Case Studies Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Studies - Case Study Example From this perspective the sample should be dependant on the quantity of people entering the store but if we were to select one out of every five people that would represent twenty percent of overall entrants into the store. The method of determining information from the customers would be an in person survey with close ended questions. In situation #2 it is my recommendation that the airline should use a convenience sampling method. The means by which we should select the sample would have to be proportionally representative insofar as we and not only looking for people who would typically fly in airplanes but they must also be university students. Finally the sample size should be restricted by the overall budget. If the cost is $75 per student we would need to determine how many people we can interview based on the overall budget is $7,500 than the number of interviewees would be 100. However the number should ensure that the confidence level is larger than 95%. In situation #3 the type of sample that should be utilized is a systematic sampling method in which every nth person is chosen at a predetermined point in the city. The method of choosing the sample should be along the lines of every fourth or fifth tourist that they encounter.

The Perfect Knight Essay Example for Free

The Perfect Knight Essay We are made to believe that there are still knights in shining armor out there. That adage was probably rooted from English Literature. Stories of King Arthur and his knights were legendary that it even reached our time. It influences us on how the modern man should act towards the contemporary woman. But what are the characteristics of the perfect knight? How should he feel about love? How does he handle the honor bestowed on him by his king? Was there such a thing as a perfect knight then? The perfect knight being the counterpart of the perfect gentleman of today. We can discuss this by studying four knights: Sir Gawain from the Arthurian stories, Sir Topas from Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"Tale of Sir Topas† and Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon in â€Å"The Knight’s Tale†, also by Chaucer. Sir Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur. He is also a Knight of the Round Table. He is said to be the greatest knights. He is the daughter of King Arthur’s sister Morgause and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. Gawain is often described as a great warrior. He is formidable but he can be brash. He is very loyal to his king and his family. He is friendly to the younger knights. He defends the poor. He is quite the ladies’ man. He is a great healer because he acquires vast knowledge of herbs. If Gawain’s story were made into a movie, there would be versions wherein he is the hero and there would be other versions where he is the best friend of the hero. There are even some stories where he is the provider of the gentle comedy. However, if a reader who is studying Sir Gawain wants to see him in the best possible light, the best literature would be his search for the holy grail. On his quest, his intentions are pure. However, he is only human. He failed to use God’s grace to see his mistakes. In the Arthurian legends, he stopped his brothers Agravain and Mordred from exposing the love affair between Lancelot and Guinevere. When Guinevere was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Gawain nobly refused to be deployed in guarding the execution. His loyalty to his friend Lancelot ended when his brothers were killed in the battle between the knight and King Arthur. Their friendship turned into hatred. However, when he was mortally wounded in the battle against Mordred’s armies, Gawain apologized to Lancelot for his actions. He asked for his help to defeat Mordred. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Canterbury Tales† there is a story entitled â€Å"Sir Topas. † It is about a handsome and young knight who is a hunter, archer and wrestler. Every maiden wants to be loved by him but he’s not interested. He rests beside a watering place where he dreams of an Elf Queen. When he awakes, he is determined to find her. He meets a three-headed giant who challenges him in a battle. He accepts it. He goes home, enjoys a feast and prepares for the battle with his finest weapons and excellent armor. Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon, also from Chaucer’s â€Å"The Canterbury Tales† are good friends. They were imprisoned by Theseus, the Duke of Athens. While they were there, they both fell in love with Emily, the sister of Duchess Hippolyta. After Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon both saw Emily, they fell madly in love with her which brewed up a competition between them. Their love for the same woman resulted to their despise of one another.. They were eventually released from the prison. Both Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon tried their best to win Emily’s love in whichever way necessary. They almost killed each other during the process. This is where Theseus stepped in. He arranged a battle for Emily. Palamon prayed for Emily to be his wife, Emily prayed that she married the one who really loved her and Arcite prayed for victory. All prayers were answered. Arcite won the tournament but died before he could marry Emily. Therefore, Palamon married her. All through out the introductions presented in the paper, the views on courtly love and ethical dilemmas can be seen. First off, Sir Gawain. As a knight, he was true to his word. He pleged allegiance to his king (which he did) and to his country (which he also did. ) However, his ethical dilemma was with Guinevere. When he was asked to be on guard as she burned at the stake, he couldn’t do it. As a knight, he respected women. He chose to be true to this promise rather than obey his king’s command. He was a loyal subject to Arthur and a loyal friend to Lancelot. It would have been the case had not his brothers been killed in the battle. That was when he turned against Lancelot. Again, we see an ethical dilemma in Sir Gawain. This time, he chose family over his duties as a knight. He wanted to avenge the death of his brothers. His final ethical dilemma was plotting against his brother Mordred. Camelot was in danger. The only way for Sir Gawain to save his kingdom was to ask Lancelot to kill Mordred. In his remaining hours, he was loyal to his country and kept his honor as a knight. Meanwhile Sir Topas reflects courtly love. He also mirrors the contemporary man which is the hunter. Men prefer to do the pursuing and the courting. Sir Topas had a liege of women pining over him but he ignored every one of them. He sought out the Elf Queen instead. The Elf Queen represents the girl of his dreams. Finally, Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon, like Sir Topas, also show what men of today are when it comes to courtly love. They will do anything to get the heart of the lady they desire. Even today, we hear stories, be it real or in movies, of men who used to be friends but became enemies because they were after the same girl. This only comes to show that Sir Gawain, Sir Topas, Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon view honor and love as motivations behind their actions. Some of the traits reflected in their stories can be seen in the contemporary man. One can therefore say that when a man is a gentlemen, he can pretty much be the perfect knight. The contemporary man, like Sir Gawain, is loyal to his country and to his duties. He respects women and makes sure that they are taken care of. He, like Sir Topas, prefers to be the one doing the chasing, instead of the other way around. True that some guys like aggressive girls but in the end, these girls will not be taken seriously. They will not be respected like that of those girls who were pursued by the men themselves. As for today’s men being like Sir Arcite and Sir Palamon when it comes to falling for the same girl, there are exceptions. Some men give way. They let the other guy have the girl in order for the friendship to not get affected. This is a reflection of honor today. Perhaps there are still knights in shining armor. Men who will put ladies first before themselves. Men who are true to their word and to the promises they made. Men who can be brash at times because of their emotions but will eventually maintain their composure once their logical reasoning kicks in. Honor and love are two qualities every knight take seriously. They pride being honorable and loving to their duties, their country, their families and their women. That is exactly what the modern man is.

