popularity. As William Goodwin, a White House advisor, stated: â€Å"It made him even more of a hero as the man who had defended Cuba against the greatest power in the world (Miller and Miller, p. 54). â€Å"Almost a year before the actual Bay of Pigs Invasion, the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency recommended to then-President Dwight Eisenhower a plan to equip Cuban exiles and use them for action against the newly established socialist Cuban government led by Fidel Castro. Since it was the policy of the American government to provide military, logistics and strategic assistance to guerilla forces fighting the government of Castro, the CIA pursued to train Cuban exiles for the mission.Among the first plan s to be adopted for the invasion is to land the Cuban exiles near the city of Trinidad, Cuba since the site gave a handful of choices for the brigade of Cuban exiles to exploit at the height of the invasion in the coming days. At the least, the site gave the exiles the advantage of a beach landing and of returning to the mountains for a possible retreat as the necessity would arise. However, the progress of the plans to invade Cuba led to several changes such as the change in the landing spot for Brigade 2506 from Trinidad to the Bay of Pigs.As a result, contacts with the rebels situated in the Escambray Mountains were cut thereby reducing the military support the Cuban exiles needed. Further, senior KGB operatives Osvaldo Sanchez Cabrera and â€Å"Aragon† warned the Cuban government about the forthcoming invasion, thus giving Castro and his military men the time to anticipate and plan their counter moves against the U. S. -backed offensive. All these changes in the invasion plan under the helm of President Kennedy after seeking information to his advisors if the overthrow of Fidel Castro could be tied with weapon shipments.The Invasion The invasion could be divided into at least three actions: sea, air and land offensives. The invasion was initiated with three flights of B-2B bombers on the early hours of April 15, 1961. As aircrafts with the markings of the Cuban Fuerza Armada Revolucionaria (CRAF) flew over and bombarded the airfields of Antonio Maceo International Airport, San Antonio de los Banos and Ciudad Libertad, counter air attacks against the CRAF, named Operation Puma, were also formed.In the attempt to paralyze the air force of the Cuban government through the air attacks, the first air operations failed primarily because the air strikes were discontinued as opposed to what was original intended. There was a second attempt to foil the air force of the Cuban government by launching another air attack. However, the second plan was cancelled b ecause President Kennedy hoped to make the operation look as if the Cuban exiles were the ones responsible in the attacks and not the U. S. government.By doing so, the American government can easily deny accusations of being held responsible for the operation. The cancellation of the air assaults on the air fields of Cuba largely contributed to the failure of the invasion and the deaths of many Cuban exiles. Almost two days after the failed air strikes, approximately 1,300 Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs situated at the Cuban southern coast. Armed with weapons provided by the American government, the exiles intended to proceed to Havana in the hopes of gaining local support.At first, the invaders were able to suppress the ground militia at the beach, forcing the Cuban forces to surrender. It was under the prerogative of President Kennedy to use air force to support ground troops but he never opted to do so. As a result, the armies of the government of Castro were able to stop the invading forces at the Bay of Pigs. Naval offenses also took a crucial role in the offensives, with the invader ship Blagar fighting off Cuban aircrafts and with the naval forces of Castro losing at least one ship, the P.C. Baire. The aftermath Although the exact number of deaths for the Cuban government is widely disputed, it can hardly be argued that the death toll went by the thousands. Interestingly, even though the casualties among the Cuban government were higher in contrast to the invading forces, the Castro government ended up gaining as much as $53 million worth of food and medicine in exchange for the lives of the captured exiles who were sentenced to thirty years in prison for treason.However, negotiations for the release of the captured exiles took almost twenty months which started from the demand of Castro for 500 large tractors to his demand of $28 million. In the end, 1,113 prisoners were released in exchange for $53 million worth of food and medicine; the funds were supposedly obtained from private donations. It was also reported that President Kennedy hesitated to back the ground forces of the Cuban exiles with further air strikes because Kennedy did not want a full scale war. In doing so, Kennedy effectively abandoned the Cuban exiles fighting on the ground against the forces of Fidel Castro.More importantly, the CIA believed that the invasion would lead to a spark in the sentiment of the people against the government of Castro thereby gaining the support of the Cubans with the offensive. In its entirety, Erich Weede observes that the failure of the invasion reinforced the ironies in the decisions and motives of the United States. Weede argues that: The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 was the most important case of vacillation and inconsistency: President John F. Kennedy would have liked to get rid of Fidel Castro and to replace him by a more friendly government, but he did not want to send in U.S. troops when Cuban exiles were not up to the task. The Bay of Pigs disaster only reinforced Castro's hostility toward the United States (Weede, p. 136). Thus, one of the consequences of the failure in the Bay of Pigs is the increased hostility of Fidel Castro towards the United States, which also led to his forging an informal alliance with the Soviet Union, a nation which has been a firm opponent of America. The observation of Weede reinforces the idea that Kennedy was playing things safe, owing to the fact that Cuban exiles were the primary ‘tools’ in engaging the Cuban government into a hostile battle.Piero Gleijeses further notes that one of the causes of the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasions is the â€Å"miscommunication between the CIA and the White House† and that it would have been â€Å"politically costly for Kennedy to have aborted the operation† (Gleijeses, p. 2). He stresses the point that: The Bay of Pigs was approved because the CIA and the White House assumed they were sp eaking the same language when, in fact, they were speaking in utterly different tongues (Gleijeses, p. 2). Gleijeses’ observation indicates that the â€Å"miscommunication between the CIA and the White House (Gleijeses, p.2)† contributed to the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, stemming back to the discontinuation of the plans first determined prior to the attacks at the Bay. At the aftermath of the failed attempt to invade Cuba right from the Bay of Pigs, Lucien Vandenbroucke observed that Kennedy and his advisers â€Å"did not carefully weigh competing alternatives and then select the invasion of Cuba as the best policy† without taking into account the fact that â€Å"Castro had over 200,000 men in arms and the benefit of the Guatemalan precedent† (Vandenbroucke, p. 472).He further noted that: Carried out deftly enough to conceal the American hand, [the Bay of Pigs invasion] promised to deal with Castro while preserving the United State’s imag e. In short, then, the rational actor model suggests that the lack of other viable alternatives prompted the choice of the invasion, which appeared best in terms of a rational cost-benefit analysis (Vandenbroucken, p. 472). There is little or no disagreement over the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion which resulted to the increased tension between the United States and Cuban governments.As the tensions increased, Fidel Castro apparently looked for ways to strengthen his military capabilities and, thus, the military aid by the Soviet Union in terms of nuclear warheads was a tempting option to be easily discarded. The years that followed soon paved the way for the Cuban Missile Crisis which further smeared the capabilities of the Kennedy administration to handle tough situations which involve the security of the United States.Had the Bay of Pigs invasion been a success, there were promising chances for the American government to further launch successful offensives against the Castr o government with the aid of the Cuban exiles (Dominguez, p. 20). Works Cited Dominguez, Jorge I. â€Å"Us-Cuban Relations in the 1980s: Issues and Policies. † Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs 27. 1 (1985): 20. Gleijeses, Piero. â€Å"Ships in the Night: The Cia, the White House and the Bay of Pigs. † Journal of Latin American Studies 27. 1 (1995): 2. Miller, Willard E. , and Ruby M. Miller. â€Å"The U. S.Invasion of Cuba: The Bay of Pigs. † United States Immigration: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1996. 53, 54. Vandenbroucke, Lucien S. â€Å"Anatomy of a Failure: The Decision to Land at the Bay of Pigs. † Political Science Quarterly 99. 3 (1984): 472. Weede, Erich. † Patterns of International Conflict During the Cold War and the Contemporary Challenge. † Economic Development, Social Order, and World Politics: With Special Emphasis on War, Freedom, the Rise and Decline of the West, and the Future of East Asia . Boulder, CO: Boulder Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1996. 136.

