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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Relationship between Venezuela and USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Relationship between Venezuela and USA - Essay Example Latin America exerted new efforts toward integration. Moreover, the U.S. started to visualize a hemispheric alliance that would revolutionize the North-South structure of the American continent (Weeks 10). In Venezuela, the presidency of Hugo Chavez seemed to define a decisive moment, even a snapping point, whose importance should be explored within the perspective of the long-standing history of the relationship between Venezuela and the United States. This essay discusses the relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela. It focuses on Venezuela’s resistance to the domination strategy of the United States. The Interest of the United States in Latin America and Venezuela The key aspect of the relationship of U.S. with Latin American countries since the postwar period has been how these North and South regions of the Western hemisphere became profoundly engaged in the existence of each other in all possible ways—culturally, militarily, politically, and economically. Inter dependence became more evident during the post-Cold War years (De Escobar & Romero 39). However, the culmination of the Cold War did not produce interdependence, instead it exposed it. Latin American countries had been dependent on the U.S. for so long for popular culture, products and/or services, employment, security, technology, and investment capital. The people of the United States, in the meantime, had long desired the productive lands of Latin America, as well as its cheap labor and raw materials. However, the United States has sustained interest in Latin America for a much more important motive (De Escobar & Romero 39-42). Latin America and the U.S. had approximately the same population in 1945. However, by 2005 Latin America already surpassed the U.S. population. As the Latin American population continued growing, the region occupied an even bigger space in the imperialistic goals of the United States. Hence, in a period defined by issues of unilateral militarism, anti-Amer icanism, and globalization, the fusion of Latin America and the U.S. becomes more important than ever (Brewer 50). Venezuela’s democratic aspirations and its oil industry built special relations with the United States that eventually led to other developments: Venezuela’s aspiration to attain stronger independence, and bigger episodes that lessened the sense of Venezuela’s special status. Venezuela somewhat undervalued its relationship with the U.S. Similarly, the U.S. tended to disregard the fact that Venezuelan democracy would be successful (Brewer 81). In fact, forces undermining Venezuela’s national political system escalated gradually. By the 1990s, chaotic episodes in Venezuela would overturn several of these developments and pave the way for major reforms. If not for the uncovering of oil in Venezuela, maybe the United States and Venezuela would not have built the special relationship they have had from then on. The exceptional relationship built b y the extraordinary interest of the U.S. in securing stable oil supplies has been both the strength and weakness of their relations all over the 20th century (De Escobar & Romero 72). Venezuela has always expected that the U.S. would acknowledge their special position as trustworthy friends and have at times felt distressed and ignored that, sometimes, the U.S. has taken them for granted. This may not have been the situation during large-scale conflicts in Europe or other parts of the world, when the oil advantage of Venezuela became more valuable, but in ordinary times, and particularly since the expansion of energy sources that arose after the oil problem in the 1970s, Venezuela has at times fell into the bottom of U.S. priorities (De Escobar &

Monday, October 28, 2019

Unit 1 Assignment †an Introduction to Working with Children Essay Example for Free

Unit 1 Assignment – an Introduction to Working with Children Essay Nursery schools are a statutory setting for children under five. The main purpose of them is to provide pre-school education and sessional care for children aged 2-4. They are entitled to 15 hours free each week at a nursery school. Nursery schools are usually open from 9am 12pm and 1pm 3pm and most are attached to a primary school. They follow a curriculum, the EYFS, to educate the children. Nursery school are also a valuable provision because going to nursery can provide children with many different experiences and can help them to develop their social skills and begin forming relationships with other children. A statutory setting for over fives is primary school. Primary schools provide education for children aged between 4 and 11 years old. They are usually open from 9am 3pm. Primary schools follow a curriculum which covers, the EYFS in reception class and also Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, from year 1 to year 6. Children can also further develop key social skills, in primary school, through the interactions and relationships they have with other children. D2 One provision in the private sector, for children under five, are nannies. Nannies provide childcare within the family’s home. A nanny will often live with the family, depending on the individual circumstances, allowing 24hour care to be provided. Nannies may care for children of any age, although maternity nannies or night nannies, will generally only provide care for children from newborn to five years old. After school clubs are one childcare setting, in the private sector, for children aged between five and seven. Often parents working hours will not coincide with the school hours of the children, in that case after school clubs are a very useful provision. An after school club provides care for school age children, from the end of the school day, usually 3pm up until 6pm at the latest. They will usually be based in or near schools and provide a variety of activities, including sports, arts and crafts and many others. D3 Play specialists work with children, of all ages, and their families, within the family’s home or with children in hospital. They can provide advice and ideas for parents on ways to engage their children in play, if parents are experiencing difficulties. They aim to provide children with a variety of play activities to meet the child’s individual play needs. Both therapeutic and developmental activities for the children can be provided by play therapists, to help explore existing problems and provide coping strategies for children and their families, keeping in mind the individual emotional, physical, developmental and social needs of the child. Within a hospital setting they can help children to feel more comfortable and at home, by helping them to cope with the separation from their family and prepare them for the stress and difficulties the child might face during their treatment. D4 + C1 + A + D8. One of your professional responsibilities within a childcare setting is to keep information about children and their families confidential. All confidential information that the setting holds should be kept in a locked filing cabinet. As well as this all staff, volunteers and students must read and sign the setting’s confidentiality policy. ‘Information that you learn during the course of your work is confidential and you must be careful not to discuss it outside of the workplace or with anyone who does not have direct involvement,’ page 315, Child Care and Education, Penny Tassoni. This means that staff members and students on placement in a childcare setting must not discuss any information they have been told, outside of the setting or even in the setting’s staffroom, as they could be overheard, by people who do not need to know that information and should not know about it. Care must be taken at all times by staff that they do not gossip or accidentally let slip about any information they know to staff or anyone else, who does not need to know that information. The parents or guardians of the children, in the setting, must always be informed of what information is held about them, in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This is also important in building trust between you and the parents, for example if you did let slip a piece of confidential information about a child, outside of the setting and the parents found out about it, you would loose their trust in you and in future they may be far more reluctant to tell you information about the child and their home life, which could actually be very important for you to know. However, there are some instances in which you should refer information about children and families to other professionals in the setting. For example, if you notice a child coming into the setting, with unexplained injuries, such as cuts and bruises and are concerned that this could indicate possible abuse, this should be reported to your supervisor, so they can pass this information onto the appropriate professionals and the matter can be investigated further. Also if a child tells you something or you notice unusual changes in their behaviour, which leads you to believe that child could be a victim of abuse, this should also be reported to your supervisor, as the health and safety of the children in your care should always be put first. Another example of this could be if a child presents particularly challenging behaviour, which begins to be a worry. In this case the parents should be notified of the problem and it may also be necessary to refer the child to a specialist. D5 + B1 When preparing to work in a placement it is important to first find out about the placement. If the setting has a website, it may be a good idea to look it up and read through the information on there, so you know a little bit more about how they work, what exactly they do their and what they provide. It is also essential that you get in contact with the placement yourself, either by writing them a letter, calling them on the phone or sending an e-mail, so you can ask them what they expect you to wear, what time you should arrive, what time you will finish, who your supervisor will be and if there is anything you will need to bring with you. The placement should provide you with a copy of their rules and policies, when you start. However, if they don’t you should ask them for a copy as it is vital you read these. First impressions are very important, so on arrival at your placement it is important that you maintain a certain standard of behaviour, making sure you know how you will get to the placement and how long it will take you is a good start, so that you can ensure you will be punctual. Also making sure you are dressed smartly and well prepared. This shows the placement that you respect them, that you want to be there and that you are taking it seriously. It is very important to give a good impression on placement, as this will help build their trust in you. First impressions also tend to stick in the mind and the impression you give could affect their view of you for the remainder of the time you spend there and how likely they would be to accept you for another placement there in future or even a job. D6 + D7 Having a variety of dolls, within a childcare setting, that show diversity, for example dolls with different coloured skin or dolls that are depicted with a disability, such as being in a wheelchair, is a good and easy way of catering to the individual children in your care. For example, having a doll that resembles themself may help a child of a different race feel more relaxed and less out of place, in a setting, where perhaps there are very few or no other children of their race. Also this can help children begin to learn about diversity and get used to the fact that other people may look very different to themselves and may have disabilities. Another good way of showing the value of each individual is to show an awareness of different cultures within the setting. One way of doing this could be by teaching the children songs and dances from different countries. The children can begin to learn from this that everyone likes to sing and dance, but different cultures have their own special ways of doing this. Also to expand on this activity you could also provide instruments from different countries for the children to experiment with as well or even ask parents if they have instruments that the children could bring in to listen to or try out. B2 + D8 It is important to always show a positive attitude to work while in a childcare setting and you can demonstrate this in many ways. ‘Always remember to say please and thank you even if you are in a rush,’ page 316 Child Care and Education, Penny Tassoni. Saying please and thank you is an example of basic courtesy, you do not want to appear rude or ungrateful and so it is very important that you are careful to use proper manners anywhere you work. You should also always try to remain non-judgemental and not allow your own prejudices or personal feelings to influence how you treat your colleagues, the children and parents of the children. Showing that you respect the parents is also very important. If you need to speak to a parent or a parent wishes to speak to you about something confidential, you should  take them to the office or another room where it will be private, if at all possible, as this is a good way to show that you respect the parent. Teamwork, communication skills and showing some initiative are also very important. When given a task, always make sure you fully understand it and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure about anything, you should always ask for help when you need it. If you have a lot of tasks to complete, figure out which are the most essential and do those first before carrying out the less important tasks, this is one way to show your initiative. You can also demonstrate a positive attitude through using positive, open body language and smiling, by doing this people will feel more comfortable around you and more able to approach you. A* There are three different learning styles, auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. Recognising your preferred learning style can be very useful in planning your studies and revising. For example, an auditory learner could benefit from listening to a recording of important points as they go to sleep, while a visual learner would probably benefit more from highlighting different key words in their notes. I am predominantly a visual learner and there are many ways I could use this knowledge to aid in my learning. While taking notes during class for instance, I could draw diagrams and sketches that illustrate the topic and relate to specific paragraphs, which would make the information a lot easier to remember and would help find the key points quicker when revising. Also drawing flowcharts, where applicable, and using mind maps would be useful to help me study and would also be very valuable to revise from later on. The visual journey or story technique could also be a good way to remember things for a visual learner, such as myself, as this technique links information you need to remember to a visual journey or story, which helps when trying to memorize something that you can’t necessarily ‘see. ’ It could also be useful for me to think about the way I layout my notes as the organization and layout of notes, could help to make them more visual and therefore easier to remember and revise from. D8 Bibliography Tassoni, Penny. 12th October 2000, Certificate in Childcare and Education, Heinemann 1st edition.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Essay -- Literary Analys

