Upon reflection of my conversation Essay

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding his out of control gambling habits as well as the level of debt he is quickly finding himself in. My friend hasn’t approached anyone else about this issue and thought because of my current study that I could help. I explained to my friend that I am not qualified to deal with issues such as these as I am not counsellor yet and only a student but would hear what he had to say as a friend. I listened to what he had to say with empathy and understanding while he told me his problems. After he had explained his situation to me I assessed what was going on and uncovered that he is suffering from depression, loneliness, helplessness and has thoughts of suicide. I told my friend that I think that he should talk to a counsellor about his problems and he told me that he didn’t want to and wanted me to tell him what he should do. Knowing that he wouldn’t seek professional help worried me greatly and I was finding myself trying to find solutions. Reflecting Upon reflection of my conversation with my friend I realized numerous things I shouldn’t have done such as: Find solutions for his problems Give advice as to what actions he should take Telling him the consequences of his actions Going through the Possibilities of his future without professional help Pushing my own point of view across The things I thought I do right in this situation were: Advice professional help Give support Showing empathy and understanding Explore possibilities Conceptualising After my friend had told me that he would not seek professional help and I knew there was no way I could persuade him to I started to give advice which felt like a lecture. After sometime I saw that he was losing interest in the discussion which made me feel helpless in helping him and was not the way I wanted the conversation to go. Planning In the future as a counsellor faced with this situation I think it would be much different given the client has already taken the first step in seeking help. In addition to dealing with this similar situation as a counsellor I feel I would be better equipped being fully qualified as a professional counsellor in a counselling environment, felling more confident in my ability’s in using a variety of skills and techniques. Given the same situation again with my current level of counselling I feel that I would still be understanding and caring but maybe less pushy in trying to help when all other options fail. I think what brought out this pushing of my own point of view across was my friend talking of suicide then refusing help so it felt like a matter of life and death to me.

Cinema of Attractions

The cinema of attraction. ‘A matter of making images seen. ’ This is what Fernand Leger was writing in 1902 about the new art, trying to describe the possible changes in cinema, by emphasizing the fact that imitating the movements of nature is not necessarily the best way of defining cinema’s essence. This is only one of the writings concerning this topic which influenced Tom Gunning in characterizing the cinematic period before 1906 as that of the ‘cinema of attractions’.In this essay I am going to talk about the cinema of attractions and its main characteristics with examples from several early films, with an emphasis on ‘Un homme de tetes’ (Georges Melies, 1898) and L'arrivee d'un train a la Ciotat (Auguste and Louis Lumiere,1895). History of the cinema of attractionsThe term of ‘cinema of attractions’ was introduced into the study of film by Tom Gunning and Andre Gaudreault in 1985, describing a filmmaking technique used for early films, until 1906, in which the main interest is in the spectacle and the audience’s visual experience rather than in the narrative side. The cinema of attractions employed delights like colors, costumes, commentary, sometimes even grotesque features, like freaks or indigenous people. In the simplest terms, it was a cinema based on entertainment, shock and sensations, the ability of showing something.The main difference between this style and the cinema in later years is the focus: the cinema of attractions is trying to take the spectators on an unique trip to an extraordinary place, by inviting them to look, get involved and be amazed by these perfect illusions, rather than telling a story, while the narrative cinema focuses on human psychology, continuity of the plot and characters. The term ‘attract’ is defined by the english dictionary as ‘to draw by appealing to the emotions or senses, by stimulating interest, or by exciting admiration; allur e; invite’.In cinema, Eisenstein was one of the first people to use ‘attraction’ as a way of describing his techniques, which had either a physical or psychological unexpected impact on the audience, due to its direct address towards it, sometimes causing an emotional shock, through aggressivity and due to the unpredictability of the moment. Attractions of the early cinema. The first film that I am going to analyze is directed by the Lumiere brothers, which interpret cinema as the transcription of real unstaged life, opposing to Melies who saw cinema as invention, artifice, illusion, fantasy.Around this 50 seconds film there are different myths, some of which say that in the first showing of the movie, a lot of the spectators screamed, thinking that the train is going to hit them, and some of them even left the room, because of the illusion of the train moving towards them. This myth is why nowadays people tend to think of the early audience as naive, but at the same time, they forget to take in consideration other aspects, like the transformation which is occurring in front of their eyes, the idea of change and also the historical and social background.The primary object of most early films seems to be the personal space, which is invaded on a certain level. By triggering stress or fear, or choosing real-life danger objects like trains and other vehicles, the personal space is invaded and bodily reactions are being triggered, which is the main purpose of the cinema of attractions, by engaging the viewer in the exhibition. In 1986, Maxim Gorky writes a review of the Lumiere programme, and he uses words like ‘straight at you’, ‘shield’, ‘will reach you’, which, once again, shows the physical reaction that people had. Nevertheless, one must not confuse this with a complete illusion.People did not actually believe that the train will physically hurt them, but they were allowing themselves to enjoy the thr ill of the cinematic magic. If we were to take a clear example of the details which change this perspective of a credulous audience, the exhibition of The Black Diamond Express is one of the strongest ones, as the movie had a presenter, described as a ‘terrorist mood setter’ which introduced the audience in a dramatic atmosphere, by describing the images of a locomotive rushing into the camera as an unique moment in history, in which it will come towards them with its dreadful ‘iron throat’.This puts the danger that people believed to be in, in a new light, showing that their emotions and anxiety were influenced by the atmosphere created, together with the novelty of this type of entertainment. This type of delay, the suspension, the wait for an already announced unusual thing to be happening accentuate its impact over the image perceived by the crowd. Locomotives, trains and generally moving objects were preferred by directors, as they easily created a sen sation of fear, which could also represent a sensual reaction, as we saw earlier, viewers running out of the movie theater.This experience could nowadays be compared to that of a roller coaster, described by Gunning as ‘sensations of acceleration and falling with a security guaranteed by the modern industrial technology’, which in my opinion precisely describes people’s experience from 100 years ago as well, as they were well aware of the fact that it was just an illusion, but that didn’t mean they were refusing to be drawn in the experience, especially considering its innovation.Another aspect of the cinema of attraction is confrontation, which holds the viewer and makes it impossible for him to lose himself into absorption, like before in other arts like painting or sculpture: ‘attractions address the viewer directly, soliciting attention and curiosity through acts of display’. [1] This type of art ask for an immediate response from the audi ence, as the images are moving, evolving- a living screen. ‘Unlike psychological narrative, the cinema of attractions does not allow for elaborate development, only a limited amount of delay is really possible’. TG, p122) It is exactly this newness that makes it exciting, as it instantly produces a show with a high impact, offering sensational thrills through powerful images in motion, without the traditional narrative structure. In this type of cinema, the spectator identifies himself with the camera more than a character and his confrontation with the film is rather unmediated by the story. Hence, seeing this exhibitionist style as a precursor for the later narrative structures would show a misunderstanding of its value. Another iconic film for the cinema of attractions is Un homme de tetes, 1895.I have chosen to discuss this film because of its director, which most of the time is put in contrast with the Lumiere brothers, because of their different styles. The first one uses editing and multi shots, while the Lumiere brothers show nature caught on camera, in a single shot. Still, both styles have the same essence, that of the act of display, the pleasure of the spectacle. One aspect that one can definitely notice in Melies’ film is the presence of a showman/monstrator whose role is to present the film to the audience, a mediator between the crowd and the experience itself.As Gunning states, ‘The showman rather than the film themselves gives the program an overarching structure, and the key role of the exhibition showman underscores the act of monstration than founds the cinema of attractions. ’( TG, p. 122) As an example, Melies, who was a performer himself, during the movie which lasts less than two minutes, gesticulates with his hands towards himself and the heads, in a way directing the public’s attention to the main points, the heads, which are part of his magic trick. This, once again, puts the spectator in an ex ternal position, making him aware of the act of looking.This does not distance him, but, on the contrary, makes him part of the whole show, emphasizing the realism and the interactivity of the cinema. The tricks found in his films represent the typical burst of attraction, when there is a transformation of an object into something else: ‘In its double nature, its transformation of still image into moving illusions, it expresses an attitude in which astonishment and knowledge perform a vertiginous dance, and pleasure derives from the energy released by the play between the shock caused by this illusion of danger and delight in its pure illusion’. (TG, p. 29) One more time, it is emphasized that the audience knew how to make the difference between reality and illusion, and that movement is what cinematography promised, while still experiencing sensational thrills and feeding their hunger of consuming the world through images. From the examples above, we can see Tom Gunnin g’s idea of cinema of attraction come to life, and the way in which it dominated the first decade of early cinema, through the first silent movies and their exhibitionist characteristics. Their ability to show something without a narrative structure has fulfilled the audience’s visual curiosity of thrills, danger nd magic, while drawing them in the film, creating strong bodily sensation. Therefore, cinema of attractions is a primary response to people’s wish of seeing a spectacle apart than storytelling, in which their body is engaged rather than the mind through a succession of instants. Claudia Mangeac 1623 words Bibliography: 1. Tom Gunning: An Aesthetics of Astonishment: Early Film and the (In)Credulous Spectator 2. The Cinema of Attractions Reloaded, edited by Wanda Strauven, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2006 3. Tom Gunning -Attractions: How They Came into the world . Encyclopedia of early cinema, edited by Richard Abel, Routledge 270 Madison Avenu e, New York, USA 5. http://scan. net. au/scan/journal/display. php? journal_id=109 6. http://www. scribd. com/doc/65086032/Tom-Gunning-Primitive-Cinema 7. Tom Gunning, The Cinema of Attraction(s): early Film, Its Spectator and the Avant-Garde 8. Un homme de tetes’ (Georges Melies, 1898) 9. L'arrivee d'un train a la Ciotat (Auguste and Louis Lumiere,1895). ———————– [1] Tom Gunning, ‘An Aesthetic of Astonishment: Early Film and the (ln)Credulous Spectator’ (pg. 121)

Televangelism and Its Religious Impact in the World Essay

Televangelism and Its Religious Impact in the World - Essay Example The media has played a great role in ensuring that religion is spread throughout the world (Fishwick & Browne 51). The media provide a platform through which millions of people are able to interact and share information. The use of television to rely on evangelical messages is referred to as an electric church. The use of media by evangelists has created a positive impact as more people tune in to watch televangelists. Religious shows command a big following, which proves that a lot of people support the role of media in religion. Â  Television as a gathering place is a theoretical framework, which considers television as an environment through which experiences, values, and ideas are shared. It helps in explaining how media presents religion to its masses. Television as a place of gathering means that it is considered a hemmed in the system in which figurative interaction between people takes place. This leads to interaction among people. When talking about television as a place of gathering, one considers two main aspects. These aspects include its integration with the society and as a source of meaning. These two main aspects help people to understand that television is largely a place that does not have any specific location. Religion, thus, capitalizes on the theoretical framework of television as a gathering place in order to reach out to people from different parts of the world (Franki 61). Television helps in shaping the social lives of people through sharing of ideas and meanings. Â  The term televangelism was first coined by Times Magazine. Christianity was the first religion to reach out to many people through the use of media. Christianity is the dominant religion in the world since it enjoys a mass following. Compared to all other religions, Christianity has the greatest congregation across the world.

