Monday, September 30, 2019

Lost in the Digital World

Lost in the Digital World Technology is everywhere in today’s society. It is how we communicate with others, sense of communication and even how we turn in our essays for an English class. It is beneficial to the world in so many ways but at the same time it also has many negative effects. In the article â€Å"Can You Hear Me Now? † by Sherry Turkle, she explores how technology is affecting our daily lives, especially communication. Before the article even begins there is a quote â€Å"Thanks to technology, people have never been more connected—or more alienated† (270).The author explains that through technology our bond with communication is getting weaker and more people rely on technology to control their lives, rather than having control of their own lives. First gives the example of her being at a conference and not a single person can get off technology to even pay attention to what they even came to the conference for. In my personal opinion it show s that we have lost respect for people and have gained more respect for technology and what is going on with the digital world more than the real world. Every once in a while audience members give the speaker some attention, lowering their laptop screens in a kind of digital curtsy† (270). How can we expect someone to listen to us if we cannot even pay attention to them in person? Technology is often the easy way out and it shows through business meetings, families, and how kids are being raised in society in this time. A business meeting is a very personal thing. It is not just what you talk about but it is also how the person looks, communicates in person, and just that vibe you get when you know how to handle people. Consultants used to talk to one another as they wanted to give presentations; now they spend that time doing email† (271). Technology is so impersonal that it makes people unconnected personally. I agree with the author as she criticizes the technology wo rld. â€Å"We are connected, tethered, so important that our physical presence is no longer required† (272). The fact that we do not communicate with people on a deeper level can cause makes trusting people too easy.Texting and emailing a coworker is so convenient for the life of a business person, but are you really going to get the same response or conversation when you could just do it in person? Not only are our careers getting taken over by technology, but our entire lives. The first thing I do whenever I wake up every morning is to check my cell phone to see who had texted me last night while I was sleeping. It never was brought to my attention on how horrible this habit is until I read this article by Turkle. â€Å"I look at my watch to see the time. I look at my BlackBerry to get a sense of my life† (273).A sense of life should not be a hand-held-size of internet and the people that consume your life. A sense of life is how you live it and the decisions and cho ices that you make. The personal connections that you have with the people you love and respect and most of all trust. I am also guilty of texting my mom when we are in the same house. Even though these ways of communication are so easy and most of the time effective; we lose a personal connection and reflect on just pure laziness. A cellphone gives someone a source of protection because they know someone is just a click away. Kids get cell phones from their parents. In return they are expected to answer their parents’ calls. On the one hand this arrangement gives teenagers new freedoms. On the other they do not have the experience of being alone and having to count on themselves; there is always a parent on speed dial. † (275). There are so many reasons why kids would need cell phones but if the world got by without them before, can they do it again? Technology with adolescents is such a touchy subject just because of how easy it is to abuse that power of connecting wi th the entire world.With being so impersonal in the world we have less fear of what we are showing to the public. Even though we are not communicating with people, they can simply get on a website to see what you have been doing for the past twenty-four hours of your life because of how little privacy is online. â€Å"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear† (277) this quote is so impersonal because you are â€Å"hiding† something or simply do not want other people to know your personal life should not mean that you have anything to fear.In the past ten years technology has advances tremendously at a rapid rate and it will be crazy to see where it takes us in the next ten years. I am one to hope that it can become more personal and things more like Skype come into play. Reliance on technology has come too far out of hand and society would be a much better place if more people focused on how to run their lives versus who texted us. We need to focus on buil ding stronger connections with the people around us instead of the connection with the devices in our hands. ?

Sunday, September 29, 2019

What Does It Mean to Describe Television as a Domestic Technology? How Does Its Primary Position in the Home Shape Its Forms and Uses?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DESCRIBE TELEVISION AS A DOMESTIC TECHNOLOGY? HOW DOES ITS PRIMARY POSITION IN THE HOME SHAPE ITS FORMS AND USES? The act of television consumption occurs in technological, social and cultural forms, which concurrently effect the impact television has on everyday life as a domestic technology. The relationship between these elements is the basis for understanding television consumption. Television today is among the most commonly undertaken leisure activities, yet it is typically viewed as a mundane activity as a result of it’s domestic introduction to households.The initiation of television into the domestic home developed over time to become a routine leisure activity. For more than half a century television has been an intimate part of the life of most populations. ‘It can be extraordinarily powerful because it sits right in the middle of all that mundaneness’ (Potter, 1993). Television was first broadcast to the public in London 1929 by th e BBC network. In the US, commercial broadcasting began in 1939 as a domestic medium developed to provide programming for entertainment.Housing was democratized after the Second World War, and television made its domestic appearance as an essential part of that process. Prior to the 1940’s, private housing was not capable of facilitating a television set. Houses lacked proper electricity, gas facilities and hygiene causing incentive to spend as much time out of the home as possible. ‘Domestication became the solution to urbanization, industrialization and population explosion in the nineteenth century’ (Geraghty & Lusted 1998). Creating an incentive for domesticity solved the uncontrolled working class problem.That incentive began with television. For TV to succeed, consumers had to be at home. To be at home, they needed both capital investment in the home to maintain activities there, as well as an ‘ideology of domesticity which would maintain their pleasu res there rather than in the street, pub, cinema, music-hall or even in brothels or communism’ (Geraghty & Lusted 1998). Throughout the 1940s and 1950s ‘mass’ private housing was perfected as the necessary precondition for televisio. This movement promoted the values of domesticity by creating an incentive to spend time at home.Television became a medium for the association of the home with the ideology of domesticity. It has grown to represent private life, suburbia, consumption, ordinariness, heterosexuality, family-building, hygiene and the ‘femininization’ of family governance (Geraghty & Lusted, 1998). Shortly after the domestication of television, women became the focus for a number of campaigns to achieve social compliance, focusing on hygiene and domesticity. Women attracted men towards the home as they promoted comfort, cleanliness, cooking, security and regular sex.This ideology of domesticity was promoted through political and commercial c ampaigns. They were based upon existing aspects of respectable life like religion, femininity, thrift, shame, privacy, self-help and property. The home became a lifestyle in itself and the activities it was expected to sustain. These associations of domesticity have ineradicably become a part of the TV’s textuality. ‘Television viewing is integrated with the routines through which the rituals of everyday domestic life are constructed’ Grossberg(1987).The ways television consumption is performed depends greatly on various types of social, cultural and household influences. Culture, domestic space, social structure, lifestyle and income, among many other factors all effect the consumption of television in any home. These influences concurrently determine the role of television and the way it is consumed. The television is ultimately a pervasive item of furniture, which is central to the contemporary concept of the home. The TV set is a symbolic object of commodity culture as the choice of television purchased reflects upon its owner.Its relationship to commodity culture is further symbolized by its location in the household. Television is not only an integral part of individual’s lives; it has also become integral to their households physically, focally and socially. Most Western homes are arranged to accommodate the television rather than arranging the television to suit the home. Homes are typically organized to use the television as the main feature of the living space. Viewing is influenced greatly by the location of the TV in the home. The availability of space within a household impacts upon viewing practices.This technology will often be used to create personal space in a restricted environment. The TV may be used in small homes to avoid conflict and lessen the tensions of spatial privacy. In small homes the room must be used for many purposes, which requires the need for negotiation between family members. Larger, wealthier hom es may have more TV’s causing an increase in private space. This may lead to less conflict and friction because personal TV preferences are not an issue. While the television can be used as a medium for privacy it is also effective in terms of developing social relationships.Families are considered to be the fundamental units of society. Examinations of family leisure have consistently demonstrated a positive relationship between family recreation and the success of family functioning. In modern society, leisure is the single most important factor in developing healthy relationships between husbands and wives as well as between parents and their children. The inclusion of the television in the home allows families to always have a leisure activity available to participate in together.Such viewing experiences can provide one of the best opportunities for communication among families today. The household has become a major unit of consumptions and major market focus, yet the pu blic is not well informed about the processes of consumption and its relationship with domestic time, space and actions. Though influences within the household can affect the ways in which television is consumed, television also affects the dynamics of household consumption and use of goods, services and meanings.It defines that homes relationship to the outside world. The last forty years have shown major increases in the diversity of consumption of technologies in households. Advertising through television has greatly impacted this. Television as an object of consumption has a complex economy of meanings. It is both a technology as well as a carrier of meaning. The purchase of televisions as a commodity gains meaning by the intention of the consumer. The type of TV purchased, its location in the home, and its use all signify something about the owner.The associations, which develop as a result of purchase, are all influenced by social measures. Consumption is a general process of the construction of meaning. (Douglas & Isherwood. 1978). It is concerned with ‘the internalization of culture in everyday life’. Which is the re contextualization of the alienating possibilities of everyday life. (Miller,1987, 212) Television is often assigned a kind of everyday piority which means that other interactions take place around and throughout the watching of it. Television is a catalyst for forms of domestic organization of time and space.It is often a determining factor in how households organize their setup and everyday timetables. Disagreements may arise about the choices of broadcast content, or sheer quantity of viewing as well as differences of opinion about whether the set should be on in shared living spaces. Television content can often take priority for some over the more monotonous aspects of the household, a spouse for example. Most domestic conflicts today are not concerned with what is on television but rather about completing chores when oppo sed to luxury of viewing.TV today has become so entwined with every day culture in the home that people will often constantly be watching television while concurrently doing other things. The television continues to prevail over other outdated technologies, as it is so deeply immersed in everyday life that it would seem outrageous for the television to be excluded from the home. Historians and theorists of mass culture have commented widely on the electronic foundations of the mass media and their role in the evolution of modern consumer capitalism.Following the decline of a competitive market structure and furthering it, advanced capitalism creates an expanded sphere of consumption where the needs of the individual are defined, shaped and administered in the interest of high consumption levels and increased market control (Baran & Sweezy 1966). A culture of consumerism meeting these requirements has been largely through mass communications, representing an unprecedented joining of economic and cultural forces through which the meanings and structure of consumption are constituted throughout the realm of daily life.Previous research into the television audience does not consider the new environment in which television exists; the environment today is both technological and social. This new environment needs to be taken into account when studying the effects TV has on everyday lives. The consumption habits among households need to be viewed with the social, economic and technological aspects of the domestic sphere as central influences.Televisions audience needs to be understood in terms of a set of practices that are routine and ritual yet also embedded in the various multiple dimensions of domesticity. References. Dennis Potter, Potter on Potter, ed. Grahem Fuller, 1993:122. Douglas, Mary & Isherwood, Baron. The World of Goods. London and New York Press. 1978 Geraghty, Christine & Lusted, David. The Television Studies Book. Arnold Publishing. 1998. Isherwood, Baron. The World of Goods. 1978. Grossberg, L. ‘The In-Difference of TV’. Screen, 28, 2. 1987 Sweezy, P. & Baran, P. A. – Monopoly Capital [1966]

