Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Internet Defamation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Internet Defamation - Essay Example Another different between internet defamation and print or broadcast media is that of the identity of the publisher. With ease of access to the internet, everyone can use it for personal favors without revealing the identity. For example, a person can post some wrong comment about someone on social networking websites by creating a fake account. In such cases, identification of the sender of the email is very difficult because of fake accounts. Criminal-minded people make use of this internet facility to destroy the repute of other people. On the other hand, in case of print or broadcast media, identifying the source of a publication is not a difficult task because publishing authorities inquire about the source before publishing something. Therefore, it is not easy for a person to spread wrong and insulting news about some other person using print or broadcast media.If we talk about defamation in sense of publication, we can say that comments over the internet that are sent directly to a person do not fall in the category of publication because such comments are not for public. Internet defamation falls in the category of publication if some comment is posted somewhere so that everyone can read it. â€Å"Sending an email containing defamatory statements from person A to person B will in some legal systems not be regarded as "publication" for the purposes of libel law† .As social networking tools are becoming more and more popular with every passing day, the number of cases of internet defamation is also increasing.... On the other hand, in case of print or broadcast media, identifying the source of a publication is not a difficult task because publishing authorities inquire about the source before publishing something. Therefore, it is not easy for a person to spread wrong and insulting news about some other person using print or broadcast media. If we talk about defamation in sense of publication, we can say that comments over the internet that are sent directly to a person do not fall in the category of publication because such comments are not for public. Internet defamation falls in the category of publication if some comment is posted somewhere so that everyone can read it. â€Å"Sending an email containing defamatory statements from person A to person B will in some legal systems not be regarded as "publication" for the purposes of libel law†2. 3. Laws Regarding Defamation As social networking tools are becoming more and more popular with every passing day, the number of cases of inte rnet defamation is also increasing. To handle the increase in internet defamation, many countries have taken considerable steps through implementing libel laws and designing statues of limitations. A plaintiff is required to file the complaint within a specific time, as it is a statue of limitations. â€Å"Regardless of the merit of the defamation claim, a plaintiff must file the lawsuit within a time period specified by law†3. If we search for the implemented law for internet defamation in the United States of America, we come to know that the most relevant law against online defamation is the Defamation Section 230 of The Communications Decency Act Of 1996. Along with governments and judiciary, a number of insurance companies also offer media

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Video Game To Movie Cross Media Film Studies Essay