Economic Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic Theories - Essay Example he distribution of the most basic needs for the sake of the people and the way in which these are deemed as sufficient or not from the general standpoint. The intangibility of these economic theories is necessary as these warrant the overall living conditions of the people and the manner in which they would see their lives shaping up within the coming times. The abstract nature of these economic theories is generally seen as a good thing as it ensures a wide range snapshot of the society and the ways and means through which wellness and sufficiency within the society could be assured. Human behavior depends a good deal on the applicability of these economic theories and if these theories are not fulfilling as per the needs, requirements and wants of the people, then there would be serious issues in the implementation of economic representations for the sake of the people. It is always a necessity to make the economic theories as close to practical lives of the people as

Persuasive Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Persuasive Speech - Essay Example Bright packing, celebrities advertising these or those goods, enormous list of ingredients, higher prices, lower prices, discounts- all the means are justified in achieving this goal. It seemed that food producers suffered and struggled seriously until the concept of organic food was invented. However, it is possible to state that organic food existed as long as humanity itself but only in our time it became trendy when people understood that it can bring money. Selling organic producers play on our subconscious desire to buy best product, the most nutritious and the least harmful, however, in reality it is only the way to buy old goods under new names in new packing. So it is important to find out what organic food is basically and why it has become so popular. Because it turns out that third part of American consumers prefer organic products to conventional products and are ready to spend extra money buying them despite the fact that the crucial difference between these two kinds of products was not established (Warner, 2005). In this essay I will try to outline the difference between organic and inorganic food and prove that organic food is just another method of selling products for higher prices. This will be done to make readers understand that the label â€Å"organic† must be perceived as additional advertisement not as absolute mark of quality (Blair, 2012). First of all organic products are those products which are grown without any chemicals, such as synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, radiation aimed to kill bacteria. As for the animals the label organic signifies that animals were fed organic food only and were treate d without antibiotics and hormones (Blair, 2012). These chemicals became popular in the 20th century as they allow protecting crops from pests. In the United States of America farmers must adhere to certain rules and regulation to be allowed to call their products organic. USDA regulates adherence to these regulations.

Marketing Mix Critique and Analysis Masters Home Improvement Stores, Assignment

Marketing Mix Critique and Analysis Masters Home Improvement Stores, Australia - Assignment Example Competitors are becoming more aggressive in their approach to selling their products to the customers (USA International Business Publications, 2007). Masters home improvement has a keen eye on online selling which encourage other. However, the aggressive competition started with Bunnings in big-box retailing. Bunnings has already taken a remarkable place in the electrical product sales business and Masters Home Improvement improve in this sector .The aim of this competition is to be competitive in the market .Finally Masters Home Improvement Stores should be able to look at the way the competitors are dealing with the environment and thereby look at the ways in which they may be losing their strategic edge. Failing to do this will only mean that Masters Home Improvement Stores will not be able to handle the competitive market. Customers Customers are also another micro factor and must be considered in a more fundamental way. This is why customer service is becoming another very impo rtant part of the marketing mix (Miller & Jentz, 2007). In a modern world, customers have an ever greater choice for the products they want and it is therefore necessary for the business to know how to motivate the customer to choose buying from it and not the competitors. Masters Home Improvement must be able to take care of its customers if it is to be able to deal with the market issues. As Barlow (2010) says, customer service in today’s global business environment is no longer limited to just speaking nicely to the customer. In trying to have better relations with the customers, loyalty programs are becoming very popular with every business which wants to retain its customers and Masters Home Improvement needs to be more vigilant of this. These programs serve two important purposes in the modern marketing environment. The first such purpose is rewarding the customer in order to make the customer feel wanted and appreciated (Solomon, 2012). Masters Home Improvement has sev eral ways in which it tries to achieve this. When the customer feels appreciated, they are more loyal to the firm and are likely to come back over and over again. At the same time, as Dezalay and Garth (1996) consider these customer loyalty programs help in hooking the customers to the firm because the customer is only rewarded depending on how strong their loyalty to the firm is. As a result, the customer loyalty reward systems also help in increasing the volumes of sales per customer as the customer will be lured to buy more because they know that the more they buy the more points they will have (Tschohl, 1996). Part 2Marketing Environment Analysis– Macro Trends Technology One of the biggest issues that Masters Home Improvement faces today is technology. With regard to Masters Home Improvement Stores, technology is an important thing to consider because most of their products are technology based. With the current rate of technological growth, new products keeps coming up a nd customers are always spoilt for choice with regard to variety. In this regard, Masters Home Improvement Stores must be able to know that it is keeping step with the new technological products so as to know that the customers will not go elsewhere seeking for better more modern products. Technology has provided the customers with many options for every piece of technological device. Demographics Demographics also play an important role in the development of the marketing mix. For Masters Home

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) Research Paper

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) - Research Paper Example African countries are less likely to benefit from globalization due to the fact that they are at the lowest integration level with the rest of the world (Docquier and Hillel 690). As much as globalization can affect the growth of a region in a positive way, the case in Africa is different. For instance, African states need to maintain a strong and stable macro-economic framework as well as conducting major institutional reforms like promotion of good governance in all its angles. This paper is going to show why Africa still suffers harmful economic systems, conflict, environmental problems and population growth despite being exposed to globalization. Liberalists view globalization as the best tool of relieving poverty and providing the have-nots with a secure position from which they can make further progress in the global economy (Kacowicz 570). In Africa, the nationalists fought for independence because of economic exploitation by their various colonial powers. Despite globalization, Africans are still suppressed economically through the European Imperialism, whereby the first world countries from the west exploit the third world countries in Africa. This means that African states are still controlled by western powers through signing of trade pacts, some of which have unfavorable conditions. Most African economies depend on one a single export, which is agricultural produce; hence they lack diversification (De Janvry and Elisabeth 20). Over the past decades, the market value of Africa’s agricultural produce has been deteriorating amid the steady rising cost of imports to Africa. This shows that the current global market disadvantages these mono-economies, as they have to dramatically in order to pay for the same amount of imports. For instance, in 1962, it took two tons of sisal export in Tanzania to pay for the import of one tractor (Cooksey and Tim 1). The case was different in 1980 since Tanzania had to export six tons of sisal in order to pay for the

Extra Hours of Work and Payment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Extra Hours of Work and Payment - Essay Example The payment for extra hours at the organization depends on various factors. The first factor is the type of employment. In this case, non-exempt salary employees receive overtime payment based on the labor laws in the country. The employees are entitled to payment for hours beyond the legal 40 hours per week. On the other hand, the exempt salary employees receive extra hour payment based on their agreement with the human resource department. â€Å"The management should set specific regulations regarding the remuneration of this category of employees in order to avoid conflicts with the law† (Bragg, 2011). Another factor that determines the salary is the type of job given by the company. Trainees at the organization are entitled to payment for the legal working hours. Moreover, they receive allowances depending on the type of assignments provided by the company. Braswell illustrates, â€Å"The salaried employees at the company receive extra hour payments based on the guideline s of their employment contract. However, individuals whose annual salary is above $24, 000 do not receive overtime payment at the organization† (Braswell, 2014).    The extra hours worked by the employees at the bank depends on the amount of work. In this case, individuals can work between 10 to 12 extra hours in a week depending on the amount of assignments they receive from the management. Most individuals find it difficult to determine the exact duration over which they can work per week because of the dynamics of the job.  

Reort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reort - Essay Example As for site 4, it is at the south east of the Quarter. It is the gateway to the city center and a linkage between Riverside Business District and other commercial site at the south of it. The development of an integrated multi-functional site should be considered for this site. Option 1 is designed for the purpose of redeveloping the site to a high density and height mixed use area which is mainly used as business and retail sector, meanwhile there is a multi-storey car park and a hall as complementary for the site. Option 2 is designed for the purpose of redeveloping the site as a complementary for the existing residential and business area surrounded. It is designed as a mixed use sector with multi-storey car park as complementary for the site. Option 3 is designed for the purpose of redeveloping the site to a residential area. Meanwhile there is a multi-storey car park and convenience shop area as complementary for the site. There is a 6 floor building at the south end of the site for a landmark purpose. There will be 12-storey main buildings at the south end of the side, built as the landmark for the site.Two storey podiums will be in retail use. Other floors are used for business purpose. (see in final design) Furthermore,financial appraisal of Option 1 shows a relatively-high profit of  £9,291,385, 54.01% at the end. Thus it is possible for Option 1 to change during its final detailed design. So the multi-storey car park alters to underground car parking. This will increase the building cost but will provide a new additional 840 m2 vacant area. This area is going to be designed for open and green space based on the sites original planning guidance. In this case, there will be a basement car parking for 2448 m2 for the site. (residential: 21bays, business:62 bays, restaurant:7bays and hall 12 bays, total:102bays, which 102*24=2448m2) (see in final