  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m never going to act like my mother!† These words are increasingly common and yet unavoidable. Why is it that as children, we are able to point out every flaw in our parents, but as we grow up, we recognize that we are repeating the same mistakes we observed? The answer is generational curses: un-cleansed iniquities that increase in strength from one generation to the next, affecting the members of that family and all who come into relationship with that family (Hickey 13). Marilyn Hickey, a Christian author, explains how this biblically rooted cycle is never ending when she says, â€Å"Each generation adds to the overall iniquity, further weakening the resistance of the next generation to sin† (21, 22). In other words, if your parents mess up you are now susceptible to making the same mistakes, and are most likely going to pass those mistakes to your children. In The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie shows the beauty of hope i n the presence of a generational curse. Even though the elders are the ones who produce the curses, they are also the ones who attempt to break Junior from their bond forming mistakes. The curses that Arnold’s elders imprint on him lead him to break out of his cultural bonds and improve himself as a developing young man. Mr. P bestows the curse of hopelessness to Arnold, which inspires him to break free from the bonds of his ancestors. Even though his students see him as worthless, Mr. P is humble, poor, hurt by the ones he is trying to save, an educator, and merciful, which leads to the betterment of Junior. Going back to biblical references, the readers can see that these adjectives also line up perfectly with the personality of Jesus: the higher power capable of breaking generation... ...ibe. As Mr. P, Grandma, and Mary share a small piece of their lives with Arnold, they show him how hopelessness, insecurity, and disregard to curses can make people's lives miserable. Even though everyone in society recognizes this, they cannot break free because they do not have the opportunity of a higher power to break them from their generational curses. As Junior observes all of this, he decides to be the one who breaks free by using the hardships of the curses presented to him as a motivation. He is a symbol of hope in the midst of a generational curse. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print. Hickey, Marilyn. Breaking Generational Curses. Tulsa: Harrison House, Inc., 2000. Print. Moore, Beth. So Long Insecurity. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Time of Change in the Market Revolution Essay

1815 to 1860 was a crucial time for American commerce and urbanization that not only had strong economic influences, but also altered social and political perspectives. This time period, known as the Market Revolution, stemmed largely from the advancement in technology which led to transportation improvements and the building of railroads. Banks also contributed to the growing economy by increasing economic input and providing loans to merchants, manufacturers, and farmers. The rapid expansion of commerce and transportation had profound effects on American individuals socio-economic goals; a sense of self-confidence and domestic ideology surfaced, perpetuating westward expansion. Along with the spread of urbanization came the circulation of literary publications that fostered the spread of popular opinions; this eventually became an essential component to the many reform movements ultimately caused by the Market Revolution. All of these factors contributed to the republican ideal of individual freedom. Although the Market Revolution promoted economic and social growth through the development of technology and industry, it also led to actions threatening to republican liberties like equality and the inherent rights of man. Concerns of tyranny and disregard to the American Constitution caused many to focus on preserving the American republic through reform movements. The main driving factor of the reform movements that took place following the Market Revolution was the obscurity of republican values. Despite the positive influences the Market Revolution had on quality of life and transportation, many Americans feared the corruption of their individual liberties. They had proper reason to believe that this would be an occurrence caused by the unbalanced power that was established during the Market Revolution. One example of this unbalance was the increasing power of banks, more specifically addressed by Andrew Jackson when he vetoed the Second Bank of the United States. He asserts that the monopolized bank system undermines the rights of ordinary people because it establishes significant distinctions between classes where the upper class holds the power and dominates over the lower class. In a way, he attempts to reform the government-established powers instilled by the Second Bank of the United States by voicing how it is an abuse of power and limits economic opportunity for ordinary people. In addition to the unbalanced power created by the banks, a prominent deterrent from republican autonomy was the inequality that this instability of power caused for individual Americans. The rapid expansion of agriculture and population corresponded to the growth of slavery, which is the most pronounced example of the inequality America experienced during and after the Market Revolution. Slavery was seen by many as a direct violation of the Constitution and the inherent rights of man, which defy republican values. In the Republican National Platform, Abraham Lincoln brings to light that the inequality of slavery threatens national sovereignty, â€Å"That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence and embodied in the Federal Constitution, †¦ is essential to the preservation of our Republican institutions; and that the Federal Constitution, the Rights of States, and the Union of the States, must and shall be preserved.† A nationalistic togetherness, while still maintaining individual freedom, is eminent in establishing and fulfilling republic ideology. Slavery was a direct violation of man’s inalienable rights, and therefore many abolitionist movements took place in order to reform the corrupt nation. Acts of slavery and other injustices initiated by the Market Revolution that defied republican values were identified as needing reform, in William H. Seward’s speech in 1855 he said, â€Å"We must restore the demoralized virtue of the nation. We must restore the principle of equality among the members of the State –the principle of the sacredness of the absolute and inherent rights of man.† The emerging Democratic party was host to many of the promoters of personal reform and social problems, while the Whig party advocated the reform of moralism and state-sponsored entrepreneurship. One of the initial influences of the reform movements was the moral mending that was deemed necessary by Protestants in order to overcome the sins occurring in society, and enact a sense of righteousness. These ideas of self-virtue and societal justice were reflected in the Second Great Awakening and the Temperance movement in the early 1800’s. The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival that had a strong influence on women, giving them a voice in society and the ability to make an impact for the salvation of American values. The Temperance movement had a similar purpose, to promote self-perfection and eliminate the many sins that became prominent in society during the Market Revolution. The movement focused on alcohol abuse and sexual sin, and although it bolstered self improvement for many individuals, a main impact of both the Temperance movement and the Second Great Awakening was the eminent duty of women to speak out against controversial happenings. Both of these movements had strong positive effects on the preservation of the republic because they fostered public regard to individual goodness, which in turn led to other reform movements and the ability for both women and men to speak out against injustices. Both women’s rights and slaves rights were distinguished issues that violated the equality of the republic, and therefore certain groups sought reform these corrupt aspects of American society. In the 1830’s, the abolitionist movement was initiated in an attempt to dissolve the sin of slavery. Although abolition became the source of immense controversy and even violence, the movement against slavery allowed slaves like Robert Glenn and Frederick Douglass to share their stories in an attempt to bring to light the corruption taking place in America. These movements did in fact help persuade many groups of people, mostly Democrats, of the Constitutional and moral violations that slavery inhibits. However, westward expansion and distinct divisions between the nation made it difficult to prevent the spread of slavery. Despite the fact that abolitionist movements did not have immediate effects on the eradication of slavery, it did open doors for public opinion and womens righ ts. In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott spoke out at the Seneca Falls Convention against the unequal status of women and how it reflects tyranny rather than the individual liberties of a republic. They emphasize the main point of both slavery and women’s rights reformations, â€Å"The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source.† These movements did impact the protection of republicanism through the expression of activists who exposed the exploitation and inequality occurring due to slavery and unbalanced privileges of women. The Market Revolution had a domino effect on the fabric of the republic. It propelled economic growth and industrial expansion which then perpetuated unbalanced power within the government. This obscured the political values of individuals and brought about such a dramatic shift in thinking regarding opportunity and personal liberties that many people were concerned about the loss of republicanism. Members of the public like the Grimke sisters, as well as members of the government like Andrew Jackson, identified the injustices of inequality that were caused by the Market Revolution and felt as though reform was necessary to preserve the republic. The reform movements that took place, such as the Second Great Awakening and the abolitionist movement, exposed the pollution of republican ideals like individual freedom and egalitarianism. Although these messages were controversial between the sectional division of the North and South, reform movements still established a voice for the republic and eventually managed to preserve the prominent aspects of the republic. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Andrew Jackson, â€Å"Veto Message,† in John Majewski, History of American Peoples, 1840-1920: A Primary Source Reader (Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt 2006), 5. [ 2 ]. Abraham Lincoln, â€Å"Republicans Adopt a Strong Anti-Slavery Platform,† in Majewski, 50. [ 3 ]. William H. Seward, â€Å"The Dangers of Extending Slavey, and the Contest and the Crisis,† in Majewski, 41. [ 4 ]. Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Hartmann, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 330. [ 5 ]. Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Hartmann, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 322. [ 6 ]. Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Hartmann, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 323. [ 7 ]. Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Hartmann, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 324. [ 8 ]. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, â€Å"The Seneca Falls Convention Advocates Complete Equality† in Majewski, 24.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Saussure and Derrida