Video Game To Movie Cross Media Film Studies Essay Following the Teaser Show the benefits, its about selling your service. If the service allows them to win money this should be clear, if its of a narrative experience then the teaser, should have that inherent embedded into it. Reeling Them In- You need to constantly appeal to your audience and give a sense that your service is worth spending more time in. This is where meticulous planning of phased releases of story fragments across the media channels comes into its own. To some extent this is no different from a series editor/writer who has to arc each episodes narrative to keep them coming back for more. 2.2.4 Breaking the Fourth Wall Usually seen as an ad or end credit sequence where the voice over tells you why it is worth your while to carry on somewhere else with them. Breaks the fourth wall but is a clear directive. 2.2.5 Parallel Dimension There is something on another platform running synchronous to the one you are watching. Such as watching football on TV, while listening to Radio 5, because I prefer a more in-depth commentary. Now of course there are many other parallel channels. Web, mobile and TV all running along with each other. I am more and more involved with parallels between real and virtual worlds. The techniques to draw audiences into these experiences are often inherent in the service such that if you are on one you can actually see the other one taking place. 2.2.6 On Their Own The expectation from the audience that there will be other media elsewhere drives their journey through the story. The technique here is the hardest to identify but it follows the same technique of designing a physical hunt. You hide things, dont give easy clues and then set the ground rules. They expect something on all platforms and this is where the term cross-media will eventually become redundant. All properties will have something on all platforms, the same way DVDs now all have extras. If they have enjoyed cross-media experiences from you before they will come back. It is about trust, being consistent and giving them a media world to play in. 2.3 Franchise A franchise is a property which involves characters, settings and trademarks of original media. This can be a film, a piece of literature a TV program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, and multiple sequels are often planned well in advance. The most famous franchise to use Cross-Media Narrative is the Star Wars Saga, since its creation in 1977 it still expands its universe to the present day (2010). It consists of 6 feature films, and has since been extended, to more films, radio films, books, comic books, Animated TV series and also Video Games. Star Wars is an epic science fiction franchise conceived by George Lucas. It is best known for its 6 feature films, this consisted of two trilogies, the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and it became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, the film spawned two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the first trilogys final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, again released at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005. Other Media, in which the Star Wars film series has spawned, includes books, a TV series, video games, and comic books. All of this supplements to the film trilogies and comprises the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which is an umbrella term for officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films and keeps the franchise going in the interim between the film trilogies. In 2008, a 7th film was released to theaters, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and it was the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchises first animated film, and was created as an introduction to the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a CGI animated series. Since the creation Star Wars in 1977, the franchise keeps on expanding and each type of media created still stays within the Star Wars timeline of events taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before Episode 1: The Phantom Menace to 140 years after Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. George Lucas retains artistic control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes efforts to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across companies. George Lucas has played a large role in the production of various television projects, usually serving as storywriter or executive producer, as mentioned in Pablo Hidalgos article From EU to Episode II: Aayla Secura. Star Wars has had a number of radio adaptations, such as A New Hope which was first broadcast on National public radio in 1981(StarWars.com 2010) Since the creation Star Wars in 1977, so many different types of media have been created, even now there is currently the idea of a Blu-ray release and 3D release of the trilogies, all of this keeps the Star Wars franchise alive. As you can see the Star Wars franchise is so huge and successful it is a prime example of how cross-media narrative is used and been effective. Other successful franchises are Indiana Jones, Batman, Superman, X-Men and others. Now is this purely for the viewers benefit or is it for financial profit for the studio. This is what I hope to find out. 3 Types of Cross-Media Currently the main types of cross-media are TV shows that have been made into films and also TV shows that have created webisodes. Also I will show films that have spawned video games and video game that have spawned films. I will cover all these topics in this section, giving examples of franchises that have expanded there universe, a quick example being how Batman has gone on to make films, video games, cartoons, TV series, comics etc. 3.1 TV Shows made into Films Now and then certain TV Shows, are that successful that Films are made from the series, a good example of this is Sex and the City, and also the series Police Squad which went on to make the Naked Gun Trilogy. Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American Television series. The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004, for a total of ninety-four episodes. The show was set in New York City, and it focused on four American women, three of them in their mid-thirties and one in her forties. The series had multiple continuing story lines throughout episodes and seasons and it tackled socially relevant issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, safe sex, and promiscuity. It specifically examined the lives of big-city professional women in the late 1990s/early 2000s and how changing roles and expectations for women affected the characters. A feature film based on Sex and the City has been produced. The film originally was slated for production near the end of the broadcast series run in 2004, but the movie deal fell through at that time. The film was later released in 2008 and Michael Patrick King wrote and directed. The four lead actresses returned to reprise their roles, and Chris Noth signed to reprise his role as Mr. Big. The plot of the film revolves around the lives of the four main characters, four years after the time frame of the finale of the series. The films world premiere was in Londons Leicester Square in early May 2008. The film was released on May 28, 2008 in the UK and was released May 30, 2008 in the US with an unprecedented $55.7 million three-day gross. The debut made Sex and the City the top-opening R-rated romantic comedy of all time. Police Squad Police Squad! Was a comedy TV series which was first broadcast in 1982. The show was a spoof of police dramas, packed with visual gags and non sequiturs. Despite critical acclaim, the show was cancelled after just six episodes. However these 6 episodes were enough to gain a strong cult following through repeat broadcasts, and this led to the 1988 film version The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! And two further sequels. Many gags from the show were recycled for the films (Roger Ebert 1988). The film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Performing well at the box office, grossing around $78,756,177 (Box Office Mojo (n, d)).It became a hit comedy, it became so popular that two sequels were created The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear in 1991 and Naked Gun 33à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å": The Final Insult in 1994. The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear was considered the most successful of the three, grossing around $86,930,411(Box Office Mojo (n, d)), while Naked Gun 33à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å": The Final Insult grossed $51,132,598 (Box Office Mojo (n, d)). Roger Ebert rated the first movie 3 1/2 out of four stars, and gave 3 stars to the two following films. The second film won a Golden Screen award for Best Picture. The creators stated this in a featurette for The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear. 3.2 Films made into Video Games Most films when being created also make video games to accommodate the film. The story is usually similar to the film, we see this in James Camerons Avatar, but this is not always the case as film such as the Indiana Jones franchise, the video games tend to have their own story, just set in the same fictional universe. Avatar James Camerons Avatar is an epic science fiction film. The film is set in the year 2154, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush moon of gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Navi, a sentient humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The films title refers to the genetically engineered Navi-human hybrid bodies used by a team of researchers to interact with the natives of Pandora. Ubisoft Montreal was chosen by James Cameron to create an Avatar game for the film in 2007. The filmmakers and game developers collaborated heavily, and James Cameron decided to include some of Ubisofts vehicle and creature designs into the film. James Camerons Avatar: The Game was released on December 1, 2009, for most home video game consoles. James Camerons Avatar: The Game is 2009 is a 3rd person action video game. Speaking in an interview with MCV, It was announced by Ubisoft that it will be using the same technology as the film to be displayed in stereoscopic 3D (PSU 2009) Indiana Jones Indiana Jones is a fictional character in the Indiana Jones franchise. The characters full name is Dr. Henry Walton Indiana Jones, Jr and first appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, is the first of four films, and pits Indiana Jones against the Nazis, who search for the Ark of the Covenant, in an attempt to make their army invincible. The film was to be followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Other than the films the Indiana Jones franchise has a TV series, novels, comics, video games, and other media. The character has appeared in many licensed video games the latest being Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, which was released on June 9, 2009 Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings is the third in the series of original 3D Indiana Jones games, preceded by Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb, and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. 3.3 Video Games made into Films When certain video games become increasingly popular there has always been speculation about making that game into a film. This is has happened with many games, such as Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Hitman, Prince of Persia, and many others. The films may not always be true to the game but are usually a commercial success. One of the latest films that are under speculation to be made into a film is the PlayStation 3 game Uncharted. Tomb Raider Tomb Raider is a video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. Tomb Raider follows the exploits of Lara Croft, an English female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures kind of like Indiana Jones. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn followed shortly thereafter for MS-DOS and PlayStation versions. Since the release of the original in 1996, the series developed into a lucrative franchise of related media, and Lara went on to become a major icon of the video game industry. The game was commercially and critically successful, and is considered widely influential according to Gamespots article 15 most influential games of all time Gamespot (n. d.). It spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media. Six games in the series were developed by Core Design, and the latest three by Crystal Dynamics. To date two movies, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, have been produced starring American actress Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure film which was an adaptation from the Tomb Raider video game series, as it didnt follow the same story as in the game but instead had an entirely new story. A sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was released in 2003. Hitman Hitman is a stealth game developed by Danish company IO Interactive, now a division of Square Enix. The game series has since expanded into a novel, Hitman: Enemy Within and in 2007 a film was released loosely based on the storyline of the games. IESB has confirmed that 20th Century Fox has hired writer Kyle Ward to pen the script for the sequel to Hitman (IESB 2009) . Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return as producers. Introducing British actor David Hess and Timothy Olyphant will return as 47 in June of 2010. 3.4 Films made into TV shows When a film has become really popular, it is often made into a TV show, to keep the story and the films universe alive. Star Wars has done this, with creating the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Also Terminator has done this, by creating Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Star Wars Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise, best known for its 6 feature films; this consisted of two trilogies, the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. In 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released, and it was the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchises first animated film, and was intended as an introduction to the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a 3D CGI animated series based on a previous 2D animated series of a similar name made in 2003. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 3D CGI animated television series. It is set in the fictional Star Wars Galaxy, during the same time period as the previous 2003 series. The show itself takes place from 22 BBY (Before the battle of Yavin) to 20 BBY. Each episode has a running time of 22 minutes, to fill a half-hour time slot. Season 2 premiered on October 2, 2009 and now Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been granted a third season, beginning in October 2010. Terminator The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and ancillary media concerning battles between Skynets artificial intelligent machine network, and John Connors Resistance forces and the rest of the human race. The Terminator is the original film which was released in 1984. The film has been followed by three sequels. The franchise has evolved to one of the most successful franchises of all time (IGN 2006), which includes video games and a TV series. From the success of the franchise, a spin-off was created titled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles with Lena Headey as Sarah Connor and Thomas Dekker as John Connor. The series, created by Josh Friedman, centers on Sarah and John after Terminator 2 as they try to live under the radar after the explosion at Cyberdyne. Summer Glau plays a female Terminator protecting the Connors. The series premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2008. Production for the series was provided by Terminator 2 and Terminator 3 producers and it consisted of 2 seasons. Season one with nine, 40 minute episodes, and Season two with twenty two, 40 minute episodes. The Terminator Franchise has had a measurable impact on popular culture, most notably James Camerons original films, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The film franchise placed it at 17 on the top 25 greatest film franchises of all time by IGN and is also in the top 25 grossing franchises of all time. 3.5 TV Shows that have created Webisodes Many TV shows have made webisodes lately, these shows include, Heroes, Chuck, and The Office: An America Workplace. Heroes Heroes, is a science fiction TV drama series by Tim Kring that tells the stories of ordinary people who discover extraordinary abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the characters lives. The series emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of Comic Books, using short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Since its beginning there have now been 4 seasons and a number of webseries. The first Heroes webseries was released on July 14, 2008 between seasons 2 and 3, called Going Postal. It was a trilogy of online-only videos introducing Echo DeMille, a seemingly ordinary mailman with an extraordinary ability. On November 10, 2008 during Season 3, the second Heroes webseries, Destiny, was released. This webseries is a quadrilogy. A Month after the third Heroes webseries, The Recruit, was released on December 15, 2008. The Recruit introduces Rachel Mills, a marine who survives the explosion at Pinehearst. This follows the finale of volume three. Also in that month the fourth Heroes webseries, Hard Knox, was released. Hard Knox flashes back to 18 months ago, to a time when Matt Parkman knew the villain, Knox, before his abilities began to manifest. Following Hard Knox, Nowhere Man was released in April 2009, and it picked up where the third season leaves off, focusing on the life of Eric Doyle. Then on September 28, 2009, Slow Burn began airing alongside Season 4. It showed behind-the-scenes goings-on of the Sullivan Bros. Carnival as it follows the character of Lydia, revealing she has a pyrokinetic daughter named Amanda who she discovers is in trouble and tries to help. Chuck Chuck is an action-comedy television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The show centers around the main character Chuck Bartowski an average computer-whiz-next-door, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the worlds greatest spy secrets into Chucks brain. It currently has 3 seasons, and 3 webseries. It has Chuck Versus the Webisodes, which consists of 5 Buy More training videos. Meet the Nerd Herders, which also contains 5 webisodes, each video contains staff from the Buy More, giving their thoughts on specific topics. The third webseries is Morgans Vlog, which is a video blog, it has 4 parts, but the first 3 parts, are Morgan and Chuck on making a movie end a lot quicker, and the fourth episodes is Morgans view on movie villains. The Office: An American Workplace The Office: An American Workplace is an adaptation of the BBC series, The Office a Mockumentary created by Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or any canned laughter. There has currently been 6 webseries, the first being The Accountants which aired between the second and third seasons. The webisodes follow the accountants Angela, Oscar, and Kevin as they try to find out who stole $3,000 from the books. Between the fourth and fifth seasons, the summer webisode series Kevins Loan was released in four weekly episodes, the first premiering on July 10, 2008. Then during the airing of the fifth season, the winter webisode series The Outburst was released in weekly episodes, the first premiering on November 20, 2008. At the conclusion of the fifth season, the summer webisode series Blackmail was released similarly to the previous two, in weekly episodes. During the sixth season, the webisode series Subtle Sexuality aired in its entirety on October 29, 2009. The series focuses on Kelly and Erin forming their own girl group, called Subtle Sexuality. The first two webisodes document the behind-the-scenes aspects and troubles of shooting the music video for their first single Male Prima Donna, while the third and final webisode is the music video itself, which features Ryan as a guest rapper and Andy singing the bridge. Also during the sixth season, the webisode series The Mentor aired in its entirety on March 4, 2010. Erin wants to be an accountant so Angela decides to train her. But, Erins relationship with Kelly turns bad when she spends too much time with Angela. Kelly and Ryan then interfere in Angela and Erins relationship. 4 Financial Successes After seeing how many games are made into films and films are made into games, I wanted to see if financially it is a success. Is it worth expanding the franchise if the financial profit is not there? 4.1 Game to Film Tomb Raider Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Budget $115,000,000 Gross Revenue $274,703,340 (Box Office Guru 2001) Tomb Raider debuted at number one with $48.2 million, giving Paramount its second-best debut and the fourth-highest debut of 2001. It beat the opening record for a film featuring a female protagonist, and it is currently the most successful video game adaptation to date, grossing $300,000,000 worldwide. Cradle of Life Budget $120,000,000 Gross Revenue $156,505,388 Despite its better review, Cradle of Life suffered a disappointing opening weekend, as it debuted in fourth place with a take of $21.7 million (Box Office Mojo 2003) a 55% drop from the originals opening gross of $47.7 million (Box Office Mojo 2001). The film finished with a domestic gross of only $65 million; therefore it had to rely on the foreign box office to make a profit. Its total earnings amounted to $156.5 million, which represented a loss of $118 million when compared to the success of the original; the loss nearly equals the cost of Cradle of Lifes budget alone. Figures for the Tomb Raider movies come from the weekend box office websites, box office mojo and box office guru. Hitman Hitman Budget $23,000,000 Gross Revenue $99,965,792 Hitman opened in 2,458 theaters in the United States and Canada, grossing $13,180,769 in its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. As of July 2, 2008, the film has grossed $39,687,694 (Box Office Mojo (n, d) in the United States and Canada and $60,245,563 in other territories for a worldwide total of $99,933,257. The films DVD sales equal $27,858,148 in the US alone, putting the total profits for Hitman at around $128 million. The figures established from the box office data, on the website the-numbers.com 4.2 Film to Game Avatar James Camerons Avatar videogame has not been as successful as the film; Ubisoft has sold over 1.3 million copies of the game worldwide across all platforms (GamerLive.TV 2010). According to Michael Pachter, video game analyst for webush securities, Ubisoft shipped 2.5 million copies of the game at launch. He also believes that with Blu-ray and DVD releases of the movie there could be another push for the game at retail. But for the most part, the game has sold what its going to sell. He said the poor reviews that Ubisofts game received hurt hardcore gamer sales. 5 Receptions The reception of films and video games has always been vital, as reviews can determine whether a film or game can be successful. I looked at reviews and I also did some user tests, to see if they get involved or not with cross-media so they can try to feel every part of that universe. 5.1 Reviews I shall look at reviews of the two Tomb Raider Films, Hitman film and Avatar: The Game. Tomb Raider (Films) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The film received generally negative reviews, with rotten tomatoes giving it an approval rating of 19%, with 27 out of 140 critics giving it a positive review all with an average rating of 3.9/10 (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)). The general consensus is Angelina Jolie is perfect for the role of Lara Croft, but even she cant save the movie from a senseless plot and action sequences with no emotional impact. An unlikely positive review came from Roger Ebert who awarded the film three out of four stars and said, Lara Croft Tomb Raider elevates goofiness to an art form. Here is a movie so monumentally silly, yet so wondrous to look at, that only a churl could find fault. It was controversial for its many objectionable plots like an evil thing in a Hindu temple and breaking statues of a World heritage site. Cradle of Life Cradle of Life received slightly higher reviews than the original, with a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 151 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)) and a 43/100 rating on Metacritic (Metacritic (n, d)). It was described by Salon as a highly enjoyable summer thrill ride (Salon 2003). Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of four stars, stating that the film was better than the first one, more assured, more entertaining..it uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies (Roger Ebert 2003). Cradle of Life was as heavily panned as its predecessor. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe wrote, Its a bullet-riddled National Geographic special that produces a series of dumb, dismal shootouts that are so woefully choreographed theres reason to believe Debbie Allen may be behind them (boston.com (n, d)). Hitman (Film) The Hitman film has been almost universally panned by critics. The most common complaints are a lacking, often confusing plot, dry acting and extreme violence. On the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Hitman has received a rating of 14% based on 98 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)). However, film critic Roger Ebert gave it three stars out of four, saying Hitman stands right on the threshold between video games and art. On the wrong side of the threshold, but still, give it credit. On the Metacritic website, the film has received a Metascore of 35 out of 100 based on 22 reviews (Metacritic (n, d)). In 2009, Time listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies (Time (n, d)). Avatar (Video Game) Avatar: The Game has received mixed reception. It has been criticized for the games linear gameplay and said its controls are unintuitive and camera sloppy. The Wii version received mediocre scores mostly, having poor camera angling, frame rate and storytelling, but visuals and controls were spoken well of. The PC version garnered a Metascore of 65 on Metacritic (Metacritic (n, d)). On IGN, the game received a score of 5.9 for Wii, and 6.8 for the other consoles (IGN (n, d)). It got a 5.5 on Gamespot for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, while it got a 4.0 for the PSP edition (Gamespot (n, d)). In contrast, according to Meant to be Seen (MTBS), the PC version fared much better with a rating of 8.2 out of 10. Its rationale is PC stereoscopic 3D displays are readily available. The reviewer of MTBS said In a year or two when S-3D gaming is much more common, I really think Avatar: The Game will be a regularly cited example that demonstrates how things should be done and what the artistic potential is behind good 3D gaming (MTBS 2009). Also, Gamesradar.com gave the Wii version a score of 7 out of 10, saying, Youll love that the forest world is lush and nicely realized, fun stealth-focused combat, and an overall a surprisingly decent movie tie-in. However, the site also said that, Youll hate heaps of ugly clipping; control frustrations hamper its stealthy nature, and its repetitive goals (Gamesradar 2009) Indiana Jones (Video Game) Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings has received average reviews from the critics, Metacritic gave it an average of 55% (Metacritic (n, d)) The most universal criticism of the Wii version is the poorly implemented and only partially responsive motion controls. IGN gave it a 5.0/10 praising its interface, graphic effects, amount of extras, interactive levels, and varied gameplay, but criticizing its stupidly implemented motion controls(IGN 2009). The Origin (A.V. Club) gave it an F, a 0 on the Metacritic scale, calling the motion controls inexcusable and stating the games best aspect was the inclusion of the point-and-click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, further adding it surpasses Staff of Kings in everything, but the Gamecube-like graphics. Gamespot gave it a 3.5/10, criticizing its terribly laid-out checkpoints, out-of-date visuals and atrocious, annoying motion controls (AV Club 2009). 5.2 User Test Next is my User test, I will first outline the test, then analyse the questionnaire. 5.2.1 Outline of test The test consists of a list of questions which will be about which films, games, TV shows, and webisodes, people have seen and if they have seen or played them, because they have seen or played the original game, film, TV show and webisodes, example if you have seen the Avatar film have you played the game. I will try to get 20 people to fill out the questionnaire, and I will then analyse the results. Appendix: 5.2.2 Analysis of Questionnaire After completing my testing, this was the list of my results from the questionnaire that were filled out. I list them in a table with a 1 representing you had seen or played the media, and a 0 representing that you havent. I made the table more visual by highlighting the majority people who had watched or played both types of media from the same franchise. I highlighted the people who had watched the most (more or equal to 7), in terms of 2 of the same franchise, and I also highlighted the franchises which had been seen or played the most (more or equal to 7) this gave me a cross section of which is cross-media works best and which age group it appeals to more. After completing the testing and analyses you can see that majority of the results point at TV shows who expand their franchise, and that it is mainly 22-24 year olds who who follow the franchise. The trend in the age range seems to be if they like a show, they will follow it in different media. I will compare this to reviews to see if it is coincidence or if the reviews are generally responsible for this kind of response. 5.3 Compare Reviews and User Test Comparing the reviews from section 5.1 I looked at with table of results I created I have come to the conclusion, that if the review is bad then more often than not the audience wont go to watch or play that medium. The only exception I came across was Tomb Raider, in which both film reviews were poor, an average of 3.1/10, it still did increasingly well at the box office. There is even talk o