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Proposal for relationship Essay

The idea was about to show gender inequality through different aspects of people. To do a notch thinking about the topic. The documentary shows different views of what they think of gender inequality or equality. There are interviews that were conducted from different people from different background, races, genders, and status. We have conducted interviews of teachers, politicians general public, a barber, a corporate person and so on. Although the world has become so advanced but there are gender inequalities on high levels. Gender inequality is not just a problem in it slef, it is a major problem for the economy aswell. People still thinks women if start going out for work will get dominant and powerfull over man and if she goes ot, she becomes commercial, people look them with different perspectives. Though they forget, that women are to be respected and treated as she is supposed to and given all her rights. GENDER INEQUALITY Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. It arises from differences in socially constructed gender roles as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences. Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; gender binary systems may reflect the inequalities that  manifest in numerous dimensions of daily life. Gender inequality stems from distinctions, whether empirically grounded or socially constructed. On differences between the sexes. We will be looking into the following what causes inequality between women and men: how does it arise, why does it take different forms, why does it vary in degree across societies, what are the components that add up to gender inequality, how do various institutions and practices contribute to it, and how does it change? There is a coordination problem in social relations; namely, for interactions between individuals to proceed smoothly, they must be able to synchronize their behavior. In US society, there are many shared category systems used to create â€Å"common knowledge.† However, according to Ridgeway, these categories, â€Å"†¦must be so simplified that they can be quickly applied as framing devices to virtually anyone to start the process of defining self and other in the situation.† If you meet an unfamiliar person, you will, â€Å"automatically and instantly,† categorize them, and your interaction will proceed with this information in mind. In the US, the basic â€Å"primary† cultural categories include sex, race, and age. – In general, men are believed to be especially more competent than women in male-typed settings (e.g. engineering, sports) and positions of authority, while women are advantaged in female-typed settings (e.g. childcare, communicat ion). In mixed sex, gender neutral settings, men are believed to be modestly and diffusely more competent. Even though these beliefs are based are based on the â€Å"average† woman and the â€Å"average† man, they become the â€Å"default rules† for coordinating behavior. So if equally qualified applicants apply for a male-typed job, such as a computer engineer, male applicants will be advantaged relative to female applicants. But if two equally qualified applicants apply to a female-typed job, such as a nanny, the woman would be more likely to receive the job offer. TYPES OF INEQUALITIES Mortality inequality: In some regions in the world, inequality between women and men directly involves matters of life and death, and takes the brutal form of unusually high mortality rates of women and a consequent preponderance of men in the total population, as opposed to the preponderance of women found in societies with little or no gender bias in health care and nutrition. Mortality inequality has been observed  extensively in North Africa and in Asia, including China and South Asia. Natality inequality: Given a preference for boys over girls that many male-dominated societies have, gender inequality can manifest itself in the form of the parents wanting the newborn to be a boy rather than a girl. There was a time when this could be no more than a wish (a daydream or a nightmare, depending on one’s perspective), but with the availability of modern techniques to determine the gender of the foetus, sex-selective abortion has become common in many countries. It is particu larly prevalent in East Asia, in China and South Korea in particular, but also in Singapore and Taiwan, and it is beginning to emerge as a statistically significant phenomenon in India and South Asia as well. This is high-tech sexism. Basic facility inequality: Even when demographic characteristics do not show much or any anti-female bias, there are other ways in which women can have less than a square deal. Afghanistan may be the only country in the world the government of which is keen on actively excluding girls from schooling (it combines this with other features of massive gender inequality), but there are many countries in Asia and Africa, and also in Latin America, where girls have far less opportunity of schooling than boys do. There are other deficiencies in basic facilities available to women, varying from encouragement to cultivate one’s natural talents to fair participation in rewarding social functions of the community. Special opportunity inequality: Even when there is relatively little difference in basic facilities including schooling, the opportunities of higher education may be far fewer for young women than for young men. Indeed, gender bias in higher education a nd professional training can be observed even in some of the richest countries in the world, in Europe and North America. Sometimes this type of division has been based on the superficially innocuous idea that the respective â€Å"provinces† of men and women are just different. This thesis has been championed in different forms over the centuries, and has had much implicit as well as explicit following. It was presented with particular directness more than a hundred years before Queen Victoria’s complaint about â€Å"woman’s rights† by the Revd James Fordyce in his Sermons to Young Women (1766), a book which, as Mary Wollstonecraft noted in her A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), had been â€Å"long made a part of woman’s library.† Fordyce warned the young women, to whom his sermons were addressed, against  Ã¢â‚¬Å"those masculine women that would plead for your sharing any part of their province with us,† identifying the pro vince of men as including not only â€Å"war,† but also â€Å"commerce, politics, exercises of strength and dexterity, abstract philosophy and all the abstruser sciences.† Even though such clear-cut beliefs about the provinces of men and women are now rather rare, nevertheless the presence of extensive gender asymmetry can be seen in many areas of education, training and professional work even in Europe and North America. Professional inequality: In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and occupation, women often face greater handicap than men. A country like Japan may be quite egalitarian in matters of demography or basic facilities, and even, to a great extent, in higher education, and yet progress to elevated levels of employment and occupation seems to be much more problematic for women than for men. In the English television series called â€Å"Yes, Minister,† there is an episode where the Minister, full of reforming zeal, is trying to find out from the immovable permanent secretary, Sir Humphrey, how many women are in really senior positions in the British civil service. Sir Humphrey says that it is very difficult to give an ex act number; it would require a lot of investigation. The Minister is still insistent, and wants to know approximately how many women are there in these senior positions. To which Sir Humphrey finally replies, â€Å"Approximately, none.† Ownership inequality: In many societies the ownership of property can also be very unequal. Even basic assets such as homes and land may be very asymmetrically shared. The absence of claims to property can not only reduce the voice of women, but also make it harder for women to enter and flourish in commercial, economic and even some social activities.2 This type of inequality has existed in most parts of the world, though there are also local variations. For example, even though traditional property rights have favoured men in the bulk of India, in what is now the State of Kerala, there has been, for a long time, matrilineal inheritance for an influential part of the community, namely the Nairs. Household inequality: There are, often enough, basic inequalities in gender relations within the family or the household, which can take many different forms. Even in cases in which there are no overt signs of anti-female bias in, say, survival or son-preference or education, or even in promotion to higher executive positions, the family arrangements can be quite unequal in terms o f sharing  the burden of housework and child care. It is, for example, quite common in many societies to take it for granted that while men will naturally work outside the home, women could do it if and only if they could combine it with various inescapable and unequally shared household duties. This is sometimes called â€Å"division of labour,† though women could be forgiven for seeing it as â€Å"accumulation of labour.† The reach of this inequality includes not only unequal relations within the family, but also derivative inequalities in employment and recognition in the outside world. Also, the established fixity of this type of â€Å"division† or â€Å"accumulation† of labour can also have far-reaching effects on the knowledge and understanding of different types of work in professional circles. When I first started working on gender inequality, in the 1970s, I remember being struck by the fact that the Handbook of Human Nutrition Requirement of the World Health Organisation (WHO), in presenting â€Å"calorie requirements† for different categories of people, chose to classify household work as â€Å"sedentary activity,† requiring very little deployment of energy.3 I was, however, not able to determine precisely how this remarka ble bit of information had been collected by the patrician leaders of society. FACTS ABOUT GENDER INEQUALITY The five countries with the best record of gender parity are Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Philippines. Iceland holds the top spot for the fifth year in a row and â€Å"continues to be the country with the narrowest gender gap in the world.† The U.S. is at number 23, falling behind several countries that it has tried to bomb or colonize, such as Cuba and Nicaragua, or moralize at, such as Burundi. (Official U.S. government goals in Burundi are â€Å"to help the people of Burundi realize a just and lasting peace based upon democratic principles and sustainable economic development.†) The U.S. also is only at number 17 in gender parity out of the 49 high-income countries that have been measured–a rather poor showing for a country that tops the chart when it comes to high incomes. According to one recent study, incomes among the top 1 percent in the U.S. rose by 31.4 percent between 2009 and 2012, while incomes for everyone else grew just 0.4 percent. This wealth is obviously not going toward ensuring gender equality. China, the emerging economic competitor to the U.S., is at number 69 with a steady  deterioration in its gender relations since 2010. China and the U.S. have the greatest number of millionaire households, and China has seen one of the biggest economic booms in recent years. It is thus alarming that in China, just like in the U.S., the sole beneficiaries of this boom has been the rich. The disparity is particularly clear in certain key areas: for instance, the report ranks China at 133, almost to the very bottom of all the countries surveyed, in the Health and Survival category. Indeed, some of the leading affluent nations perform very poorly on the â€Å"Health and Survival† Category. Israel, for example, is at 93 falling below the country it demonizes regularly: Iran! The five countries with the poorest record for gender parity are Mauritania, Syria, Chad, Pakistan and Yemen. Not to let the national ruling classes of these countries off the hook, but it’s important to bear in mind that these countries have all been the victim of devastating imperialist policies and violence from the West. Along with colonialism, drone strikes and International Monetary Fund demands, we can also add the resultant gender disparity to the list of the West’s â€Å"gifts† to these countries. GENDER EQUALITY Gender equality is the measurable equal representation of women and men. Gender equality does not imply that women and men are the same, but that they have equal value and should be accorded equal treatment. The United Nations regards gender equality as a human right. It points out that empowering women is also an indispensable tool for advancing development and reducing poverty. Equal pay for equal work is one of the areas where gender equality is rarely seen. All too often women are paid less than men for doing the same work. This is one of the reasons that the majority of the world’s poor are women: around 70% of the people who live in extreme poverty, on less than US$1 a day, are girls and women. Suffrage (the right to vote) is another area of gender equality that still does not extend to all the women in the world. Saudi Arabia does not give women the right to vote; in the USA right wing commentators say that women should never have been given the right to vote. The impor tance of gender equality is highlighted by its inclusion as one of the 8 Millennium Development Goals that serve as a framework for halving poverty and improving lives. Despite  this, discrimination against women and girls (such as gender-based violence, economic discrimination, reproductive health inequities and harmful traditional practices) remains the most pervasive and persistent form of inequality. CONCLUSION Despite modernization and acknowledgment of right, we still see countries facing the problem of gender inequality and let most to suffer from this are developing countries. After the research we can conclude that inequality does not only brings in stress and problems along it but also economically affects. The relationship between economic and gender equality is very clear. there are people who still do not allow women to go ut and work. We still think women are not supposed to go out and work as they go out they will get dominant over men. Girls are removed early from schools. Early marriages. Those who work have a glass ceiling or are not allowed to go on higher posts then men. And so on so forth. If we remove this gender inequality, let the women work educate them, they will not only be contributing with the man to run the house expenses but also help in economy; less dependent people, more bread earning hence a good lifestyle. With such an inflationary economy where prices are go ing up, one person is not enough to earn and feed the family. A women who is educated, can raise her children in a very well-mannered and appropriate way with good moral and ethnic values. A healthy home comes with educated women. BIBILOGRAPHY Amartya Sen. Many faces of gender inequality. FRONTLINE. Volume 18 – Issue 22, Oct. 27 – Nov. 09, 2001 Sex differences in humans . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_inequality Tithi Bhattacharya. Measuring gender inequality. report on the gender gap internationally. from http://socialistworker.org/2013/11/04/measuring-gender-inequality