Assignment 302

Assignment 302 Candidates name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Principles of personal development in adult social care settings Assignment composition Assignment overview In this assignment, you will look at the importance of reflective practice in adult social care. You will explore how reflective practice can improve your development and practice and contribute to the quality of service provision You will also look at the process of planning development, and the importance of feedback and reflect on how your values, belief systems may affect your practice.Tasks There are three tasks to this assignment. A Guidance B Personal development plan (PDP) C Reflecting on learning experiences Task Evidence Learning outcomes covered Task A Guidance 1. 1, 1. 2, 1. 3, 2. 1, 2. 2, 2. 3 Task B Personal development plan (PDP) 3. 1, 3. 2, 3. 3, 3. 4 Task C Reflecting on learning experiences 1. 4 Assignment mark sheet Candidate name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Candidate number†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Centre name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Holistic Community Support Training†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Centre number†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 09368†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Task Evidence Results A Guidance Passed Y/N B Personal development plan (PDP) Passed Y/N C Reflecting on learning experiences Passed Y/N I can confirm that the evidence listed for this unit is my own work and was carried out under the conditions and context specified in the assessment specification. Candidate signature DateI confirm that the candidate has achieved all the requirements of this unit with the evidence listed and the assessment was conducted under the specified conditions and context, and is valid, authentic, reliable, current and sufficient. Tutor / assessor signature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. External verifier signature (where applicable) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Tasks Task A Guidance (A)Explain 8 core aspects of your job descriptionIdentify 4 different legislations which underpins the way you are expected to carry out your job and describe how you have performed in accordance to t hose standards 1. 1, 1. 2, 3. 1 You are going to be a mentor for a new social care worker as part of their induction process. Part of your role is to help them prepare for the review after their probation period. Ai Create a guide for the new social care worker about how to reflect on their practice. The guide must include the headings listed with an explanation of each. a) What is reflective practice? b) Why is reflective practice important? ) Give example of how reflective practice has contributed to improving the quality of your service provision. d) How standards can be used to help a social care worker reflect on their practice. 5. 1, 5. 2, 2. 1, 2. 2 Aii You arrange a mentor meeting to feed back to the social care worker. You have comments to make which include both praise and constructive criticism. Write notes to prepare for your meeting. In your notes, explain: a) Why it is important for a social care worker to seek feedback on performance. b) The different ways that people may react to receiving constructive feedback. ) Why it is important for a social care worker to use the feedback to improve their practice. 3. 2, 4. 1, (d) Give example of feedbacks you have received and how you have used it to improve your practice Aiiiidentify one national inquiry into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse. Describe the incident and explain how the recommendations from the inquiry report have changed or improved the way your organisation work Task B Personal development plan (PDP) Bi Design a template for a personal development plan (PDP) that you could use to improve your learning, development and professional practice.For each heading in the template, provide a brief summary describing what should be included. 4. 1 Bii (a) Explain how a PDP can help a social care worker identify improvements in their knowledge, understanding and practice. 5. 1, 5. 3, (b) Give example of how a plan has helped you develop or improve __________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BiiiIdentify sources of support for planning and reviewing your development. Explain how this has been beneficial to you 4. 1, 4. 2, 4. 3 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Biv Identify people who can help you develop your knowledge, understanding and practice. Give example of how and when this occured ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Bv Explain how the people identified above can help you appreciate your strengths and areas for development. 4. 1, 4. 2, 4. 3 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Past and Current Trends Of Use and Abuse of Substances in the United States Essay

Current trends show that illicit drugs are a source of significant cause of mortality in the United States. It accounts for approximately 17,000 deaths annually nearly a thousand in persons aged 12 to 21 years. Illicit drug use is also associated with significant morbidity and has far-reaching public health effects. A National House Hold Survey on drug abuse in 2003 showed that an estimated 19. 5 million Americans aged 12 or over were current users of drugs at that time. The survey showed that marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug. There was also the use of non-medical use of any prescription-type pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives or stimulants. Marijuana even currently is widely used because of its low cost and easy availability. New drugs that have gradually been noted coming into the market include methaqualone in the late 1970s, crack cocaine in the early 1980s, flunitrazepam in early 1990s and most recently Oxycontin (Bulletin on Narcotics, 2003). Teens are the group that is most affected by the drug use in the US. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that among the drugs highly used in the United States are Marijuana which has a the highest consumption, then followed by Psycho- therapeutics, cocaine, Hallucinogens and inhalants. Alcohol is a substance that has a detrimental effect on peoples’ health and is equally commonly used. The survey shows that over 50% of teens have tried an illicit drug by time of high school completion. This is an alarming percentage bearing the devastating effects drugs have in individuals’ lives. However, there is a notable decline in the use of nicotine among the youth- this trend in the history of survey that began in 1997. This is particularly notable since nicotine is often used before any other drugs of abuse (it is used by armatures), and tobacco addiction is the leading contributor to many of America’s public health problems. It is estimated that 19. 5 million Americans aged 12 or older are current users of illicit drugs. The use of cocaine in the US has equally declined over years while that of crack has increased. This has been attributed to the risk that comes along with injecting of ones’ self thus risking AIDS infection. Marijuana was the most widely used illicit drug, in 2003, with an estimated 14. 6 million people being users of marijuana. 2004 reports show that approximately 23% of the students in grade 7-12 had 5 or more drinks on one occasion during the past year. The rate of binge drinking is decreasing from 27% in 2000 to 26% in 2002. Among the 18 to 25 years old group, about 58% were current drinkers and 40% were binge drinkers. The current drinkers among the older group drops to about 50%. Binge drinkers drops to about 23%, and 5% heavy drinkers. About 14% of students in grades 9 through 12 admitted they had driven a car after having had a good bit to drink at least once in the past year, and 24% of the seniors said so. 11% of students in grade 9 through 12 reported having driving when they were high on drugs and 18% of the seniors said so. Cocaine has high prevalence in the United States especially in Texas State. Approximately 7% of the 18 to 25 years old population reported using cocaine. Use of alcohol, but not cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine, is higher among college students than among non-college youth of the same age. There is a significant difference in the use of cocaine between border and non-border Hispanics. More recently, while the use of crack cocaine was decreasing among some populations, in particular African-American, it was increasing among Hispanic youth. The finding shows that there is a disparity by ethic/racial group. Although African-Americans have lower rates of substance abuse prevalence, they have a higher rate of homicides. The attitudes towards the use of drugs have changed over the period of times in American culture. (Kozel, 2003) argues that substance abuse or use in American society reflects â€Å"a wrenching tension between conflicting ideals of liberation and communal obligation. † This has been noted by the increase of use of drug during the period of national crisis like American Revolution, in the civil war and the 1960s, as drug use was linked to independence and forging of new identities. In one way or another change in prevailing ideological and religious beliefs, fluctuations in norms and values and transformations in technology are some of the cultural fluctuations that affect drug use in American society. The African American music, which glorifies drug and violence, is a significant example of how culture promotes and encourages the use of drugs. It is also the norm in the United State for young people to have alcohol as a regular drink forgetting that alcohol is addictive; this culture works to promote the use of drugs. Drugs use has adverse effects on the health of Americans. Mental health of individuals is affected when people use drugs. Drugs use and abuse has been associated with risk-taking behaviors that leads to multiple consequences, including the on going transmission and acquisition of HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmission diseases. These are some of quite challenging health hazards in the contemporary world. In addition, impairment due to drug use can lead to unintended pregnancy, impacts of which are far reaching, as teenage mothers are more likely to not finish high school or college. Drug use is the source of chronic liver disease. America’s chronic liver disease prevalence rate is high at 9. 5. Over 90% of deaths due to this disease happened to individuals in the older age groups. Hispanics have a greater rate of deaths due to chronic liver disease (25. 5) than other groups, 18. 6 for Whites and 12. 7 for African-American. This reflects the effect of Hispanic culture and the influence it has in encouraging drug use. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Lung cancer, heart disease, and illnesses such as emphysema, bronchitis, and chronic airways obstruction are responsible for largest number of smoking related deaths. Majority of individuals whose cause of death is lung cancer were in the 65 years old or older group. The age disparity shows long-term effects of cigarette smoking. Alcohol is the substance that is used by the greater percentage of population who use substances. Its use begins early, and the percent of users peaks in early adulthood. Its use continues to be high during adulthood, but the percent of users decline with age. Most hard drug users develop from the use of alcohol and thus alcohol acts as a bridge. Essentially, each drug has its physiological effect on the user. Most drugs are not used in their pure form and may be mixed with harmful substances. In addition the way the drug is used can have health effects. For instance, injecting drugs, in particular with unclean needles, can cause emboli or clots, sepsis and other infections that require medical attention. Sometimes users overdose and die.