Friday, October 25, 2019

Education Philosophy Essay -- Philosophy of Education Statement Teache

Education Philosophy My life has been influenced greatly by teachers. Since I was a child, teaching is all I wanted to do. My mother is a fifth grade teacher. I have quite a few friends that are teachers. I have been fortunate to be influenced by some great teachers throughout my academic career. I love to be around kids and I like participating in the process of learning. I appreciate learning even today. I enjoy the learning process and hope to one day influence students in the future. I hope to one day become a high school social studies teacher. I enjoy history and geography, and I especially love politics and discussing current events. I like class discussions and letting different opinions express themselves. These are my beliefs regarding the education of a student. I would strongly agree that students should be active in the learning process. I would strongly agree that many students learn best by engaging in real-world activities rather than reading. I would strongly agree that schools should prepare students for analyzing and solving the types of problems they will face outside the classroom. I would also strongly agree that people are shaped more by their environment than by their genetic dispositions or the exercise of their free will. I would agree that material is taught effectively when it is broken down into small parts. I would agree that the curriculum of a school should be determined by information that is essential for all students to know. I agree that students should be immersed in the community’s problems, resulting in taking action or responsibility in planning a change. I do agree that the United States must become more competitive economically with counties such as Japan, and schoo... ...eaching methods would include programmed instruction, teaching machine, computer-assisted instruction, interactive multimedia, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, critical thinking skills, and cognitive problem solving. The classroom management style would include monitoring and observing events, using reward systems, and establishing rules. The evaluation of the student would include behavioral objectives and performance contracting. The teacher would be trained in the scientific method, a planner and user of behavioral objectives, controller of behavior, and an arranger of contingencies. I hope that one day I will be able to use these different philosophies in my own classroom. I hope that I keep these values, and be able to shape some young minds. I hope that I will become a great teacher, like the ones that I have experienced in my own career.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Business Card Etiquette Essay