Government and Media in Cuba Essay Example for Free

Government and Media in Cuba Essay In between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean lies the island of Cuba. It is a small island with a total land area of 110,860 square km, yet it is so powerful enough to catch the attention of United States and to strengthen its security measures. The country was first ruled by the Spanish government and its history was marked by revolutions and uprising. Finally, in 1902, through the intervention of the US government, Cuba achieved its independence from the Spanish rule. However, the proclamation of independence did not end the uprising and rebellious activities because the country was not freed from leadership of corruption and military-rule. The real independence, as recognized and celebrated by Cubans, was achieved when Fidel Castro took office. Fidel Castro was the leader of rebel army that has been fighting the corrupt government and established a communist form of government. At present, Cuba is under the rule of Castro and the state remains to be a communist government having three branches namely; the chief of state, legislative and judiciary. General Raul Castro currently holds the chief of state which is comprised of Council of State and Council of Ministers (â€Å"The World Factbook†). On the economic aspect, the embargo that has been imposed upon the country has not yet been lifted. Currently, Venezuela is the main partner of the country and the main source of its petroleum needs. The living standard also remained low as a result of the embargo and discontinuance of foreign aids from several countries (â€Å"The World Factbook†). However, it has agricultural, trading, industrial and manufacturing enterprises where it sources out its economic and financial needs. As of July of the present year, the country is occupied by an estimate of 11,451,652 people having different racial descent including Africans, Spanish, Westerns and Asians (â€Å"The World Factbook†). Despite changes that have been introduced in the country, there are still issues that have been bothering the nation and even its citizens. Through its communist form of government, many activities were hardly exercised by the citizens because of government suppression. The most suppressed and monitored activity is the expression of ones thoughts and ideas. The right to express ones self is being curtailed by the government especially when it contains ideas that are against the government. The role of media is to protect the government as it is founded only to voice out words that the government desires to hear. In contrary to the role played by media in many countries, the Cuban media does not serve as the voice and protector of the people from the government but as an ally of the state. The treatment of the media people is also despicable in the eyes of the international community and of the journalists themselves. Hence, this paper will present the relationship of the media and government as well as the role it plays in the country. Concomitant to that is the life of journalists under the communist government of Cuba. Role of Media Media has been recognized as indispensable tool in communication. Mass media, as defined, is â€Å"the technological means of sending information, ideas, opinion, etc. through the mass communication device to a diverse audience† (â€Å"Impact of Media on Culture†). Various means used by mass media in transmitting information effectively and swiftly includes television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and internet. Notably, internet has been the most preferred and ideal means of mass media because of its ability of reaching a wider audience and is laxly monitored. In addition, internet is most preferred because it does not require profession to enable any individual to express his or her ideas. Among other nations, mass media is recognized as the fourth department of the government because of the role it plays in the political and social aspect. The mass media usually fills in the gap between the government and the people. It voices out the sentiments or thoughts of the people to the government while it also brings to the people the sentiments and plans of the government for the country. In some instances, mass media becomes a watchdog against government abuses and activities that are definitely out of reason. Furthermore, mass media has continually become the source of information about things, persons, places, and events, among others. Due to the indispensable role of mass media in the society, it need to be free and not controlled by any person or agency nor can be regulated by the government. Instead, it should be free in order to properly carry out its objective. Apart from that, it should not be controlled to ensure its impartiality and neutral role. Historical Background of Media in Cuba The epoch of mass media in Cuba can be traced back during the Spanish regime. The history also of the country’s press has undergone five periods (Browning). The Colonial period which stated from 1723 to 1868 is recognized as the first period. During that period, the first newspaper entitled Gazeta de la Habana was released in 1782 and become the nation’s publication (Browning). In 1790, the newspaper was followed by the very first magazine entitled Papel Periodico de la Habana (Browning). Both were regulated by the Spanish government but enjoyed less restriction because of the French Revolution affecting the government power of Spain over Cuba. The second period began in 1869 when Independence was first craved for and ended in 1902. The period is also called the Independence Revolution (Browning). During that period, press was given full freedom purposely to win the support of the reformists. Eventually periodicals containing ideas about reform began to evolve which includes El Cubano Libre, Estrella Solitaria, El Mambi, and El Boletin de la Guerra (Browning). Notably, during the second period, more revolutionaries were inspired to fight for their independence through the influence of Jose Marti who writes in several newspapers such as Patria, La Nacion, and New York Sun (Browning). The second period was marked by independent exercise of expression through publications that is direct, immediate and constant (Browning). The third period started when called the Republican period which started from 1902 and ended in 1930. The third period was ruled under the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado (Browning). During his era, freedom of expression was enjoyed by journalists. Newspapers, publications and other dailies thrived in the city of Cuba, Havana. This period was also marked by prosperity because political parties sponsored lots of publications and added to the benefit of the country’s economy. However, the exercise of the freedom was shaken by the plan of Machado to assimilate and provide government subsidies in exchange for support in 1928 (Browning). The following years was marked by economic downturn and political unrest that further led to the end of freedom enjoyed by the Cuban journalists. The fourth period started after Machado was overthrown in 1930 until 1959 (Browning). For 29 years, Batista ruled the nation. During the reign of Batista, the freedom of expression was experiencing threat of extinction. Though, technological innovations in journalism were introduced in the country. Among these includes increased commercial sophistication and steam-powered printing presses (Browning). However, at the latter part of Batista’s reign, the freedom of expression has finally faded because the government took control of the press. The fifth period started when Batista was overthrown by the communist group led by Castro in 1959 and continues at the present era (Browning). Since the beginning of Castro era, the freedom of expression was already curtailed. Eventually, the press and media were finally controlled by the government and journalists were not given freedom to voice out their thoughts against the government. The government’s strict control over media started in 1930. No independent journalists were freed to release publications which have the effect of criticizing the government. During that period, journalists tried to oppose the move of the government but to no avail. Finally, in 1990’s through the introduction of Internet, independent journalists have found new medium to castigate the government’s control of information (Browning). However, the media, private and public, are still under the control of the government. Information dissemination is still suffering strict regulation. Independent journalists also continue to struggle and risk their lives for an independent journalism. It can be observed that since the evolution of media, the government already held control of it. The changes in phases under several governments have made media limited and restricted. Some of the actions that the government had done in curtailing free press and flow of information were censorship and closure of newspapers (Browning). Until now, the freedom of information remains evasive and independence of journalists is still obscure to be enjoyed. Current Status of Media in Cuba In Art. 53 of the 1976 Cuban constitution, freedom of press and expression have been explicitly stated. However, such freedom is subjected to limitations as contained in Art. 62 Art. 5, further, contains that all communication should be controlled by the Communist Party for the benefit of the country (Browning). As an effect, information was regulated and controlled by the government. Journalists were also restrained from publicizing without the knowledge of the state. Apart from that, journalists were arbitrarily imprisoned for exercising their freedom of expression. Mass media in Cuba is definitely not free. In the field of print media, the nation maintains three newspapers which are fully regulated by the government. These nation’s newspapers are Granma, Juventud Rebelde and Trabajadores (Browning). Granma is the official publication of the Communist Party which was founded in 1965 (Browning). Juventud Rebelde usually contains the same youth-oriented stories covered in Granma but in simplified and summarized manner. The Trabajadores, on the other hand, is more politically inclined publication as it contains Marxist principles (Browning). Notably, Granma’s circulation has widened in some other parts of the world through the power of internet. The website is called Digital Granma Internacional (Browning). It is also noteworthy that during the recognition of the press, the Union de Periodistas de Cuba (Union of Cuban Journalists) was founded in July 15, 1963 (Browning). It is a nongovernment organization which engages the membership of professional journalists in order to work in distinguished media in the country. However, such organization has already been controlled by the government and its constitution also dictates that editorial line of journalists must follow that of government. On this era of technological innovations, independent journalists found internet as a means of voicing out their cries and redress against the Cuban government. However, the control of the government in curtailing unwanted information has also reached the World Wide Web and several independent journalists have been imprisoned for such exercise of expression. It is noteworthy that 21 journalists have been recorded to have been imprisoned after a closed-door trial (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Among the journalists that suffered the harshness of the state is Yoani Sanchez, 33-year old blogger (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Sanchez, at first, found freedom through her blog called Generation Y which contained observations about hurricane devastation, politically motivated arrest, and food shortages (â€Å"Attacks on the Press in 2008†). Her blog has been read abroad but has also been made known by the government. Thereafter, her passport was confiscated and was not allowed to leave the country. Today, state authorities has started to regulate internet cafes to track down individuals with the purpose of publishing dissent against the government through internet. Another independent journalist that has experienced the government’s cruelty is Victor Rolando Arroyo (â€Å"Cuban Journalist in Second Week of Hunger Strike†). Arroyo, who writes in Union de Periodistas y Escritores de Cuba, was arrested during the fight for independence press in March 2003 (â€Å"Cuban Journalist in Second Week of Hunger Strike†). He caught the world’s attention when he took hunger strike for almost two weeks because of the maltreatment and indecent treatment of prisoners like him.