Mister Monday and Keys to the Kingdom Essay -- Garth Nix

Mister Monday and the keys to the Kingdom Mister Monday the first book in the series Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, is a story about an asthmatic boy named Arthur Penhaligon, who is forced into an adventure of mystery, turmoil, and understanding. This all begins on a Monday, his first day at a new school. This is the day Arthur is visited by a strange man who goes by the name Mister Monday, and is handed a key that resembles the minute hand to an old fashioned clock and a strange book leaving him with the knowledge that he is supposed to die that day. When something happens between Monday and his butler Sneezer, Monday grabs Sneezer and they disappear leaving Arthur to think it was a hallucination from the asthma attack. Only to Arthurs dismay as when he awakes in the hospital the key and the book are with him. The book contains many examples of religious symbolism and references, particularly in Judeo-Christian traditions. The prime example is the affliction of each Morrow Day with one of the seven deadly sins that resu lts from their choice not to obey the Will. †¢ Mister Monday: Sloth †¢ Grim Tuesday: Greed †¢ Drowned Wednesday: Gluttony †¢ Sir Thursday: Wrath †¢ Lady Friday: Lust †¢ Superior Saturday: Envy †¢ Lord Sunday: Pride Also, each part of The Will embodied appears to hold a virtue. Each piece of the Will holds one of the four Cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice) or the Three Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity). Each part of the will also seems to act in a way of the seven deadly sins, differently from that which their forms imply. The bear for instance seems to act slothful, and the carp seems to embody pride, whilst the snake seems wrathful. This may simply be a side-effec... ...corporates a main religious symbol and other symbolic terms into the book as a whole idea and base for his story. There was a lot to like about the book and very little to dislike for me, as the main character reminded me of myself, and I enjoyed how everything ties together in the book. I enjoyed the plot and setting of the book and liked how there were clues through out the book on how things would happen, some more evident then others. The only thing I didn’t like about the book were thee items used in that fashion within the house. Although the author described everything very well in the book there were some things he left out or assumed the reader already knew. To me I didn’t get some of the items use but for a more educated people it could have been easy. Overall I had a great time reading the book and think others should read it to, in my opinion of course.