A science that studies the life of signs within society is conceivable; . . . I shall call it semiology (from Greek semeion ‘sign'). Semiology would show what constitutes signs, what laws govern them. Since the science does not yet exist, no one can say what it would be. . . . (Saussure, 1960:16) In this statement Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), the twentieth-century father of the science of signs, presents his theory about language and gives a Greek name. This enterprise has considerably affected most discussions about language and of interpretation since its inauguration. Saussure presents the linguistic system as the place of the sign. Signs don't exist apart from a system. And it is every time a system of differences. Unavoidably, the theory of signs leads Saussure to the theory of language as system. Later, Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) discovers the logocentric dynamic in Saussure's new theory. Referring to the father of structural linguistics and semiology, Derrida leads readers beyond Saussure toward a poststructuralist future. It is this logocentrism which, limiting the internal system of language in general by a bad abstraction, prevents Saussure and the majority of his successors from determining fully and explicitly that which is called ‘the integral and concrete object of linguistics† (Cours 23). Both Ferdinand de Saussure – father of 20th-century linguistics and Jacques Derrida – founder of deconstruction made profound impact upon language theory; their ideas laid the basis for considerable developments in linguisti cs in the 20th century. Saussure on Language In itself, thought is like a swirling cloud, where no shape is intrinsically determinate. No ideas are established in advance, and nothing is distinct, before the introduction of linguistic structure. [†¦] Just as it is impossible to take a pair of scissors and cut one side of paper without at the same time cutting the other, so it is impossible in a language to isolate sound from thought, or thought from sound. To separate the two for theoretical purposes takes us into either pure psychology or pure phonetics, not linguistics. Linguistics, then, operates along this margin, where sound and thought meet. The contact between them gives rise to a form, not a substance (Cours 155-7). This impressive statement from the posthumously published Cours de linguistique generale of Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) introduces readers in what was later called as a ‘Copernican revolution' in Western thought relating to language. Why ‘Copernican’? Because just as Copernicus had asserted that the Earth revolved around the Sun, instead of the Sun revolving around the Earth, Saussure asserts something similar on the subject of language. His theory claimed that languages are the instruments that give human beings opportunity to achieve a rational understanding of the world in which they live. Rather than considering words as mere addition to human comprehension of reality, Saussure considered comprehension of reality as depending substantially upon human use of the verbal signs that form the language people use. Language is not secondary but, quite the reverse, central to human life. As a result, human life is linguistically constructed life. Saussure's theory goes far beyond the traditional theory of language as something communicated. It also goes beyond Locke's theory of words as symbols that stand for ideas. Many linguistic philosophers had claimed that without language human reason would be lacking its principal instrument of transformation ideas into words. But Saussure's theory goes further and deeper. Saussure indicates the phonetic and conceptual aspects of language. Linguistics was for Saussure only one subdivision of a relating to various branches science of signs that he proposed to call ‘semiology' (semiologie). Each branch of semiology had a theory of the signs which it studied. Consequently, linguistics would need a theory of the linguistic sign, the fundamental unit of langue. Such a theory of language Saussure proceeds to offer. As his paper-cutting analogy shows, he deals with the linguistic sign as a unit determined merely by its form. Its form has two facets, or ‘opposite sides'. The Saussurean technical identifications for these two facets of the sign are signifiant and signifie (the ‘signifying' plane and the ‘signified' plane) (Matthews 21). Every langue includes semiological system of bi-planar signs. Each sign has its signifiant and its signifie. Despite the fact that each plane may, for convenience, be analyzed one by one, no linguistic sign can be determined without considering both planes that are equally important. The published in 1916 text of the Cours faithfully reflects Saussure's theory about language. That text became the subsequent chapter in the history of ideas about language theory. The text became a cornerstone of modern linguistic theory, as well as the public declaration of a more general intellectual movement of the 20th century that had effect on such diverse disciplines as psychology, social anthropology and literary criticism. This all-round movement is today known as ‘structuralism'. The whole question that the Saussurean theory of linguistic structure gives rise is this: ‘If our langue is a structure, then a structure of what exactly? ‘ (Matthews 69) Saussure's answer to this question is problematic. He identified langue as being at the same time a structure of the mental operations of the human beings, and also a structure of the communicational processes by means of which human beings perform their roles as a cultural constitution. So langue is finally supra-individual in the relation that it is placed in society and depends for its existence on cultural relations; yet it assumes in each individual the power of an internally created system of linguistic signs. More exactly, langue, Saussure claims, ‘is never complete in any single individual, but exists perfectly only in the collectivity' (Cours 30). Derrida’s Theory of Language The theory of language to which Derrida wants to turn attention is connected with the method linguistic meaning is produced. More exactly, the method what there is of linguistic meaning and nonmeaning in their interconnection is presented. Derrida, in his theory of deconstruction, presents the same structure for both the process of nonaesthetic negativity and the process of aesthetic negativity. â€Å"Deconstruction† is connected with an analysis of the theory of language that, similar to the process of aesthetic negativity, discovers within this theory the seeds of its own downfall. Derrida presents a theory of meaning that reflects the idea of the â€Å"iterability† of signs and what he calls their â€Å"supplementary† status. Jonathan Culler summarized Derrida's central idea in this regard in the following way: Our earlier formula, â€Å"meaning is context-bound, but context is boundless,† helps us recall why both projects fail: meaning is context-bound, so intentions do not in fact suffice to determine meaning; context must be mobilized. But context is boundless, so accounts of context never provide full determinations of meaning. Against any set of formulations, one can imagine further possibilities of context, including the expansion of context produced by reinscription within a context of the description of it (Menke 96). Considering Culler's interpretation, Derrida's thesis of the uncircumventable proclivity of language for crisis is based on the difference between what one expects context to offer and what it can really do, when correctly viewed. The nonetheless inevitable recourse to context in the determination of meaning thus results in a crisis for every attempt to comprehend language. What is supposed to generate definitiveness is itself unlimited and thus the source of unmanaged difference. Derrida’s general thesis thus is based on the idea that the understanding of the meaning of signs can only function in a context-bound way. At the same time that contexts cannot define the meaning of signs since they are themselves boundless. The boundlessness that meaning opens itself to in its context-boundedness is in no way eo ipso the boundlessness of a difference that is inconsistent with any identity of meaning (Menke 90). Derrida himself realizes his argument that a â€Å"thousand possibilities will always remain open even if one understands something in this phrase that makes sense† (Menke 96) in an equivocal fashion. On the one hand this idea means: every sign can function in different and boundlessly many contexts. This is precisely what determines the iterability of signs: their reusability in contexts that are not actually those in which they were first placed. The usability of signs in boundlessly many contexts in itself, though, in no way is opposite to the definitiveness of its use and meaning as determined by rules of language. Although one might note, with Derrida, that the deconstruction of logocentrism is a search for â€Å"the other of language† (Derrida 1984, 123), this does not contribute to the statement that deconstruction is originally concerned with a linguistic theory. This is first and foremost the question of the concrete instance, of â€Å"the other, which is beyond language† (Derrida 1984,123). Far, then, from being a philosophy that according to its critics, states that there is nothing beyond language and that one is confined within language, deconstruction can be considered as a response. â€Å"Deconstruction is, in itself, a positive response to an alterity which necessarily calls, summons or motivates it. Deconstruction is therefore vocation – a response to a call† (Derrida 1984,118). Derrida claims that the character of deconstruction is not solely positive, that is not merely an assertion of what already exists and is known, but that it is an assertion of what is wholly other (tout autre) (Derrida 1992, 27). Derrida claims that difference is not something that can appear in logocentric discourse: â€Å"differance is not,† Derrida explains, â€Å"preceded by the originary and indivisible unity of a present possibility that I could reserve†¦. What defers presence, on the contrary, is the very basis on which presence is announced or desired in what represents it, its sign, its trace†¦. Differance is â€Å"that which produces different things, that which differentiates, is the common root of all the oppositional concepts that mark our language†¦ † (Positions, 89). Differance is neither structure nor origin, â€Å"such an alternative itself being an ‘effect' of differance. † Even so, studying the operations of differance requires that the writer use such concepts as structure and origin and â€Å"borrow the syntaxic and lexical resources of the language of metaphysics† even if the writer wishes to deconstruct this language ( Positions, pp. -10). Derrida indicates that differance is not an origin. Neither language nor writing springs in differance. Instead, Derrida says, differance allows the play of absence and presence, writing and thought, structure and force by means of which the question of origin comes to know itself. Saussure and Derrida Exactly at this point one is faced with one of the most problematic though fascinating dimensions of Derrida's theory. The problem, stated above, is that, as soon as it is recognized that there are no simple, unsignified, transcendental signifiers that fix and warrant the meaning of the words, that there exist no originals to which the words can be attributed, one comes to conditions where even this acknowledgement itself seems to have become â€Å"floating† (May 125). Derrida resolves this difficult situation with the help of above discussed theory of signs and of language developed by Ferdinand de Saussure. Despite the idea that language is in a fundamental way a naming process, attaching words to things, Saussure had claimed that language is a system, or a structure. In the structure any individual element is meaningless outside the boundaries of that structure. In language, he asserts, there are only differences. But – and here the ideas of Saussure are basic for Derrida's deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence – these differences are not differences between positive terms, that is between terms that in and by themselves are connected with objects or things outside the system. Accordingly, in language, Saussure indicates, there are only differences without positive terms (May 127). But if this is true, if there are no positive terms, then it means that one can no longer define the differential position of language itself by means of a positive term either. Difference without positive terms indicates that this dimension must itself always be left unperceived for, roughly speaking, it is unconceptualizable. It is a difference that cannot be returned into the order of the same and, through a signifier, given individual characteristics. This suggests, then, that â€Å"the play of difference, which, as Saussure reminded us, is the condition for the possibility and functioning of every sign, is in itself a silent play† (Derrida 1982, 5). If, however, one wants to articulate that – one must first of all admit that there can never be a word or a concept to correspond to this silent play. One must also admit that this play cannot merely be exposed, for â€Å"one can expose only that which at a certain moment can become present† (Derrida 1982, 5). And one must ultimately admit that there is nowhere to begin, â€Å"for what is put into question is precisely the quest for a rightful beginning, an absolute point of departure† (Derrida 1982, 6). All this, and more, is acknowledged in the new â€Å"word† or â€Å"concept† – â€Å"which is neither a word nor a concept† (Derrida 1982:7) but a â€Å"neographism† (Derrida 1982:13) – of differance. The motive why Derrida uses â€Å"what is written as difference† (Derrida 1982, 11) is not difficult to understand. For although â€Å"the play of difference† (Derrida 1982, 11) is introduced as something for the opportunity of all conceptuality, one should not make the mistaken opinion to think that one has finally discovered the real origin of conceptuality. That, expressing the same idea but differently, this play is a playful but despite that transcendental signified. Strictly speaking, in order to avoid this mistake one must acknowledge that the differences that make up the play of difference â€Å"are themselves effects† (Derrida 1982:11, original emphasis). As Derrida claims, What is written as differance, then, will be the playing movement that â€Å"produces† – by means of something that is not simply an activity – these differences, these effects of difference. This does not mean that the differance that produces differences is somehow before them, in a simple and unmodified – in-different – present. Differance is the non-full, non-simple, structured and differentiating origin of differences. Thus, the name â€Å"origin† no longer suits. (Derrida 1982, 11) Although differance is straightforwardly connected with a structuralist idea of meaning – that Derrida recognizes when he indicates that he sees no reason to question the truth of what Saussure proposes (Derrida 1976, 39), there is one important aspect in which differance is outside the scope of structuralism. The point here is that Derrida clearly refuses to accept the primary character of structure itself. Structure is not a transcendental represented (for which reason Derrida notes that he does not want to question the truth of what Saussure proposes â€Å"on the level on which he says it [original emphasis] â€Å"but does want to question the logocentric way in which Saussure says it (Derrida 1976, 39). Structure is even less the effect of an original presence coming before and causing it (Derrida 1978, 278-9). What differance tries to express is the differential character of the â€Å"origin† of structure itself. It is in this relation that one might observe that Derrida's writing is poststructural. To some degree, surely, differance appears when Saussure's examination of how language operates. â€Å"In language,† Saussure indicates, â€Å"there are only differences. Even more important: a difference generally implies positive terms between which the difference is set up; but in language there are only differences without positive terms† (Positions, 120). Derrida's differance in an obvious manner is like Saussure's differences. At the end of Positions, for instance, Derrida specifies â€Å"as differance the movement according to which language, or any other code, any system of reference in general, is constituted ‘historically' as a tissue of differences† (Positions, 104). But Derrida makes an effort to go further. Whereas Saussure considers the differences in a semiotic system as the set of constantly changing relationships the speaker manipulates in order to produce meaning, Derrida defines differance as the boundless disappearance of either an origin of or a final place for meaning. When Derrida describes differance, he always does so by examining what it is not. Rather than considering language in the traditional way, as a set of external signs of already farmed internal thoughts (characteristic of â€Å"logocentrism†), Derrida, like Saussure and modern linguistics, thinks of users of language producing coded, that is, repeatable, marks or traces that originate from within certain unities of meaning as â€Å"effects† of the code. These traces are not fundamentally meaningful in themselves but â€Å"arbitrary† and â€Å"conventional† (Menke 96). Thus there is no difference whether one says â€Å"rex,† â€Å"rol,† or â€Å"king† so long as â€Å"we† – those who share these conventions – can tell the difference between rex and lex, roi and loi, and king and sing (Menke 96). The meaning – is a process of the difference, of the distance or the â€Å"spacing† between the traces, what is called, in an absolutely serious way, the â€Å"play† of differences or traces. By the â€Å"play of differences† Derrida defines the differential spacing, the recognized distance, the recognized (heard, seen) intervals between traces first analyzed in structural linguistics (Menke 97). Conclusion A comprehensive historical examination of deconstruction would necessarily include numerous precursors and forerunners: Freud, Hegel, Heidegger, Husserl, Lacan, Levi-Strauss, Marx, Nietzsche, Saussure. . . . However, it can be said that the history of contemporary deconstruction begins with Jacques Derrida De la grammatologie (1967) that opens with a critique of Saussure. Saussure’s theory of language is here framed within a metaphysical system that extends from Plato and Aristotle to Heidegger and Levi-Strauss. By Derrida this theory is called â€Å"logocentric. † Saussure marks a concluding stage of the long logocentric epoch. Derrida indicates that logocentrism imposed itself upon the world and controlled the theory of language. Derrida’s contributions laid ground for future epoch. In the role of prophet, Derrida concludes his â€Å"Exergue† indicating: â€Å"The future can only be anticipated in the form of an absolute danger. It is that which breaks absolutely with constituted normality and can only be proclaimed, presented, as a sort of monstrosity. For that future world and for that within it which will have put into question the values of sign, word, and writing, for that which guides our future anterior, there is as yet no exergue† (Derrida 1967).