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Trial of Martha Stewart essay question type

Discussing the Trial of Martha Stewart - Essay Example The evidence as presented in her trial assisted the jurors in believing beyond a reasonable doubt that Martha was guilty on four of the indictments against her. The jury could not agree that the government had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Stewart and Bacanovic fabricated the $60 sale agreement and acquitted both parties on these counts. Stewart was not found guilty of the crime of insider trading when she sold her ImClone shares on December 27th 2001. She did, however, settle in 2006 on the case filed against her by the SEC. They had filed a civil case of insider trading against there in 2003 to which she did not admit or refute her guilt to the charge of insider trading, rather she settled. In my opinion, the U.S, Attorneys, and the Securities and Exchange Commission appeared to use sound and consistent judgment in indicting Martha Stewart. The indictments against Stewarts and Bacanovic did not happen until a year after the December 27th 2001 incident. The indictments came on June 4th 2003. This gap of time allowed enough time to investigate the situation at hand while gathering evidence from all involved parties. There is a law on the books against insider trading. The government entities are responsible for persecuting those that break the law. Martha Stewart was found guilty of breaking laws relating to the incident on December 27th, even if she could not be convicted of the crime of insider trading. Based on the information I read I have no reason to believe that prosecutors had additional motives for pursuing the case. When money is involved it is always a motivator, especially when dealing with a case of a crime against someone who is a millionaire. It would not s urprise me if there was an additional motivation; however, the information on the case was very straightforward and businesslike.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Path Of Light Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Path Of Light - Lab Report Example A flash light is placed at the end of the row of the index cards and lit, after switching off the lights in the experimental room. The light can be seen passing through all the holes. It can be concluded that light travels in a straight line. In the same way, the holes are in alignment and that since light travels in a straight line; it was observed passing through all the holes. The property of light travelling in a straight line is known as rectilinear propagation. Considering that the sizes of the holes are to be reduces, the light will continue travelling in a straight line but in a more restricted. When the cards were shifted a shadow is formed since the path of light is a straight line and does not bend around the object (Avison 2). Another direct effect of light’s path being a straight line is the casting of shadows by opaque objects. The concept of the path of light being a straight line is applicable in various areas including the manufacture of mirrors both for domestic and industrial use, movie theaters that use projectors where light is restricted, cameras, human vision, and the casting of a shadow by light on opaque objects explains the formation of day and nights, as well as

Listening Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Listening Skills - Essay Example I am unable to support this with research data, but it is my firm conviction. The countenance of silent persons looks better, than the parted lips of those individuals who are ever ready to announce something on any topic, any time, in any situation. Listeners are respected everywhere; glib takers get selective reception! Though listening is a great skill, especially for the public relations people, this is one of the neglected segments of the communication skills. Formal training courses are available and diplomas are awarded for reading, writing and speaking—but not for listening! You see workshops and conferences arranged for all types of communication skills, except listening! One can be forced to write, read or speak. But one can’t be forced to listen. Listening is a mind function, though we suppose that it is primary job of two ears. Research results have proved that listening skills suffer with age. â€Å"Ralph G. Nichols, long-time professor of rhetoric at the University of Minnesota (now retired), says in his book Are You Listening? --that "if we define the good listener as one giving full attention to the speaker, first-grade children are the best listeners of all." (Listening...) Let me give a simple, real-life example, how bad listening can create (un) pleasant situations. I have recently joined a Non-governmental Organization and posted at the Public Relations Department. There are many part-timers who do honorary assignments for NGOs after their office/business hours. On the third day of my joining, a lady attached to the NGO, who looked after the â€Å"Women Empower Department,† telephoned to me. She called me, and enquired if I am the man who has been posted at the Public Relations Department. On getting the affirmative reply, she asked my introduction, name to be precise, and I said, â€Å"My name is Mallya.† I do no know whether she heard it properly or not, but she immediately began to reel off lots of

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Girl, One of these days Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Girl, One of these days - Essay Example In order for a story to have a plot, it is imperative that events are sequenced in a sensible way. There may either be a cause and effect relationship between events, or else, the events may just coincidently occur, but in either case, the subsequent events should be linked with the preceding ones. This being the definition of plot, it can be safely said that Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl has no plot at all, because there is no link whatsoever between the various events. In fact, there is no event at all. Though Girl lacks story and plot, yet it essentially fulfills the purpose of character development. From the beginning till the end of Girl, an unknown narrator is advising something that seems to be a girl so that the latter may become a responsible and prudent woman and wife. There are traces of conflict and resolution in the text. Occasionally, the narrator tells why a girl thinks in a particular way, and what she should do to get rid of the problem. 2. There is a dentist who is busy doing his work while a Mayor approaches and sends message to the dentist via dentist’s son that he wants his tooth taken out. The dentist is reluctant to do so and tells his son to tell the Mayor that he is not there. But the Mayor knows he is there. He tells the dentist’s son to tell him that if he did not take out the Mayor’s tooth, he would shoot the dentist. The dentist calls him in, and he makes the Mayor pour in the chair. He warns the Mayor that he would be given no anesthesia because the Mayor has an abscess. The Mayor tells him to proceed. The dentist takes the lower wisdom tooth out, while the Mayor holds his breath to bear the pain. When the tooth has been taken out, the Mayor wishes him a good-bye after receiving instructions from the dentist. The Mayor tells him to send the bill, hearing which, the dentist sarcastically questions him if he would pay from the town’s budget. The Mayor says it means the same eit her way. In this story, the audience gets a