News Media use and political Communication - you have to analyse a Essay

News Media use and political Communication - you have to analyse a paper that I am attaching - Essay Example The study aims to prove the importance of studying mediation in the study of the relationship between media and polities. A wide variety of literature ranging from Holbert & Stephenson 2003, Lazarsfeld, Berelsen & Gaudet 1948, McLeod, Kosicki, and McLeod 2002 are mentioned to show how intra-media mediation is overlooked in the traditional study of political communication and media. The writer finds the importance of his study in the fact that other studies in the same field have not taken intra-media mediation into consideration. The previous studies largely overlooked the fact that the relationships among various forms of media may enable media to function as mediators of each other. In fact, the study is an extension of the O-S-O-R model of media as the basis for the media-related political communication. However, this new work presents an O-S-S-R framework which allows one set of stimuli to influence another set of stimuli, thus taking the intra-media mediation into consideration. The benefit of this framework is that it can be expanded to include the multiple stages of variables located in between the two sets of stimuli and after the latter stimuli. The study is based on the assumption that the best predictor of a given type of media use at a later time is its use at a previous time. So, the research has its hypotheses to show the cumulative nature of media use. The first two hypotheses can be summarized as follows: Television/newspaper use at former time positively influences television/newspaper use at later time. Now taking into consideration the fact that the use of one form of media can lead to the use of other forms of media too, the third and fourth hypotheses take birth: television use at a former time positively influences newspaper use at a later time, and newspaper use at a former time positively influences television use at a later time. Another point of consideration is the fact that at the heart of presidential election campaign, increased kn owledge will be available through media about endorsement. So, the fifth and sixth hypotheses are: television news at a later time influences candidate endorsement knowledge, and newspaper use at a later time positively influences candidate endorsement knowledge. Now, to show the intra-media relationships, a combination of hypothesis are used: television news at a later time serves as a mediator in the relationship between television use at a former time and candidate endorsement knowledge, and newspaper use at a later time serves as a mediator in the relationship between newspaper use at a former time and candidate endorsement knowledge. In addition, television news at a later time serves as a mediator in the relationship between newspaper use at a former time and candidate endorsement knowledge, and newspaper use at a later time serves as a mediator in the relationship between television use at a former time and candidate endorsement knowledge. As a part of the study, the informat ion was collected in two phases. The first phase (the former time) was from July 21 to August 13, 2000 and the second phase (the later time) was from October 18 to October 31, 2000. The first phase was before the Gore-Bush debate of October 17 and the second phase was after Gore-Bush debate, or at the heart of the election campaign. The questions asked were related to the audience’

Ayn Rands Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ayn Rands Approach - Essay Example In the first case the argument was presented that there exist some privileged starting points for knowledge which effectively translates to arguments being meaningless if they are not connected along the 'correct lines.' Moreover in regards to confusing meanings with reference this means that all concepts that are formed uniquely would be ruled out. Finally confusing universals with concepts this is simply an error that makes for a difficult argumentation. Having highlighted all of these weaknesses it is important to highlight some strengths. It was argued by Firehammer (2005) that Ayn Rand ultimately admired the strong and frowned upon weakness. In regards to the character development in her writings (And ultimately her outlook as a person) many her type characters were portrayed as being physically strong and of strong moral character. What this could translate to is an argument that it is the purpose of art to not only highlight what the world is but what is could be. In essence p eople should moralistically strive for better which is a wise philosophical outlook. In essence, Atlas sort of represent the societal members that make life worth living.

Answering Questions on Digital Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answering Questions on Digital Media - Essay Example Employing Graphic Design in VJum Amel design in the creation of R-Shief Labs makes it more appealing and conducive for the event at hand. This makes the poster give a different feeling of the overall event hence pull attendance in large numbers. VJ Um Amel is a media designer, is undertaking her PHD studies, and the maker of R-Shief Labs. Her performances and compositions consist of visual performance that is live, Media Graphics Planning and Designing, database Illustrator artist, and analyzing of network. She considers that a successful art panorama and digital knowledge are solutions to the 21st century autonomous performances. The volume of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari was done in the year 1206. It was debatably the most inclusive and meticulous anthology of the most modern acquaintance concerning automated apparatus and technicalities. The work methodically tabled out the technological advancements of a diversity of devices and machineries that both ty pified and extended obtainable acquaintance on robotics and automation (Al-Jazari, 6). Donald Hill, who decoded and had completed mainly to propagate the significance of the above-mentioned text, asserted, it is unfeasible to exaggerate the significance of Al-Jazari's vocation in the account of engineering. Until contemporary periods, there is the absence of another manuscript from whichever cultural and intellectual area that offers an equivalent prosperity of directives for the design and proposal, construction and assemblage of equipments. Al-Jazari at his times did not merely incorporate the methods of his Arab and non-Arab forerunners, but was also imaginative. This paper depicts al-Jazari's perspectives of work as a noteworthy input to the account of robotics and computerization as it facilitates a significant re-evaluation of typical concepts and the conservative history of computerization and consequently of robotics (Hill, 67). Al-Jazari's vocation of art is depicted as com mendable of what is termed as Islamic automation, where the concepts of power that have educated the conservative history of computerization and robotics are replaced by submission and compliance to the pace of the devices. In relation of Al-Jazari convictions of Islamic Automation to VJ Um Amel‘s project R-Shief, both employ the aspect of computerization, highlighted and encouraged the methodical progress of science and expertise in technology. They both employ the aspect of Islamic programming in their viewpoint of composition. Therefore, the connotation of anything in account or history is not permanent and monotonous, as it is opportunely understood in conservative historical techniques. The straight historiographical performance typically searches the origin, in which there is, Foucault asserts, an effort to confine the precise real meaning of things, their crudest potentials and their cautiously cosseted identities since this search supposes the subsistence of motionless forms that precede the peripheral world of misfortune and progression. Hill asserts that one major distinctive characteristic of the Islamic nations was an invariable striving after organization in order to put up machinery that would do without human intrusion for elongated periods. He affirms, numerous kinds of management, a number of which are deliberated of as fairly modern, were engaged to attain these outcomes:

Review of Strategies Undertaken by AIG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Review of Strategies Undertaken by AIG - Essay Example American International group which is a financial services company constitutes of different business units. These are AIG Bank, AIG Direct, SunAmerica financial group, Chartis insurance, United Guaranty Corporation and International Lease Finance Corporation. The main revenue of the company is from the Chartis insurance which is major name in the global insurance sector. SunAmerica financial group is the other which generates maximum revenue for the AIG group. From this statistics, it can be said that the company is mainly focusing on the life insurance, general insurance, wealth management, asset management programs. It can also be said statistics that the major percentage of revenue comes from the casualty and specialty line of business. In any type of industry, the companies should design and offer the product or services according to the customer needs. Financial services industry is a volatile industry. During the economic downturn, the companies generally don’t profit mu ch from the financial services. The reputation of the companies plays a big role in that situation. If the financial services companies provide the products according to the needs of the customers and build customer loyalty then they will have a competitive edge than their competitors. For having a good percentage of market shares as well as retaining the customers in the time of financial downturn a loyal customer base is necessary for the financial services company (The Economist, 2008, p.5-7).... During the economic downturn the companies generally don’t profit much from the financial services. The reputation of the companies plays a big role in that situation. If the financial services companies provide the products according to the needs of the customers and build customer loyalty then they will have a competitive edge than their competitors. For having a good percentage of market shares as well as retaining the customers in time of financial downturn a loyal customer base is necessary for the financial services company (The Economist, 2008, p.5-7). The services those are providing by the company should be customized. American General Life and Accident Insurance Company (AGLA), the middle market life insurance and accidental insurance division of SunAmerican financial group provides personal customer service to the small business owners and middle market segment by an effective field force consisting of the full time employees. Chartis is gaining revenue from the per sonal lines; casualty and speciality sector of insurance which means the company is also focused on the personalized services to the customers (American International Group, 2011, p.8). So it can be said that the company is applying the right strategy i.e. they are providing customized and customer oriented services to their customers which in turn make a loyal base of customers for the company. It would be helpful for the company to retain the market share in time of financial downturn. Segmentation strategy is one of the important strategies that should be addressed by the company management properly. American International Group is a large group constitute of many companies. Every company is providing different type of services and their target market is

Answer brief question about budhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer brief question about budhism - Essay Example Although I agree that the states of nirodha and nirvana relieve one of all tensions, yet these states are only myths for individuals who are in their senses, and are thus unattainable in the real sense. Likewise, the concept of a path in which there is no suffering at all is false. Concluding, I feel that all truths are objectionable except for the second one. 2. Ans. Budda is thought of as Vishnu’s Avatar in Hinduism. Bhagavata Purana considers Buddha as the 24th avatar, and says that Buddha prefigures the last incarnation. Likewise, many Hindus consider Buddha as the 9th avatar. I disagree with the belief that Buddha is similar to a Hindu god in figure. Affiliating the figure of Buddha with the Hindu god is a viewpoint that tries to merge Buddhism into Hinduism, whereas the two are totally different religions in reality. The teachings of the Buddha deny Veda’s authority. 3. Ans. Symbols in Buddhism are meaningful. They represent certain concepts and convey certain mes sages. Quite often, symbols boost the communication and enhance the conveyance of concepts. â€Å"â€Å"Mandala,† a Sanskrit word literally meaning, â€Å"a circle and surroundings,† is a universal symbol of enlightenment for both the viewer and the artist† (Webster University). Mandala is of a huge significance in the Buddhists’ worship.