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Genetic engeneering essays

Genetic engeneering essays Genetic engineering has some history of good and bad. In 1989as a result of the food supplement Typtophan, 37 people died, 1500 were permanently disabled, and 5000 were very ill as result of high toxin levels in the food. No one knows the future side effects. Such as in August 19994, corn crops grew three inches tall and then suddenly fell over dead, because past crops drained the soil of most nutrients. Genetics have some new applications. They have newer and better-enhanced cells to be bigger and to produce more. For example soybean companies, they try to get a cell of all or mostly protein. It didnt work to well many people had an allergic reactions. Now scientists are looking and trying to make bigger and better plants. Scientists are also looking for a way to make plants grow twice or three times as big and produce more. That will let them get more crops out of one area of land. Scientists are out to educate people about engineering in plants. To let them know what they are eating. So they dont eat something that a major problem, and most of the public agree to be produced. Since scientists dont know about the long-term effects, because no long-term tests have been able to conducted. There are some negatives that come with everything but genetic engineering on plants has some pretty good ones. People have unknown reactions to some foods that have been altered. Our public health agencies are powerless to trace problems of any kind, back to the source, because there are no labels. There are unexpected and unknown side effects yet to be discovered. Genetic engineering also has its good side. We can produce three times as many crops in one field at one time. That will make our plants three times the size. It will also make the food we produce three times as much. This will help people buy making food in good supply year round, and making it c ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Ukrainian Folklore Essays - Ukrainian Studies, Ukrainian Dance

Ukrainian Folklore Essays - Ukrainian Studies, Ukrainian Dance Ukrainian Folklore Purposes of Ukrainian-American Folklore The relatively large Ukrainian community in the United States has many traditions and customs, most of which stem from a feeling of Ukrainian nationalism. As Ukraine was being overtaken by Russia, Ukrainians were immigrating by the thousands to the US. Ukrainians moving to the new world were leaving behind a disappearing culture and moving to a completely different land. Immigrants were proud of their heritage, and many of the traditions that were started in America exist to preserve this heritage and to pass it on to future generations. The Ukrainian Boy Scouting program is one such tradition. Ukrainians in America started this program in the early 1900s to train their young to return to Ukraine and drive the Russians out. This began as resistance to Russian rule over Ukraine. All boys and girls participate in this intermittently throughout the year, starting at age seven and continuing for life. Ukrainian Boy Scouts is very different from the typical American view of Boy Scouts, in that it involves a more rigorous wilderness-training program. This is because the program was essentially started as a military training program, and although it exists now only for fun and tradition, many of the subjects and ideas taught to the youths remain the same. People who are involved in the program put their children through it, as an attempt to preserve Ukrainian culture. When Ukrainians turn eighteen they become counselors, and at age thirty-five they become seniors and run the program. This program, along with a handful of similar programs, was started for various reasons. To begin with, Ukrainian youths had trouble adjusting to American society. They (Ukrainian youth programs) are helping to solve some of the social problems of the second generation that does not seem to be able to find its way into American society or does not feel at home there. Ukrainian youths were out of place in America with no sense of identity, and these programs made the adjustment less difficult. These programs also serve to maintain youth interest in Ukrainian heritage. The adults are perplexed at the indifference of the American-born youth to such worthy institutions (Ukrainian-American organizations). The youth programs involve American-born Ukrainians at a young age, insuring that they will grow up to preserve Ukrainian heritage and culture. A third reason for these programs is that, at the time of their creation, the Ukrainian community in America was divided into two groups. One of them represented independent Ukrainian nationalism and the other, being stimulated by funds from Russia, was pro-Russian. The nationalist group was responsible for these programs. In addition to the other functions, they started these programs to compete with the pro-Russian faction and ensure the survival of Ukrainian culture. These programs exist today to ensure the future of Ukrainian culture, essentially serving the same function it always has. The Red Flower is a traditional Ukrainian song. It also comes from Ukraines history with Russia, and although it is sung in Ukrainian, The chorus goes as follows in English: Down in the valley A flower wilted And our sacred country Went to ruins The flower in the song is a metaphor for Ukraine, and when Russia took control of Ukraine, the flower wilted. This is a somber song, which is sung at serious gatherings such as funerals or church. It is also sung often during the Boy Scouts training, to teach the young to sing it. Clearly this song serves as a source of nationalism, because the words remind those who hear it of Ukraines sad past. The song also reminds Ukrainians of why it is important to preserve their culture, to restore Ukraine to glory. The Hopak is a traditional Ukrainian dance, which is performed frequently by Ukrainians in America. Outsiders often refer it to as the Russian Dance, but it is actually a Ukrainian dance. The dancer is a man wearing leather boots, loose fitting red silk pants, and a white shirt with colored embroidering down the middle. His hair is shaved to the scalp except for a small circle on the top of his head, where the hair is about half a foot long. He squats down low, and kicks his feet out with his body upright and his arms folded.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Liberace Biography and Profile