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Theories of Media Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theories of Media - Movie Review Example The only tool he has in this philosophical battlefield is his charisma and skills in clever rationalization. In actuality, the film centers on Nick's crisis of conscience as he denies the hazards, rhetoric, and moral qualms that his job involve with. Adding to the complication of the story is the presence of his son, who chooses to believe him despite the obvious facts that are tagged along with the kind of career he has. Along the way he met two people that put twist on his life, the investigative report who thinks she got Naylor by the neck for her own scheme, and win the interest of the tobacco head honcho. The movie also tackles the wondrous possibilities of having enough money to bribe certain responsible media, such as film, to advertise almost anything even hazardous element like cigarettes. It takes near to death experience and a child's welfare that convinced Naylor to oppose his expertise. Even not directly stated, but the sub message is clear that Hollywood is more influential and glamorous than the Washington, but still both cities are essentially in the same business of promoting and tolerating public influential ideas. Putting in an ugly light the moral sectors who themselves have moral issues to resolve with, and depicting the being of a person of the social antagonist. The film balances between the stand of smokers and non-smokers. Leaving to the audience the decision which argument they most likely conformed. It is the matter of choice that matters and how responsible one should be with his stand. THE AUDIENCE Joey, Nick Naylor's son, informally represents the audience of the film, putting up sympathy toward his father's job by agreeing his arguments, but still having his own mind, doubtful about cigarette smoking. And like Joey, audience able to understand that Nick is only doing his job in order "to pay his mortgage", just like anyone else working. The production targeted mature audiences because of its theme. It is an engine to capsulate the culture and business of professional argument. Informally aim for public awareness about social influence. THEORIES OF MEDIA In the movie, a certain journalist, played by Katie Holmes, has her own scheming method to penetrate the perspective of a tobacco lobbyist. A person like Nick Naylor, in his status, is a subject for media content. Like Gazeteciler stated, every angle of the hero's argument and personality is subject for news framework, it is changeable. California's Proposition 99 is a response to the neo-puritanical culture. It is the real issue ongoing sub context to the film. The aim of this form of media is to awaken the senses of the public or rather a reminder of how social influence and authoritarian responsibilities in a way audience can relate and sympathize with. Even before this film is played in cinemas, it already gains both praises and negative critiques. The content of the movie itself is controversial enough to even produce a 'gimmick' for its press release. The title could catch attention of the authority concerns, enough for them to get alarmed. That's why the press release agency effortlessly brought the advertisement of this film, but still aware that it won't be in a blockbuster list because of its sensitive theme and the fact that some genre of audiences cannot be allowed for

Monday, September 23, 2019

PEACE Domestic Violence Agency Description Assignment

PEACE Domestic Violence Agency Description - Assignment Example The two grant programs run by the National Foundation under which it can provide a grant to the PEACE are the Small Grants Program and the Investor Program. Both programs have different budgets. The Small Grants Program offers a one-time grant of $5,000 to registered charities and Investor Program offers a grant of $150,000 a year for 3 consecutive years for any of the program objectives through Supporting Families Program. The program is built on firm footing by PEACE; it has analyzed the needs of the end users for whom the welfare program has been initiated. It has specifically outlined the geographical area where the needs of the affected people match with that of the National Foundation programs to rehabilitate the affected community members and support the relatives of the victims of domestic violence. PEACE has been providing such services for a long time and has a reputation for its clear vision, strong leadership, and solid financial footing. PEACE is well aware of the needs of the Portland community. Members of the community have been involved in social crimes like domestic violence against women and children. The focus of the agency has been on educating the Portland community against such wrong social practices. In the last five years, there have been many incidents of road rage implicating community members in criminal cases. Needs of the affected community are identical with the mission and visions of both the organizations, the National Foundation, and PEACE. These needs are reflected in the aims of PEACE – to improve the standard of life of such families that have one of their family members in prison. The National Foundation’s program, Supporting Families, also supports young people involved with the criminal justice system through a rehabilitation program designed to provide the skills, create confidence in the community, and establish personal support networks to help them in leading a normal life.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Methods of Job Analysis and Job Design in the HR Function Essay Example for Free

The Methods of Job Analysis and Job Design in the HR Function Essay There aren’t many differences in job descriptions for an Employment Assistant example in my text and the Marketing Account Representative position at Alliance Worldwide on Monster.com. The job description for the Employment Assistant position is summarized and straight to the point. Instead of providing the company’s history, the job description actually describes the position. In the Human Resources Management department, the selected individuals must perform professional HR work such as employee recruitment and selection, maintaining files, and other duties. In this position, you must work under general supervision as well. The Marketing Account Representative position is a little different. The description for this position is mostly the history of the company such as willing to hire candidates at an entry-level position and training them into Branch Management. There are different position titles between this entry-level position, and with each promotion, you will be an expert in your previous field and entry-level in another, maintaining a teacher and student mentality. One of the differences is the responsibilities between being in Human Resources Management than a Marketing Representative is that there weren’t any business opportunities available. The job opportunities for Marketing Representatives at Alliance Worldwide are presented immediately upon hiring. Some of the opportunities includes developing entry-level skills and gradually grow to train others. Despite of the different job descriptions of these two positions, each job includes a great deal of education, hard work and training, and the ability to perform.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Power of Film as Propaganda