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Human Resource - Essay Example It is important for all organisations to ensure that proper strategic human resource planning is implemented in their firm. Proper job descriptions need to be developed so that the right type of employees can be hired and all work operations take place smoothly. If Twinkle Toe proper makes investments of time on the recruitment and selection policies, then the right staff can be hired and the day care may face success. Training and career planning for employees is a very important element for remaining a competitive firm. Twinkle Toe has been suggested to implement training programs so that employee performance can improve. Career progression is important for employees as they look forward for achieving growth and success in their career life, therefore Twinkle Toe needs to provide the career progression opportunities for its employees so that they remain interested in working with the day care centre. The industry of the day care centre is booming due to the increase in the number of women who are willing to walk through their career paths without it being distracted by their personal family lives. The industry includes a number of day care centres, each with their own idea of how the children should be brought up or the importance of having children to develop their skills around other children. A major concern for the parents is to find the right day care that they can afford. All day care centres are not that affordable for every parent and hence, they do consider other alternatives such as hiring help within their own home, which has its own risks as well. The risks of hiring a babysitter at home and actually having the child admitted at a day care centre must be evaluated before a final decision is made. Another concern for the parents is the minds of their children. The minds of the children at the age of five tend to be like a sponge where they can absorb absolutely all facts and figures that they are

Campaign of Underground Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Campaign of Underground Workers - Essay Example According to Kaufman (2004), industrial relations have three faces which include science building, problem solving and the ethical face. Science building involves understanding the employment relationship and its institutions. Problem solving entails designing policies to and institutions so as to enhance the relationship while ethical face is concerned with the principles of employment relationship. In any relationship, there are bound to be conflicts hence in the employment relationship, conflicts are inevitable and it is the role of management to devise ways of ensuring they are dealt with in an appropriate manner to avoid consequences such as strikes and lock-outs. There are three management perspectives regarding conflicts in organizations. The unitarist perspective views conflict as irrational and illegitimate hence does not recognize the role of unions. The pluralist perspective recognizes the existence of different interests among stakeholders hence conflict is inevitable. Th e radicalist perspective, on the other hand, is f the view that conflict in organizations is as a result of inequalities in income and wealth distribution hence recognizes different forms of eliminating or reducing conflict (Kaufman, 2004). The system of management thus determines the king of employment relationship in the workplace; some organizations are unionisable while others prefer a direct relationship with employees as it is a management prerogative. Poor industrial relations can lead to industrial action in the form of strikes, lock-outs, walkouts among others and may hinder organization efficiency and productivity. The paper will discuss the effect of strike action on employment relationship with reference to London underground workers campaigns during the 1990s. To understand industrial relations in Britain and the effects of strike actions on employment relationship, it is important to understand the historical evolution of industrial relations in Britain. Edward (2003a) acknowledges that industrial relations in Britain began as early as 1920s followed by personnel management practices and later human resource management in 1980s. The IR thus has undergone various transformations shaped by social, political and economic factors. British IR was voluntarism in nature guided by free-market principles; an organization can decide to unionize staff though collective organizations and uniting in strike action was regarded as a restraint to the free market therefore, those found guilty of conspiracy were liable to fines, imprisonment, and deportation (Hyman, 2003). Contrary to practices in other countries, in Britain there was no right to strike or to organize in an attempt to make demands to the management, only immunities were available in some areas. The immunities were also contradictory in nature as they gave employees power which in reality was limited by equal entitlements to the employer. For example, employees were free to join unions but the mana gement was also free to dismiss anyone for joining the union. Collective bargaining was allowed but the management had the discretion to decide which issues to negotiate and which ones to refuse. The employees were also in breach of their employment contracts if they engaged in strike action but at the same time, it was lawful to call a strike. The employers were also reluctant and unwilling to

Violent Pride Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Violent Pride - Term Paper Example On the contrary, as Baumeister will conclude, egotism and feeling of superiority are the major reasons of violence towards others. The researcher writes that counselors, teachers and social worker of the US have always had a wrong and groundless view on the reasons of violence. As a result, what they, together with the parents of aggressive or violent yang people, were doing is trying to improve the kids’ opinion of themselves and their self-esteem. For this reason, as Baumeister observes, many competitions give awards to all the participants, parents and teachers are afraid to criticize children and social institutions encourage youth to perform various kinds of feel-good exercises. Roy F. Baumeister considers such behavior inappropriate since, as he claims, no one has ever proved that low self-esteem is the cause of aggressiveness. The very first statement that helps the author in his research is that self-esteem is relatively stable. Though small fluctuations may take place every day, they are not significant enough to influence the overall picture. However, the correlation between self-esteem level and manifestations of violence exist. While reviewing literature, the author finds out that people with high but unstable self-esteem are the most aggressive. This and other findings lead Baumeister to the conclusion the low self-esteem theory is faulty. The scientists gather a group of people and gather data on the participants’ self-concepts and level of narcissism. The results showed that though people with high-self esteem are not necessarily narcissistic, those with a high level of narcissism have, in most cases, high self-esteem. They also measured the people’s aggression and, finally, evaluated threatened-egotism responses. Finally, the major conclusion of the studies stated that narcissists who receive insulting criticism are the most aggressive individuals. The scientists also point out that high opinions of themselves shown by aggre ssive people do not hide low self-esteem behind them. They also outline that a narcissist is not aggressive by nature. One becomes such only if gets an external stimuli – an insult. So the theory of threatened egotism takes into account both internal peculiarities and external situations. In general the article is rather well written. The author uses clear and simple language, explains the major concepts that might be not easy to understand for a person not related to the field of psychology. The report is well structured, has an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. The subheadings that divide the content into smaller parts cannot, however, be said to explain the content of the parts following them. ‘Take a Swig, Take a Swing’ subheading, for instance, does not tell much about what the subpart of the report will be about. The same can be said about the ‘What about Deep Down’ and other subheadings used by the writer. In the general, the ideas of the author are presented in a rather clear and concise manner. Baumeister explains why he decided to conduct such a study, what the implications were, and how the study itself was conducted. At the same time, it can be noticed that the results of the literature review of the author show that there are not works that discover the relation between low self-esteem and aggressiveness.

Early years education Essay Example for Free

Early years education Essay 1.1 Summarise entitlement and provision for early year’s education There are many different types of early year’s provision which has been funded by the government for early years education. All three and four year olds are entitled to 15 hours of free early year’s education entitlement per week across the 38 weeks of the annual year. Theirs are five different settings where Parents can choose to give their child for their Free EY Entitlement they are: †¢Pre-school playgroup-. It is an early childhood program in which children combine learning/education with play and it is an organization that is provided by fully trained and qualified staff †¢Private Day nursery- A facility provided for the care and learning for children from the birth to 5 they are usually run by a business or a private organisation and are not linked with the government. †¢Child-minder (who belongs to a registered child-minder network)-child minders are self-employed providing the care for children in their own homes , they offer full time or part time places or flexible arrangements. Child minders are registered with the Ofsted and are inspected in accordance with the Ofsted procedures and regulations to ensure that he child-minder is providing and safe and suitable environment for the children. †¢Maintained nursery school- is a school for children between the age of 3 and 5. It is run by fully qualified and trained to staff who encourage and supervise education play and learning rather than just providing childcare. It is part of early childhood education. †¢Nursery or reception class in a primary or independent school -Nursery schools provide a more direct and structured education for early years children aged 3 to 5 Some may be part of an independent school for older age groupseg infant and primary schools. Reception classes are run by a qualified teacher. 1.3 Explain the post 16 options for young people and adults.