Business Card Etiquette: A Must Master Have you ever experienced how mortifying it is when you’re asked for a business card and you don’t have any? Either you forgot to bring one or run out of business cards, this incident is embarrassing both to the asker and to the one being asked for. Habitually forgetting the business cards is the most famous neglect that someone makes when it comes to business card etiquette. In the business world it is important to always remember the business card etiquette as this would speak much of you and the business that you are representing. So, what do we have to be harking backed to when it comes to business card etiquette? First, it is always helpful to have a system to remember to bring a bunch of cool business cards with you every time. Put it in a business portfolio or your purse or desk drawer or a cool business card holder, whichever is applicable and more convenient for you. As one of your most important marketing weapon, a cool business card should always be present in business meetings and basically everywhere. This system would also save you from doing the same mistake that most forgetful entrepreneurs do. The second business card etiquette you should be dredging up on is that it should present creativity. Creative business cards not only state your name, contact numbers, or company logo. The style itself should discourse what kind of service you do or product you provide. You might even want to try cool digital business cards if you’re on the PC or electronic business world. Creative business cards give respect to the card giver and receiver alike. Third thing to consider in business card etiquette is the poise of the card. Cool business cards make the receiver want to keep the card for some reasons like future reference or simply because it is something likable. Either way, cool business cards promote boost in the owner’s individuality. The last and most important thing to ruminate in business card etiquette is the manner on how you present your card. Handing over wrinkled, torn or stained business cards give a reflection on how you see the receiver. This is a big no, especially when you’re dealing with CEOs and managers of companies. Also, it is but proper not to present business cards during personal or emotional correspondence like condolences, get well soons, and even congratulations. So, you can understand that business card etiquette is as much as important as the card itself. Mastering it not only brings potential income to the business but a lasting impression of good reputation as well. Design diaries batch 2 (9-28) 9. China  Travel Depotwww. chinatraveldepot. com Anyone planning to travel along China might want to browse www. chinatraveldepot. com, the official website of the top destination service provider of the country. The site provides information regarding China activities, flights, hotels, tour packages, cars rental, Yangtze cruises, top China tours, prices, and promotions. Basically, what they offer is within- China travel services. But they also provide an option for add- on international travel services by teaming up with Expedia, one of the leading online tour operator in the world. The company also deals with the possibility of customization options and packages to provide the perfect travel destination. China Travel Depot serves over 60 chain stores and outlets located all over China. 10. Extreme Piewww. xtremepie. com It’s up for the hippies to search for the biggest surf, snow, ride, and skate brands online at www. extremepie. com. Nike, Oakley, Nixon, Jansport, Billabong, Converse, Sanuk, Roxy, Havaianas, Element, and Reef are just some of the wide array of brands to choose from. The site features a full assortment of styles that are hip for the current season. Products are categ orized as to usage (by ladies, men, and kids), gift items, and hardware. Extreme Pie offers their customers with a 110% price promise and a good pact of 90 day returns policy(both subject to company’s discretion). The company also gives a deal of free delivery for UK Mainland residents at some point detailed in the terms. 11. Fitness Footwear  www. fitnessfootwear. com If someone is looking for quality footwear, fitnessfootwear. com is a must- visit site for him. Trendy and superior footwear from brands like Adidas, Birkenstock, Reebok,The North face, Under Armor Tactical, New Balance, Havaianas, Merrell, Vivo Barefoot, Fitflop, Hi- Tec, and Saucony are in store at www. fitnessfootwear. com. Another great feature of this site is that it has a shoe size converter for UK, Europe, and USA shoes. Visitors can choose from the variety of Running, Toning, Casual, Outdoor men’s and women’s shoes, insoles, socks, and accessories. To top all that, product updates, promotions, and discounts are given to customers who sign up to the FitnessFootwear. com newsletter. 12. Moonbasawww. moonbasa. us Moonbasa is powered by Mola Group, a China- based company established in 2007, which currently have 800 employees. They specialize in women underwear and clothing but also offer other products such as shoes, handbags, home textile used outdoors and indoors, and Euro- style apparel. They have an elite staff of hunting professionals like Terry Drury, Mark Drury, Jay Gregory, Spook Span, Ronnie â€Å"Cuz† Strickland, Hank Parker, Rick Kreuter, Keith Beam, and more. The company started in the 70’s when the owner, Pete Shepley, experimented with new ideas for bow release aids. From flexible plastic arrow vane to replace the feathers, he trialed to the perfection of his first compound bow. Today, the line of PSE products vastly includes Pro Series Bows, Main Line Bows, Field Ready Bows, Recurve Bows, and a lot more.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Two Ultimate Decisions

In the next few years, I would have finished college and would soon need to earn a living to support myself and maybe the family I intend to have. Given this scenario, I will be deciding between two options: whether I would be maintaining my own business or if I would rather be employed by a big company. Having my own business sounds appealing. I would be working at my own hours and at my own pace. I have full control of my time. I can do whatever I would like to do. Nobody can tell me what I should accomplish first and what should I do last. All I have to do is to keep committed in making my business grow and expand. Whatever I do and however I do it, it will all be up to me. I decide if I wanted to start the day early, or if I should stay up late working. I determine my own hours. I pay my own wage. Maintaining a business is going to be a very challenging feat for me. I would be using my intellectual strength and my innate marketing talents to succeed. I can establish my own success. I will thrive because of my own hard work and nobody else’s. My achievements will be because I did so well and I made the right decisions. I will be responsible for whatever happens, and I only have myself to account for. Managing my own business means I could also be helping others. I will have the ability to employ people; and as my business gets bigger, more people will be needed so more people will be hired. I will be able to make a lot of people’s lives better, and I can undoubtedly contribute to the economy at that. Indeed, starting a business proposes to be a good decision at this point. However, the call of being a part of a much bigger company is deafening as well. If I decide to get a job with a corporation bigwig, I can be able to earn easily through the monthly wage they will be paying me. I would be able to utilize all my learning and my stuck knowledge. I will be a part of an institution and would carry its pride as well. I will be able to meet big and influential people; and even become friends with each of them. I will start as a normal employee aiming toward the top position of the company, and this sure mean a real test of wits and endurance. I will be engaging in a friendly and worthwhile competition with my fellow co-workers who are also aspiring to be a top-notch executive like me. And with proper strength and staying power, I believe I will be able to reach it. If I do my job well enough, I will be promoted in just a matter of several months. I will then be the head of my own department. I will be enjoying my job as I enjoy the company of my colleagues which are also my comrades. I can also become a mentor, thus I will be able to share and transfer my knowledge to my apprentices. As I leave my position to one of my subordinates, I will be going up the ladder into the executive world. I will have the ability to become one of the most respected people in the company; and I can do it the shortest time possible. Furthermore, I will make critical company decisions which could change the whole company. I will be instrumental in the company’s failure or success, and that is because I will become the best executive, a senior manager whose opinion is always sought and is well-considered. I will be a very powerful person both in and out of the corporate world. And because I have this ability to become powerful, being rich and famous will soon follow. I will become rich because I will be fully compensated by the company I belong to. And I will become famous because as I become the company’s leader, I would need to attend business conferences as well as business lunches and parties. Right now, working for a top company seems to be a good decision for me too. Considering each of these points, it is equally advantageous holding down a job and managing a business. Although it is possible to do both, I would still need to make a decision, as to which of the two should be my primary career path. Given the points and my own personality, I believe that I will be more productive if I start off as a regular employee in a regular position, and then slowly take myself towards the top, through diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The time that is going to be required to achieve this is going to be less in a company setup. A few years should be enough to hoist myself up the corporate ladder. Being in a part of a corporation does not require that much capital either. I would only need to invest in myself, and that is not going to be too much. The risks involved in a business are also unpredictable. A business is like a gamble, you win some and you lose some. You really cannot accurately forecast the feasibility of your business decision unless the market is virtually stable, and that doesn’t really happen. The market does change, and in a volatile manner at that. If one is in a corporate setup, on the other hand, things are more constant. One knows what he is up against, and being so, one can easily devise strategies as to how to overcome it. The corporate world may have its own share of politics, but that is part of the game. I am considering that just as one of the risks that come with any of my choices. At this point, I believe that my decision will be to work for the corporate bigwigs. Its benefits weigh far too heavy than the benefits of being in the business world.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Impact of Social Media on the Middle East Uprisings essays

The Impact of Social Media on the Middle East Uprisings essays The lecture in class discussed the expanding availability of social media outlets in the Middle East and its effect on government censorship and the ability to gain and share information with the world. The ability to instantaneously spread information has allowed citizens from oppressed nations to gain power and speak out against severe political, social and economic issues. Despite attempted control from oppressive governments, social media is exposing the current crises and economic state of the Middle East. I believe social media has positive and powerful potential to revolutionize and transform the troubled governments operating in Middle Eastern countries that are part of the Arab Spring because, through the rapid growth and accessibility of technology; information has been made accessible to the world and that knowledge is the catalyst of revolutionary change. Facebook and Twitter have undoubtedly changed the way we give and receive information. With the click of a button, the world can see a picture or video in seconds. With such information now capable of spreading rapidly around the world, people are informed. This has compelled people to intervene, start protests, campaigns and even intervention from the United States government in international matters. A prime example of social media exposing corruption happened in Syria in 2008. The fuel subsidies were abolished, tripling the price of fuel overnight. As a result, the price foodstuffs quickly increased. Subsequently, Syrian food prices rose 30%. Syrian bloggers reported, after the regimes attempt at a price hold it caused hoarding. The rise in global food cost hit Syria with devastation and exposed the incompetence of the regime and corrupt, fractured economy (Goldman, 2011, p. 38). Also, in 2008 the world was instantaneously aware after the first shots were fired in the Mumbai te rrorists attacks, allowing the entire world an eyewitness account of the unfolding d...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Making Money with Poetry Workshops