Home School vs. Public School Essay

Schooling is an important decision in educating children. In today’s world more and more families are choosing to home school their children. While there are advantages and disadvantages to both options. The major factors in deciding which option is best are the learning environment, the curriculum, and meeting the needs of the child or children. Advantages: Home School Learning environment. Children within the home school environment are more likely to be calm and comfortable in his or her home. The children will not have the peer pressure of the public school, but the children will have peer pressure from his or her siblings. The children may also show competiveness to one another. A child will feel safer in his or her home surrounding which will give them a better success rate in his or her learning and testing scores (Public School vs. Home School). In a recent study children that are home schooled, test in reading, language, and math are in the 88th percentile, whereas public school children are in the 50th percentile (Home School Domination). Children are more comfortable with his or her family which let the child have less fear and allow them to focus and study more. The beneficial factor of home school is the child or children can create a bond with his or her family, and a closeness that lets the child or children learn at his or her own pa ce, and feel comfortable with his or her learning style, for there is no right or wrong way to learn. Curriculum. There are many types of home school curriculums a parent can choose to teach their child or children. In order to choose the right option the parent addresses the child or children and makes a choice based on his or her needs. Some of the curriculum options are the traditional approach, the unit study approach, the Charlotte Mason approach, and the un-schooling approach (Educational Philosophies Defined). Curriculum can be taught as long as a child needs, when it is best suited to learn for the family and the child or children, and how the child learns best (Public School vs. Home School). Home schooling allows for a shorter day, where learning can be taught in a few hours vs. a few days or weeks. The schedule can be modified to the needs of the child or children, field trips can happen more frequently, visits to museums and art galleries can be offered, and daily activities  outside the home can create hands on learning of the child or children’s environment. Meeting the needs of the child. Home school offers a great advantage of the child or children’s needs being meet on a daily basis. Parents can take the time to sit one to one with the child and allow adequate time to teach them and make sure the child is understanding what is being taught. Some children may not need one to one and excel at a rapid pace and at home the parent can make sure the child has adequate amounts of learning so the child does not get bored. The parent can also offer a wider variety of activities, creativity, and unique ways to teach their child or children (Home Schooling vs. Public Schooling: The Pros and Cons of Home Schooling). Some children may learn to read in certain positions or places where they feel comfortable and safe, some children may learn counting with toy cars vs. counting cubes, and some children may learn science with experiments. These are all things okay to allow a child to do while being taught at home. These are all options to offer the best possible learning, for a child and meeting his or her needs. Advantage: Public School Learning Environment. Public schools offer children the ability to interact and work with others (Advantages of Public Schools). It provides academics and skills to use and apply for interactions with peers (Advantages of Public Schools). Children in a public school setting have more exposure to a variety of teachers and curriculum, such as foreign language, art, home economics, shop, welding, physical education, drama, music etc. (Advantages of Public Schools). The higher number in students gives opportunities to work in groups, do projects, and team sports. The learning environment gives an understanding of diverse backgrounds and the ability to build dynamic skills for the real world (Advantages of Public Schools). Curriculum. Most states are adopting the common core curriculum for the public school system. â€Å"The Common Core State Standards provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career, and life† (Common Core State Standards). The curriculum of language arts, literacy, and math offered in public schools offer basic classes to advance classes. A general focus on the curriculum is giving the students the ability to learn with a strong foundation in basic skills for life and work success (Wyoming Public Schools). Not only is the public school system  focusing on language arts, literacy, and math they also offer a wider variety of extra-curricular classes that help children learn. This gives the children more experiences of what to expect in higher education. Meeting the needs of the child. Public schools have the No Child Left behind Act. This has allowed the public school system to treat each child as an individual and as a whole child (National Education Association). It requires the teaching staff to address each child’s physical, emotional health, and well-being. It requires assurance that students are actively engaged in varying experiences and settings inside and outside the classroom (National Education Association). â€Å"The public education system is critical to democracy and its purpose, as reflected in this Act, is to maximize the achievement, skills, opportunities, and potential of all students by building upon their strengths and addressing their needs, and to ensure t hat all students are prepared to thrive in a democratic society and diverse, changing world as knowledgeable, creative, and engaged citizens and lifelong learners.† (National Education Association). When a parent is deciding on the education of their child or children there are many factors to take into consideration. While there are many more factors to consider than what you have just read, the decision is ultimately the parents and what fits for their child or children. Home schooling seems to give the more flexible approach and the benefits of that in its self are endless. Public school gives many opportunities that home school may not offer as the child or children get older. In general the facts are what matter most and that is the learning environment, curriculum, and meeting the needs of the child and each one of those are met either in home school or public school. Works Cited National Education Association. Meeting the needs of a Whole Child. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. â€Å"Public School vs. Home School.† Education Bug. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. â€Å"Public School vs. Home School.† Public Schools. Web. 16 Oct. 2014 â€Å"Preparing America’s Students for Success.† Home. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. â€Å"Wyoming Public Schools.† Wyoming Public Schools. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. Martin, Jaime. â€Å"Educational Philosophies Defined, Part I – Simple Homeschool.† Simple Homeschool. 21 Feb. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. â€Å"Some Fascinating Facts about Home School vs. Public School† Home School World. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Compare Microsoft and VMWare for virtual computing Essay