Video Games and Gender

Video Games and Gender The origin of video games is very different from their use today. The earliest innovation in video games is the invention of the idea itself. The idea of having an fast changing or moving objects on a display that a person could interact with. This idea resulted in the game OXO or Naught and Crosses made by Alexander S. Douglas in 1949 for his Ph.D. thesis on human and computer interaction in the University of Cambridge. The machine utilized a cathode ray tube as its display unit. (Winter, 1998) OXO however did not have moving images or video rather it was a set series of tubes that lit up in accordance to the rest of the machine and programming. (Winter, 1998) The idea of using a computer and a display device was again visited upon in 1958 by William Higinbotham using an oscilloscope and an analog computer, thus Tennis for Two was born. The game was simple, the 5 inch oscilloscope displayed a game of tennis which was controlled two players, each with their own controllers and the objective was to keep the relay going as long as possible. The aim of this invention was to liven up the Brookhaven Nuclear Research Laboratory exhibit and nothing more. The device was dismantled in 1959. (Nowak, 2008) Early video games were developed for the sake of innovation. The inventors who made them did not market them as consumer products; rather they were showcases on what the current technology at the time could do. It was in 1971 when Nolan Bushnell made the arcade game called Computer Space where the video game as an industry started. What made this arcade game different was it included a coin slot which meant it was a pay to play machine. It was, however released to a very limited audience because the machine was only available to universities and corporations which had the necessary hardware to run the arcade machine. It was not until 1972 that video games became widespread among the population with PONG. Research Questions and Objectives The aim of this research is to find out the affect of video games on the gender gap or to be more precise: how video games increase the gender gap. What are the factors that help increase this perceived division among the sexes? Do males and females truly have different interests in video games? Significance of the Study Video games are one of the most prolific forms of media today; therefore, just like any other form of media, it ought to be studied. This has a particular relevance to the youth who on average play video games the most. Gamers or those who consider themselves hardcore video game players will find that their favorite pastimes are more complex that they thought and will expand their perspective. Parents who buy games for their children will also find studies on video games to be helpful as it will help them gain a better idea on the said topic. Perhaps the one are most likely to take notice of this are the video game developers who have to power to incorporate the content of such studies in their development of future games. Scope and Limitations This research will be limited to the topic under study that is, video games and the perceived widening of the gender gap that they cause. For this study, young adults of any gender in the age range of 20 to 30 years old as it is believed that this is a stage where many are likely to play video games and be aware of what they think. As for the video games, there will minimal emphasis on the genres and name of the games. Although they have significance, the content and target audience of the video games will be the priority. Because this is a quantitative study of the topic, in-depth interviews and experiments are not going to be tackled. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature As Bryce and Rutter note, the most frequently advanced argument concerning the gendered nature of computer gaming relates to the representation and consumption of game content. In this study, boys as well as girls in the school students group were confident and experienced users of the Sims, with its emphasis on the traditionally feminine sphere of domestic space, although they used that space differently, in ways reflective of Jenkins distinction between risk taking and care taking (Beavis, 2005). It suggested that while there were clearly practices that good gamers utilized to develop expertise, specifically gendered practices could not so easily be identified. Rather, players investment in specific games, and their attitudes to themselves as successful or disinterested games players, shaped the ways in which they approached the games and used them in broader contexts of identity construction and display. In seeking to understand more about the ways in which young peoples out of school learnings and experiences around computer games might be utilized in the curriculum using ICTs in ways hospitable to both boys and girls, it is important to attend not just to the practices on display, but to issues of identity, purpose and social context in order to promote interest, flexibility and expertise. The study of young male and female gamers across these two very specific sites underlines the socially situated nature of play, in relation to both classroom and games activity. where relationships, contexts and purposes flowing across both on and offline play shape the practices entailed in the students discussion and activities, and the ways they engage with each other and the games. Understandings drawn from the observation of successful girl gamers suggest expertise is not just a matter of specific skills, strategies and familiarity, but is more broadly located within the complex dynamics of in- and out-of-school discourses and contexts that need to be factored in to the construction of gender-equitable pedagogy and curriculum (Beavis, 2005) In relation to future English curriculum and technology, the study suggested ways forward in implementing the study and utilization of technology. It lends support to the need to focus not just on texts and technology per se, but also on the ways in which these are used and aligned with the major adolescent project of identity. This study suggests the need to attend more broadly to such matters in considering how we might plan curriculum across the school that most usefully supports all students to become critical and effective users of technology. In playing computer games, young people are making use of ICTs for their own purposes, in complex and pleasurable ways. Computer games are an important aspect of what Sefton-Green describes as a wider ecology of education where schools, home, playtime, the library and museum all play a part . As such, they are a valuable site for exploring the ways in which new and older forms of literacy and multimodality combine, changing understandings of what constitutes text and engagement and providing insights into the highly effective learning principles incorporated into games as an essential precondition of commercial success and play. However, as Facer and others point out, much games research, while identifying the power of games and play to generate motivation or hard fun fails to recognize the social contexts in which games, fun and learning take place. They focus on the characteristics of the activity itself, on design issues, rather than on the players experience, attitudes and interests. As social geographers Soja, Skelton and Valentine Holloway and Valentine suggest, context and location play an important role both in the construction of meaning and the formation of identity and community, for young people as for others. It is not helpful to over generalize about games and gender regardless of the widespread temptation to do so. Citing Haraway on the need for a politics of location, Ang argues for a particularistic perspective for research into gender and media consumption. She asserts the fundamental instability of the role of gender in media consumption practice and the impossibility of assuming pre-articulated gender identities. Gendered practices, she argues, are shaped at the site of interaction with media technologies, with both gender and media consumption both needing to be problematized. As Charles have argued elsewhere, Angs observations suggest that gendered identities do not simply pre-exist the act and location of game play. Rather, they are actively formed and constituted through particular instances of game play in particular contexts. These two sites then, provided very different but particular instances in which to explore the ways in which the boys, girls and young women in our study engaged with computer games, and the meanings both the games and their involvement with them had for them. With the school students, we were very aware of the heightened artificiality of the research site. Even for those students who played computer games at home, the presence of games in the classroom, hitched to curricular activities and purposes, was likely to change important aspects of their reading and play. We were conscious of the ways in which texts and purposes often change when appropriated for institutional purposes, and the powerful effects of location on both reading and identity, consistent with the socially situated nature of literacy practices. During interviews and observations of the students, we found both continuities and contradictions between the ways they played and presented themselves during the classroom lessons and what they told us of their game playing and leisure preferences and activities at their friends places and at home. In the case of the young women in the Counterstrike clan at the internet cafà © there was less dissonance between the research site and the interviews, and a closer approximation to a more natural ethnographic study was possible. An argument often made is computer culture (and by extension, computer software) could be positively transformed through the integration of girls and womens insights (AAUW, 2000,). Our research seeks to test this assumption. If the assumption is true, then the gender of a software designer in a setting where she can express her true perspectives and preferences would be expected to have a measurable impact on her design process and/or her design outcome. The proposition should be tested. If we document that gender of the designer does influence the software design outcome, this compelling result could help motivate the computer industry to integrate girls and women onto their teams. It would also advance our understanding of the impact of gender on design. The often proposed solution of involving more women and girls in game design assumes that game designers create games which are appealing to themselves. The expectation that girl-designed games will appeal more to girls than boy-designed games presumes that by growing up girl, or growing up boy, a designer embodies some kind of implicit understanding of what appeals not just to themselves, but to their gender and this will naturally be reflected in the designs they create (Heeter,2004). . Considerable research has been conducted on girls and games, including amount of game play by gender, genre and play style preferences, spatial orientation gender differences, and a variety of recommendations of what girl-friendly games should be like. These studies often conclude with a call to involve more women in game design. But the presumption that doing so will result in games which appeal to girls has not been tested. Issues of girls and their gaming preferences are explored through observations of computer games sessions at an all-girl state school. What emerged is that preferences are alterable, and site specific. Gaming selections relate to the attributes of particular games but they also depend on a players recognition of these attributes and the pleasures they entail. Players accumulate these competencies and they are an assemblage, made up of past experiences, and subject to situation and context (Carr,2005). So, what computer games do girls like? The answer is that it depends. Socialization may well play its part, yet our gaming preferences will also depend on where we are, what we know, who we know, what weve tried, and what weve grown tired of. Distinctions in taste between male and female players reflect patterns in games access and consumption that spring from (very) gendered cultural and social practices. As this suggests, accounts of gaming preference need to be situated within a framework that incorporates reference to players previous access to games and existing gaming knowledge. Gaming preferences need to be conceptualized within a paradigm that can accommodate mobility, increment, learning and alteration. Different people will accumulate particular gaming skills, knowledge and frames of reference, according to the patterns of access and peer culture they encounter and these accumulations will pool as predispositions, and manifest as preferences. Familiarity and competence feed into a players experiences of gaming, partly determining the pleasures that he or she will expect, recognize and access, and thereby impacting on preferences that might be expressed as a result. Preferences are an assemblage, made up of past access and positive experiences, and subject to situation and context. The constituents of preference (such as access) are shaped by gender and, as a result, gaming preferences manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data