The Power of Film as Propaganda The power of film as propaganda reality or myth? Throughout history various persons and administrations in power have attempted to win the hearts and supports of their constituents, often through reframing or reinterpreting historical events in a light favourable to them. This was certainly the case in the Russian Revolution of1917. The Bolsheviks and Lenin, their leader, sought to use film to recast events of the revolution in such a way as to rally and unify the Russian peasantry. Filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein was one of those recruited for the task, and while many government-sponsored films of the time have disappeared into the massive pile of poor quality filmmaking, two of his works in particular, Battleship Potemkin and October, were powerful in framing the Russian Revolution in the eyes of the world and his own people. These works demonstrate the power of film, even those recognised as containing elements of propaganda. Hostility and outbreaks had been building prior to the1917 Revolution, with general dissatisfaction for the Tsarist regime. One such event, a naval uprising in Odessa, was chosen by Eisenstein to show the liberation needed by the working class under the csars, which he considered had been subsequently provided by the Bolsheviks. Historically, the event was a mutiny of the seamen against the officers, and had been a major event in the earlier Revolution of 1905. Commissioned by the Soviet Central Committee to create a film commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the 1905 Revolution, Eisenstein originally planned a sweeping series of eight films, forming a panoramic view of 1905 events. However, when confronted with the communist definition of a workable budget, he quickly reduced the number to one. The film included significant license with the actual historical events of the incident, as Eisenstein and his government backers both made changes to portray the situation in a way supportive of the then-current Bolshevik regime. For example, whilst in reality the sailors were captured and incarcerated, Eisenstein ends the movie with the sailors in a rallying cry of class solidarity, rather than being herded off to prison. Eisenstein also used a variety of cinematic devices to reinforce his theme, regardless of historical accuracy. He staged the slaughter of civilians by the Cossacks on a series of steps in Odessa, undercutting close-ups of guns and faces with scenes of fleeing civilians and attacking soldiers to depict the slaughter of the populace by the czars troops. Overseas the film was a rousing success. European and American viewers and critics alike were impressed with the realism of the film and its filmmaking firsts. Eisenstein was the first to use editing to juxtapose apparently unrelated images, to create rapid and dynamic shifts in rhythm, and to compress and expand physical action rather than function simply as a storytelling device. The newsreel-like style of the film was another innovation praised by foreign critics. Americas National Board of Review reported at the time the faithful reproduction of this historical event by adhering as much as possible to a literal transcription and reproduction of officially documented facts Nothing approaching the reality of these scenes has ever occurred in cinematicsbefore. Interestingly, most American audiences regarded Potemkin as a celebration of freedom and liberation, rather than a support of a particular political agenda(Browne 182). Initial critics, with the exception of Gerstein who briefly mentions the propagandistic nature of the final scene, also viewed the film as historically accurate. Given only the partial and fragmentary information about the Soviet Union, the American agencies of interpretation the journalists and the critics sought to sketch a picture of something very new and unknown and used the figure of Eisenstein and the realism of his film to do so. However, by the late 1920s, critics were reconsidering the propaganda elements in Soviet films. For example, in his profile on Eisenstein in 1928, Alfred Barr openly explained the Russian governments involvement in the Potemkin and filmmaking in general, and the propagandistic elements of the movie. Intellects on both sides of the Atlantic appeared to have been quite taken with the reality of the movie, enough to overlook such elements of propaganda, and praise the Soviet filmmaker for his reality, a stark contrast to the to the fictionality and to t he vulgar artifice of the Hollywood image so despised by many of the intellectual elite. The film was not so well received in Russia. While by the 1930s, the Civil War became something of a focus for the revolutionary myth in Soviet cinema just the way the West was won fulfilled a similar function in Hollywood, at the time of its release Soviet audiences preferred lighter and more conventional faire. The problem was that, as long as Soviet audiences had a choice, they preferred the films that were popular elsewhere in Europe, and were happy with a diet of Hollywood hits or Soviet imitations. In addition, Potemkin featured no central hero with whom audiences could identify; the main character of the movie is best described as the collective masses. While Eisensteins lack of a central character fascinated Western audiences, it dehumanised Soviets, who were uninterested in the Cine-Eyes more perfect visions of reality. Potemkin had to be taken off after only two weeks, to be replaced with are turn of Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks, the film featured before its releas e. While the power of Potemkin as propaganda was far more convincing, at least initially, abroad, Eisensteins next great work, October, enjoyed tremendous success at home and was valuable as a way of reframing the October events for decades. Scholar recognise the inaccuracies and license of the film. Figes, for example, contends October is Eisensteins brilliant but largely fictional propaganda film. Rosenstone also acknowledges both the initial impact and lasting influence of the film.  October  has become and remains one of the best known and most enduring accounts of October so well known that it seems no exaggeration to suggest that more people have probably learned about the Bolshevik Revolution from the film than from any other single source. As October had a much stronger impact on the Russian public, both as a movie and as propaganda, it is important to consider the situation in Russia at the time and how it influenced the films creation and support. The Russian peasantry, accounting for eighty percent of the population, was largely hostile and overwhelmingly illiterate speaking more than a hundred different languages. In addition, peasants as a group were largely politically ignorant, and needed, it was felt by government leaders, to be properly informed. Peasants were inclined to believe naively in every printed word, and therefore open to persuasion from a variety of sources. Lack of vocabulary amongst the group and misunderstandings with speakers sent by the Bolshevik regime to educate them further compounded the communication problem. Furthermore, the peasants had not supported the Bolsheviks coming into power. Immediately after the overthrow in October, in November 1917, the Bolsheviks held an election as they had promised. Unfortunately for them, they were not the most supported party, although no group received a majority vote. The Bolsheviks lost the November 1917 election to the Socialist Revolutionaries, who received forty-four percent of the vote to the Bolsheviks twenty-seven percent. Although they lost, the Bolsheviks nonetheless seized and consolidated power. This left the government as one in need of persuasive means to address its constituents. Not having been elected by the people, it depended largely on the power of the word to establish its authority. The Civil War that occurred following the Revolution necessitated urgent, cheap and effective measures to win over the hearts and minds of the people in whose name the Bolsheviks claimed to govern. In response, Lenin realised the importance of the dyna mic visual propaganda that cinema could offer and set the government on a course of creating propaganda films. Films would serve to not only entertain, but to allow the Bolsheviks to construct their particular utopia out of the ruins of Tsarist Russia. However, By the 1930s, the Party functionaries recognized that the films were not useful propaganda instruments as long as they could not attract a mass audience. Russians clearly preferred Hollywood-type films, and had similar response to government-produced propaganda films as they had to Potemkin, although such works had little of its quality or creativity. Government leaders recognised that their greatest artists, who made experimental, innovative films, could not communicate with the simple people who wanted to be entertained. They developed a new slogan for art in the Soviet Republics, loosely translated as movies for the masses. Experimentation was denounced as formalism, as something alien to Soviet art, and now each film had to be immediately comprehensible even to the least educated. Many artists and writers immediately following the 1917 Revolution also recognised the need to enlighten the peasantry, and the potential for creative media to communicate new life options to them, and initially joined in government efforts. Filmmakers such as Eisenstein and Kozintsev, for example, were determined in their different ways to use their new art form to construct a new Sovietman. However, with the increasing and ever more intrusive censorship, in combination with limitations on creativity and severe punishments for violations of government guidelines, many film producers simply stopped making movies. Whilst the cinema became increasingly popular, movie selection decreased. By the 1930s, foreign films had been banned; Soviet films also decreased. Whilst in the 1920s over one hundred movies were made annually, but this number had dropped to less than forty by the 1930s. Content was for the most part centred on the benefits of the Bolshevik regime and the evils of the Tsarist one. Class consciousness could usually be reduced to an understanding that there were enemies everywhere, that the Soviet was of life was superior, that it was the duty of decent people to participate in the building of socialism, that the primary allegiance one owes is to Soviet society and not to the family. As Kenez wryly notes, if one judged the world entirely on the basis of Soviet films, one might have imagined that the task of Soviet border guards was to keep out all those who hoped to enter. The Bolshevik government needed to rally illiterate masses to its support, whilst the Soviet Republic spanned a gigantic geographical and cultural plethora, and a number of events leading up to the current regime seizing power were morally questionable, at best. The question is whether propaganda films really exerted the influence over the public that many have long held unquestionably that they do. The Soviets certainly committed a surprising amount of scarce resources, although not as much as the filmmakers would have liked, to this novel form of propaganda, recognising the apparent potential of the medium of cinema for powerful, mass, political propaganda. Reeves contends that in many countries, including the UK and Soviet Republic, the power of film propaganda was simply assumed. Through the 1950s,politicians and commentators alike seem to have become only more convinced that the mass media in general, cinema in particular, provided a weapon uniquely capable of effectively moulding the ideology of the masses. Reeves further contends that empirical studies in Britain between the First and Second World Wars are primarily supportive of the power of film propaganda and the media to influence the general populace. Almost without exception int er-war studies stressed their enormous power, using metaphors like hypodermic needle or magic bullet to characterise that power in contrast to the weakness of the mass of people who, whether they liked it or not, received the messages which the media generated. While there have been more recent challenges to these findings, Eisensteins October is widely held to have had a profound impact both on the Russian people and foreigners in shaping their perception and understanding of the Bolsheviks rise to power. Although October was made before the changes to filmmaking of the 1930s, it very much followed the type of movie propaganda scheme the government would later require. The film was commissioned by the Soviet agency in charge of the production and distribution of films, Sovkino, as part of the tenth anniversary celebration of the 1917events. Ever the visionary, Eisenstein first planned to create a heroic epic, spanning from the February 1917 overthrow of the Czar to the end of the Civil War in 1921.Pressures of time (both on the screen and in the production process) led to aversion that covered a smaller slice of the past: from February through October1917. The story the movie tells, and the way it tells that story are surely part of along tradition of explaining why and how the Bolsheviks took power. One might even argue that October had a significant role in creating that tradition. The film neither accurately represents what happened nor entirely fictionalises events, instead combining the two to create a picture in the minds of many of the Revolution. The film opens with the downfall of the Russian Czar in February of 1917.While it overdoes the evilness of the Tsarist regime a bit from an historical standpoint, this presents a strong contrast for the following events. Of particular note is the handling of the July Days protests in July of 1917.The Bolsheviks had assembled over fifty thousand supporters, had surrounded the Tauride Palace, and had taken hostage a representative of the Provisional Government during the protest. Bolshevik leaders truly did decide not to overthrown the government during this time, calming the crowd and a voiding bloodshed. Eisenstein is considered by many scholars to be relatively accurate in his rendition of the July events, although he creates from a decidedly Bolshevik point of view. Eisenstein shows us the masses of marching protesters, the bloodshed on the Nevsky Prospekt, the anger of the middle classes against the lower orders, the Bolshevik speakers calming the soldiers, insisting it is not time to seize power. Similarly, Rosenstone states that historians have little dissent over much of the things that led up to the October events, or how Eisenstein handled them. The February Revolution, he contends, was truly popular and necessary, while the Provisional Government was inept, inefficient, stupid or criminal in its attempt to continue the war. Eisensteins portrayal of Kerenskys handling of the entire situation is alsosupported by historians. Figes states that during the event, Kerensky began to strut around with comic self-importance, puffing up his puny chest and striking the pose of a Bonaparte.Rosenstone notes Eisenstein shows Kerensky as a would-be Bonaparte, by cutting from a close-up of him directly to a statue of Napoleon, and he is hardly the only historian to suggest the prime minister saw himself in that kind of heroic role. Figes and Rosenstone both note that Eisenstein used similar techniques to highlight the ineptitude of General Kornilov. Eisenstein suggests that the attempt to overthrow the Provisional Government was really based on a misunderstanding, exacerbated by Kornliov, who also saw himself as a Bonaparte figure and did not realise that most of those supporting him did so with the hope to use him in the governments overthrow .Eisenstein presents Kornilov as yet another potential Napoleon by cutting from his image to that of the same statue previously linked to Kerensky. The film shows how the generals march on Petrograd is undermined by Bolshevik agitators, who are able to convince the Cossacks of his Savage Division that the Soviet programme of Peace, Land, Bread is not meant just for the worker sof Petrograd but for everyone, including them. It is the ending of the movie, as he did in Potemkin, where Eisenstein takes the greatest license. The movie climaxes with the storming of the Winter Palace, an event that did not actually occur. Indeed the Palace was largely unoccupied by the time of the October events, and any Bolsheviks attacking it would have only had to rebuff a few women and elderly men left to tend to maintenance. While Kerenskys cabinet was inside, they were cut off from the outside and posed no threat. The Palace was taken peacefully, with cabinet members arrested. However, Eisenstein realised the film must have a strong climatic event, and as Lenin had previously used the Palace as an emblem of the Revolution conquering old regimes in the name of the masses, he used a dramatic battle to climax his historical rendition. Many Russian critics at the time were appalled that he had even considered dramatising or reframing such an important event in their history. Additional complaints included Eisensteins omission of the collapse at the front and the growth of the workers movement were also directed at the film.Rosenstone would counter that a filmmaker can never forget the demands of the medium no matter how much you are committed to putting the past on the screen, and no matter how accurate you wish that past to be, the one thing you can never do is to mirror a moment all those moments that have vanished. Even in contemporary viewing of October, however, Eisensteins theme is repeatedly that it was the stupidity and oppression of the Provisional Government, not the political desires of the Bolsheviks, that led to the October 1917 Revolution. It was the desires and action of the masses, not Lenin or a few organising leaders, that led to the governments overthrow. As propaganda, the film has long served to reinforce the validity of the Bolsheviks seizure of power, and therefore to instigate major changes on the Soviet populace. It remains the way many, both in Russia and in Western countries, view the events of 1917, an as such speaks to the effective and lasting power of film as a propaganda device. History can be recast, reinterpreted, expressed in film, and many will believe what they see .Eisensteins work reinforces both independent research and policies ofgovernments worldwide that support film propaganda as a convincing tool. BIBLIOGRAPHY Battleship Potemkin. Dirs. Sergei M. Eisenstein and GrigoriAleksandrov. White Star, 1925. Behind the screen. TheTimes (UK) 18 September 2004: Features, Films 29. Balio, Tino. Eisenstein. 21 May 2005.http://members.tripod.com/~afronord/eisen.html Browne, Nick. Eisenstein inAmerica: The First Phase. Emergences 12.2 (2002): 181-197. Encyclopedia:Propaganda Film.January 2005. 21 May 2005.. Figes, Orlando. The Russian Revolutionand Its Language in the Village. The Russian Review 56 (July 1997):323-345. Figes, Orlando. A Peoples Tragedy:The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. New York: Penguin Books. 1998. Forging the Shipof State: The Bolsheviks in Power. 21 May 2005.. Kenez, Peter. Jewish Themes in StalinistFilms. Journal of Popular Culture 31.2 Spring 1998: 159-169. October. Dirs. Sergei M. Eisenstein and Grigori Aleksandrov. WhiteStar, 1927. Reeves, Nicholas.The Power of Film Proaganda Myth or Reality? Historical Journal of Film,Radio Television 13.2 (1993). . Rosenstone, RobertA. October as History. Rethinking History 5:2 (2001): 255-274. Taylor, Richard.Russian and Soviet Cinema: Continuity and Change, Imperial War Museum,London, 17-19 July 1990. Historical Journal of Film, Radio Television 11.1 (1991). . Taylor, Richard.Soviet Cinema: The Path to Stalin. History Today July 1990: 43-48. The OctoberRevolution of 1917.21 May 2005. . Yangirov, Rashitand Taylor, Richard. Soviet Cinema in the Twenties: National Alternatives.Historical Journal of Film, Radio Television 11.2 (1991)..