Liberace Biography and Profile Wladziu Valentino Liberace ( May 16, 1919 - February 4, 1987 ) was a child piano prodigy who became a star of live concerts, television, and recordings. At the height of his success, he was considered one of the worlds highest-paid entertainers. His flamboyant lifestyle and stage appearances earned him the nickname Mr. Showmanship. Early Life Liberace was born in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother was of Polish descent. Liberace began playing the piano at age 4, and his prodigious talent was discovered at an early age. At age 8, Liberace met the legendary Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski backstage at a Pabst Theater concert in Milwaukee. As a teenager in the Great Depression, Liberace earned money performing in cabarets and strip clubs despite disapproval from his parents. At age 20, he performed Liszts Second Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Pabst Theater and subsequently toured the MIdwest as a piano player. Personal Life Liberace often hid his private life as a gay man by allowing public stories about romantic involvement with women to gain traction. In 2011, actress Betty White, a close friend, stated that Liberace was gay and she was often used by his managers to counter homosexual rumors. In the late 1950s, he sued the U.K. newspaper Daily Mirror for libel after it published statements implying that he was gay. He won the case in 1959 and received more than $20,000 in damages. In 1982, Liberaces 22-year-old former chauffeur and live-in lover of five years Scott Thorson sued him for $113 million in palimony after he was fired. Liberace continued to insist that he wasnt gay, and the case was settled out of court in 1986 with Thorson receiving $75,000, three cars, and three pet dogs. Scott Thorson later said that he agreed to settle because he knew that Liberace was dying. His book Behind the Candelabra about their relationship was adapted as an award-winning HBO film in 2013. Music Career In the 1940s, Liberace reworked his live performances from straight classical music to shows that included pop music. it would become a signature element of his concerts. In 1944 he made his first appearance in Las Vegas. Liberace added the iconic candelabra to his act after seeing it used as a prop in the 1945  film A Song To Remember about Frederic Chopin.   Liberace was his own personal publicity machine performing from private parties to sold-out concerts. By 1954, he earned a record $138,000 (more than $1,000,000 today) for a concert at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. Critics panned his piano playing, but his sense of showmanship endeared Liberace to his audiences.   In the 1960s, Liberace returned to Las Vegas and referred to himself as, a one-man Disneyland. His live Las Vegas shows in the 1970s and 1980s often earned more than $300,000 a week. His final stage performance took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York on November 2, 1986. Although he recorded almost 70 albums, Liberaces record sales were relatively small compared to his celebrity. Six of his albums were certified gold for sales. TV and Films Liberaces first network television program, the 15-minute Liberace Show, debuted in July 1952. It didnt lead to a regular series, but a syndicated film of his local live show gave him widespread national exposure. Liberace made guest appearances on a wide variety of other shows in the 1950s and 1960s including The Ed Sullivan Show. A new Liberace Show started on ABC daytime in 1958, but it was canceled after only six months. Liberace eagerly embraced pop culture making guest appearances both on the Monkees and Batman in the late 1960s. In 1978, Liberace appeared on the Muppet Show, and, in 1985, he appeared on Saturday Night Live.   From early in his career, Liberace was interested in earning success as an actor in addition to his musical talents. His first film appearance occurred in the 1950 movie South Sea Sinner. Warner Bros. gave him his first starring role in 1955 in the film Sincerely Yours. Despite a big budget advertising campaign, the movie was a critical and commercial failure. He never again appeared in a lead role in a film. Death Outside of the public eye, Liberace was tested positive for HIV by his personal physician in August 1985. More than a year before Liberaces death, his lover of seven years, Cary James Wyman, was also tested positive. He later died in 1997. Another lover named Chris Adler later came forward after Liberace died and claimed that he received the HIV virus from sex with Liberace. He died in 1990. Liberace kept his own illness a secret until the day he died. He did not seek any medical treatment. One of Liberaces last public interviews took place on TVs Good Morning America in August 1986. During the interview, he hinted that he might be sick. Liberace died of complications of AIDS on February 4, 1987, at his home in Palm Springs, California. At first, a range of causes of death were publicized, but the Riverside County coroner performed an autopsy and declared that those close to Liberace conspired to hide the real cause of death. The coroner stated it was pneumonia as a complication of AIDS. Liberace was buried at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Legacy Liberace achieved his fame in a fashion unique to his own personal style. His presentation of shows as a piano-playing entertainer borrowed from classical music traditions, flamboyant circus-style shows, and the intimacy of piano bars. Liberace maintained an unparalleled connection to his core audience. Liberace is also recognized as an icon among gay entertainers. Although he fought against being labeled as homosexual during his lifetime, his sexual orientation was widely discussed and recognized. Pop music legend Elton John has stated that Liberace was the first gay person he remembered seeing on television, and he considered Liberace to be a personal hero. Liberace also played a key role in the development of Las Vegas as an entertainment mecca. He opened the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas in 1979. It became a key tourist attraction along with his own live shows. The proceeds from the museum benefited the Liberace Foundation of Performing and Creative Arts. After 31 years, the museum closed in 2010 due to declining admissions.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Report for the Task Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Report for the Task - Assignment Example Metal direct places prices on the basis of the daily stock price for silver while Rooksons considers a fixed price for silver that is reviewed quarterly. By offering to work on the basis of a fixed price for silver, which is reviewed on a quarterly basis, Rooksons presents a better deal. According to the survey the company carried out of 200 adult travelers while on the system at peak times, the major factors that may influence how safe customers feel when travelling on the service include: Of the three factors; travel time, number of people travelling together (trips) and reliability, only the number of people travelling together (trips) has an association with ratings of safety on the system. The estimated safety/ the rating likely to be given by a customer, who has travelled for 23 minutes, made 36 trips in the last month and gave a score of 6 for reliability is computed to be 5.252. The forecasts on safety ratings from the model are likely to be more reliable if the numbers of trips the respondents make using the system increases every month. â€Æ' The sales figures for the past thirty days reveal that Men’s Outlet Clothing is experiencing contractions in the business. There is no consistency in the increase of the company’s sales in the five weeks. From the model, the sales figures are dependent on time. There is a significant negative relationship between the sales figures of the company and time. The sales figures of Men’s Outlet clothing reduce as days increase. The recent reduction in sales in the last thirty days can be attributed to time. A closer examination of the daily sales shows that the sales will be lower on Tuesday and Wednesday. The pattern is anticipated to remain the same in the coming weeks with the sales still being lower on Tuesday and Wednesday. From the examination of the recent sales, there is no proof that there is any correlation between the low sales and the number of full-time sales staff. Men’s

Friday, October 18, 2019

Federalism and the Accommodation of Diversity in Ethiopia Research Paper

Federalism and the Accommodation of Diversity in Ethiopia - Research Paper Example The distribution of power on the basis of legislative, executive, and judicial dimension among the federal government and states assists in creating strategic framework for economic, social, and development policies. The constituent units of federalism in Ethiopia are the House of Peoples Representatives (HoPR) and the House of Federation (HoF). The HoF acts as the balancing agent on the contentious issues between states represented by HoPR. Although the systematic design of federalism in Ethiopia resembles with the multicultural federation in other countries, the inclusion of the Nations and Nationalities along with people distinguishes it from the traditional standards of including only people. The constitution requires the congruity between all these three elements- nations, nationality, and people. This raises the concern for official recognition of the languages from various section of population at both state and federal level to protect their identity. The 1995 Federal Constitution defines Amharic as the official language of the federal and empowers the members of states to choose their languages to preserve the cultural identity along with maintaining national unity.

Qualitative Data Collection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Qualitative Data Collection - Essay Example Therefore, qualitative research in education approved of the researcher’s point of view as a critical aspect of the research. Thus, qualitative research in education asserts that the bias or subjectivity of the researcher is fundamental. Consequently, the perspective and value judgment of the researcher are profoundly bonded to the research (Darlington, 2002). In this perspective, the rapport or researcher and the issue that is being studied impossible to disconnect. In simple terms, what a researcher prefers to investigate is connected to his value judgment. There is an idea that research information and researcher’s value-laden conclusions or research interpretation cannot subsist independently. To a certain extent, information and researcher’s perspective are firmly interwoven with each other. Specifically, a researcher is regarded to be an ‘insider to the research’. In principle, this perspective is founded on a ‘subject-subject relationship’ (Darlington, 2002, 15) in which realities in human societies are subjective. There is an assumption that the researcher responds based on his personal value judgment. In any research approach, whether quantitative or qualitative, one of the most important steps is the data collection. In qualitative research in education, there are four major data collection methods, namely, ethnography, educational criticism, action research and case study. Ethnographers try to record, in a systematic manner, how indigenous people behave and how they rationalize their behavior. And ethnography, in principle, is a systematic account of this documentation. Indigenous people are individuals in circumstances anywhere, including youngsters and adolescents in schools, not merely people who subsist in isolated and hostile environments such as jungles or peasant villages (Sherman, 2001). Many researchers