that will indicate that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce such preferences from the various practices that form them. To attribute gaming tastes directly, solely or primarily to an individual subjects gender, is to risk underestimating the complexities of both subjectivity and preference. The constituents of preference, such as access, are certainly shaped by gender. As a result, gaming preferences may manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data indicating that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce these outcomes from the various practices that contribute to their formation. So, what computer games do girls like? The answer is that it depends. Socialization may well play its part, yet our gaming preferences will also depend on where we are, what we know, who we know, what weve tried, and what weve grown tired of. Distinctions in taste between male and female players reflect patterns in games access and consumption that spring from (very) gendered cultural and social practices. As this suggests, accounts of gaming preference need to be situated within a framework that incorporates reference to players previous access to games and existing gaming knowledge. Gaming preferences need to be conceptualized within a paradigm that can accommodate mobility, increment, learning and alteration. Different people will accumulate particular gaming skills, knowledge and frames of reference, according to the patterns of access and peer culture they encounter and these accumulations will pool as predispositions, and manifest as preferences. Familiarity and competence feed into a players experiences of gaming, partly determining the pleasures that he or she will expect, recognize and access, and thereby impacting on preferences that might be expressed as a result. Preferences are an assemblage, made up of past access and positive experiences, and subject to situation and context. The constituents of preference (such as access) are shaped by gender and, as a result, gaming preferences manifest along gendered lines. It is not difficult to generate data that will indicate that gendered tastes exist, but it is short sighted to divorce such preferences from the various practices that form them. To attribute gaming tastes directly, solely or primarily to an individual subjects gender, is to risk underestimating the complexities of both subjectivity and preference. Given that computer gaming is routinely claimed to be more popular and more frequently engaged in by males, it is seems a reasonable extrapolation that the activities and practices which constitute computer gaming are also gendered. Indeed, these are the activities which define computer gaming as a social practice. It is the negotiated experiences of everyday gaming which give a reality to game texts and realise the socially situated nature of gaming activities. The gendering of gaming experiences is, in part, related to perceptions of gendered game content and notions of gender roles and appropriate leisure activities. It has been suggested that females are more affiliative and nurturing, preferring leisure activities which have a stronger social aspect. This, when linked to a general (but largely empirically unsupported) perception that gaming is not a social activity, but a solitary activity for male nerds or geeks, seems to quite neatly offer a model for understanding gendered gaming. However, such an argument is essentialist and circular in nature, ignoring the actual negotiation and resistance which occurs within gaming strategies. This raises two issues which relate to the gendering of computer gaming: firstly access and participation in gaming activity is restricted and exclusion is experienced at a local level. Secondly, that exclusion creates expectations of rejection which, together with the identification of gaming as a male activity, discourages women from attempting to enter into gaming practices or associating themselves with being a gamer. Indeed comparative studies of the frequency of gaming in males and females may also reflect a lack of self-identification as a gamer by females who may perceive themselves as casual or infrequent gamers who have a more casual commitment to the activity. While neither of the propositions outlined are inaccurate, the circular relationship argued to exist between them does not offer a position for gamers and researchers to examine the origins of, or a means to break out of the cycle. Indeed, as was previously argued, when we look at gaming developments there is little doubt that computer gaming is an increasingly social and public leisure activity and one that is cross-gender. This is highlighted by the development of gaming communities and networks. It is apparent that gaming practices are undergoing rapid social and technical changes and at the same time it is noticeable that gendered perceptions of gaming are changing. This is demonstrated by groups such as grrl gamers, female online gaming clans and web communities, all of which have been successfully discussed elsewhere. This is not a phenomenon unique to gaming and is consistent with the increased participation of females in other leisure activities which have been previously perceived to be male (e.g., football, rugby and extreme sports). In such activities female players and gamers are not only seeking parity with male counterparts, but are adopting and enacting oppositional stances to categoriZations of gender appropriateness, access to leisure activities and consumption. Although we do not wish to argue in a Fiskean sense that all gaming is an act of political challenge, it is possible to understand female gaming within a context of resistance to the constraints placed on female leisure in contemporary society. This is most clear in areas where visible female participation in masculine leisure activities challenges dominant gender stereotypes Crucially however, it is not necessary to look towards spectacular acts of opposition or web-based presentations of the self to see evidence of the gendering of gaming activities and the routine exclusion of female gamers. Schott Horrell successfully begin to unravel the routine and everyday manner in which gaming is negotiated in domestic settings. They demonstrate how even in homes in which the gaming machine belongs to a female member of the family it is fathers, brothers or cousins who take control of the technology as part of what they claim to be support or collaborative play Access to the technology and the gaming is controlled by the male player who assumes the role of expert by interpolating the female gamer into a subordinate role. The technology and its use creates an environment in which girl gamers are reproduced as not being skilled or technological competent enough to compete with the boys. Such behaviour reproduces the perception of computer gaming as a masculine activity and its relationship to its technological nature. Indeed it has been effectively argued that technology incorporates masculine culture and as such excludes females through the promotion of the idea of female technological inferiority and the gendering of technological artIfacts Given that such technologies are central to computer gaming practices and activities, their perception as masculine is a vital, but often ignored, aspect of the gendering of gaming. Like the experience of gendered spaces it is a form of gendered exclusion which is experienced, negotiated and reproduced at a routine and everyday level and further contributes to the lack of visibility of the female gamer. This critical evaluation of the gendering of computer gaming suggests that despite evidence of the gendering of activities and spaces associated with computer gaming, there is growing evidence that females do play computer games and this may be altering the perception of this activity as masculine. This may also provide a means of challenging the dominant view of female technological inferiority by changing gendered perceptions of technological abilities. This places emphasis on the ability to use technological skills and knowledge whilst emphasising competition in a variety of leisure spaces. The negotiation and reconstruction of gender identities through computer gaming is consistent with the notion of leisure spaces and activities as sites of resistance to dominant concepts of masculinity and femininity. Chapter 3 Conceptual Framework In the toy industry, manufacturers maintain that, once sexual difference kicks in after three years old, they are only responding to what the child market wants they are not creating a gendered demand, it is simply out there. All the many efforts that the toy industry has made to sell cross-gender toys and so find new markets have failed. Most do not even get to market. Cars as people who speak have held no appeal to girls, even if dolls in the sense of action figures have always appealed to boys. Electronic toys have little appeal to girls. Girls prefer pink and purple, boys prefer black orange, red and silver. We might wish otherwise, but these are the facts. Yet in recent years, the rise of feminine values has, still more than the rise in female employment, brought about a modest convergence between male and female roles in UK society. Aleks Krotoski is not alone in recognising that the same computer games can now appeal to both sexes even if Sheri Rainer Greys capture of the term gender inclusive for the computer games industry leaves a little to be desired (if gender inclusive, then why not our old friend, Unisex?). Nevertheless, the differences between games for women and games for men appear enduring ones. Computer games figure hardly, if at all, in the work of prominent feminists such as the late Andrea Dworkin, or Catherine MacKinnon. Yet in putting forward the view that pornography is the same thing as male violence, these authors have probably had a subtle influence on feminist thinking about computer games. No matter how great the take-up of games among girls and women, the continuing tastelessness of many masculine games is seen misanthropically as an enduring sign that mens horrid, aggressive lust for power, and indeed mens lust, will always be with us. People see human nature as the one exception to todays endlessly alleged world of accelerating change. Yet today human nature is more protean than it ever has been. Some sex differences will always endure, being biologically founded; but many will not, having social roots. Much that might endure turns out not to. Computer games dont transform teenagers into monsters. Yet they do involve, and will involve, a modest augmentation of our faculties. With his usual hyperbole, Sunday Times philosopher Brian Apple yard says that games are ontological prosthetics, artificial extensions into alternate conditions of being, independent of our rotting carcasses. 215 Still, games are indeed a small part of the extended human mind today. They do contribute to transformations in what it means to be human. Neither nurture in the sense of the parenting and schooling of children, nor nature as explained by the new disciplines of neurology and evolutionary psychology, can fully account for those transformations. In this sense, the answer to Q1 are the differences between men and women around the making and use of computer games to do with culture or biology? is simple enough. The differences that exist are not set in stone. References to culture and biology as direct and proximate causes of these differences fail to grasp this. They have more in common with description than explanation. Chapter 4 Method This is a qualitative/quantitative study. The descriptive research method was used for this thesis. The descriptive research design studies what is. It is a plan, structure and strategy so conceived in order to get answers to research questions or problems. It is a write-up of existing events, situation or phenomenon. It also involves description of classification and enumeration of collated data (Rebustes and Salvador, 2006). The descriptive research design also seeks to determine relationships between variables, explores causes of phenomena, tests hypotheses, and develops generalizations, principles or theories on the basis of its findings. While its primary concern are conditions and things which exist at the time of the study, it also considers past events and influences which are deemed related to what is studied in the present (Ardales, 2008). For this research, a survey will distributed via questionnaires to a population of about fifty persons. Alongside this survey, an online survey will also be done; a population of at least twenty is expected. The Instrument and the Data Gathering Procedure The researcher used primary sources in gathering the data. This was undertaken by preparing a survey questionnaire. To assist the researcher in validating the sources, information were sourced from newspapers, journals, digests, books, and the Internet. The researcher used a self-made but literature-based survey questionnaire to gather primary data. The questionnaire includes items that apply a 5-point Likert scale to gather the numerical equivalent of the responses. . Statistical Treatment of Data The data were counted, tabulated and analyzed. The statistical treatment of data were frequency, percentage and mean. Frequency Percentage % = n / N x 100 where: % = percentage n = number of classification