Friday, September 20, 2019

Evidence of Witness Statement

Evidence of Witness Statement The evidence that the prosecution wants to adduce at trial is the police statement made by Bennie which shows that he had seen Avril dealing drugs many times. This evidence wants to be used by the prosecution to prove Avrils involvement with the dealing of drugs as well as her involvement with the Black and reds local gang. Before the prosecution can adduce the evidence, there are a series of factors that needs to be considered and the first is relevance. What can be regarded as relevant is something that applies to the matter in question; affording something to the purpose and something that is legally sufficient.[1] Bennies evidence can be said to be relevant because it does apply to the matter in question which is Avrils drugs offence. The second factor the prosecution needs to consider before adducing Bennies evidence is the competence and compellability of Bennie. In the issue stated Bennie can be seen to be Avrils husband which puts him under the category of a spouse. A spouse per Glover is a person who is lawfully married to the accused at the time when he or she is called to give evidence.[2] In the issue, it was seen that Bennie and Avril had recently separated. They are still legally married regardless of the separation factor. It was not stated that they were divorced or the marriage was annulled, therefore Bennie still falls under the category of a spouse. There is a general rule which can be found in s53(1) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act (YJCEA) 1999[3] that all witnesses are presumed to be competent[4]. In the application of this rule there is a presumption that Bennie is a competent witness for the prosecution. In regards to compellability, a spouse is generally not compellable for the prosecution unless the exceptions that are set out in s80(3) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984[5] are met. Relating the exceptions listed out in s80(3) of PACE 1984[6] to the issue, the type of offence that Avril is being charged with are drugs offences and as such Bennie does not fall under any of the exceptions which make him a non-compellable witness to the prosecution. It has been established that Bennie is a non-compellable witness which means he is not legally obliged to give evidence but has the choice to do so. This shows that he can choose to testify in court, however the prosecution can admit Bennies police statement as evidence through a hearsay exception which can be found in the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2003. The case of R v L [2009][7] can be used in regards to this issue. In this case the Witness who was a spouse could not be compelled to testify against her husband however a pre-trial statement which was a police statement was admitted as an exception to the hearsay rule[8]. According to LT choo hearsay evidence is an out of court statement that is being adduced in court as evidence of the matter stated in the statement.[9] Hearsay evidence is generally inadmissible unless it falls under the exceptions in CJA 2003[10]. For the evidence to be admissible under the witness unavailability exception three conditions must be met which can be found in Section 116 (1)(a) (1)(c) CJA 2003. It is important to note that S116(1)(c) shows that hearsay evidence can be admissible if it satisfies any of the five conditions stated in subsection 2[11]. One of the conditions that is shown in subsection (2)(e) of the CJA 2003 relates to fear of a witness. In relations to the issue, Bennie refuses to testify in court and leading up to his refusal it was seen that he had a bruising to his face. An assumption can be made that he is refusing to testify because of fear and as such the prosecution can adduce Bennies evidence under s116 as a hearsay exception provided all the cond itions are satisfied. Other than the hearsay exception, the part for Bennie could also make an application for a special measure direction (SMD). Bennie refuses to testify and has a bruising to the face. This brings about an assumption of fear which makes him a vulnerable witness and vulnerable witnesses can make applications for SMDs. There are three stages in which SMDs can be granted. The first stage is looking at the eligibility of the witness which can be found in s16 17 YJCEA 1999[12]. The second and third stage can be found in s19(2)(a) and (b) YJCEA 1999. Looking at Bennie he could be eligible for an SMD on the grounds of fear or distress about testifying[13] which falls under s17 YJCEA 1999[14]. If the courts are satisfied that Bennie meets all the stages, the application will be successful and Bennie will be able to testify through an SMD. SMDs that are available to Bennie are screening[15] which is stated in s23 YJCEA 1999 or video recorded evidence in chief[16] which is shown in s27(1) (3) Y JCEA 1999. In conclusion, Bennie is a competent and a non-compellable witness and as such he has no legal obligation to testify in court. However, the prosecution can pass Bennies police statement through the hearsay exception of witness unavailability if he can satisfy all the conditions set out in the provision. B. The evidence that the prosecution wants to adduce are Avrils two previous convictions for theft and two previous convictions for drugs offences involving possession of marijuana with intent to supply. The prosecution wishes to use this evidence to prove that Avril committed the drugs offences she is being charged with. The evidential issue that this raises is bad character evidence. Bad character is defined is s98 of the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 2003. The key factors of the definition are evidence of, or a disposition towards misconduct on his part, other than evidence which (a) has to do with the alleged facts of the offence charged (b) is evidence of misconduct in connection with the investigation or prosecution of that offence.[17] In assessing the two previous convictions of theft for Avril the evidence has nothing to do with the alleged facts of the current offence that is being charged. The previous offence and the alleged facts are not so closely connected as defined in the case of R v Tirnaveanu [2007][18]. Also, it is not in relations to the investigation or prosecution of that particular offence[19] which is the drugs offences. This shows that her two previous convictions for theft is a bad character evidence which can be admitted through one of the gateways under s101(1)(a) (g) CJA 2003 and expanded on in s102-106 CJA 2003. The first gateway that should always be used is gateway D which can be found under s103 CJA 2003. Gateway D is the relevance to important issue between the defendant and the prosecution[20]. The prosecutions evidence of a defendants bad character is admissible based on its relevance to an important matter in issue between the defendant and the prosecution[21]. An important matter means a matter of substantial importance in the context of the case as a whole[22] as defined in s112 CJA 2003. Section 103(1)(a) is in regards to propensity to commit the offences of the kind that the defendant is being charged with. In the application of this provision to Avrils previous convictions for theft it could be said that she does have propensity for theft but the crime of her previous convictions are not relevant to the matter in issue because they fall under different categories of offences. A case that relates well to s103(1)(a) is Hanson (Gilmore) [2005] [23]. The defendant was charged with theft of goods from a shed, and he had three previous convictions for shoplifting which were admitted on grounds for showing propensity[24]; the offences were similar. Section 103(1)(b) also does not apply to her previous convictions because the provision refers to the propensity to be untruthful which has no obvious similarity to her previous convictions. Therefore, the bad character evidence cannot be admitted through gateway D. If this cannot be admitted through gateway D then Gateway C can be looked at which is under s101(1)(c) CJA 2003. Gateway C is the important explanatory evidence[25]. This gateway reflects the common-law rule which permits background or explanatory material where the account otherwise to be placed before the court would be incomplete and incomprehensible.[26] This simply means in order for the jury to better understand the facts in issue the background evidence should be allowed. A case that refers to this is Phillips [2003] [27]. In Phillips[28], the evidence of the defendants previous threats to kill his wife when he was on trial for her murder were admissible as background evidence[29]. Referring to Avril, her previous convictions for theft cannot be allowed as background evidence to the drugs offences because they fall under different categories. Therefore, her previous convictions for theft is inadmissible under the gateway D and C. It was seen that she also had two previous convictions involving possession of marijuana and intent to supply. Her two previous convictions for drugs offences was seen to be done in the year 2011 and 2014. Her previous convictions have nothing to do with the offence charged. Firstly, the evidence is relevant. The previous offence and the current offence is not so closely connected because there is quite a gap between the years of her previous offence and the current offence; no nexus in time. It is also not an evidence of misconduct relating to the investigation or the prosecution of the offence, therefore it is a bad character evidence. Going through gateway D her previous convictions involving drugs offences show propensity to commit the kind of offence charged.[30] The test for propensity was established in R v Hanson.[31]Where the propensity to commit the offence is relied upon there are three questions to be considered. (i) Does the history of conviction(s) establish a propensit y to commit offences of the kind charged? (ii) Does that propensity make it more likely that the defendant committed the offence charged? (iii) Is it unjust to rely on the conviction(s) of the same description or category; and, in any event, will the proceedings be unfair if they are admitted?