Making Money with Poetry Workshops I always wanted to be a teacher. I always wanted to be a poet.   In reality, I ended up in the Marine Corps   which led to a career in aviation. Hmm, not very poetic! However, my dreams to be a teacher and a poet never subsided and I now make money, yes, real money creating and teaching poetry workshops at local libraries.   This is a robust market and fairly easy to penetrate! Most libraries have discretionary funds available to them via the Friends of the Library group associated with their particular branch. This is a nationwide network of non-profit groups that raise money to help local libraries. Groups conduct book sales and bake sales and often operate small gift shops at the library to raise money. Funds are used to pay for additional library equipment, employee appreciation luncheons, special events and yes, even poetry workshops! The best way to find the money is to contact the local library manager or event manager with a poetry workshop proposal.   These people are able to review and endorse your idea and forward your proposal to the Friends Group to seek funding for your workshop.   Response time is generally within a month because the groups tend to meet on a monthly basis. In my experience, a two-hour poetry workshop typically pays $50 to $200 per event. Note, these are for workshops you teach at YOUR local libraries.   If you would require funding for travel and expenses to other libraries, you would need to ask for more money. A poetry workshop proposal should be neat and succinct. One page is sufficient. Something that provides only the salient details: title of the workshop, summary (one or two sentences), purpose (one sentence), participants (for example, suitable for adults versus children), duration (recommend 90 minutes to two hours), materials (mention if participants need to bring their own pens and paper or if you will provide), set-up (for example, indicate if you need a podium, conference table and chairs), cost (flat rate works best), class size and a brief literary

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Complex Congenital Heart Disease - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Complex Congenital Heart Disease - Smart Custom Writing LeadershipLeaders must play several, often conflicting, roles in managing technology. They must be good stewards and hold to tight budgets and schedules. Implementation speed to keep up with technological changes requires good project manager skills. Leaders must continually monitor program tar ­gets and completion dates. They must also be realists in assessing the risks, costs, and benefits of a new technology. 1.   Perspective on leadership Learning for development in Auckland International Airport, also known locally as Mangere Airport Auckland International Airport was far behind from the performance in the initial period. As visionaries, Leaders had to make a technical vision of a goal and relentlessly pursue it. As advocates, they made a commitment to the project and stood behind it. Finally, as gatekeepers, they kept everyone focused. When new technologies are being developed or implemented, the operations manager made a strategic plan for the team representing all affected departments to lead and coordinate the work. A project champion who promotes the project at every opportu ­nity made contagious enthusiasm to make the development to happen. Today, Auckland International Airport is setting standards to the world itself. This leader is respected by all team members and thereby reflected management's support of the team through ­out the project. Everyone should know that the manager is knowledgeable about the project, stands behind it, and will give it the resources it needs to succeed. As the hospitality system is concerned, the leader should be a constant learner by all means. He should be ready to focus on the assimilated facto all the time. In fact, he should be willing to learn regularly. Employee motivation from the side of the government and thereby self improving the organization can be done positive results to the firm. He should be ready to take positive aspects from everywhere and negative points from nowhere. This proactive step helps the leader to enhance the performance both of his employees and organization alike. ANSOFF HI. 1984. Implementing strategic management. New Jersey: Prentice.    2. Motivation and Empowerment Enhancing the performance by Rewarding in Contact Energy Limited made thorough reformation.   Contact Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator and electricity, natural gas, and LPG retailer company over the periods in New Zealand. The company generates 24% of New Zealand's electricity and has the second largest market-share of the country's electricity-retailers. When it was the time of underperformance, the company authorities have analysed the situation and made a strategic programme in order to enhance the performance of the employee sector: rewarding performance must be motivated by giving proper appreciation, awards etc..Leaders have defined motivation from different perspectives. Some of the important efforts are presented in this sub-section. Need disposition theory as a powerful leadership strategy: A basic assumption in the motivation theory is that an organism behaves in order to reduce its needs. A need is a requirement that must be met for optimal adjustment of an organism to the environment. Need disposition theory as a powerful leadership strategy presents the point of view that people are motivated to take action and invest energy in pursuit of three motives, Achievement, Affiliation and Influence. Contact Energy Limited made a thorough reformation in the employee attitude and thereby boosted up the overall performance of the company in the next quarter.   3. Developing DiversityStrategic Plan to 2010 - New Zealand Police Designing other strategic change process within New Zealand PoliceThe following measures to re organize and re structure the system New Zealand Police made a well organized plan as follows: New steps for diversity to be taken to improve the performance  Ã‚  Ã‚   the activities of front line personnel, it is not just supervise them;   Ã‚  Ã‚   to make the force better, recruit new personnel   and give training   for new leaders and officers;   Ã‚  Ã‚   There should be adequate rewards for performance.  Ã‚   Internal interactive, internal and external   mass communication, advertising, and market and image research are some other methods that can help NZP to improve their performance   Ã‚  Ã‚   sponsoring them for training programs in the areas of marketing/performing, selling a behavioral sciences;   Ã‚  Ã‚   increase involvement of staff in activities like customer service campaigns, undertaking market surveys,   etc   as well as in customer service and branch productivity committee meetings;   Ã‚  Ã‚   organizing of marketing conference-cum-workshop for upcoming officers segment-wise basis;   Ã‚  Ã‚   Sharing of the findings of customer surveys, bank image and other studies to NZP management with the staff;   Ã‚  Ã‚   staff motivation, including offer of awards and rewards on individual and group basis; Today, New Zealand Police is setting standards to the world policing itself. This plan for the situation was respected by all team members and thereby reflected management's support in the team through ­out the re organization for diversity.    4. Courage and Moral Leadership Courage and moral leadership are considered to be the prime character of a leader is concerned. A leader must be brave to act wisely when and where time comes. He must have apt moral character for his team to respect his vision and mission. The definition which has the touch of practical common sense is the one evolved by a medical doctor- Mr. Moran. He was the medical officer of a New Zealand Infantry Battalion during World War II against Nazis. For two long years he served the Battalion and saw how young officers inspired their fellow citizens to fight the Germans with enthusiasm and courage, knowing full well that, many among them would get killed or maimed. He wondered how one individual could exercise such a decisive influence over others. It was not just the military law or discipline, because despite these there were examples of demeaning cowardice and inability to lead. About two decades later he became the Chairman of the Medical Council. Given below is a definition which is based on what he evolved: "Leadership is the capacity to frame plans which will succeed and the faculty to persuade others to carry them out in the face of all difficulties". 5. Strategic Leadership Strategy for Maintaining Leadership in the Air Conditioning Company Limited, Auckland    In a competitive environment, maintaining leadership is not easy. New substitutes and products made using new technologies would keep entering the market eroding competitiveness of existing firms. Under such circumstances, constant product improvement becomes essential to maintain product differentiation. Even in fields where competition is limited, it is worth attempting technological improvements either for cost reduction or product improvement. This means that the experience curve of such firms keep shifting continuously. This is well reflected in the air cooler industry in the recent years in ACCL Auckland. Although it is a seasonal industry, of late there is fierce competition to capture the top end of the expensive market segment. For instance, the leading national level manufacturer in the small scale sector entered the market with a revolutionary idea; an air cooler looking likes a room air conditioner. It was technically far better than a conventional air cooler. They improv ed upon his new ''air conditioner looking air cooler" and introduced three different models in three consecutive years, always improving upon the previous one, making it difficult for his competitors to catch up. Peter Drucker (1985) called it "fastest with the strategy, in the case of the solvent manufacturer referred to earlier also, there is a strong sense’ of product differentiation through technological development. Philip A. Wickham - Management Consulting: Delivering an Effective Project 2nd Edition    6. Leading Teams Westpac Banking Corporation is a giant conglomerate providing financial services and became Australia’s largest bank. Earlier it took over the second-largest bank in New Zealand-the St.George Bank. In the initial period bank face a lot of hard ships to proceed in a turbulent time. The directors had to overcome these problems with their strong and efficient managerial skills. They had made a plan for the same and ensured them to adhere properly. Tasks for Group    Defined, the task   Ã‚   Made the plan Allocated work and resources Controlled quality and tempo of work Checked performance against plan   Functions for Group Setting standards Maintaining discipline Building team spirit Encouraging, motivating, giving a sense of purpose Appointing sub-leaders Ensuring communication within the group Training the group    Functions for Individual Needs Attending to personal problems Praising of individuals Knowing individuals personally Recognizing and using individual abilities Training individuals The functions related to the needs of the three areas had been listed separately for their execution. In actual practice, however, most of these are integrated and achieved through the efficient co ordination of leaders. As a result, Westpac Banking Corporation has become one of the best multinational financial services company and became the largest bank in the region. Conclusion From all these above situations, one can understand how do leaders lead followers without being wholly led by followers. The statement that a 'good leader varies his style between authoritarian to participative   depending on the task, the changing situation he encounters and the changing group that he has to lead sums up, rather pithily, the way an effective leader has to function. However, no effective leader ever consciously adopts a style- it comes, and indeed it must come, naturally from within. Style invariably is the reflection of the substance. It is the expression of the man and the strength of character and the balance of his system through he sees the world. References AAKER DA. 2001. Developing business strategies. 6th edition. New York: Wiley. ANSOFF HI. 1984. Implementing strategic management. New Jersey: Prentice. FERREIRA A. 2000. Business strategy: having to cope with waves of change. Management Today, 16(9) Philip A. Wickham - Management Consulting: Delivering an Effective Project 2nd Edition Connor, Dick Davidson, Jeffrey. Marketing Your Consulting and Professional   Services. New York: John Wiley Sons, 1990. Ashford, Martin. Con Tricks: The Shadowy World of Management Consultancy and How to Make it Work for You. New York: Simon Schuster International, 1999. Barcus, Sam W., Wilkinson, Joseph W. ( Editors). Handbook of Management Consulting Services. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The role of leadership strategies, which help an organization to Essay