n = total number of respondent Mean à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ f x s TM = N where: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ = Summation f = frequency in each scale s = scale of response N = total number of respondent Video Games and Gender Video Games and Gender Playing online game help reinforce gendered identities A case studies in women playing Audition Online game in Vietnam Introduction The apparent of â€Å"gendered space† in video gaming give the attention to both researcher and game makers, creating considerable and conflicting perspectives on its cause and strategies to address it. Before that, the gamer developers just concentrate to create the games for men and forgot that we have a big market segment is women. In many games, we can see most of characters are men and woman have unimportant role in these games. Despite game online began in Vietnam in 2000s, with growing numbers of games for both men and women, gaming continues to be a very â€Å"gendered practice†. Women play more online â€Å"casual† games such as The Sims. The same product like The Sims launched in 2006 created a big â€Å"echo† and has remained a position until now. The development of woman game is an indispensable rule when male market was not a fertile land. In this essay, the researcher will chose Audition Online to be a genre, and this research aim is analyzin g internet users to finding how they (game players) reinforce their identities in the online world. The game is Audition Online 2 Rhythm of life (Vietnamese: Nhà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹p Ä ià ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¡u Cuà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â€ž ¢c Sà ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Ëœng), is a downloadable  multiplayer online casualrhythm game (MMORGs), This game is the first online music in Vietnam with a play based on the control characters represent hip hop dance music on the popular music of Vietnam and the world is remade style dance music. Gender and gendered space It is the fact that the terminology within gender theory literature varies, it is important to define the terms used. It is first vital to establish the difference between gender and sex. According to Renzetti Curran (2003), â€Å"a biological given, sex (i.e., maleness or femaleness) is used as the basis for constructing a social category that we call gender (i.e., man or woman).†; Gender socially generated attributes and behaviors, usually organized in a binary, dichotomously as masculinity and femininity (follow, Behrmann, 2011). Genderrefers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. To put it another way: Male and female are sex categories, while masculine and feminine are gender categories (WHO, 2014). In the Anthropology of Apace and Place, Low and Lawrence-Zuniga (2003) offer us the following definition of gendered spaces – â€Å"particular locales that cultures invest with gendered meanings, sites in which sex-differentiated practices occur, or settings that are used strategically to inform identity and produce and reproduce asymmetrical gender relation of power and authority† (flow Adelman Moraes, 2008, p. 107). Gendered space separate women from knowledge used by men to produce and reproduce and privilege. (Spain, 1992, p. 3) Method This essay use documentary analysis method. The data is secondary data come from many resources, such as: books, book chapters, essays, interviews, discussions, newspaper headlines and articles, historical documents, speeches, conversations, advertising, theater, informal conversation, or really any occurrence of communicative language (Bowen, 2009). Robson (2002) pointed out the advantage is that documents are unobtrusive and can be used without imposing on participants; they can be checked and re-checked for reliability. Audition is distinctive in its open-endless, offering players a majority variety of potential gaming character styles, Audition offered a particularly useful for exploring how gender how gender might have influenced the women’s orientations and practices within the games (information about the game, see http://au.vtc.vn) The Figured World of Audition – Small society of Audition Audition online allow players create and develop character by selecting attributes at beginning and throughout the game marking choices the dance style and fashion. The game officially begins with four locations: Discotheque (Broadcasting Station) where you compete with other players via the vibrant dance. Shop Shopping (Shopping Mall) where you buy music or, or choose costumes and other accessories idiosyncratic. Cafe (Cafe) where you meet and get acquainted with the other partner through the chat system. Home (My Home) where you practice, hone the spectacular dance moves, personalized avatars and the stage itself. In certain respects, it is similar to Audition popular simulation game The Sims. The girl will certainly enjoyed his return home (My Home) after each show to open separate room or decorate the house according to your individual interests, and personalization stage and avatar. If you do not want to dance anymore, you can visit cafes to communicate, make friends with other members. When you have found the dancer having the same level, you will have more confidence to back new Discotheque where you can performances in double dance or dance group. Store (Shopping Mall) is not only a place for the girl love to shop but also a place for the boy proved dating level with the partner. There are two fields to choose from Music and Fashion. Music is the place where you can listen to and buy music for their own collections, while fashion is where the purchase of costumes for the characters. In addition to the usual items bought by Den (online money), you can buy some goods especially in Cash. Yo u can rent (1 week, 1 month) or permanent purchase items with Cash. In addition, you can also gift (with the purchase of this item) to another player mode Gift box. Players can choose the gender of the character, the physical elements like height, size breakdown, hair color, face, eye color. Players also choose outfits and design their own home. Players can shape their own kind of dance they participate by choosing halls and rooms of different competitions. Join in the dance room, depending on the type of dance class and you will receive experience points and Den (game currency), respectively.Experience point helps you level up to gain access to the level is higher, the higher challenges as well as adding new songs.Den help players improve accessories for character, create a difficult style of character. Building new identity as newbie player Some researchers have focused on the opportunities that video gaming provides for experimenting with new identities, identities that might challenge dominant conceptions of gender roles. The way that each woman oriented toward Audition as a gamer were clearly influenced by the ways that she had come to understand herself clearly and her identity in the past. In this section, I will discuss several aspects of their game experience: their initial creation of physical appearance, how the game seemed to encourage exploration of new identities within the games. Graner (2004, follow Hayes, 2007) suggested three main factors about gender differences in gaming of women include: (1) woman want to achieve something socially significant and beneficial, (2) women want errors delete and to continue in the game, (3) women prefer observe model game play. Firstly, newbies showed quite different orientations to learning how to play the game, providing good examples of the diverse ways that new gamers might orient to game play (Hayes, 2007). While Audition is open-ended, it does have a series of quests that move the player central storyline, that of developing player identity as icon fashion and dancer. For some players, the success in the game will open a chance to famous in the real world. Many player joined Miss Audition competition, and become a â€Å"hot-girl†, famous singers, dancers, and actors. Some player learned the fashion trend and knowledge by seeing the new style in the online store, and adapting to building their real style in the real world. The women were more motivated by the significance of their own personal goals rather than by any particular goals offered by the game itself (Hayes, 2007). For example, Bao Thy is one of the most teenager singer develop her career from Audition. In 2006, Thy participated Miss Audition, the girl have nickname â€Å"Lona† to performed 2 song and dance copy from game, and won the crown. Secondly, Audition is a relatively forgiving game; the players can save at any point and never death. For example, After many hours of game play with hip-hop style dance, the players can choose other dance room, and chose other avatar, other appearance when players did not like current status. Players may see this as a test, and can completely change his style, which creates a new identity for their characters. This test is the same as a process of learning and perfecting their style of play and his style. Players can spend so many times to experiment with different styles to choose a style that you really want. Thirdly, it is very difficult to predict the preferences of new gamers. How a new gamer will approach learning to play a game will be reflective of her goals and self-confidence (Hayes, 2007). Of course, showed a variety of learning model, and not all games are as flexible. In addition, each player struggled with learning to navigate the game space, and their personal goals combined with the pressure of a course requirement contributed to their persistence. Playing like a girl? The meanings of gendered practices Women have different interpretations of and responses to overtly gendered practices within video games, just as they do in the â€Å"real world.† Take as one example the assertion that women prefer games that allow them to develop cooperative social relationships, rather than games that feature violence as the main form of social ‘interaction’ (Goodale, 2004). Audition offers somewhat unlimited opportunities for cooperative social relationships, concentrating in talking and sharing. In Audition Online game, the players were able to take very different approaches to developing their characters’ abilities, which also meant that they acquired quite different sorts of knowledge, skills and even real money related to the game. Players contact together and build social relationship within the game, which developed their character’s personality skills. Players share the experience and skills to be able to earn points through which virtual money to buy clothes, houses. From here, creating a rivalry between the players, people have to spend money to buy things other people to assert their position in the game. However, there are still players only buy fashionable clothes based on the score they actually earn. Audition allows players to increase the persuasiveness of their character by outfitting them with attractive clothing. Player changed their clothes often, in response to different situations in the game. In addition, Audition has done a good job of connecting players through the model of little family. In particular, the function of Marriage and Childbirth in game helped improve friendship, love blossomed from the virtual world into the real world steps. Enjoying â€Å"feminine† combat Combat is typically used as an example of masculine practice commonly found in video games that women do not find appealing. In Audition, the â€Å"no blood† combat is equally fierce, women often expressed an initial desire to avoid fighting, woman players combat differently, in relation to their own past experience and goals. When it became apparent that fighting was unavoidable, at least for self-defense, they both improvised identities and practices that allowed them to engage in combat in ways that they found comfortable and rewarding (Hayes, 2007). Some player want to become famous fashion icon in games lead them to join in the race of buying fashion. They enjoyed competition, particularly to obtain leader role in dance room. References Adelman, M. and Moraes, F. A (2008). Breaking their way in: Women jockeys at the racetrack in Brazil. Advancing Gender Research from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries. Advances in Gender Research, Volume 12, p. 99-123. Behrmann, Erika M., Investigating Trait Attribution through Gendered Avatar Play: An Analysis of The Sims 3 (2011). Master s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. Paper 372. Debitage (2014). Gender and Sexuality. Debitage.net. Available from: http://debitage.net/humangeography/gender.html. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014]. Goodale, G. (2004). Games women play. Christian Science Monitor. 2004, June 11, 2004. Available from: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0611/p13s01-stin.h. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014]. Hayes, E (2007). Gendered Identities at play: Case studies of two women playing Morrowind. Games and Culture Volume 2 Number 1, p. 1-26, 2007. Spain, D. (1992). Gendered Space. The University of North Carolina Press. 1992. WHO (2014). What do we mean by sex and gender? WHO 2014. Available from: http://www.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/. [Accessed: 15th Nov 2014].