[32] Relating this to Avrils two previous convictions for possession of marijuana with intent to supply, her history of her past convictions does show a propensity to commit the kind of offence charged. This is because in 2011 she was convicted for drugs offences as well as in 2014 for the same crime. Avril being in possession of marijuana and intent to supply has a strong similar link to her drugs offence that she is currently being charged with. It can be said that her propensity makes it more likely that she did commit the offence charged because they all share similar features which means there is a strong MO link. Similar features such as the type of offence, the possession of illegal drugs and intent to supply. It will be just to rely on her previous convictions because it shows a high possibility of reoffending based on her propensity. Avrils previous convictions meet all the Hanson criteria which means her previous convictions shows a propensity for her to commit the kind of offen ce charged therefore gateway D is applied. In conclusion, Avrils previous conviction for theft is bad character evidence but it could meet the threshold for gateway D and C which shows the evidence to be inadmissible. Nonetheless, her previous convictions for drugs offences met the criteria for gateway D which means it can be admitted as bad character evidence for the prosecution. C. The evidence is Avrils confession and the prosecution wants to adduce this evidence to prove that she committed the drugs offence that she is being charged with. The evidence is relevant because it is in relations to the issue and the drugs offence charged. The evidential issue that this raises is the admissibility of confession. Section 82(1) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 gives definition to a confession. According to McAlhone and Stockdale A statement is a confession if, whether oral or written or made by conduct (e.g by video re-enactment), it is at least in part, adverse to its makers interests.[33] It is important to note that confessions are an out of court statement that the defendant made and the prosecution wants to admit it for its truth. This makes the evidence hearsay and as such it is generally inadmissible but there are exceptions to the hearsay rule which is contained in two provisions. The statutory provisions that regulates the admissibility of confessions is s76 and s78 of PACE 1984. S76(1) of PACE lays out the admissibility of the confession made by the defendant as evidence against him/her. The key factors for admissibility under section 76(1) of PACE is (i) the confession should be relevant to any matter in issue and (ii) it is not excluded by the court in pursuance of s76.[34] The court have a discretion to exclude a confession if it falls under the provision of s76(2) of PACE and it is up to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the confession does not fall under s76(2) of PACE[35]. S76(2)(a) refers to a confession being obtained by oppression. Section 76(8) of PACE explains what constitutes oppression but this is only a partial definition. In R v Fulling[36] oppression was given the oxford dictionary meaning; the oxford dictionary defines oppression as prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority.[37] While Lord Lane in the case of Fulling[38]gave a description of what s76(2)(b) covers. He believed that the confession must be shown to be voluntary in the sense that it was not obtained by fear of prejudice or hope of advantage, excited or held out by a person in authority[39] s76(2)(b) looks at the unreliability of a confession, hence looking at the circumstances of anything said and done on the occasion of confession that would make it unreliable; it also includes things not said and not done which could include omissions, breaches of PACE and associated Codes of Practice[40]. There needs to be a causal link between what was said and done in the circumstance and the confession. Relating this to the issue, Avril made a confession which could be admissible under s76(1) of PACE 1984 because the confession is relevant to the matter in issue. The second factor is the no exclusion by the courts. S76(2)(a) does not apply to Avrils case because it can be seen from the facts of the issue that her confession was not obtained by oppression; there was no exercise of authority or torture or inhuman and degrading treatment done to Avril. Since Avrils confession does not fall under oppression s76(2)(b) can be used. The first fact of the issue was that P.C. Pumpkin forgot to issue the police caution before she was interviewed. The failure to give a police caution is a breach of code C under PACE 1984 as seen in Doolan [1988][41]. The second fact of the issue was Avrils solicitor was not called because of the confusion in the change of police shifts. The right to a solicitor for the accused is found in s56 of PACE 1984[42]. Failure to provide access to a solicitor as required by this provision could lead a person of low IQ who knows little about the process to confess but this may have less effect upon a person who can cope with an interview situation and is aware of his legal rights[43] as seen in R v Alladice (1988)[44]. There is an assumption that Avril is aware of her legal rights because she has had past convictions of the similar offence, therefore her not having a solicitor has little effect on her confession. The third fact of the issue was that Avril was not given any food and drink for 24 hours and became claustrophobic in the police cell and is also diabetic. Her confession is unreliable because she was not given proper rest[45] which can also include the provision of food and drink. A police misconduct is not required. In Walker [1998] [46]the police were unaware of the mental condition of the defendant[47]. The police were unaware of Avrils claustrophobia as well as her diabetes so the police misconduct in regards to this cannot be relied upon. Nonetheless code C does require the police to attend to detained person if the need for attention is urgent. Another provision that protects the accused from unfair proceedings and unfair evidence is s78 of PACE 1984[48]. This provision shows exclusion of unfair evidence by the court if it would have an adverse effect on the fairness of the proceedings[49]. A breach of PACE or the codes may lead to an exclusion, however the breach should be significant and substantial[50]. It will not be appropriate to exclude a confession based on a breach which is inconsequential, for example, failure to provide a solicitor[51]. It was clear that there was a breach of code when the police did not give Avril access to a solicitor but based on an assumption that Avril could handle an interview situation because she has had previous dealings with police interviews from her past convictions the breach may not be substantial enough for the court to exclude it. In conclusion, Avrils confession is unreliable under s76(2)(b) of PACE which can be excluded by the court. This shows that her confession cannot be admissible under s76 of PACE. Nevertheless, it can be admissible under s78 of PACE because her confession was not unfair evidence, therefore it is highly likely the courts will not exclude this, subsequently the prosecution may adduce the evidence through this provision. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Andrew L-T Choo, Evidence (3rd edn, Oxford University press, 2012) Christina McAlhone and Michael Stockdale, Nutshells, Evidence in a nutshell (3rd edn, Sweet and Maxwell Limited, 2002) Richard Glover, Murphy on Evidence (14th edn, Oxford University Press, 2015) CASES Hanson (Gilmore) [2005] EWCA Crim 824 R v Alladice (1988) 87 Cr App R 380 R v Davis [2008] EWCA Crim 1156 R v Doolan [1988] Crim LR 747 R v Fulling [1987] 2 All ER 65 R v Hanson [2005] EWCA Crim 824 R v L [2009] 1 WLR 626, CA R v Phillips [2003] EWCA Crim 1379 R v Tirnaveanu [2007] EWCA Crim 1239 R v Trussler [1988] Crim LR 446 R v Walker [1998] Crim LR 211 STATUTES Criminal Justice Act 2003 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 WEBSITES Oxforddictionary.com Oppression, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/oppression accessed 15 March, 2017 TheLawDictionary.org, What is RELEVANT?, http://thelawdictionary.org/relevant/ accessed 8 March 2017 [1] TheLawDictionary.org, What is RELEVANT?, http://thelawdictionary.org/relevant/ accessed 8 March 2017. [2] Richard Glover, Murphy on Evidence (14th edn, Oxford University Press, 2015) p 590 [3] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s 53 (1) [4] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s 53 (1) [5] Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 s80 (3) [6] Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 s80 (3) [7] R v L [2009] 1 WLR 626, CA [8] R v L [2009] 1 WLR 626, CA [9] Andrew L-T Choo, Evidence (3rd edn, Oxford University press, 2012) p 277 [10] Criminal Justice Act 2003 [11] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s116 (2) [12] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s16-s17 [13] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s17 [14] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s17 [15] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s23 [16] Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 s27(1)-(3) [17] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s98 [18] R v Tirnaveanu [2007] EWCA Crim 1239 [19] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s98 [20] Andrew L-T Choo, Evidence (3rd edn, Oxford University press, 2012) p 258 [21] Andrew L-T Choo, Evidence (3rd edn, Oxford University press, 2012) p 258 [22] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s112 [23] Hanson (Gilmore) [2005] EWCA Crim 824 [24] Hanson (Gilmore) [2005] EWCA Crim 824 [25] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s102 [26] R v Davis [2008] EWCA Crim 1156 [27]R v Phillips [2003] EWCA Crim 1379 [28] R v Phillips [2003] EWCA Crim 1379 [29] R v Phillips [2003] EWCA Crim 1379 [30] Criminal Justice Act 2003 s103 (1) (a) [31] R v Hanson [2005] EWCA Crim 824 [32] R v Hanson [2005] EWCA Crim 824 [33] Christina McAlhone and Michael Stockdale, Nutshells, Evidence in a nutshell (3rd edn, Sweet and Maxwell Limited, 2002) p 82 [34] Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 s76 (1) [35] Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 s76 (2) [36] R v Fulling [1987] 2 All ER 65 [37] Oxforddictionary.com Oppression, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/oppression accessed 15 March, 2017 [38] R v Fulling [1987] 2 All ER 65

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Raps Controversy :: essays research papers