The role of leadership strategies, which help an organization to maintain its performance - Essay Example According to the research findings leaders are considered more effective even than the managers of the company, it is because leaders do not only manage the problems and system, but they lead their team in a professional manner. Leaders possess outstanding abilities to enhance the performances of all team members. They encourage them to view organizational situations from a leader`s eye and take initiatives in more improved manner, to increase productivity of the company. A leader also possesses persuasive attributes to motivate organizational members in order, to bring positive change in their organizational behavior and performance. Additionally, a leader does not solely focus on the performance of the employees; they keep an eye on the quality performance of the workers, because compromising on quality can create perplexing situations for the company. A leader brings new ideas for the success of the organization and makes plan to implement realistic strategies. Moreover, when all staff members ethically follow rules and regulations to understand the importance of result oriented concepts of the leaders, then a successful change takes place in the company. Kouzes and Posner, a leadership model suggested by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, has facilitated leaders to broaden their vision and form a stronger base for the organizational purposes with the co-operation of all team members. Additionally, this model has suggested another strategy to bring successful shift in the company such as, all workers including, leaders should maintain their worksheet, as it will help all participants to stay updated about their performance quality and scale. (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). Moreover, this model further suggests that all actions and strategies should be plan to secure future position of the company, means that future standard of the company should be the foremost priority of the company`s plans and leadership tools. Leadership Competency of Edge: The leadership competency of edge is an essential attribute of leadership that allows a leader to take risk at the hour of need. A risk of trust that he/she understands in a deeper sense than others and views a risky situation, as the best solution in the conditional situation of the company (Zingheim & Ledford, 1996). However, a leader has to be accountable for all outcomes, but he possesses qualities to take and manage the risk efficiently. Not only this, a leader should have potential to encourage all other employees to understand the importance of a risky situation, needed to bring organizational shift that would be most beneficial for the company (Zingheim & Ledford, 1996). Leadership competency of edge contributes to gather attention of all employees and motivate leaders to utilize workers, as the atoms that are useful to increase productivity of the organization through a result oriented shift. Motivating employers to maintain the performance based pay is another aspect of leadership competency that d irectly motivates employees to maintain their performances through the whole procedure of organizational shift. Organizational shift and improvement in the performances of the employees is only possible, when a leader makes his/her team realized that understanding an organizational mission

Friday, October 18, 2019

Aging population Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aging population - Essay Example It secondly followed by south Dakota, which has 10% of youth aged between 20-24 .The youth unemployment rate in this state is only 8.4%.the Third number falls to Lowa state. It has a low rate of 11% of unemployed youths (Christine, pg.3). Increased fertility, migration and mortality rate always have tremendous effects on the overall pattern of people in America. Like in Lowa state, the population is mainly composed of youth due to the increased fertility rate. Majority of Lowa youths marries at an average of twenty three years compared to the typical American average of twenty five years. This leads to increased birth rate across the state thus leading to the increased number of young people. Secondly economic trends have an impact on the age structure (Christine, pg.3). In many states like Lowa and Dakota has attracted many young people due to the employment opportunities they offer. This has attracted many young unemployed Americans in these states thus leading to increase of the young group in these states. California has been affected by both internal and international migration. It has faced steady outflow of young people looking for jobs in other states. As these younger people move north and west in search for jobs, the older population is left behind. This has made Florida to have large proportion of older people compared to other

Islamic banking and financial in a global economy Assignment

Islamic banking and financial in a global economy - Assignment Example This growth is conspicuous from the emergence of new Shariah compliant instruments in various asset classes, ranging from equities, real estate, commodities and private equity (not bonds as interest bearing instruments are considered prohibited (haram)). Estimates suggest that since 1990, the market size of the Islamic Finance has multiplied five times from USD 150 billion to USD 900 billion in the year 2008; whereas it is expected to more than double at USD 2 trillion by the year 2010. The main markets currently involved in the Islamic finance and banking across the globe comprises mainly the active participation from the GCC countries, followed by Middle Eastern and North African countries. Slowly and gradually European states, Australia and other American states have started penetrating the market with wild growth rates. It is noticeable from the onset of Shariah compliant banking units of Citigroup (America), HSBC (Britain), and Deutsche Bank (Germany). As opposed to conventional banking, Islamic banking has its roots in the core values of the religion, Islam. Where, Islam itself is the way of life and conduct of living, the underlying theme of the Islamic Financial system is application of ethics and discipline to the banking and finance sector. It is not so simple; it does not only prohibit usury/interest (money on money), but aims at eliminating unjust behavior for the development of an equitable economy. Prohibition of interest, avoidance of uncertainty and contingency, restrictions on short selling, sharing in profits and losses are the core principles governing Islamic finance; it also places restrictions on financing sectors that engage in illegal and illicit activities – such as alcohol and tobacco, gambling, arms and ammunition, pornography and acts that are harmful for the environment. For the avoidance of all these prohibit able acts and indulgences, the community of Islamic shariah scholars have come up with

The Different Aspects of Heroism in Animation Assignment

The Different Aspects of Heroism in Animation - Assignment Example Taking the case of Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke, 1997) a film directed by renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki, it can be seen that there is a clash of nature versus humanity. Ashitaka is the main character who has to treat dangerous grounds in an effort to save the community. The animated version of the film shows Ashitaka killing the demon but does not go unscathed as his right arm is corrupted with a curse and he has a long journey into the Great Forest Spirit to get help (Beane 5). The ensuing battle between Princess Mononoke and a mining village requires a courageous and industrial person to save the situation. This film presents Japanese cultural definition of heroism as an ability to wade through evil, save lives and remain self-less in defence of the society as seen in Ashitaka’s dedication to rebuilding Iron town in his last interaction with San and Eboshi. In Sylvain (Gandahar, 1988) the Queen Ambisextra and the Council of Women believe in warrior Sylvain as the ultimate saviour of the kingdom against the Machine-Men. In this cultural setup, the courage to face supernatural beings in the form of metals is considered heroic. Sylvain is a great warrior and from the animated version, is wit of incorporating the mutant beings called the Deformed (physically deformed, but mentally and spiritually advanced) and by a beautiful woman named Airelle. Considering his ability to strategize on a way of completely eliminating these metal creatures is exhibited through creative animation that exposes his heroism at the end of the encounter (Beane 9). The animated presentation of Peter (Peter and the Wolf, 2006) is entertaining and informative as it explores an exciting show of heroism by Peter against the much hated and dreaded wolf. The film has a combination that is attractive to children and captivating to music enthusiasts. Peter’s ability to unwit the wolf, tie and prevent the hunters from killing it is a show of true hero.  

Thursday, October 17, 2019

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 22

International Business - Essay Example Operating under three main segments -- Automobiles, Motorcycles, and Financial Services, the company well-known three brands -- BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, goes with the popularity of company. Its BMW automobile range encompasses the 1 Series, Series 3, the 5 Series, and 7 Series, the sports utility vehicles, X3, X5, and X6 and M models, such as M3, M5, and M6. It makes available to customer cars under MINI brand and motorcycles under the BMW brand. The Rolls-Royce brands include three luxury cars, Phantom, Coupe and Ghost. With continued production assembly, services and sales subsidiaries made throughout the world, (Reuters, 2010a), BWM is undeniably a global company that can be affected by globalization. One of best proofs of a company’s attainment of its long-term health is the behaviour of its stock price in the stock market as the same could indicate achievement of wealth maximization objective (Bernstein, 1993; Brigham and Houston, 2002). This paper seeks to examine how the BMW may have benefited from the actual and potential impacts of globalization on the company by analysing the possible strategies that the company has employed. This will also evaluate the possible strategies of going forward which the company might use to response to the impacts of globalization that would be identified. The paper will discuss first the different models to understand the company’s strategies. The models include the PEST, Five-Forces and SWOT and determine whether the same are applied by BMW in its choice of strategies. The paper will end-up evaluating the present strategies used by the company and recommend what should be done by company in relation with models describe. The analysis will include using available information for BMW from its 2010 Annual Report and its websites. This paper has chosen BMW as this researcher finds interesting to see how car manufacturers could really

Ethics of Health Care Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics of Health Care - Case Study Example There are various legal consequences that follow a person’s declaration of death including the person’s  legal  acknowledgement  and responsibilities of personhood. Legally, every person holds the right to  die  and have a dignified death, only as not to choose the terms of their death. This means that in relation to state that they  live  in certain circumstances  permit  an  individual  the right to die. Considering the womans  aged  and past the life expectancy  period. In addition to this, she is terminally ill with no ambulatory or verbal responses, also termed as brain dead. The law allows for life support systems to be terminated once termed as brain dead for a period long enough to  show  no expected recovery (Donald, 2003). Other facts such as the ethical  decision  to  connect  life support in the first place depicts the right to  disconnect  it if need be,  support  this fact. Also, the decision by family members or a court  order  through patients will  disconnect  the  support  system. The medical practicing ethical issue here is the  termination  of the life of an  individual  that is using life support. Legally the only  ethical  procedure  that doctors  follow  in such a  case  is the  determination  of the brain state of the patient and the responsiveness of the family members. If the patient is brain dead and there is no chance of recovery, the  news  is provided  to the family members and the  option  of disconnecting the life support system. Such disconnection can only be conducted upon receipt of a court order, request from the responsible family members and a  will  left behind by the incapacitated patient. The caring doctors and  institution  cannot make this decision all by themselves (Donald, 2003). Disconnection of the life support system would be the  decision  reached. This could be