Simulation of Current Computer Networks

Simulation of Current Computer Networks The current Internet is based on IP protocol and supports only best effort services. With the exponential growth of Internet during the last years, IP networks are expected to support not only typical services like ftp and email, but also real-time services and video streaming application. The traffic characteristics of these applications require a certain Quality of Service (QoS) from the network in terms of bandwidth and delay requirements. We examine three queuing disciplines which are widely deployed and we compare their performance using simulation carried out in OPNET. The queuing disciplines considered in this paper are: First-In-First-Out (FIFO), Priority Queuing (PQ) and Weighted Fair queuing (WFQ). Background: In general, a queue is a line of people or things waiting to be handled, usually in sequential order starting at the beginning or top of the line or sequence. In network prospective packets are queuing in memory buffer of network devices like router and switch. Generally the packets are managed in first in first out fashion. To improve the quality of services different techniques use with the following properties like packets are handled fairly and prioritized properly. Several queuing techniques are uses to manage internet traffic, FIFO, WFQ, PQ. FIFO is common in all the queuing schemes, as it describes the basic method in which packets flow through queues. First in First out Queue (FIFO): FIFO queuing is the most basic queue scheduling discipline. In FIFO queuing, all packets are treated equally by placing them into a single queue, and then servicing them in the same order that they were placed into the queue. FIFO queuing is also referred to as First come, first served (FCFS) queuing. Figure 1: FIFO Queue. Priority Queue (PQ): Priority queuing (PQ) is the basis for a class of queue scheduling algorithms that are designed to provide a relatively simple method of supporting differentiated service classes. In classic PQ, packets are first classified by the system and then placed into different priority queues. Packets are scheduled from the head of a given queue only if all queues of higher priority are empty. Within each of the priority queues, packets are scheduled in FIFO order. Figure 2: Priority Queue. Weighted Fair Queue (WFQ): This is the combination of PQ and Fair Queue. In fair queue the problem is solved some queues may not get serviced because high-priority queues are being serviced. A round-robin approach is used to service all queues in a fair way. In WFQ All queues are serviced so that none are starved, but some queues are serviced more than others. A weight is applied to queues to give some queues higher priority. For example, one queue may get half the available bandwidth and other queues will get an allocation of the remaining bandwidth. Traffic may be prioritized according to packet markings, source and destination IP address fields, port numbers, and information in the ToS field. WFQ weights traffic so that low-bandwidth traffic gets a fair level of priority. If high-priority queues are not in use, lower-priority traffic uses its queues. This prevents high-bandwidth traffic from grabbing an unfair share of resources. WFQ uses an intelligent congestion management solution that provides à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  sharing of the interface bandwidth between multiple traffic flows. A traffic à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“flowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (or conversation) is a unidirectional sequence of packets, defined based on the protocol type, the source/destination IP addresses, the source/destination ports numbers (when available), and partially on the IPv4 ToS byte value. For example, an HTTP file transfer between two hosts represents one packet flow, while ICMP packets sent from one host to another represents a second. The WFQ shares this buffer space between all flow queues. Figure 3: Weighted Fair Queue. Problem Solutions Q1: Analyze the graphs we obtained and verify the overlap of the Voice Packet End to End Delay and Voice Packet Delay Variation graphs. Compare the three queuing disciplines and explain their effect on the performance of the three applications. Packets Drop: Figure 4: IP Traffic Dropped for FIFO,PQ,WFQ. For all three cases, Transmission starts at 1 min 45 sec because for all three profiles start at time=100sec=1 min 40 sec and offset for each application from start of profile is 5 sec. Voice client/server rate= 500 packets/sec Video client/server: 130 packets/ sec FTP Client/server: 1- 33 packets/ sec For FTP, TOS=0 For Video TOS=4 For Voice TOS=6 In case of FIFO, there is only 1 queue of size 500 packets. In FIFO there is no priority to any type of traffic. When more packets arrive then transmitted, these are stored in a queue. If queue is full then any incoming packet will be dropped until there is some space in queue. As in case of FIFO there is no priority assigned to any type of traffic , queue will become full in less time because voice packets (500 packets/sec) will fill queue more quickly when router is transmitting other packets (packets of video and ftp client). For PQ, these are queue profile settings depending upon TOS of incoming traffic. For FTP, tos = 0, Priority= low, queue size= 80 packets For Video tos = 4, Priority = medium, queue size= 40 packets For Voice tos= 6, Priority = high, queue size= 20 packets Now PQ, Voice packets have highest priority. After voice, Video traffic has high priority and FTP has lowest priority. Affect of this is less dropped packets in queue because in PQ, each different TOS has different queue. Voice packets have highest priority so they are transmitted as soon as received. So now, ftp and video traffic cannot hold the bandwidth when there is voice packet to send. Similarly video traffic has priority over FTP. Important thing to note is that queue size is low for higher priority queues because low priority traffic need to wait more when there are high priority packets coming. Now for WFQ, Parameters are: For FTP, tos=0, weight = 1, queue size= 500 packets For Video tos=4, weight = 40, queue size= 500 packets For Voice tos=6, weight = 60, queue size= 500 packets Buffer capacity: 1000 packets For WFQ, although queue size is 500 for each queue but WFQ uses shared buffer that means it allows queue size to increase even after 500pkts until buffer capacity is filled. When buffer is full this means interface is in the state of congestion, now the interface starts enforcing the individual queue limits as explained in theory. So at 2 min and 40 sec approx, interface reaches at congestion state, now max size of each queue is enforced to 500 packets and new incoming packets are dropped. After congestion state, as now queue size has been enforced to 500 for each flow, now packets drop increase even a little bit more than PQ because in case of WFQ 40/101 ~= 40% BW is also assigned to Video traffic, So here Voice traffic has to wait when its turn for video packets causing packet loss after queue is full as opposed to PQ where voice traffic does not need to wait. Traffic Received for Video Conferencing: Figure 5: Video Conferencing Traffic Received. Traffic received for Video Conferencing is higher in the case of FIFO as compared to PQ and WFQ at steady state. For PQ, whole channel is occupied by voice packets because whenever there is voice traffic other traffic is stopped hence traffic received for Video Conferencing is less in PQ. Now for WFQ, at start traffic received is higher because system is not in congested state and WFQ is using shared buffer of 1000 packets size as compared to 500 packets buffer of FIFO, but as congestion state is achieved at approx 2 min 40 sec as shown in Fig4. Packet drop increases and now queue size of 500 packets is enforced for each queue. Also video packets are given weight of 40, while voice packets are given weight 60 this means video packets are given less priority which results in less traffic for video in WFQ. Traffic Received for VoIP: Figure 6: Voice Traffic Received. Traffic received for voice is less in case of FIFO as compared to the other two scenarios. FIFO is first come first serve based mechanism, in which no special traffic priority is given to any type of traffic. As in Fig5 In case of FIFO traffic received for Video traffic is more this surely leads to less traffic received for Voice traffic. In this case voice, FTP and video packets have equal opportunity. Now in case of PQ and WFQ, received traffic for voice is higher compared to the FIFO system. In PQ, Voice traffic is given highest priority and these packets are transmitted as soon as they are received, similarly voice traffic is also given priority in case of WFQ by assigning weight 60 as compared to 40 assigned for video traffic. Figure 7: Voice Traffic Received. If we further zoom in the Fig6 to analyze the small difference in the curves of PQ and WFQ for voice traffic. At start voice traffic is same for both, but after approx 2 min 30 sec, traffic received in case of WFQ fall a little bit due to congestion phenomenon in WFQ as already explained above in the report. End to End Delay for Voice Packets: Figure 8: Voice Packet End-to-End Delay. In case of PQ and WFQ, the end to end delays are almost negligible. Reason for such a small delay is the priority given to voice packets in case of PQ and WFQ. In PQ voice packets are given priority by stopping all other traffic when voice packets are coming and in WFQ voice packets are given priority by assigning higher weight i.e. approx 60% of bandwidth is assigned to voice traffic communication. In case of FIFO, there is no priority; all the packets are severed on first come and first out basis. So when there is video or FTP traffic, voice traffic has to wait. At start delay increases sharply, because at start buffer is empty and voice packets are served quickly but as buffer continues to fill up, delay increases because now voice packets has to wait more in buffer . When buffer is full, As in Fig8 at 2 min approx, now delay is approx constant with little variations because buffer is full so every packet has to wait at least until 500 packets of buffer are transmitted before its turn. Delay Variation for Voice Packets: Figure 9: Voice Packet Delay Variation and overlap with Voice packet End-to-End Delay. Packet delay variation is Variance among end to end delays for voice packets. From Fig9, Delay variation is less for PQ and WFQ as compared to FIFO. PQ and WFQ have the negligible delay variation. For FIFO, at start delay variation rises quickly to peak point this is because at start end to end delay variation is greater as buffer is empty and start filling as explained in Fig8 and then end to end delay becomes approx constant around a mean value when buffer is full as explained already in description of Fig8 which is reason why Packet delay variation decreases after peak point. Actually Packet Delay Variation does not only depend upon previous delay value. It is the cumulative effect of all the previous packets as we have already researched on it in period 2 Voice over IP delay measurements paper assignment in course Internet Services and Traffic Measurements. So as the end to end delay becomes more constant, packet delay variation value falls. In the case of PQ and WFQ delay variation is very small because end to end delay is very small; also there is no variation in end to end delay because voice packets are given highest priority in Both PQ and WFQ. Q2: In the implemented project, edit the Queues object and check the profiles assigned to the FIFO, PQ, and WFQ discipline. For each profile answer the following questions: How many queues are associated with each discipline? Table 1: Number of queues in each configuration Queue Configuration Number of queues FIFO 1 PQ 4 WFQ 8 In this lab, we used ToS to identify the priority and weight for the PQ and WFQ disciplines. What are the other parameters that can be used to identify the priority and weight? Protocol, Port and DSCP are the other parameters that can be used to identify priority and weight. In PQ, how are queues configured to serve different ToS values? Router identifies priority based on TOS field of the incoming packets and sort incoming packets in appropriate queue based on TOS. Table 2: PQ queue configuration Queue Priority Label ToS Queue Size 0 Low Best Effort(0),Background(1) 80 1 Normal Standard(2),Excellent(3) 40 2 Medium Steaming Multimedia(4),Interactive Multimedia(5) 60 3 High Interactive Voice(6),Reserved(7) 20 In WFQ, how are queues configured to serve different ToS values? In WFQ, weights are assigned to serve different TOS and TOS field of incoming packets is checked to route them in a specific queue and queues are served based on weights. Table 3: WFQ queue configuration Queue Weight ToS 0 1 Best Effort 1 10 Background 2 20 Standard 3 30 Excellent Effort 4 40 Streaming Multimedia 5 50 Interactive Multimedia 6 60 Interactive Voice 7 70 Reserved Q3: Compare queuing delay for all queuing disciplines. Queuing Delay for all scenarios: Figure 10: Queuing Delay for each configuration. From Fig10, FIFO has the worst queuing delay which is higher than the PQ because in case of FIFO there is only one queue and packets are served on first come first served basis. When there is other traffic, packets has to wait in queue. There is not much difference between the PQ and WFQ queuing delay. PQ has slightly higher queuing delay as compared to WFQ because PQ gives highest priority to voice traffic and when voice packets are coming then all other (Video and FTP) packets have to wait in queue while in case of WFQ each queue has a share in BW and packets in one queue does not disturbs the right of other queues to transmit. Specifically, in our example, there are more voice packets in traffic as compared to video packets. So assigning a weight of 60 to voice as compared to 40 for video justifies it. Conclusion In this lab, by using three different types of traffic, we analyzed the effect of different queuing systems on network performance in terms of packet loss, end to end delay and delay variation. In case of FIFO packets drop is greater as compared to PQ and WFQ. FIFO does not utilizes any priority scheme it works on first come first server basis ,when queue is full , incoming packets are dropped unless there is some space in queue. PQ gives priority to specific type of traffic, it is good when one type of traffic is very time sensitive and important and remaining traffic does not demand any special timing limits. PQ fails when there are many different types of traffic which are time sensitive because PQ does not shares Band Width equally with all types of traffics, So highest prioritized traffic can jam the rest of communication. WFQ is the combination of FIFO and PQ where bandwidth is shared between all queues and each queue get its turn in a round robin fashion. We concluded after analyzing graphs of different queues PQ and WFQ queuing system has very small end to end delay and delay variation which is required for real time applications where traffic is time sensitive e.g. VoIP or Video Conferencing.

Kids getting lazy, fat and disrespectful Essay -- essays research pape

Kids these days are getting lazier, fatter, and more disrespectful. The baseball and soccer fields are empty, and the parks are empty. Kids are just no where to be seen nowadays. Where have they all gone? Well, if you look in the right places, then maybe you’ll see them. By the right places, I mean in front of our good friends the television, the play station or the computer. Parents should   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here are some stats from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost half of Americans aged 12 to 21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About 14 percent of those same kids reported no recent physical activity. Participation in any type of physical activities decrease dramatically as these kids get older. Kids are getting more sedentary every day and they’re paying the price of this lifestyle with their health. For every effect, there has to be a cause, according to the law of cause and effect. There is a specific reason as to why kids of the current generation are lazier and less active, and that is technology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As kids are born into the information age, new technology is readily available for their use. Life has gotten easier as the years progress, as new technology is developed it aid us in our everyday errands. Even though is aid is available to us, kids are starting to become over reliant on it, and they are slowly growing dependent on technology to do the...

