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