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 22

International Business - Essay Example Operating under three main segments -- Automobiles, Motorcycles, and Financial Services, the company well-known three brands -- BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, goes with the popularity of company. Its BMW automobile range encompasses the 1 Series, Series 3, the 5 Series, and 7 Series, the sports utility vehicles, X3, X5, and X6 and M models, such as M3, M5, and M6. It makes available to customer cars under MINI brand and motorcycles under the BMW brand. The Rolls-Royce brands include three luxury cars, Phantom, Coupe and Ghost. With continued production assembly, services and sales subsidiaries made throughout the world, (Reuters, 2010a), BWM is undeniably a global company that can be affected by globalization. One of best proofs of a company’s attainment of its long-term health is the behaviour of its stock price in the stock market as the same could indicate achievement of wealth maximization objective (Bernstein, 1993; Brigham and Houston, 2002). This paper seeks to examine how the BMW may have benefited from the actual and potential impacts of globalization on the company by analysing the possible strategies that the company has employed. This will also evaluate the possible strategies of going forward which the company might use to response to the impacts of globalization that would be identified. The paper will discuss first the different models to understand the company’s strategies. The models include the PEST, Five-Forces and SWOT and determine whether the same are applied by BMW in its choice of strategies. The paper will end-up evaluating the present strategies used by the company and recommend what should be done by company in relation with models describe. The analysis will include using available information for BMW from its 2010 Annual Report and its websites. This paper has chosen BMW as this researcher finds interesting to see how car manufacturers could really

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

FIFA World Cup 2014 - Brazil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FIFA World Cup 2014 - Brazil - Essay Example At the same time, FIFA was very arrogant about it. Opposition politicians were very angry with the bill that was drafted, but it was passed by the government anyway. What this shows is that corporate might has the power to change the laws of a host country whenever it is favorable. Another cause of the FIFA World Cup is that many poorer Brazilians were made homeless after they were removed from their homes. Many of these people had nowhere else to go. The reason why they were evicted is because the Brazilian government needed to build infrastructure, such as roads and highways, leading into the stadiums of major cities. According to the evictees, the government was not interested in cooperating and in some cases gave residents as little as five days to leave (Daibert). Brazil has signed many treaties with regards to adequate housing, but unfortunately in the lead-up to the World Cup violations were committed in a haste to prepare for the event. It could be said that this FIFA World Cup in Brazil has caused up to 250,000 Brazilian citizens to become homeless. In cases where residents have been given new housing, the conditions have been significantly worse than the original residences. International law dictates that when people are evicted from their homes the y should be moved to housing of the same level or even greater. In some cases compensation has been given, but only to a level of 20 to 40 percent of the value of the houses (Daibert). The last line of the article sums it up because these people wish that the World Cup had never even come to Brazil. It has been estimated that 3.7 million tourists attended the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (Heitner). All of these tourists, both domestic and foreign, spend money that contributes directly to the Brazilian economy. Since the average tourist is expected to spend close to $2,500

Monday, October 14, 2019

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence began in the 1960s, the first attempts were game playing (checkers), theory proving a few simple theories and general problem solving. General problem solving was much more difficult than originally anticipated. Researchers were unable to tackle problems routinely handled by human experts. Artificial Intelligence can be defined in many ways as it depends from which point of view you look at it from. From the intelligence point of view artificial intelligence is to make machines intelligent thus making them act as we people would act. However artificial intelligence from a research perspective is how to make machines do things people are currently doing better in other words making machines do what we humans can do. Now from a business point of view artificial intelligence is a combination of powerful tools, and methods for using those tools to solve business problems. As for the programming point of view artificial intelligence is the study of symbolic programming, search and problem solving. Expert Systems: Expert systems are defined on bases functional and structural. Expert systems from a functional perspective are defined based on what the system does rather than how it does it. A computer program that behaves like a human expert in some useful ways. (Winston Prendergast, 1984) Nevertheless we can define expert systems on the bases of their structure in many ways depending on which angle we look at it from Problem area â€Å"Solve problems efficiently and effectively in a narrow problem area. (Waterman, 1986) typically, pertains to problems that can be symbolically represented (Liebowitz, 1988) Problem difficulty apply expert knowledge to difficult real world problems (Waterman, 1986) solve problems that are difficult enough to require significant human expertise for their solution (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) â€Å"Address problems normally thought to require human specialists for their solution (Michaelsen et al, 1985). Performance requirement the ability to perform at the level of an expert (Liebowitz, 1988) â€Å"Programs that mimic the advice-giving capabilities of human experts. (Brule, 1986, p.6) â€Å"Matches a competent level of human expertise in a particular field. (Bishop, 1986, p.38) â€Å"Can offer intelligent advice or make an intelligent decision about a processing function. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984, pp.9-10) â€Å"Allows a user to access this expertise in a way similar to that in which he might consult a human expert, with a similar result. (Edwards and Connell, 1989, p.3) Explain reasoning â€Å"The capability of the system, on demand, to justify its own line of reasoning in a manner directly intelligible to the enquirer. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984, p.9-10) incorporation of explanation processes (Liebowitz, 1988) Expert Systems from a structural perspective are defined on the bases of how the system functions. â€Å"Using the programming techniques of artificial intelligence, especially those techniques developed for problem solving (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) However we can define expert systems on the bases of their structure in many ways depending on which angle we look at it from Use AI techniques using the programming techniques of artificial intelligence, especially those techniques developed for problem solving (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) Knowledge component the embodiment within a computer of a knowledge-based component, from an expert skill (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984) a computer based system in which representations of expertise are stored (Edwards and Connell, 1989) The knowledge of an expert system consists of facts and heuristics. The facts constitute a body of information that is widely shared, publicly available, and generally agreed upon by experts in the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) Expert systems are sophisticated computer programs that manipulate knowledge to solve problems (Waterman, 1986) Separate knowledge and control â€Å"Make domain knowledge explicit and separate from the rest of the system (Waterman, 1986). Use inference procedures an intelligent computer program that uses knowledge and inference procedures (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) The style adopted to attain these characteristics is a rule-based programming style. (British Computer Societys Specialist Group in Forsyth, 1984) Exhibit intelligent behavior by skillful application of heuristics. (Waterman, 1986). The heuristics are mostly private, little rules of good judgment (rules of plausible reasoning, rules of good guessing) that characterize expert-level decision making in the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) incorporation of ways of handling uncertainty(Liebowitz, 1988) Model human expert â€Å"Can be thought of as a model of the expertise of the best practitioners of the field. (Edward Feigenbaum in Harmon King, 1985) representation of domain-specific knowledge in the manner in which the expert thinks (Liebowitz, 1988) â€Å"Involving the use of appropriate information acquired previously from human experts. (Dictionary of Computing, 1986) Components of an Expert System An expert system consists of 4 main components which are listed below: Knowledge base a representation of the expertise and is usually inputted in IF THEN rules, and are usually put into a database for easy access by the system. Working storage Data which is specific to a problem being solved by the expert system. Inference engine the code at the core of the system which derives recommendations from the knowledge base and problem-specific data in working storage. User interface the code that controls the dialog between the user and the system. People and they consist of: Domain experts the individual or individuals who currently are experts in solving the problems the system is intended to solve. Knowledge engineers the individuals who encode the experts knowledge in a declarative form that can be used by the expert system. Users the individuals who will be consulting with the system to get advice which would have been provided by the expert. Furthermore there are some other optional components that might be added to the system as sub systems and which try to make the expert system more efficient thus making it more powerful and they are. Explanation sub system is used to explain the logic or reason of recommending a solution. Justifier is another name of explanation sub system. Justifier also explains why a solution is recommended or not recommended. Knowledge refining sub system is used to refine the knowledge in the knowledgebase after working every time over a problem. It works exactly like human beings who analyze their actions and learn from their mistakes to perform better in the future. Programming Languages Used to Develop Expert Systems Here are some of the programming languages used to develop expert systems. 1. LISP, developed in the 1950s, is the early programming language strongly associated with AI. LISP is a functional programming language with procedural extensions. LISP (LISt Processor) was specifically designed for processing heterogeneous lists which is a list of symbols. Features of LISP that made it attractive to AI researchers included Run- time type checking. Higher order functions (functions that have other functions as parameters). Automatic memory management (garbage collection) and an interactive environment. 2. The second language strongly associated with AI is PROLOG. PROLOG was developed in the 1970s. PROLOG is based on first order logic. PROLOG is declarative in nature and has facilities for explicitly limiting the search space. 3. Object-oriented languages are a class of languages more recently used for AI programming. Important features of object-oriented languages include: concepts of objects and messages objects bundle data and methods for manipulating the data sender specifies what is to be done receiver decides how to do it inheritance (object hierarchy where objects inherit the attributes of the more general class of objects) Examples of object-oriented languages are Smalltalk, Objective C, C++. Object oriented extensions to LISP (CLOS Common LISP Object System) and PROLOG (LO Logic Objects) are also used. The Difference between these programming languages and procedural programming languages. According to an article in the Information and Software Technology journal by Alexander Chatzigeorgiou of the Department of Applied Informatics, at the University of Macedonia, the object-oriented approach is known to introduce a significant performance penalty compared to classical procedural programming. For instance, profiling results for embedded applications indicate that C++ programs, apart from being slower than their corresponding C versions, consume significantly more energy (mainly due to the increased instruction count, larger code size and increased number of accesses to the data memory for the object-oriented versions). Example of an Expert System One of the most recognized expert systems used today by the general public is the online doctor due to the fact that many people use it daily. In brief this expert system is used to diagnose people by asking them what the problem is and then suggesting the actions that they should take which sounds very similar to an expert system where the illness is the problem the recommended actions are the solutions. In this example the website that was studied is www.yourdiagnosis.com In this expert system there are main components of the expert system and they are: The people The people are separated into three categories and they are: The domain experts who are actually the doctors who provide the data for the system. The knowledge engineers are the engineers who enter this system in a rule based input for example giving multiple choice questions to diagnose a cold. Do you feel cold.[ ] Do you feel hot? [ ]. Do you feel normal? [ ] System engineer who is the person in charge assembling and managing the system. The user who is the person asking for the diagnoses. The user interface The user interface is the website used by the user to find the diagnoses. Example: The inherence engine The inherence engine which in this case is made by the engineer using a web based programming language like ASP or PHP in the website from the last example we see that the programming language used is ASP and we can see that from the address bar. http://www.yourdiagnosis.com/yourdiagnosis/Yourdiagnosis.ASP?WCI=WorldMapHTMWCE=ClickWCU The knowledge base The knowledge base in this case is where all the rules that the knowledge engineer inputted them in this case the engineer used Microsoft SQL SERVER 2008. The knowledge in this case is the medical knowledge given by the doctors. The working storage The working storage in this case is a storage area on the server where each users data is stored in a relational database The benefits of using artificial intelligence The main benefits of using artificial intelligence are: Provide answers for decisions, processes and tasks that are repetitive Hold huge amounts of information Minimize employee training costs Centralize the decision making process Make things more efficient by reducing the time needed to solve problems Combine various human expertises. Reduce the number of errors caused by humans. Provide strategic and comparative advantages that may create problems for competitors Look over transactions that human experts may not think of Even though the benefits of artificial intelligence is more than the above we find that the main advantage to using artificial intelligence is to maximize the efficiency of a business thus giving the business the edge it needs to over throw its competitors. Why Artificial intelligence is hard to include in information systems The difficulties in including artificial intelligence in information systems are due to many facts one of which is the expense. Furthermore there are multiple factors why its so difficult to include artificial intelligence in information systems from which is the human acceptance to Artificial intelligence especially in the older groups another factor is that domain experts will be threatened by the fact that they are giving their expertise to a company and the fear of being redundant. From the technical point of view the implementation of artificial intelligence is quite hard due to the if rule conversion of the expertise. And the integration with old systems will require an effort especially for established companies with legacy hardware and software. Which brings us to the expense part of the problem? There is no doubt that artificial intelligence is an expensive approach as it is time consuming as it requires a lot of time and human resources. Furthermore developing artificial intelligence relies heavily on having the correct expert information and having something wrong in the knowledge base might cause damages which will lead to costly error and problems. Reference Anonymous. Dictionary of Computing, 1986, New York: Oxford University Press. Bishop, Peter. Fifth Generation Computers Concepts, Implementations Uses, 1986, Chichester, England: Ellis Horwood Ltd. Brule, James F. Artificial Intelligence: Theory, Logic and Application, 1986, Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books. Edwards, Alex and Connell, N.A.D. Expert Systems in Accounting, 1989, Herfordshire, UK: Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd. Forsyth, Richard, Expert Systems: Principles and Case Studies, 1984, London: Chapman and Hall Computing. Harmon, Paul and King, David. Expert Systems: Artificial Intelligence in Business. 1985, New York: Wiley. Liebowitz, Jay, Introduction to Expert Systems, 1988, Santa Cruz, CA: Mitchell Publishing, Inc. Michaelsen, Robert H.; Michie, Donald and Boulanger, Albert. The Technology of Expert Systems Byte; April 1985 Rich, Elaine and Knight, Kevin. Artificial Intelligence Second Edition. 1991, New York: McGraw-Hill. Waterman, Donald A. A Guide to Expert Systems, 1986, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Winston, Patrick H. and Prendergast, Karen A. (Editors). The AI Business: Commercial Use of Artificial Intelligence, 1984, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Ruth A. Palmquist, Asst. Professor, AI and Expert Systems, 1996, http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~palmquis/courses/ai96.htm Dan E. OLeary, University of Southern California, 1994, http://accounting.rutgers.edu/raw/aies/www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/brownc/es_tutor/bus_ai.htm Robert S. Engelmore, May 1993; WTEC Hyper-Librarian, http://www.wtec.org/loyola/kb/c1_s1.htm Carol E. Brown, Oregon State University, Dan E. OLeary, University of Southern California, 1995, http://accounting.rutgers.edu/raw/aies/www.bus.orst.edu/faculty/brownc/es_tutor/es_tutor.htm#1-AI