E-commerce and the New World Order :: Internet Online Communication Essays

E-commerce and the New World Order INTRODUCTION: Imagine a town with a population of 500 people. Everyone knows each other in person, where gossip and rumors are the daily norms and where the community struggles to survive each day on basic physiological needs (water, food). There’s no form of entertainment, no technological presence, just a local pub down the street, where many people come to drink just to socialize and pass the time. The only news that is important to them is the news within the community. Now imagine the same town, a few decades later, with a growing population. This town has integrated technology into their daily lives. The town can now trade among other communities near by, while aware of the activities of the towns around them, of the country as a whole and of the news that circulates around the globe. It is this economy which greater resembles the economy in which we now live in. This economy is known as the information society, where traditional physical restrictions are now eliminated to the advantage of exploring other cultures and communities across space and time. This economy provides efficient forms of communication while enhancing the knowledge and ability of each individual in its society. In order to relate and comprehend this new economy, and to acknowledge its existence, we must first examine the changes that have taken place, and the benefits and disadvantages that are associated with it. It is by looking at each aspect that we can conclude that a new economy has formed and has impacted the ways we conduct our daily lives. ESSAY NWO: THE NEW WORLD ORDER Imagine a community in the industrial age, where mass production of goods and services are produced, where quality and originality are lost and where the creator/author loses power to control those who uses his/her information. The only news and transactions that circulates and matter within the community are those, which are local. Now imagine the same community where technological innovation has taken over, where computers are the new form of communication, where news that happen from one area of the world greatly affects other areas of the world. Where a wide variety of goods and services are now offered throughout the world, and where transactions and investment occurs at the tip of your fingers in your very own home.

Concert Review and Bio: Tchaikovsky Essay -- essays research papers

Classical Concert   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who likes classical music anyway? That is a question that you may have found me asking a few months ago. As I have listened to the music in class and on my CD that came with the text book, I have noticed that I am growing a little bit more fond of this style of music. I had never really given it a chance until I started attending my younger sister’s concerts and really paying attention to the music. I have realized that classical music isn’t half bad. modern rock is still the music for me, but I have really learned to like and respect classical music over the last few months. The last classical concert I attended was a Christmas themed concert last week. Along with Christmas favorites and carols, they played a song called Trepak, by Tchaikovsky. I had heard of Tchaikovsky before, but had never seen any of his music performed live.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My first impression of the concert was that the players were all dressed in black slacks or skirts and white tops. Some of them were wearing festive Santa Clause style hats and some even had garland wrapped around their instruments. The orchestra played first. They were all seated in a very specific order, facing the audience with the conductor standing on a podium in front of them. As they began to play I was very impressed with the level of skill that they played with, being only in high school. It sounded as if I was listening to a...

Green culture in Mexico Essay

Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste. This means it now takes the Earth one year and six months to regenerate what we use in a year. Mexico City generates more than 12,500 tons per day of solid waste and the % 50 of the waste are from the houses. In Mexico, people don ´t have a green culture to protect the environment because the people don ´t consider their ecological footprint, don ´t know the impact of their activities, and they think that natural resources will last forever. Footprint accounts reveal the ecological demand associated with residential consumption, the production, and the generation of exports. The Ecological Footprint is a resource accounting tool that helps to know what ´s the impact of the activities of the people. In Mexico the ecological footprint calculated in 2003 was 2.6 hectares per person. This means that we use more than the Earth can give us. The second reason for Mexican people don ´t have a green culture is because they don ´t know the impact of their activities. One example is that in Mexico City the main contaminant is carbon monoxide emitted by cars. The persons used every day a car and sometimes for short distances. The consequences of the pollution that people produce are reflected not only in health, also in the disappearance of ecosystems. The Mexican people think that natural resources will last forever. Today, the population growth generates more food production as result; the ecosystems are converted into agricultural, livestock and urban areas. Recently, large-scale industrial developments, including oil development in Mexico and timber and mineral extraction, have increased the threat to forests. Mexico has lost 25% of forest and jungle areas. The consequences of loss of ecosystems are scarcity of natural resources and species loss. People should have environmental awareness for preserving biodiversity and the environment that provides resources. In conclusion, Mexican people don’t have environmental awareness. It is important have a green culture because the Earth gives us all that we need. If we don ´t protect the Earth, the natural resources will be less that we have now. Sources: FAO. The Global Forest Resources Assessment. Roma: FAO, 2005. Print Global Footprint Network. â€Å"Footprint for Nations† Global Footprint Network U, 2011. Web. 17 March, 2012. Semarnat.  ¿Y el medio ambiente? Problemas en Mà ©xico y el mundo. Mà ©xico: Semarnat, 2007. Print

HPE †Tennis Research Assignment Essay

By using my knowledge and understanding of skill acquisition principles, psychology of learning and biomechanics, I have produced a six-week tennis training program. Incorporated in this report are the types of feedback used, the research laboratories carried out, and the design, analysis and evaluation of my coaching program.  Research Laboratories  Three research laboratories (See Appendices A, B and C) were carried out to assist in the development of my coaching program. These laboratories were on different types of feedback, the importance of accurate feedback and the use of feedback in mental rehearsal. The results from these labs provided me with a guide as to which type and the amount of feedback needed for a successful coaching program. Background Overview  Types of Feedback  There are many different types of feedback that can be used to enhance one’s performance. Generally, â€Å"the more precise the feedback, the more accurate the performance will become.† (Amezdroz, G., Davis, D., Dickens, S., Hosford, G., 1999, 2001. Queensland Senior Physical Education, Macmillan Education Australia, South Yarra, Australia.) The types of feedback used in my coaching program were: Knowledge of performance-general performance – this was used for the early stage of my coaching program when I needed a clear picture in my head to compare my actual performance with, eg. correct stance when serving. This type of feedback was provided to me by the coach, teacher and/or fellow participants in my program. I also watched my performances on video so I actually saw where I was going wrong and could then work on my motor skills. Positive feedback – this was given when I successfully completed a task. Positive feedback encouraged me to try again and persevere with the learning. This was used throughout the whole duration of the coaching program.  Knowledge of performance-specific – this was used in the later stage of my program. When I completed executing a movement or skill I was told on what I was doing wrong, and what to do to improve on my performance, eg. my ball toss was too low and I would therefore rush to hit the ball or simply miss it. By throwing the ball higher I give myself ample time to raise the racquet to hit the ball. Knowledge of performance gave me more detailed technical information to improve my skills. Concurrent (continuous) feedback – this was, as the name states, a continuous form of feedback given throughout the coaching and practice sessions.  Augmented (external) feedback – this type of feedback was provided both visually and verbally. I viewed a video of my performance and analysed what I was doing in/correct.  Design and Analysis of Coaching Program  At the beginning of my training I was at the late Cognitive stage of learning. I had little experience and knowledge of the game of tennis. During the six weeks of training I learnt and began to understand the skills needed and the rules of the game. I have now progressed through to the early Associative stage as demonstrated by my ability to effectively serve in both courts. The coaching program was based on distributive practice. This is where I would have short, practice sessions of a skill followed by a short break. For example, after doing 10 serves in both right and left court I was given a 2 minute break. During the break I would visualise in my head, the skills I had just learnt, and then the correct way to execute it. After the rest interval I would then carry out the skills. Improvements could be seen by me placing 50% of first serves and 75% of second serves in court. Whole-part learning was incorporated into the coaching program. This is when I would learn the whole skill at once, then break it down and concentrate on certain components that I was having difficulty with. Eg., learning to serve in tennis:  1. An explanation and demonstration on how to serve the ball was given  2. I carried out the serve like I had been shown  3. The serve was broken down into each skill associated with it that I was having problems with. Ie, stance, ball toss.  4. Each skill was then learnt and completed with success  5. All skills were then put together and a full serve was executed Mental rehearsal was also a very important factor in improving my tennis performance. By ‘zoning out’ before a training session I would allow myself to block out all factors including spectators, noises, etc., and concentrate fully on the task at hand. An example of one of the main mental rehearsal activities I undertook was bouncing the tennis ball 2-4 times before serving. The research laboratories carried out gave an indication on why the types of practice and feedback I incorporated in my program would be more useful than any others. For example, a lab indicated that the more precise feedback we were given, the greater improvement we made on our performances.

Minorities at War Essay

Many people’s lives changed in various ways during and after the World War II. The lives of women and minorities such as African Americans and Native Americans, changed drastically mostly in a positive way. Just like during most wars, women found jobs and opportunities. This was mainly because men and husbands went to work in industries and factories in different parts of the country while others went to war as soldiers. With reduction in the male taskforce, young girls and married women had to take up responsibilities and jobs that were traditionally considered to be for men (Mays 17). Unlike the First World War, where women served as secretaries and nurses, in the Second World War they were placed in more skilled jobs such as: research, electronics, engineering and mechanics (Mays 17). The Women’s Army Corps was created in 1942, which enabled women to participate in combat fields as pilots and other support personnel but not in direct combat. The war served as a major platform for women in society, women started being viewed as useful in various fields and not just as caregivers. The opportunity to take part in jobs that were traditionally considered for men also empowered women psychologically (Mays 17). The fight for equality for all citizens began after the civil war where President Lincoln freed the slaves. The Select Service Act was passed in 1940, allowing Hispanics, Native-Americans and African-Americans to enroll to all the branches of the army. The war offered opportunities for many African Americans to escape poverty in their rural homes (Reinhardt and Ganzel). Many blacks enlisted in the army trying to escape a long period of tenant farming and Depression in the Midwest and South. The army recruited Negroes but still practiced segregation (Reinhardt and Ganzel). In the chaos of war, especially after Pearl Harbor, the army had to work together and segregation was broken. After the war, many blacks opted to remain in towns and do work related to what they did in the army instead of going back to their rural homes (Reinhardt and Ganzel). Movements for fighting for civil rights had been created. The post-war era, was a period of exceptional struggle by the African Americans against the second class citizenship that had been accorded to them. They resisted racial discrimination and segregation through nationwide protests, boycotts, rallies and civil disobedience (Reinhardt and Ganzel). Many blacks joined civil rights movements and legal efforts were made to challenge segregation and inequality through courts. These efforts were rewarded with the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 which outlawed racism and segregation. In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was also passed allowing all races to vote. The passing of these acts was a great step in the demise of second class citizenship (Reinhardt and Ganzel). The struggle by the blacks to achieve equality inspired and influenced other civil rights groups as well such as Native–Americans and Hispanics. The war as witnessed was a great turning point for both women and minorities in America. They were all empowered by the situations created by the war to improve their status in society and fight for their rights. Work Cited: Mays, Dorothy A. Women in early America: struggle, survival, and freedom in a new world. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO Inc. Publishers, 2004. Reinhardt, Claudia and Ganzel, Bill. â€Å"Civil Rights for Minorities†. Wesley Living History Farm. 26 August 2010 from: http://www. livinghistoryfarm. org/farminginthe40s/life_18. html

Political Attitude

Essay #3 Emily Sawyer Civics and Economics H: Mr. Gain 3rd block 10/28/11 An individual’s political attitude can transpire from many sources. These sources can be identified as one’s Personal Background, the media’s influence, and an individual’s claimed opinion. Personal Background has a large effect on a person’s political attitude because it includes family, experiences in a person’s life, and that person’s age. People become accustomed to their own lives, and don’t realize how much every little thing about you makes you who you are.Political attitude can be based on what an individual’s family has been telling them about the United States Government, but these things parents are telling their children, are the parent’s outlooks and attitudes. Such as a person who grew up with a full family of Republicans will most likely be a Republican. It’s almost like their family brainwashed them into having an exclu sive political perspective. People can develop a political attitude through the experiences in their life such as where that person grew up as a child, or their family’s economic class.A person who grew up in the southern states might be influenced to be a republican because in recent elections, southern state’s votes such as Alabama and Georgia’s came out as Republican. Age can also play a role in this because as everything changes and everyone changes, as so do times. Important events that would influence a person’s political view occur at different times. Media plays a role in the influence of political attitudes of American citizens today because within the last 50 years, there has been a significant advancement in technology.First there was the telegraph, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet. A regular person wakes up in the morning and either reads the newspaper or a magazine, or some type of news. So, just becau se one article says something about their political view, a person who often reads and agrees with the magazine might start thinking the same thing. Again, some type of brainwashing. In work we usually know what we have to do based on our experiences and studies, however in our daily lives we rely on the media to get the current news and facts about what is important and what we should be aware of.An individual’s opinion is usually a combination of everything they know on the subject and what they are told and are willing to believe. So, our decisions, beliefs and values are based on what we know for a fact, our assumptions and our own experience. An individual’s political attitude can transpire from many sources. These sources can be identified as one’s Personal Background, the media’s influence, and an individual’s claimed opinion. A person’s political outlook can also change due to many of these things.