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Busnisse law final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Busnisse law final exam - Essay Example The above scenario can therefore be discussed under promissory estoppel which is a legal law that requires the promisor to honor his or her promise to the promisee. The board in its meeting passed a decision which was based on a promise about paying Faithful $3000 per month as pension as a sort of reward after he retires. The pension promise is implemented only for a period less than two years of which he was in good health. The new president therefore stopping his pension payment despite it having been recorded by the board is nothing short of a breach of a promise. It can be argued that the real reason the pension was stopped was because Faithful became ill and hence was thought to therefore be in no position to assist the company in any way despite him being retired and would therefore be more of a liability than an asset. According to the promissory estoppel, even though it is not legally binding in the sense of a contract with mutual consent, the promisor still has to honor the promise made to the promisee no matter the situation. The court can therefore demand the company to continue paying Faithful the promised pension whether he is sick or not and with this ruling, Faithful can recover his promised pension and continue to enjoy it as before. Homeowner is legally liable to be compensated by Better and also Retailer under negligence defense in the law of tort because of the newly enforced law in the state of East Colombia. According to him, he thought that the mower manufacturer and even seller had honored and implemented the law and hence he was sure it was safe for him to reach under the mower once he applied the brakes on it. In order to prove liability and make a strong defense, the plaintiff suing for negligence has to have had a duty of care from the defense, the duty has to have been breached and caused damage to the plaintiff (Miller and Cross, 123). All these conditions have been

Finance - Audit and Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Finance - Audit and Assurance - Essay Example Thus, this difference in the interest of the auditors and the clients makes it tough for the auditors to remain ethical while dealing with the clients (Rennie & et. al., 2006). Accountancy and auditing have been referred as complicated as well as practical procedures. In comparison to these characteristics, ethics could be considered to be far less complicated. Ethics can be described to be the honest, loyal, truthful and reliable way of performing an action. It is considered to be significantly important for auditors to perform their actions and their ways of working in an ethical manner. Ethics is required to be paid attention in case of auditing for the reason of reducing risk with regard to grave illegal actions (Campbell & Houghton, 2005). Auditing is concerned with dealing with financial statements and accounts of an organisation. Therefore, this process needs adequate compliance with ethical manners or specification. This is important as this would help to keep away the audito r from getting involved into any kind of legal liabilities or earn a bad reputation (Campbell, 2004). Unethical dealing by an auditing firm named Arthur Andersen gave rise to the scandal of Enron who was one of the firm’s client. The revelation of the corruption and the deliberate fraud proved fatal for both the company, Enron as well as for Arthur Andersen. The company was compelled to declare itself to be a bankrupt and the subsistence of the ace auditing firm came to an end with the exposure of this scandal (Cunningham & Harris, 2006). Difference of Interest in the Auditing Profession It has been already mentioned earlier that corruption is considered to be a result of difference of interest between the clients and the auditors. However, it requires to be mentioned in this context that there could be various kinds of differences of interest in the profession of auditing. A proper analysis of the Enron case would assist in providing a lucid understanding of this fact. The b usiness model of Enron was stated to be quite complicated as it involved a broad range of products from trading functions, physical assets as well as going beyond the national borders. All these factors extended the boundaries of accounting. Enron took the opportunity of exploiting these accounting boundaries to the maximum in controlling its revenues along with its balance sheet so as to depict a favourable performance scenario. However, in this case two matters emerged out to be extremely problematic for the company. The company’s transactions related to trading engaged complicated contracts which involved extended time period. The form of accounting followed by the company compelled the management of the company to predict its future prices related to the energy operations along with the rates of interest. It was also found that the company depended broadly on the financial dealings that were considered to be quite controlled and engaged in developing or creating ‘sp ecial purpose entities’. These particular dealings involved sharing the possession of particular flows of cash as well as risks with lenders as well as investors from outside. The

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Busnisse law final exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Busnisse law final exam - Essay Example The above scenario can therefore be discussed under promissory estoppel which is a legal law that requires the promisor to honor his or her promise to the promisee. The board in its meeting passed a decision which was based on a promise about paying Faithful $3000 per month as pension as a sort of reward after he retires. The pension promise is implemented only for a period less than two years of which he was in good health. The new president therefore stopping his pension payment despite it having been recorded by the board is nothing short of a breach of a promise. It can be argued that the real reason the pension was stopped was because Faithful became ill and hence was thought to therefore be in no position to assist the company in any way despite him being retired and would therefore be more of a liability than an asset. According to the promissory estoppel, even though it is not legally binding in the sense of a contract with mutual consent, the promisor still has to honor the promise made to the promisee no matter the situation. The court can therefore demand the company to continue paying Faithful the promised pension whether he is sick or not and with this ruling, Faithful can recover his promised pension and continue to enjoy it as before. Homeowner is legally liable to be compensated by Better and also Retailer under negligence defense in the law of tort because of the newly enforced law in the state of East Colombia. According to him, he thought that the mower manufacturer and even seller had honored and implemented the law and hence he was sure it was safe for him to reach under the mower once he applied the brakes on it. In order to prove liability and make a strong defense, the plaintiff suing for negligence has to have had a duty of care from the defense, the duty has to have been breached and caused damage to the plaintiff (Miller and Cross, 123). All these conditions have been

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Specific problemsolving process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Specific problemsolving process - Essay Example To fail to plan is to plan to fail. As teacher, I have resources, associations and institutions to acquire the best syllabus and information. I have the contacts, connections, qualification, experience, creativity, and libraries memberships for reference and guidance. However, all these are of no use if I do not plan on their use in the course of my daily activities. My options do not exhaust with my professional resources. They extend to my personal dimension also. I have to constantly work and rework my mission goals, responsibilities, priorities, skills and abilities. I have to seek better results by my students, acquire skills and techniques to improve my communication skills, achieve promotions, keep track of my position in healthy competition, and above all fulfill my familial responsibilities. It is bound to provide me the necessary inputs and momentum to reach the top position in the institution where I work or in another similar institution. It will earn me more respect, improve my social and professional status and my earning capacity and perk, provide me more means to solve rudimentary as well as complex problems, and last but not the least, it will make me a better human being. Specific problem-solving process is an important tool for self-satisfaction and clients' satisfaction.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Negative Aspects of Stereotype Essay Example for Free

Negative Aspects of Stereotype Essay What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity is the difference by race, age, ethnicity and culture. Diversity is valued because the it is what makes everyone and everything unique. If we were all the same this would be a boring world we live in with no room for growth. With diversity everyone has something to offer society in their own unique way. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Ethnocentrism is judging another culture or way of living solely based off your own culture or way of living. This can be detrimental to society because it is border line racism. To judge someone because they do not believe what you believe or live the way you live is wrong. It is almost like not giving someone a job because they dont believe what you believe. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is when Mexicans leave Mexico to settle in American illegally and immigration when someone from another country leaves their country to become a permanent resident of America. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? Groups of people are identified by race, gender, age, religion, social status i.e. Rich, middle class and poor. Why do people label and group other people? People label and group other people out of habit and in order to give them a distant identity in society. Define culture. Is culture limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds? Explain. Culture is your way of life. Your beliefs on how you think you should live and conduct yourself. Culture is not limited to race or ethnic background because several groups of people regardless of race can be from the same culture. Source for all answers: Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth Ed. Richard T. Schaefer. Merrill Prentice Hall. 2012

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Celebritization Of Monarchy Media Essay