Conflict Theory in Sociology

Conflict Theory in Sociology Social class is often defined as the amount of education, income, and status people have. As we know, getting an education is one of the most effective approaches for ensuring employment and an increase in income, which adds up to higher status or social class. Many people often do not have the income in order to pursue higher education. This gives them the title or identification of being one of the lower class groups in our society. If this remains to be the situation, then there is little hope for those people that are living below the poverty line. I believe that evaluation research would be the best method, because it evaluates the both publicly and privately government and nonprofit programs. Sociologists use all of the collecting methods like surveys, secondary analysis and content analysis, and surveys. It is used to help the programs that are in need which can include: work-training programs and housing programs and all sorts of other programs. The advantages of evaluation research are dealing with the social programs that are going on with society. It shows how the programs are doing compared against other programs and how they are improving in a certain amount of time and with what help from the government. The disadvantages of evaluation research would be that it is very frustrating to find out that one program is in need of help and they are steady helping other programs that are not in need. They are also finding out that mistakes are being made and nothing is being done about them. Agents of socialization are believed to provide the critical information needed for children to function successfully as a member of society. Some examples of such agents are family, schools, peers, and the media. Each agent of socialization is linked to another. For example, in the media, symbolic images affect both the individual and the society, making the mass media the most controversial socialization agent. Family is a fundamental social institution in society, the family, is considered the primary and most important agent of socialization. With the family taking the responsibility of nurturing, teaching the norms or accepted behaviors within the family structure and within society. There are many types of families, which can be described as a set of relationships including parents and children and can include anyone related by blood or adoption. Family is the most important, for it is within the family that the child is first socialized to serve the needs of the society and no t only its own needs. Socialization is learning the customs, attitudes, and values of a social group, community, or culture. Socialization is essential for the development of individuals who can participate and function within their societies, as well as for ensuring that a societys cultural features will be carried on through new generations. Socialization is most strongly enforced by family, school, and peer groups and continues throughout an individuals lifetime. The purpose of these experiments was to see if individual would be swayed by public pressure to go along with the incorrect answer. Asch believed that conformity reflects on relatively rational process in which people are pressurized to change peoples behavior. Asch designed to measure the pressure of a group situation upon an individual judgment. Asch wanted to proof that conformity can really play a big role in disbelieving our own senses. Milgrams experiment was done to determine whether or not the power of the situation could cause average people to conform to obedience. The results of Milgrams experiment were astounding. The research of Milgrams experiment had such a major impact on social psychology that we still use his findings to analyze human behavior today. Zimbardo conducted a controversial study known as the Stanford prison experiment. The experiment was a psychological study of human reactions to being imprisoned and how the effects would interfere with the normal behav iors of both authorities and the inmates in prison. Zimbardo and his team hypothesized that prison guards and convicts were self-selecting of a certain disposition that would naturally lead to poor conditions. In his explanation of groupthink, Janis describes three different types of group members: dominant members who introduce and implement their ideas upon others; consensus followers who listen and concede to others ideas; and independent thinkers who question the ideas presented and possibly introduce ideas of their own. Whether members of the group are dominant members, consensus followers, or independent thinkers who deviate from the norm, one thing is sure; impression management is a key strategy in group participation. Society today has primarily become McDonaldized in its way of thinking and doing everyday activities. It is the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world. McDonaldization is a way of life. It affects not only the food industry, but also healthcare, education, the workplace and almost everything else we do. The reason for this is because society is becoming fast pace and there is a need for efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. Since society is fast paced, there is no time for traditional ways of doing things. People are stuck on this new way of thinking, McDonaldization. In the fast-food industry, people benefit in all areas. With the availability of fast food chains around the world people can do less work, use spare time efficiently, get more for less and know what exactly to expect when they sit down to eat something. The conflict theory perspective is a framework for a building theory that sees society as an area of inequality generating conflict and social change. This focuses on the inequalities within our society and the conflict that they cause between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. The unequal distribution of money, gender, class, and age shows inequality. People who embrace the conflict perspective believe that gender, race, and class should not be lead to have favored treatment. Many of these people do not have marketable job skills and few means to attain them due to their lack of finances. Social class is often defined as the amount of education, income, and status people have. As we know, getting an education is one of the most effective approaches for ensuring employment and an increase in income, which adds up to higher status or social class. Many people often do not have the income in order to pursue higher education. This gives them the title or identification of being one o f the lower class groups in our society. If this remains to be the situation, then there is little hope for those people that are living below the poverty line. The inequalities and conflict of social class is leading towards a social change. The federal and state governments have implemented different types of financial assistance for people that are living below the poverty line. The government has made it easier for these individuals to apply for student loans so that they may pursue higher education and job skills. Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of all times. It has caused countless deaths and several violent confrontations between the two separate parties of opinion. The fight between pro-life and pro-choice supporters has been long and brutal. This is because, despite what several people may believe, abortion is neither right nor wrong. It is the matter of a personal opinion, where, each side can say with certainty that the other one is wrong. The controversial debate over whether same sex marriage should be legalized has gained a lot of attention in recent years and there are strong arguments for each side of the issue. There are many different factors that must be looked at when considering same-sex marriage. A marriage is not something that is just slapped on a piece of paper to show a couples love; it involves legal, social, economic, and spiritual issues. This idea of homosexuality is so frowned upon that no one even cares about the homosexuals reasons for being the way they are. No one bothers to ask if they chose to be that way. Some people think that being a homosexual is a crime. People just cannot seem to grasp the fact that these men and women who are homosexual did not chose to be this way Urbanization refers to a process in which an increasing proportion of an entire population lives in cities and the suburbs of cities. Historically, it has been closely connected with industrialization. When more and more inanimate sources of energy were used to enhance human productivity (industrialization), surpluses increased in both agriculture and industry. Larger and larger proportions of a population could live in cities. Economic forces were such that cities became the ideal places to locate factories and their workers. Urbanization has a tremendous impact on the environment and the links between the two are severely complex. A majority of the carbon emissions are released in urban cities and the clearing of land and forests and for building, developing and expansion of cities remains one of the major contributors in the augmentation of carbon levels in the environment. Additionally, transportation in urban areas, for people as well as goods and services contributes substantia lly to the rise in carbon dioxide in the air.