Family Life Education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Life Education - Assignment Example Family education needs to begin by changing inequal and unfair family dynamics along gender lines, embracing alternate conceptions and providing people with the tools to manage conflicts. To be clear, I am not assuming that all families must be the same. Polygamous families with multiple wives or husbands, polyamorous couples with children who have open sexual relationships, gay families who adopt children, cohabitating couples that don't want to get married... moral or religious considerations aside, all of these family structures need support and protection. It's in no one's interests to have a broken family, no matter what kind of family it is. This is where family education and family therapy needs to start: Putting aside normative judgments about what families should do and instead give people goals to identify and solve their own problems. Like all good education and psychology, the Pygmalion effect has to be avoided: We can't change people into what they want; we can only help them be better at doing what they want. Allen and Baber (1992) argue that family education has to embrace feminist theory to work. They point out that many of the fundamental conflicts between people are informed by gender norms and patriarchy: â€Å"[F]eminist analyses reveal the detrimental and often devastating effects that traditional family roles, economic exploitation, and social inequalities have on women's health and general well-being† (Allen and Baber, 1992, p. 1). And it's not just women who suffer. Indirectly, patriarchy and gender inequality cause cascading effects: Women are unhappy and stressed, so they can't find satisfaction and happiness, so they pursue outside romance or affairs or divorce their husbands, which in turn harms children. Directly, patriarchy creates artificial and misguided assessments about the roles men, children and women should and do perform that never made much sense and make absolutely no sense now. The Leave It to Beaver model of an a uthoritarian father, supportive mother and obedient children is not the way most people choose to live their lives. Family educators thus need to be educated and trained to understand these kind of persistent inequalities, recognize them when they occur and deal with them. A great example is found in the second shift and in maternity leave (Hochschild, 2003; Wise, 2008). The second shift is when women have to work eight hours at work just like men. This is because the change in the economy has made it so people have to have two breadwinners to make ends meet. Ironically, feminist successes at getting women into careers didn't precipitate changes in underlying family structures and distributions of work: Instead, women work eight hours a day at a job then another eight hours a day at home, doing domestic work. It's true that men do pick up some of the slack, but never in a really consistent way according to Hochschild's (2003) research. Similarly, women get put into a â€Å"mommy tr ack† not because they don't want to work but because it's impossible to imagine having their husbands take more time off work. â€Å"Unless the social structure supports shared sacrifice, sacrifice will end up being made by those with the least institutional power, irrespective of one’s personal desires† (Wise, 2008). In the United States, men don't receive paternity leave, so

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 9

Research paper - Essay Example This is the overall purpose of this research. Skeletal muscle subjected to intense physical stress requires ready availability of energy resources and it is established that carbohydrate intake during exercise delays the onset of fatigue as it is a readily available source of energy. Only in the absence or deficiency of carbohydrates, other reserve sources such as body fat and protein are tapped under normal physiological circumstances. Oxidative metabolism in the skeletal muscle is upregulated by normal physiological mechanisms of gene transcription which increases the mRNA content of several genes in response to the demand imposed as a result of exercise. Carbohydrate intake is known to diminish this activity. Low availability of glycogen resources in endurance training is also known to stimulate gene expression in a manner which can prove beneficial to endurance performance. This physiological adaptation, the authors believe can be tapped for a better training method for athletes. They believe that exercise induced glycogen breakdown is maintained at an optimum level when exercise is done under fasting conditions and this facilitates energy provision from the oxidation of fat reserves in the body. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms can help develop better training programs for athletes, which was the indirect endeavor in this study. The authors’ hypothesis is pertinent to the currently available knowledge of skeletal muscle physiology as increased interest has been generated in this field due to the increasingly competitive environment in the international arena. Studies on trained athletes are numerous and the authors’ selection of healthy individuals from normal population in favor of actual athletes is an appropriate strategy as it can yield more pertinent data about skeletal muscle activity, which is already in pre conditioned and altered state

Analysis highlighting the relationship of marketing theory to Essay

Analysis highlighting the relationship of marketing theory to marketing practice - Essay Example ding, with universities offering courses on "Entrepreneurship" and "Small Business Management" in their curriculum, so as to inculcate the desire and the interest of the students to start their own ventures when they graduate, and associations supporting entrepreneurs springing up, to help in funding and other networking contacts needed to do business. (Mpofu, 2007) Entrepreneurship is the concept of initiative taking by a person, with the acceptance of all the risks and rewards, by capitalizing on an opportunity which was unseen by the rest. The idea is great, since it brings together the uniqueness of thoughts as well as the creativity of the common man to the front end, and helps in the start up of business, where the man is his own boss, and with no one to regulate the decision making process, or the ultimate decisions taken. (Gundry, 2007) Marketing is also one of the oldest and the most creative disciplines in the field of business. Marketing is about making such a lucrative offer to the customer that they cannot help but buy the product you are selling. The marketing done by an entrepreneur is slightly different from the marketing done by any large, established business. But that is what the theory says. Let us examine the relationship between the marketing theory and marketing practice of an entrepreneurs marketing. (Kerin, 2004) The entrepreneur chosen for this report is Mr. Boston Rift, who has opened an entrepreneurial venture by the name of "Book your Books". He has booked small stalls, or shops within the premises of four renowned business universities of the city. And his business is to supply the students with the books that they need for each semester, freeing them up of the hassle to go to this faraway wholesale book market and buy it. Every academic year in each university has two semesters, Spring and Fall. And every semester, on an average, a student has 6 courses that he has to study. Every teacher prescribes a book to be bought for the

Electronic Communication in the Service and HRM Sectors Research Paper

Electronic Communication in the Service and HRM Sectors - Research Paper Example It is claimed further on that HRM is focused on an individual and the positive effects of electronic communication improve organization’s performance. Nevertheless, both face-to-face communication and electronic communication depend on trust, reliability and openness.  Introduction Electronic communication has rushed into the business world. A new era of communication has borne its fruits. Currently, any organization introduces different forms of electronic communication to foster business success. Therefore, e-mails and IMs, social networks and online conferences discussed further are positioned as modern solutions for business challenges. E-communication is a helpful and effective tool enabling people to share their ideas and thoughts instantaneously. E-mail in business is an effective tool of sharing one’s ideas, receiving instantaneous messages, and fostering business: â€Å"Organizations can use electronic  mail for product development, training, giving, and re ceiving work assignments, testing, personnel administration, problem solving, posting notices, marketing, and sending personal communication. Many organizations believe e-mail gives them a competitive advantage, because it is fast, inexpensive, readily available, and not dependent on receiver availability† (Nantz & Drexel 1995, p. 45). This type of electronic communications is especially important for human resource managers, which use it for new employees’ searching or communicating with the employees of the organization. Business letters are delivered quickly and the sustainability of information sent in these messages is relevant to current issues of any business field. A special role electronic communication plays for HRM. E-mail communication can play both a positive and a negative role for a sender. Thus, an individual shoula be careful what and how you e-mail. In any case, whatever he/she writes or sends by means of the Internet can be shown to other people, cr iticized, or misinterpreted. Cyberspace is cruel, and the material sent should be properly considered and grammatically and ethically correct. No vague, intricate, or intimidating messages should occur on the web (Hartman, Lewis & Powell, 2002). Otherwise, a business email turns into a messy and a casual note. Thus, one should set clear goals and proofread messages, because e-mails are means of effective business communication. HRM managers should be focused on appropriate usage by the employees of electronic communication both at work and at home. Very often, an employee can post intimidating messages about his employer and this type of behavior should be appropriately controlled by human resource managers. Challenges and Opportunities of Online Communication in HRM The modern business world is full of opportunities. Both technological innovations and Internet development foster online communication. Modern organizations implement different forms of online communication in their daily practices and try to solve the problems of communication barriers among employers and employees. There is a need to communicate online in compliance with etiquette norms. Business messages should be grammatically correct, concise and relevant (Flynn, 2004). Vague or long letters should be deleted and rewritten, because it distracts attention of the receiver. IMs are used to receive more instantaneous answers, while

The Problem of Relativism and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Problem of Relativism and Morality - Essay Example The role that religion plays in the shaping of morality can thus, not be underestimated. The fact that these religions were often the mouthpieces of certain political denominations must also be taken into account while looking at their influences. Whether religion which seeks to represent what was for a long time considered the very fountain-spring of morality- God- is biased or not makes the problem of relativism very relevant to the lives of people even today. The emergence of atheistic groups and the rise of existentialist thought in Europe also brought the focus back on relativism and morality. This paper shall seek to look at the different points of view that have been put forth regarding relativism and seek to assert that it is not possible to have a single view of morality in the modern age. Relativisms of various kinds are a part of the theories that are used to talk of morality today. Subjective relativism, a form of relativism according to which morality depends on the subj ectivity of an individual places the onus of deciding whether something is good or bad according to his or her own beliefs and values. The individual, and not a divine or social force, is invested with the power to make choices regarding good and evil. This perspective gained credence with the rise of individualism that reached its height with the rise of capitalism (â€Å"Roots of Individualism in Europe†). With capitalism at its peak, it is necessary for one to understand the role of individual subjectivities. It is also important for the society as a whole to examine the role of overarching frameworks that fail to include the majority of the people in the modern world. The modernist movement that took shape in Europe had as one of its founding principles this very distrust in metanarratives that were imposed on people as a part of religion and history. The fallout of this was that conventional notions of morality were discarded. This was very different from the moralities that were a part of Victorian society which believed in a rigid framework of morality that would then be imposed as a part of social life. As a part of this, people would have to adhere to the rules that were set by the society as a precondition for being a part of that very society. Marginalization was the punishment that was meted out to anybody who dared to deviate from the path that was laid out for the citizens of a particular community. Organicity, thus, is not a part of the social fabric of modern times. The organicity that made possible the unity of earlier societies is not a feature of modern society. A single framework that defines one’s existence and the morality that is a part of that existence is thus, insufficient for an understanding of life as it was during the twentieth century and as it is in the twenty first. Franco Moretti locates the schism between organic and non-organic societies in the Augustan age when Europe came into contact with other cultures in a major way (Moretti 36). Debates about the moralities that are a part of modern times are incomplete without a discussion of the theories that were a part of organic societies-the theories that served to hold people together as a single monolithic entity. Religion was one such body of theories. The Divine Command Theory that places God at the pinnacle of all