The Celebritization Of Monarchy Media Essay Introduction Celebrities are a staple of the media industry. From tabloids that promise exclusive looks into their homes to television talk shows that offer audiences the chance to get up close and personal with actors, singers and reality TV stars, todays mediated world is awash with celebrity. Advances in media technology, the availability of 24-hour news and entertainment channels, as well as the advent of the Internet and social media, have meant that there is more celebrity available now than ever before, because there are more outlets for both those seeking news about their idols or trying to be famous themselves   (Ferris, 2010). Even in a seemingly democratized media such as social networking sites, the brightest stars are still traditional celebrities 9 out of the top 10 Twitter accounts with the most number of followers are pop stars and actors. Only US president Barack Obama is the non-celebrity in the top 10 list, although it has been argued that his image in popular culture is ce rtainly reminiscent to that of a celebrity which was both a blessing and a curse during his 2008 presidential campaign (Alexander, 2010a). It is easy to take for granted the fact that celebrities are in the public eye because they are famous; most tend to forget that celebrities are not born they are created. Through careful management of images, on-air and off-air personas, a celebrity can be manufactured out of virtually anyone (Turner, 2004). Indeed, the boom in reality TV content, which gave ordinary people a chance to be famous, and the popularity of manufactured pop stars who are auditioned, recruited, and moulded specifically to appeal to the masses, seem to prove that it is the image that is celebrated, not the person (Turner, 2004). Boorstin (1961) described a celebrity as a person who is known for his well-knownness à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a human pseudo-event. Some researchers have suggested that the adoration of celebrities as role models are a normal part of identity development (e.g., Giles Maltby, 2004; Yue Cheung, 2000; cited in Swami et al., 2011). In other words, society needs celebrities in order to learn about ourselves, and needless to say, celebrities need an adoring public, without whom they would not exist. Some researchers have called this relationship a celebrity-worship culture, proposing that a psychological absorption with a celebrity results in a heightened sense of reality of the idolized celebrity, which leads to an addiction on the fans part to maintain a sense of connectedness (McCutcheon et al., 2002). One researcher even drew a comparison between modern societys celebrities and the wooden totems and masks of primitive cultures, both of which sustain meaning, ritual, and solidarity (Alexander, 2010). Celebrities, then, are the most powerful icons of our time (Alexander, 2010). What is it that makes a celebrity? Ferris (2010) offers four aspects of the personas relationship with fans or outsiders that characterize celebrity in contemporary society; the first of which is widespread recognizability meaning, you would be able to recognize George Clooney out of a crowd. The second aspect is relational asymmetry, whereby fans get to know celebrities through films or television, but it is a one-sided intimacy, as the celebrities themselves have no equivalent knowledge of fans, and few avenues through which to obtain it (Ferris, 2010). This contributes to the lack of conventional mutuality and lack of physical co-presence, where the celebrities and fans do not occupy the same space, making rare encounters and celebrity sightings a special moment, almost as if making contact with the divine (Alexander, 2010). The same could be said of monarchies; far more than ordinary celebrities, royal families live in a different world, inaccessible by the public, and the chance to meet them is a once-in-a-lifetime event riddled with special protocols. Even the worlds most prominent politicians have fumbled when meeting the Queen gaffs which ultimately make it to the news as items of, at worst, ridicule and humiliation, and at best, a surprisingly generous gesture on the Queens part, as in the case of Michelle Obamas infamous break of protocol by hugging the Queen (Thornton, 2012). In this paper, we explore the relationship between the British royal family and the media. We argue that both the technological advances in news production and consumption as well as societys evolving appetite for celebrity news have shaped the treatment and coverage of the British monarchy, likening them to celebrities in the media. Drawing from relevant cases at specific points in history, we explore the role of the media, the public, and the royal family themselves in the creation of an iconic institution. Utilizing the media The modern monarchys relationship with the media has always been a delicate one (Baldini, 2012). In 1952, the BBC then a monopoly broadcaster in Britain approached the palace for permission to broadcast the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II. Against the advice of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the church, who felt that inviting cameras (and the public) to watch the ceremony would make profane an otherwise sacred event (Turnock, 2005), the Queen agreed that it was important for the event to be televised. The coronation ceremony, the first royal event to be broadcast live, became a defining moment in the development of British broadcasting (Turnock, 2005). 20 million Britons watched the ceremony on TV (Hastings, 2012), and this single event has been credited for the sharp increase in televisions owned in Britain 2.1 million in 1953 from 1.4 million the year before. It was the first time in history that the masses witnessed this traditionally sacred and secret event, bridging the gap between the public and the distant palace. Future evolutions in the media landscape such as the emergence of tabloids and paparazzi culture, social media and the Internet would further blur the line between the masses and the sacred world of royals, but it was Queen Elizabeth IIs foresight in making the event accessible to the public that endeared her to them as their new ruler (Hastings, 2012). It would be impossible to guess the Queens true intentions at the time, but her insistence that cameras be present at Westminster Abbey signaled a motive to be in the spotlight, and demonstrated an understanding that the position of the royal family depends on public support which, in turn, depends on public access. She, above all, understood that modern monarchs will be judged for who they are, not what they do (Hastings, 2012). From the framework of Gramscis hegemonic dominance theory, the event can be seen as a stealthy assertion of power rather than being imposed from above, hegemony involves the active seeking of consent from ordinary people to comply with their own subordination (Duffett, 2004). Furthermore, the use of television to bring the coronation event into peoples homes via television can be viewed as a deliberate strategy to infiltrate peoples everyday lives, as hegemonic leadership has to operate on the terrain of common sense and in the seemingly apolitical marshla nds of popular culture (Duffett, 2004). Breaking into the media The Queens understanding of the medias power to shape public opinion can be supported by the change in the British monarchys royal persona over the years, as evident with the changing appeals in its representation from being a distant, imperious body to a lighter, brighter, more accessible dynasty, whose palaces could be toured via holiday packages, exploits reported freely and lives documented glossily on cinema and TV (Times of India, 2012). In her 60-year reign, the Queen has been the single most visually recorded human being in history (The Art Newspaper, 2012). Since her ascension to the throne in 1952, millions of images have been captured of her, but it was the media expansion of the 1920s and 1930s that helped to shape the publics demand and subsequent reception of these images. The eras media expansion saw the rapid increase of the publics demand for the personal lives of film stars and celebrities (Fraser Brown, 2002), which launched fame as a commodity in itself, manufactured and distributed by media professionals (Fame, 1931, p. 450). Instead of a byproduct of film and music, fame became an industry, which Lippmann (1960) regarded as an engine of publicity such as the world has never known before (Fraser Brown, 2002). The BBC has arguably played a critical role in maintaining the image of the royal family in the public sphere, while keeping a respectful distance. When it was a monopoly and public broadcaster in 1945, news was the staple programming and the BBC aimed to carry into the greatest number of homes everything that was best in every department of human knowledge (Clayton, 2010). The prevalent media ideology was to educate rather than attract the highest level of viewership. The launch of commercial television and radio meant selling advertising space and hence, attaining more viewership. This was seen by many as the point in time when mass media led to the dumbing down or sexing up of news and entertainment to increase their viewership. Moulding celebrity Media has been instrumental in the changing royal persona from its 1945 aura of mystique and detachment when it connected with the masses only during public events or Christmas Day broadcast to imparting them with a celebrity status, with paparazzi following their every move and the public eagerly consuming news that surrounds them. The publics need to look to the royal family as celebrities can be traced back to the enduring themes of heroes in folklore; all cultures have narratives that articulate larger-than-life personas, and todays stars and idols are a similar narrative of dynasties and gods, kings and heroes (Dale, 2001). Heroes, however, are moral characters who reach for a higher calling or defeat a villain in defense of his country. Celebrities are amoral; normal rules do not apply, and behaviour usually shunned by normal people in our lives is accepted as evidence that celebrities are not ordinary people (Campbell, 1998). Despite this clear distinction, people develop psyc hological bonds with both heroes and celebrities and seek to emulate their lives (Campbell, 1998, p.127). Nevertheless, one cant but ignore the fact that World Wars brought a large degree of social leveling, leading to apparent changes in the social dynamics of the authority figures such as the British royals family. They had to adapt from being powerful, elite and detached from the public to maintain the authority of being the rulers to connect with them socially with the change in the political power it enjoyed. Owing to their collective sacrifice, ordinary people began to feel entitled to things which had been the preserve of their betters in previous generations (Clayton, 2010). Therefore, the changing media atmosphere dictated by commercialisation led them to focus on providing the masses escapist fare with their keen interest in celebrity stories and the socio-political changes adapted by the monarchy guided the persona of the British monarchy. Documenting royalty In his article Television and the Decline of Deference, Clayton (2010) cites examples that support the fact that media have been creating both a respectful as well as critical image of the royal family. Some documentaries that showed royals in deferential light are the 2007 BBC documentary Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work; the 2008 ITV documentary on the Duke of Edinburgh and the hit film The Queen (2006), which showed the Queen in a very good light in her actions immediately following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales (Clayton, 2010). Some other documentaries which have been critical of the royal family include the The Royal Family (1969), which attempted to show the royals in an informal setting to boost their popularity with the British public. A further notorious example was Its A Royal Knockout in 1987. The show, which involved Prince Edward, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew running around obstacle courses in costumes, was largely designed to help Prince Edward establish a career in television. The show was a public relations disaster which lowered the dignity of the royals in the eyes of the public (Clayton, 2010). Above all, the divorce and scandals that surrounded Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in the mid-1990s marked a watershed in the treatment of the royal family. The intrusion of the media coupled with peoples interest in the British royals and the Monarchys willingness to enjoy celebrity status has shaped the public opinion in terms of awe, affection, love, respect, empathy or despair towards the royals. Private to public The marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was an inevitably public affair from the beginning. The young and beautiful Lady Diana, who rose from obscurity to capture the heart of a prince, captivated the nation who identified with her humble background as a kindergarten teacher and saw her as one of their own (Pillow Cassill, 2001). The royal wedding a rare enough event became a media spectacle; it was a wedding made for television, and television knew it (Castro Cronin, 1981). 