Rap’s Controversy The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women. Those in the mainstream have long considered rap music controversial. However its controversy escalated to a whole new level when the world was introduced to â€Å"Gangsta Rap,† where violent acts and suggestions are graphically portrayed (yale). The notorious rap group responsible for the introduction of gangsta rap was NWA (bomp). Gangsta rap has been criticized and debated over for its graphic sexual content, and violent imagery (yale). The lyrics in many songs contain violent and explicit lyrics that usually talk about killing someone along with sounds of gunshots in the background. Gangsta rap also talks about drug use and portrays negative attitudes toward women, especially black women. The artists refer to women as, â€Å"bitches,† â€Å"whores† and sex dispensing â€Å"hoes.† On the contrary there is a nice sideffect to controversy; you can use it to get a message across and most importantly it sales records, just like NWA, Ice-T, Public Enemy, and the 2 live crew soon discovered early on in their time. Today most young people think that if a person is rich and famous, they can get away with anything. They see rappers get charged with felonies and then they see that the charges get dropped. They’ve heard of celebrities running over children while drunk and get away with it without doing any time. However, not all rappers have run-ins with the law, but the ones that do are very well known. Tupac Shakur (RIP), for example, had many run-ins with the law. He was arrested for aggravated assault, and charged with shooting two off duty police officers in Atlanta in 1993, but the charges were later dropped (bomp). He was also accused of beating a limousine driver in Los Angeles and found guilty of threatening a fellow rapper with a baseball bat in Michigan (bomp).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Tragedies Of Shakespeare :: essays research papers

The Tragedies Of Shakespeare "Your noble son is mad — ‘Mad' call I it, for to define true madness, What is't but to be nothing else but mad?" (Wells and Taylor, 665) In Act two, scene two of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Polonius uses these words to inform Hamlet's parents of their son's insanity. He then continues on, telling Gertrude and Claudius that the cause of this madness is lovesickness over his own daughter Ophelia (665). From the privileged perspective of the audience, we know that Polonius is mistaken and that Hamlet is far from insane, but rather, "playing mad" for a purpose of his own. Madness in Shakespearean plays, and in tragedies in particular, is rarely what it seems on the surface. Instead, both madness and the characters experiencing it are layered with meaning; like an onion, layer after layer can be peeled off, eventually allowing a glimpse at the core concealed within. Shakespeare's treatment of the character Hamlet is typically multi- faceted and complex—Hamlet appears insane, ostensibly over Ophelia, however, his madness is feigned—a cover for internal conflicts, rooted not in thwarted affection, but rather in desire to avenge his father's murder. Hamlet even goes so far as to say his apparent madness is an act when he says "I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw"(667). Shakespeare often used madness, either feigned or actual, as a teaching tool or vehicle to advance his plot. Sometimes this madness was feigned, as evidenced by Hamlet and Edgar (the legitimate son of Gloucester in The Tragedy of King Lear), but other times it was genuine insanity. Ophelia and Lady MacBeth are obvious examples of Shakespearean characters that have slipped into madness—Ophelia due to the loss of all those dear to her, and Lady MacBeth from guilt over the part she played in King Duncan's murder. In Hamlet, Ophelia's madness ultimately leads to her demise, and this, in turn, plays a part in Hamlet's willingness to engage in what will be his final battle. In this sense, it helps advance the play towards its climax. While Lady MacBeth's madness also leads to death, its focus is more on teaching than propelling the story to conclusion. While Lady MacBeth is initially seen as a cold, conscienceless, calculating woman, intent on advancing her husband politically (by any means necessary), her character changes as the play progresses. Early on in the play, she is full of ambition; indeed, upon reading MacBeth's letter, she complains about his nature and inaction: Yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Research has been done to determine Essay

A lot of research has been done to determine whether short-term memory works better in the morning or afternoon. In a study, 16-18-year-olds (sixth form students of Battersea park school) were administered to take part in a word test to assess their short-term memory. Results of this were analyzed. Null Hypothesis: learning in the morning is more effective Alternative hypothesis: learning in the afternoon is more effective. Introduction To learn new things, to store experiences and to adapt to new circumstances – these characteristics of the brain enable us the daily survival . This special flexibility of the brain is reached through constant making and breaking contact between nerve cells. Whenever we learn something, the connections between nerve cells, (synapses) change. At this point, the Axon of a nerve cell and the Dendrite of the neighbouring cell meet. The centre for brain research of the medical University of Vienna is currently involved in two researches that contribute to the clarification of the processes in memory. They had tested the article (of researchers at the Harvard Medical School), which is called a key experiment. It was found that a Micro RNA and the accompanying messenger RNA exist at the contact point of synapses. What are Micro- and messenger RNA? It is a different form of the Ribonucleic acid. As a messenger RNA (mRNA), one is already more familiar with for a long time: It functions as a messenger, transports a message of the DNA – often, but not always from a gene – out of the cell nucleus into the cytoplasm. There the message is translated often, but not always into a protein. One knows micro RNAs for the least in time: They consist only of 21 bases respectively, and they are not translated into proteins. They rather check an mRNA in that they cause or prevent that the mRNA is translated into a protein. So they are regulators. For example just at a synapse, as long as there a micro RNA on a certain mRNA, it is not translated into a protein. If the micro RNA falls away, the protein emerges – and the synapse changes its form and also the signal forwarding. In other words we can say that the nerve cell learned something. In the journal of Cell Biology (172, p. 221) – Kiebler describes a second factor that is necessary, with a synapse function: Staufen 2: That is a protein that is responsible for the carrying of mRNA along the cell skeleton to the synapse. It brings RNAs to where they are needed. Neurons which are missing the protein Staufen2 have less synapses, and the signal transmission between them is disturbed. â€Å"An important notice on that, is that Staufen 2 for the education of functioning Synapses is crucial†, says Kiebler ( researcher). If what we have learned is forgotten, long-term connections become out of contact of the connection points. German Neurobiologist worked on the correlation between the outgrowing of the connections of cells, the so-called â€Å"thorns† and the building of functioning synapses. In order to be able to follow the outgrowing of thorns, the cells in the near surrounding area of the stimuli were observed using a high resolution two-Photon-microscope. An electron microscope was used in order to review whether the variations in the nerve cells actually led to the origin of new synapses. Within few minutes after the current impulse, the encouraged nerve cells opened the gate to a new discovery. These thin thorns do not grow spontaneously (as they thought), but rather grow towards possible contact partners. Within the first eight hours no piece of information can be exchanged between the newly emerged cell contacts. Not until the following hours it is decides whether a connection remains exist or disappears. For sure, those contacts, that are still available after 24 hours, have fully functioning synapses which can transfer information and have a good chance to exist after several days. Then the reconstruction in the brain is locked evidently. Which parts of the brain remember which type of memory?

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Advantages of City Life

Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. The Advantages of City Life There are undeniable advantages to both life in a big city and in a small town. The former offers more excitement and convenience while the latter offers a cleaner, quieter and often friendlier place to live.However, despite the advantages of small town life, I prefer to live in a big city for several reasons. First, life in the city is more convenient. More goods are available and stores are open later. Also, there is better public transportation so it is easier to get around. I can find almost anything I want easily in the city. Second, there are more ways to spend leisure time in the city. There are many places I can go to meet friends and have fun.Finally, and most importantly, the city offers more educational and career opportunities. The city often attracts the best teach ers and the best companies. There is also a wider choice of jobs so it is easier to move up the career ladder. For all of these reasons, I prefer to live in the city. Although I sometimes miss the fresh air and quiet life of a small town, nothing can make up for the opportunities that the city offers me. If one wants to be successful, I believe the best place to live is the city. The Advantages of City Life The Advantages Of City Life Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. The Advantages of City Life There are undeniable advantages to both life in a big city and in a small town. The former offers more excitement and convenience while the latter offers a cleaner, quieter and often friendlier place to live. However, despite the advantages of small town life, I prefer to live in a big city for several reasons. First, life in the city is more convenient. More goods are available and stores are open later. Also, there is better public transportation so it is easier to get around. I can find almost anything I want easily in the city. Second, there are more ways to spend leisure time in the city. There are many places I can go to meet friends and have fun. Finally, and most importantly, the city offers more educational and career opportunities. The city often attracts the best teachers and the best companies. There is also a wider choice of jobs so it is easier to move up the career ladder. For all of these reasons, I prefer to live in the city. Although I sometimes miss the fresh air and quiet life of a small town, nothing can make up for the opportunities that City LifeAs the famous saying goes â€Å"Grass is always greener on the other side†. People who live in the countryside might long to live in the city and those in the city may long for the peace and quiet of countryside life. However, countryside life and city life have several differences which may attract one person or repel another. Let us see some of these differences. Firstly, â€Å"The first wealth is health†, an elderly person might find life in the city to be better in the long run as there is better access to health care facilities and quick availability of round the clock emergency services. However, the kind of health care available in the city is not accessible to someone living in the countryside, as the countryside might have only a local clinic with a rural nurse available, sometimes even a doctor might not be available in the clinic. To add on to that the clinics are not equipped with the supplies necessary for an emergency, sometimes even basic medication becomes out of stock Cities are normally very crowded places as compared to countryside. In the city, you might not have the privacy that you wish for. You would not be able to go outside without bumping into people. You have 10 people living in a small one room kitchen and buildings just as far away as 5 feet. This however is a total different case in the countryside. You might walk for miles without encountering anyone and your nearest neighbor would live miles away. The population of the entire countryside may not be more than a few hundred. Due to high populations and great amount of disposable income, almost everyone in the city has one vehicle or the other. These vehicles, in addition to other sources of pollution, add on to the already worsening atmosphere. On the other hand in the countryside’s due to the absences of a large number of vehicles and other sources of pollution, you have abundance of fresh air and a very calm, clean and serene climatic conditions which are good for our†¦