Sociology and culture of Chicago Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology and culture of Chicago - Essay Example That's why Chicago has the biggest population and median home values throughout the state. In 2000 there were 2,896,016 people living in Chicago. The U.S Census Bureau provides us with the data that says that 42.0% of Chicago dwellers are white, 36.8 % percent of them are Black or African American, the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native persons is only 0.4%, while there are 4.3% of Asian persons living in Chicago. 26% of Chicago dwellers are persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, and the percentage of the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders is 0.1%. 2.9% of people reported two or more races, and 13.6% of the citizens reported some other race. The research conducted by the U.S Census Bureau displayed that the population of Chicago has grown by about 4%, but the Local Information Data Server Website reports that in recent years Chicago's population has been declining at an annual rate of less than one percent. The quantity of children under five years old was about 7.5% in Chicago in 2000, while the quantity of young people under eighteen, equaled 26.2%. 10.3% of the Chicago dwellers were sixty five years old and over at the time when the research was conducted. There were 51.5% of females dwelling in Chicago in 2000, and 48.5% percent of male dwellers. 21.7% of those, who lived in Chicago in 2000 we... In 1999 Median household income equaled $38,625, and the per capita money income was $20,175. 19.6% of Chicago dwellers lived below the poverty threshold in 1999. Like most big cities, Chicago has to deal with the problem of poverty within it. Of course, there are some people in the city that can't or don't want to work, but most of Chicago dwellers work hard to earn their living. The thing is that working very hard is often not enough to ensure the proper level of life for yourself or your family. Like all of the American huge cities, Chicago has to face the problem of the working poor. A new class of poor people appeared in the USA, those who can not provide themselves with the things needed for the decent living in spite of the amount of time and effort they spend. Those are home health care aides, call-center operators, child care workers, security guards, receptionists, food processors, gardeners, data-entry clerks, waiters and cleaners. If all of those low-waged workers stopped working at once, the countries social, economical and industrial life would be paralyzed. Low wages aren't the only problem of the working poor. Most of them are not socially secure. Of course this state of things influences their physical and psychological condition badly. The poor often cannot afford to buy a proper food and clothing for themselves and their children, or they have to choose between having a supper and paying the water and electricity bills. Most of them don't have any medical insurance, and those who have it wish they didn't, because it takes the considerable share of their earnings. Low-wage workers often experience problems finding the accommodation and paying for it, as the rent is too high for them. They are often

The role of feminist art in 20 century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The role of feminist art in 20 century - Essay Example In 1970s the social orientation of the art-process both from the point of view of the content (themes raised by artists in the works of their creativity), and the structure has noticeably amplified. The most appreciable phenomenon of the middle of 1970s has become feminism in art. So let us consider the role of feminism in the art of the twentieth century. Feminism is a social-political movement, which purpose is granting to women all variety of the civil rights. In a broad sense it is an aspiration to equality of women with men in all spheres of a society's life. In narrow sense feminism is a women's movement, which purpose is elimination of discrimination of women and their equation in the rights with men. Feminism has arisen in the eighteenth century, but it became especially active since the end of 1960s. Especially since the late 1960s, when the feminist art movement can be said to have emerged, women have been particularly interested in what makes them different from males - what makes women artists and their art different from male artists and their art. This has been most prominent in the United States, Britain, and Germany, although there are numerous precursors to the movement, and it has spread to many other cultures since the 1970s1. The role of a woman art began to be discussed approximately since the first quarter of the nineteenth century, but the most intensive discussion concerns to the end of the nineteenth - to the beginning of the twentieth century. Both in those years and later even just the right to existence of this issue, not speaking about using concepts "female literature", "female creativity", "female history " etc. had been often called into a question, had been laughed at and denied. The main thing and they believe weighty and incontestable argument of opponents of using these definitions is the thesis: the art can be only good or bad, and no other aspects of consideration and the analysis can be. And especially the art cannot be male or female; it cannot be divided according to a sexual attribute. The first comprehensive, historical exhibition to examine the international foundations and legacy of feminist art, WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution focuses on the crucial period 1965-1980, during which the majority of feminist activism and art-making occurred internationally. The exhibition includes the work of 120 artists from the United States, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Comprising work in a broad range of media-including painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, and performance art-the exhibition is organized around themes based on media, geography, formal concerns, collective aesthetic, and political impulses2. In the art of feminist-women there is a destruction of an image of the woman as a gentle, fine, full of love and giving a life essence. Aggression and sexuality of these characters with which the author is inevitably identified, causes a shock. Not a fine woman, captivating with her nakedness, but some fury appears in the form of a picture, a photo, installation, a model. It frightens a man, as a viewer by definition is a man. For him she creates. Eros of these Venus does not give a birth of a new life. Not dedication,