28 million people watched the televised wedding in Britain, along with 750 million viewers in 61 countries across the globe. Media coverage of the wedding emphasized its Cinderella quality (Kirby Sorensen, 2010), with a notable difference between British (which tended to be more stately) and American media, which was more up close and personal (Castro Cronin, 1981). The wedding captured front-page headlines around the world; the Times of London published a colour photograph of the royal couple as a souvenir front, and   The Economist printed its news pages in colour for the first time in its 138-year history. Even the highest circulating newspaper in the world at the time, Japans Yomiuri Shimbun (circulation 8 million), deemed the wedding story important enough to rush in a color photo midway through its evening press run (Castro Cronin, 1981). Although these figures and anecdotes are impressive, it is doubted whether the wedding of Charles and Diana attracted such media coverage because there was public demand for it, or if the medias treatment of the event that pushed the news into a global spectacle. The media environment was, after all, far less cluttered in 1981, and cable television reached fewer than 25% of all households. With the majority of people only having access to five or six channels to choose from, and all the networks covering the wedding, it became one of the last events that saw everyone tune in at the same time (Thomson, quoted in Kirby Sorensen, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Likewise, a relatively clutter-free media environment could have been responsible for the creation and public acceptance of Princess Dianas image as a global icon. Diana was one of the worlds famous media personalities, and her celebrity status was a result of people following her life story all around the world (Pujik, 2009). She was often hounded by the media, and the public loved her, nevertheless to the say, the media followed her everywhere she went and reported what she what she wore, said or was doing. The publics considered here as one of them. Her image of not being too royal, nor too ordinary, but royal and ordinary, was loved by the public (Thomas,. 2008). Shared grief Dianas death turned the public against paparazzi because they were believed to have played a part in her accident; at the same time, the public was united in grief and Dianas image was immortalized. Mendelson (2007) stated that the subsequent handwringing by members of the press, the public and governments after the death of Diana was drew tension between paparazzi and celebrities, causing heightened tension between celebrities and their right to privacy. For many, it was like losing a member of their family. In fact, many believed they knew the Princess better than anyone else in their lives. It is quite ironic how the entire world was mourning over the pictures that were clicked by the same paparazzi which they had criticized. Did the media have a set agenda behind this? According to agenda setting theory, the mass news media have a large influence on audiences by their choice of what stories to consider newsworthy and how much prominence and space to give them (McCombs, et al.,   1972). As in the case of the Dianas death, the mass media had a large influence on shaping the opinion of the audiences by continuously feeding them with reports of the sudden death of Diana. The media reaction to the Dianas death was unprecedented in its intensity and scale, a flashpoint in recent global media history in which the concerns of national and international media were united (Turner et al., 2000: 6). But the press argued that it was merely t heir duty to reflect what the public felt. As Merrin (1999) wrote, they were caught out by the outpouring of public grief at Dianas death and so quickly devoted themselves to reflecting the mood of the nation (Merrin, 1999). Here we can see that McLuhans theory of the media as the message (1962) holds through, since the very fact that the media was so clearly present in those times reflected the events significance. It has been also been argued that with regard to such media events, the public had to a greater or lesser extent been conditioned to learn their reaction from the media (Dayan Katz, 1992; Linenthal, 2001). The British media gave the death of Diana so much prominence that it turned out to be extremely newsworthy. The coverage was so exaggerated that it even was the extent of crowding out the death of another newsworthy personality Mother Theresa. The media continuously ran stories about the universal grief and how they loved Diana. The views of people who did not share the same opinion were not aired by the media. There were many who raised questions in the public, and were in turn harassed.   For those who felt coolly towards Diana, it was prudent to simply keep silent (Black Smith, 1999; Smith, P., Riley, A. 2011).   During Dianas funeral, it was reported that the whole world was watching, and mourned like they mourned the loss of a family member or friend (Brown, et. al. 2003). Noelle Neumanns (1993, 1984) theory of spiral of silence can be critically applied here to how public opinion was moulded with the persona created around Princesses Diana, her private life, her wedding to Charles, her celebrity status, her children, her divorce, her death and coupled with agenda setting people framed opinion based on the Medias agenda and those who didnt agree to the media framing tended to remain silent. Breaking down barriers Zelizer (1991) states that the media plays an important role in breaking down the boundaries between the private and public world. Since people interpret, discuss, and react to what they see, it can be argued that the media works as a two-way channel in the dissemination of information. In the earlier studies of Dianas wedding and television viewing, a public sphere, as stated by Zelizer, stems from a sense of connectiveness among the public. Audiences organize around media events in a strategic and directed fashion that allows them to connect effectively with othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The result is an intrusion of the public sphere into the private domain (Zelizer, 1991). Embracing the media in its totality, the royal wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton echoed the spectacle of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981, involving over 8,000 reporting staff, broadcasting the event live worldwide. The Guardian reported, More than 36 studios, for broadcasters including the BBC, Sky News, ABC, NBC, CBS and Al-Jazeera, are housed in the three-storey structure, with outside broadcast vans and other equipment taking up so much space that part of Green Park has been closed to the public (The Guardian, April 28, 2011). Since the media today have to operate on a business model, the media took advantage of this event as a means for revenue. The Huffington Post reported that the couples uber celebrity-royal status have created a stir on the Internet and social networking sites which boosted ad revenue for online news organizations. (The Huffington Post, 11 March, 2011). The article further stated that advertisers started calling to reserve space on the website for April 29 within a nanosecond of the wedding date being announced. Thus, it could be argued that in some ways, the media too benefited from the grand occasion and celebritization of the royals. While the hype was generated by the media, social media played a large role this time round, with the general public feeding themselves with information shared over social networking sites. An analysis of social media mentions around the Royal Wedding revealed that there were over 200,000 mentions of Royal Wedding on April 27, two days before the wedding day. This increase of 1,215% mentions from the month before demonstrated that the public was indeed excited about the upcoming event (Radwanick, 2011). On the day itself, CNN reported 300 tweets with the Royal Wedding hashtag per second (CNN, April 29, 2011). The wedding was an event without borders, and anyone with a phone in their pockets could participate which was the crucial difference to the 1981 royal wedding. The existence of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter blew the event up in scale, larger than was ever expected. Bruns (2012) visualization of Twitter activity on the day of the wedding showed a sharp increase in the number of original tweets at specific points of the ceremony. The most significant spike of the day occurred at around 12:30pm the minute of the newlyweds first kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. It was as if the world let out a communal awwwà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ at that very moment (Bruns, 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At a time when the UK was in economic recession, lavish public affairs funded by taxpayers was feared to cause public uproar (Dalrymple, 2011) the Queen had called off the palaces Christmas celebrations the year before in sensitivity to public sentiment (McVeigh, 2011). However, as the royal wedding prompted some parties to question the need for a monarchy and expensive events funded by taxpayers (Hastings, 2012), as demonstrated by social media, others were more than happy to participate in the media spectacle that it became. Latching on to this idea of celebrity, fashion played a big role in grappling the interest of the public. While many watched the event for its significance, there were a few different angles in which the wedding was featured. The event that saw Hollywood celebrities arriving in style was almost a fashion event in itself. Even news websites got into the action; The Telegraph Online showcased the wedding dress, with headlines using words like secret dress to hype up the wedding gown, as well as mentions of her guests hats, which became an icon of the wedding (fashion.telegraph.co.uk). Changing with the times In the ultimate signal of progression with the times, the Queen is even present on social media with a specially-made Facebook page called The British Monarchy. While users cannot poke the Queen or send her friend requests, they can like the page and become fans of the Queen. The Queen also launched a Flickr account, making more than 600 photographs of the Royal Family at work and play available to the public for the first time. A Royal Twitter account was launched in 2009 and Royal Channel went live on YouTube in 2007. The Queen also podcast her first Christmas Day message in 2006, and launched a website for herself and other members of the Royal Family in 1997. According to the Times of India published on June 5, 2012, the British Monarchy once reigned supreme as the head of the colonial rule extracting revenue which has now become the modern day revenue-earning machines. The transition is not a result of revolutions but evolution of the British Monarchy especially the Persona of the Queen. Post World War II, the monarchy understood that a cult of celebrity was fascinating the people across the globe but it was only available democratically to millions of those who were interested in reading about the lives of the celebrities or watching Hollywood. This sparked a change in the appeal and aura of the British Royal Persona and one could visibly see the domineering image giving way to the friendlier dynasty which could be documented on cinema and TV. There was a time in the history when this normalization seemed under threat with the tragic end of Princess Diana the Peoples Princess when the Royals were criticised for their coldness. But, Dia na provided the Persona with the right amount of sadness that is required of the celebrity cult. The 60th anniversary celebration of the Queens reign is a splendid example of the social and cultural status enjoyed by the Monarchy as the event was marked by millions of Celebrity fans lining the banks of the Thames to catch a glimpse of the royal flotilla sailing past. Conclusion While medieval societies viewed and accepted the top hierarchal position of royal families as ordained by God, modern society values individualism and an unprecedented mobility whereby people are no longer necessarily defined by their birthright (Handler, 1986). In a modern constitutional monarchy such as the United Kingdom, where governments are democratically elected and economic influence lies with mega-corporations rather than a handful of elite individuals, the role of royal families, too, has evolved to a more symbolic role of nationhood sovereignty rather than actual power (Duffett, 2004). Even the British monarchy, at one time commanding vast armies to colonize distant lands, has seen its political power dwindle a centuries-long process during which the Crown ceded power to government to ensure its own survival (Duffett, 2004). For the House of Windsor, public support is vital to remain relevant in a society that is no longer convinced that people are born into certain roles, or that Gods will ordains the very need for an aristocracy. The royal family, then, can be said to have a motive for being in the limelight; it needs to remain influential culturally and socially, even if limited politically in the publics eyes. Celebrity is the new royalty, and royalty needs to keep up. Unlike celebrities as defined in the introduction, whose motives of fame are usually preceded by the motivation of selling CDs, merchandise or personal brand, a royal is born in the limelight and remains there for the rest of his or her life with nothing to sell but the idea that his or her place, power and privileges in society is valid. Similarly, the media can be said to be imposing its influence in shaping public opinion in its celebritization of the royal family. A normalization of hegemonic dominance is established (Duffett, 2004), and the status quo is maintained. Beyond the medias profit-driven motives and prevalent belief that anything celebrity-related sells, is the rather sinister notion of keeping the public subordinated. Support for the monarchy, Duffett (2004) writes, implies consent for a national constitution that ensures people are governed in a particular way: by a hypercentralized state, as subjects not citizens, and, ultimately, through rule rather than total democracy. It also implies agreement that wealth and privilege should be distributed on the basis of birth rather than need, and that tradition is an acceptable reason for social inequality. Ultimately, the eager consumers of news surrounding the royal family and the citizens willingly accepting the role of the monarchy are the public, for whom the media and monarchy supposedly serve, and without whom the media and monarchy collapse. In 2008, Nepals 238-year-old monarchy faced the threat of being redundant and ousted in a contemporary society equipped with 24-hour mass media and an increasingly urban, literate and middle class population (Baltutis, 2011). Attempting to consolidate his loosening grip on national power, King Gyanendra and the royal government raised highly visible billboards as propagandistic advertisements (Baltutis, 2011). These proved to be unsuccessful, demonstrating that even with significant ruling power and an international media blackout King   Gyanendra had banned international communication in 2005 an unwilling public will not tolerate a redundant monarchy.