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Montaigne, Studentessa, and Performance :: Music Composition Studies

Montaigne, Studentessa, and Performance The field of composition studies has worked to define and make sense of the "basic writer" for decades. In 1977, Mina Shaughnessy called basic writing the "pedagogical west," a frontier, "unmapped, except for a few blazed trails that individual teacher propose through their texts" (4). Since Shaughnessy, the work of David Bartholomae, Min Zhan Lu, Bruce Horner, and others, has expanded upon, and called into question, the term "basic writer." In this paper, rather than do away with the term altogether, I will offer a study of a writer who would be typically labelled "basic." This study will place her work beside that of an acclaimed and historical "expert," Michel de Montaigne. Through a series of close readings, I hope to illustrate the rhetorical oves from dialogue to performance that "Studentessa" (a former and anonymous student of mine) undergoes in her writing. At the same time, I will mark moments in which Montaigne reinscribes these rhetorical moves into his own writing. U ltimately, these points of intersection will reveal the richness inherent in study of writers we call "basic," and allow greater appreciation for the performative abilities of Montaigne. The scope of Studentessa's audience, particularly with her first attempts at essay-writing, is extremely intimate. Specifically, Studentessa is talking to me, the instructor, in an attempt to answer my questions in writing. The first essay that we read in class was Richard Rodriguez's "Achievement of Desire," a biographical account of Rodriguez's education and emotional growth. For their own writing assignment, students were asked to come up with a definition of education, and to test this definition against their understanding of Rodriguez. Studentessa did put together an initial thesis about education: "Education is an essential aspect of our lives. Education is something that you share, but you as an individual can learn it for yourself." During one of our many discussions, I asked Studentessa what pieces made up "education"--were there different forms of education? In response, Studentessa came up with forms: first, of course, was "school," second, was "life experience" (whi ch broke down into "mother wit" and "street smarts"), and third, "relationships." We talked about the importance of applying these forms to Rodriguez's experience: Did his education involve street smarts? In a revised draft, after our weekly meeting, Studentessa writes, "there is another form of education called street-smarts, these people can survive on the streets with their wit.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Excellent Websites to Assist You in Buying a New Car Essay -- Sell Web

Excellent Websites to Assist You in Buying a New Car By overcoming any fear about buying a car online, consumers can get that dream car for a great price, safely and securely - possibly even for a better price than offline. Are you in the market for a new or used car? Would you like to get some advice on safety ratings for certain cars, fuel efficiency, or trade- in value? If so, the fueleconomy.gov/feg/ and Carsdirect.com could have the answers to all of your vehicle- related questions and more. These sites are smoe of the best automotive websites in the cyber world. They allow a buyer to find a vehicle, conduct research, make a purchase, obtain financing, and buy insurance, all from the comfort of your own home. If you are engrossed in finding out which new vehicles are equipped with alternative fuel technology for sure fueleconomy.gov/feg/ is the site for you. There is tons of information here including a full list of new Alternative Fuel Vehicles(AFV’s), a glossary of Alternative Fuel Vehicle terms, Alternative Fuel Vehicle photos and videos , success stories and all case studies about AFV’s. The site is very extensive and there are links to other excellent sites, such as the Office of Transportation Technologies. Navigation is easy and there is plenty of material here to help you understand that the premium you pay for an AFV can be recovered in cheaper operating costs, improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact. It is such a great site . By far my beloved part is the Find and Compare Cars section of the website. There you can see how cars rate in terms of annual fuel costs, greenhouse gas emissions, MPG (and even switch to metric units) and the overall air pollution score. You can search out a ca... ... in your area, it will check into its national network of dealers until it finds the one you want, then swap the car with another vehicle at a local dealer located near your place. The vehicle will be shipped directly to you, if necessary. Carsdirect.com misses a couple of services and features that some other sites possess. For instance, there is no option to buy used cars or to get information on used cars in general . It lacks some features like information on local gas prices and traffic conditions, like some of the other car sites offer. But with Carsdirect.com you get a great service and a no- haggle price , just like the name implies. If you are in the market for a new car, you may want to look at this site. You have nothing to lose, so why not give it a shot? You may find your dream car. References: www.carsdirect.com www.Fueleconomy.gov/feg/