Encouraging more Respect for the Dutch Culture Essay Example for Free

Encouraging more Respect for the Dutch Culture Essay Introduction For my personal project I have decided to write a book (appendix 1) about the Dutch culture and habits. I was inspired to do this project, because a lot of people think that everyone in Holland smoked marihuana at least once a day, walks on clogs all the time and has a garden full of tulips. When I first joined ISS I noticed that everyone assumed that I loved cheese and they still do. This inspired me to do write this book, because I want people to know more about Holland and gain more respect for the country. This is important to me, because I want everyone to not always stereotype the Netherlands. My Area of Interaction for this project will be Community and Service. I chose this Area of Interaction, because I am writing a book for the community to read. I want to inspire the community to see Holland through a different view. I want people to have more respect for the Dutch  culture and its habits after reading my book. By doing this I not only help the school community, but also the Dutch community by encouraging more respect for their culture. Since I am doing this for free it is a service. I think that giving out a book for free is going to make the book more successful. More people would want to read it and so more people will be encouraged to have more respect for Holland. That is why my AOI is Community and Service. My goal of writing this book is that people will start to have more respect for the Dutch culture. I do not want everyone to just assume that I wear clogs at home, eat cheese everyday and especially that I smoke marihuana. I also want to get more non-fiction writing experience and skill by writing this book. This will help me for writing essays and other informative writing tasks. I will measure my goal by seeing if the attitude of people improves after reading my book. What I mean to say by this is that: if they lessened the stereotypical comments, than I believe that their respect has increased. I have designed an 11-point plan for my Personal Project. Make a survey and ask the questions to people in Holland to get their opinion. Buy and read books about the Dutch culture, so I can use these in my project. Find websites on the Internet about clogs, Dutch cheese, drug consumption in the Netherlands etc. I will keep researching. Ask the questions of the survey to people in ISS. Plan out my book. I will plan out what I want chapters to be about and in what order I will put them. Write an introduction for the book. Writing an introduction is important, because it introduces the reader to the book and shows what the reader can expect. I will start on writing the book and finish at least 1/3 of it before the progress fair, so I can present this on the progress fair. I will finish my book around January. This will not be the completed version. I will ask some people to read the rough draft. I will use the feedback I get to improve and finish the book. When finished I will make a table of contents and a cover page. Then I put everything together in a folder and hand it in on the due date. Description of the process Research and Planning First, I had to plan out the whole entire process. As shown in the introduction I had an eleven-point plan to finish my personal project. That was just a rough draft of all the things I was going to do, but now I will describe the whole process in detail. I started my project a little bit before the summer break. I started researching on how to write a non-fiction book. This was very critical to my project, because I have never written a book before and it was very likely to take longer if I did not use these websites. (Stephanie Chandeler, 2009) (Bobbi Linkemer, 2010) After this I thought of the survey questions I was going to ask people about Holland. The week after I planned this, my family and me went to the Netherlands and I planned to do the survey there. I asked the survey questions to as many family members and friends as I could, until we went home. I had about 25 persons interviewed and I was convinced that this was going to help me during the project. I put all the answers of the survey into an Excel document. (appendix 2) After the all this research I realized that I did not have a plan. I quickly made a 11-point plan to write my book. I was very stupid of me to write the plan so late. I will discuss this further in the conclusion. Two weeks after school started I asked the survey questions to the whole entire tenth grade class. Some of these surveys were very useful and actually helped me writing my book. But many of them were not taken seriously and I thought this was very disappointing, because I expected a little better of my classmates. Writing the first half and rewriting first half After all of this research I started writing the book. Three weeks after the school started I wrote my introduction to the book (word from the Author). This was very important to the book, because in this introduction I had to introduce the whole entire book and as I said before I have difficulties starting a writing task. But once I get into writing, then I can keep on writing for maybe 15 minutes straight. After that I wrote chapter one of my book. It was not very hard on deciding what my first chapter should be on, because almost every non-fiction book starts out with a basic overview of the topic that will be discussed. So my first chapter was about the geographical facts about Holland, like its area, population, religion  percentage and other basic facts about The Netherlands. The second chapter was about the provinces of Holland. I believed that this was important to explain, because every province is different and I wanted to show that not everything in Holland is the same a s some people think. It is like the states in the U.S., people in Georgia are completely different from people in Texas. Then I started on the third chapter, which was about the water in Holland. I talked about the lakes, rivers, seas and polders in Holland. The fourth chapter was the last chapter I wrote before the progress fair. It was about the history of Holland. I discussed important wars and events that effected Holland on what it is today. Three days later I presented what I had written so far at the progress fair. Not a lot of people were interested in my project and only about 5 kids stopped to look and ask questions about my project. A week later the biggest problem happened throughout the whole project. I lost all my progress so far on what I have written. For some reason my laptop deleted nearly everything that I had written so far. The only thing that wasn’t gone was my introduction. This was a very big problem and I should have had a back up. The next school week and one and a half week of the break I spend rewriting my whole entire first half of the book. This wasted a lot of my time I could have actually spent starting my second half of the book. I believe that the second version of my book was slightly different than the first version, but only small improvements were made. It could even be that I may have left some things out and have added some things, so my first version could have been better or worse. Writing the second half of the book The second half of the book was a little more difficult. I had covered all of the basic things, like geography and history. Now I needed all the things that people were stereotyping and making fun of, because my goal was to encourage more respect for the Dutch community by writing the actual truth instead of writing. I first decided to make a chapter on significant and famous Dutch people before talking about stereotypes. In the appendix chapter 5 of my book is shown and as you can see I talk about famous Dutch people in the past (like Vincent Van Gogh), and famous Dutch people in the present (like Johan Cruijff). I thought that this was also important to put into my book, because some people did not know any famous Dutch people and I  thought it was a good idea to also include this in my book. I finally started writing about some typical Dutch things. My sixth chapter was about Dutch holidays and traditions. I included holidays in them like the Dutch carnaval and Sinterklaas, because those are two very popular and well-known holidays all over Holland. This chapter is also included in the appendix. My seventh chapter was about Dutch eating habits and I talked about food like Dutch cheese and its stereotypes and liquorice. I hoped that I made a lot of things clear about Dutch people and cheese in this chapter. The eighth chapter of my book was about tolerance in the Netherlands. Here I hope I made a lot of things clear about the red light district, drug legalization in Holland and legalized prostitution in Holland. My final chapter was about typical Dutch things like windmills and tulips. I explained that not everyone grows tulips in their garden and not everyone in Holland lives in a windmill! After I finished all of my chapters I let my mother and father read it through for some feedback. Using the feedback I got, I improved my book. Afterwards I wrote my afterword and bibliography. In the afterword I thanked all the people that helped me write the book and summarize the conclusion of the book. At last I put the book together and made a table of contents. So, finally after 6 months of hard work, problems and bad time management I finished my book and handed it in. I hope everyone who will read the book will gain more respect for the people of The Netherlands and will think twice before concluding anything about Holland and its culture. Analysis Useful resources and the AOI linked to it My project was a project that was based on and dependent on a lot of research. So the research changed my personal project a lot. As I told in the process description, I did some research on how to write a book and I also did a survey with a lot of people. This survey affected my personal project a lot, because this showed me what people of different ages were thinking about Holland internationally. I used this survey in a lot of chapters in my book, so I could see what people were thinking about Holland. As I mentioned before my project was dependent on research. I used a lot of websites and most other websites were useful in the same way. I found websites about cheese, traditions, polders and many other things. There were  only two parts of my research that were more important than all the information sources. These were the survey and the websites on how to write a book. These helped me reach my goal better. The survey helped, because this showed me what a lot of people were thinking and so I could decide what I should write several of my chapters about. The websites on how to write book helped, because it is always very difficult for me to start an essay or any other writing task. These websites helped me start out and guided me throughout the whole writing process. Another very useful website that helped me finish my longest chapter, chapter 2, was a website called tripadvisor.com (Tripadvisor, 2000) I used a lot of sources I used and it would be a miracle if I remembered all of them word by word. Some of which I remember do relate to the AOI. The source that links the most to the AOI is my survey results. Asking people from two different communities questions about their personal opinions created this survey. One was the Dutch community who all gave similar answers and mostly answers that make sense to me. The other was an international community who also gave similar answers, but made less sense. Some people did not take this survey seriously and some people gave stupid answers. One example is that some people just wrote weed next to every answer. These were the survey that did not help me at all and I just threw them away. By seeing this I could conclude that not a lot of foreigners knew about the Dutch people and their culture. Changes in the plan I changed a lot of things in the plan. At the very beginning I said that I would create the survey first. What I actually did first was research on how to write a book. This was an important change in the plan, because if I didn’t than probably my book would have been less organized, I probably forgot the table of contents and my introduction would take maybe three days. Another change I made in one of the points in the plan was that I did not interview people from the I was planning in doing so, but than I decided not to. I am a very shy person when it comes to asking a stranger a bunch of questions. I was afraid that they might be startled and most of them just say no, because they don’t have time. I was also afraid that people think I am some crazy kid asking them some stupid questions about their own country. Another change in the plan was that I switched point 4 and 5 around. Now, I  first planned out the book and then I surveyed the tenth grade. I did this, because I saw that some people were still getting used to their homework pattern in tenth grade and would probably forget one â€Å"unimportant† survey and that would leave me with maybe 15 completed surveys in my hands. So I first planned out the book and later when most people were less stressed I asked the survey questions. The biggest change is probably that I would have had the book finished in January. I had to change this, because of the problem that occurred I explained about in the description process. Almost all of my work got deleted. Due to this I could not work on my second half of the project in the Christmas break. I finished up my rough draft in the February break and had two days to use feedback from my mother and father to improve my book. This change also had effect on nearly all of my last points, because of the little time that was left after the deletion of my project. Techniques used in the project and time management I did not use a lot of different techniques in my project. Since my project is writing a book not as many techniques are used as in making a movie or sporting. The technique I used most was research and write. For a non-fiction book this is obvious, because the information in the book does require a lot of research. There are also other techniques I used, like the interview. The interview was, as I explained before, critical to my project. This interview was very effective to my project, because it is always good to not only have second hand sources. To have a first hand source can come in really handy, because one cannot always believe what is on the Internet. My time management could have been better. First of all it would have been better if I had finished everything up until my book introduction in the summer break, because than I could have entirely focused on writing my book for the rest of the year. The other big thing that interfered with my time schedule was the deletion of my project. As I explained before I had to rewrite all over again during the Christmas break. And the last thing that is again completely my fault, is that I let the final chapter of my book all come down to one holiday. I worked everyday on the project in the holiday and was really stressed throughout the whole ‘holiday’. I should have spread it out over the last three weeks, but I admit I was too lazy and thought that I wasted half of my Christmas break on my project that I won’t do a lot  in the weeks to come. This is a thought that I will not ever think again after what happened. Has my understanding of my AOI grown during the project? My understanding of the AOI has definitely improved over the course of the year. My understanding about why one should respect another culture has grown a lot. I have realized more than ever that I have to respect other cultures more and stop making stereotypical jokes in order to gain respect from other people for my culture. I also understand more how my book could contribute and has contributed to a community. By reading my book some people have gained respect for Holland and its culture as I mentioned before. Now maybe 10 people read the book and maybe 5 of these have gained respect for the Dutch culture. This benefitted the small Dutch community in our school. But let us say that half of Germany reads my book. I think that around 40%/50% of these people would actually understand and respect the Dutch culture more. If such a thing happened than it could have contributed to the whole Dutch community. Understanding and quality of the product I understand many more things now about writing a book. The main thing that I have learned is to have a back up for every chapter you make. I have learned this the hard way. Another major thing that I understand now is that writing a book is not as easy as I expected it to be. It requires a lot of research, creativity and especially time. If you do not plan you time well then writing a book can take a really long time. I wrote a book double-spaced, size 14 and 6800 words in 46 pages in about 6 months. A writer that does single-spaced, size 12 and around 500 pages would maybe take 30 years over one book if he/she wrote in my tempo. And if I wrote in their tempo than I would be done with the project in maybe a month or so. So my understanding is that writing a book is mostly about planning and a lot of dedication to one’s work. I am quite proud on what I produced. I never thought myself capable of writing a book. Compared to the work of a professional writer my book is very short. I compared my work to a book called â€Å"The Dutch, I presume?†(Martijn de Rooj, April 2009) and another book called â€Å"Holland† (Herman Van Amsterdam, 2009) and saw that mine was way shorter. These man also has more experience when it comes to writing a book. they designed it really clever and also had other professionals working with them; like  professional photographers and artists. The Difficulty of the project Overall I would not consider my project as a difficult project. I also don’t think it is easy. Writing a book is not as easy as people think it is, because it requires a lot of planning and a bit of creativity. But it is also not extremely difficult, because if you planned everything than you just let your mind and hands do the work and just keep on writing until you cannot write anymore. I think writing a non-fiction book is more for people who are looking for a challenge. Conclusion Have I met my Goal? I believe that I have met my goal to a certain extent. The first part of my goal was to encourage more respect for the Dutch culture. This point is not very clear yet, because only one foreigner has read the book until now. But I believe that the book will have some impact on the respect people have for Holland. I told some of my classmates some facts about the Netherlands and they stopped making fun of the things I told them are not even close to the truth. My other goal was to get more informative writing skills. I believe that I really have achieved this goal, because I find it easier to write more on one-world essays or history essays now, because I wrote this book. This project also helped me a lot with researching skills. Before I only used to look on the Internet, but now I will start using other sources like books and first hand sources to research. By doing this I can get more information about a subject and this will, hopefully, get me better grades. Things that I would do differently if I could start over There are a lot of things I would do differently next time. The first one is to have a back up for everything I write. This was the biggest problem I had throughout the whole project. Due to this I wasted a whole break rewriting all the things I did not back up. If I do this differently if I could start over than I would probably have way more time to do the rest of my book. This brings me to the other thing I would do differently if I could start over: time management. I should have planned my time better throughout the 6 months I had. Because I did not plan my time well in the ending I had to  finish the second half of my project in one and a half week. Another thing that I could improve is that I should let more than just 2 people give me feedback on my book. Both of the people that gave me feedback were Dutch and I should have let someone with a different nationality look at it. This would have been an advantage, because than I would have gotten another cultures point of view. The benefit of another culture’s point of view is that all the things that think could be appropriate in Holland could be inappropriate in other cultures. Because I might have put one or two jokes in my book that could be seen as inappropriate, but I left them in there due to that the two people giving feedback were ok with it. Personal lesson I learned from doing this project I have learned a lot by doing this project. The main thing is that I learned to organize better. I was always terrible at organizing my work, so I got in time trouble a lot of time. By doing this project along with all the essays and tests we got I had to learn organizing the hard way. Another thing I learned and I kept mentioning throughout the whole report is that I HAVE to make a back up for all the important work I have done. If I do not do this something like what happened in December might happen and completely ruin days of works. I also learned that if I really put myself into something I could write about a lot of information quickly. Another important thing that I realized while writing my book was that if I want people to respect my culture and stop stereotyping, I also have to do the same thing. I realized this while talking to a couple of my friends about respect for one’s country. I realized that in order for me to achieve my goal of people respecting my culture, I had to do the same thing. I have learned a lot by doing this project and I hope that other people have learned a lot too by reading my book. Bibliography Chandler, Stephanie. How to Write Your Non-Fiction Book in 60 Days: 8 Steps Get Your Book Out of Your Head and on to Paper. Scribd. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. http://www.scribd.com/doc/13835154/How-to-Write-Your-NonFiction-Book-in-60-Days-8-Steps-Get-Your-Book-Out-of-Your-Head-and-on-to-Paper. Linkemer,