There are two types of firewalls, there is the in-bound firewall that protects against all things that come into your computer. Then there is the two-way firewall. With this firewall it protects both inbound and outbound threats. This type is used quite often these days. Many computer only have a one-way firewall, but many of them like Zone alarm are two way firewalls. Firewalls are used to block or accept information into your computer that is not a threat. It will either send it to where it needs to be or it will block it if the potential of the file is threatening to your device. A type of firewall is your basic McAfee, which works with Microsoft Corporation on your basic computer it is a program that is already installed into your device. It is a virus protector that works with your computers already installed firewall to keep out and potential harmful viruses or threats to your computer. You can do basic setting for the firewall or you can put it to your liking to make sure of no type of threats can enter your computer. With the security of a computer it can get very complicating. You have to make sure you are aware of what you are using and how it operates in your system. In today’s society there are a million anti-virus software programs. Many of them have free versions and some just have trail versions you can test drive before buying the full version. McAfee and Norton have trail versions you can sample before getting the full version. With Panda, AVG, and other anti-virus programs they have a free version and full upgraded version you can use. When it comes to viruses and the types that get put onto your computer there are many of them. For example: the Trojan Horse, it is put into your computer by saying it is good for file converting or cleaning a system out, when it is really putting bad programs into your computer along with spyware and other potentially harmful programs. Just like when you go into your email and you see an email with a suspicious name, you click it and it automatically downloads something into your computer and you computers starts to malfunction. When it does this it is because the files that were put on your computer are basically eating up you memory. It is extremely important to keep your computers malware and anti-virus programs up to date to prevent any type of program getting into your system. When you back up a system you have different types of backups you can use. For instances you have your full back up which is where you can back up all your information onto a DVD-R or DVD-RW, so you can recover your system at a later time is it crashes or is lost. You should also look at your back up disks periodically to make sure they are in good form if needed to be used. You also have your deferential back up is where you can select certain things to back up and incremental back up is where your computer sets up a certain time after you have put so much into your system to back it up for later use if needed. Checking back up disks are extremely important to check as well to make sure that they are able to be used on the future. Also it is really important to burn your files to a disk not on your hard drive in case they are lost or damaged. Five passwords that are good to use in the way of remembering and using are, â€Å"Bab1eg1r!†, â€Å"Crazy8ight$†, â€Å"GoP!a1†, or â€Å"Playf00!† They can be used to help protect your passwords by replacing a letter by a number and capitalizing some of the other letters that you choose to use, along with using symbols of some sort. Another way of using passwords is using movie titles and shorting them to remember for instance, the day I left your mother to make our love stronger could be shortened by using the first letters of each word like this, â€Å"Tdilymtmols.† Also I can count the ways I love you, â€Å"Icctwily.† Many times the world went around, â€Å"mttwwa†. Honey I shrunk the kids,†Histk†. I love the way you love me, â€Å"iltwylm.† Many of my passwords were very strong in the aspect of how I wrote them. Passwords are very important and they have a good use to them. To keep people out of your system and protect you information as well as identity you really need to choose wisely and carefully on what ones you use.

Elections, Bourgeois Democracy, and Development Essays

Elections, Bourgeois Democracy, and Development Essays Elections, Bourgeois Democracy, and Development Essay Elections, Bourgeois Democracy, and Development Essay Those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. To a very large extent, elections and electoral practices shape the fate of the modern nation state. The reason for this is not difficult to establish. Elections provide the medium, by which the deferent interest groups within the modern nation state can stake and resolve their claims to power through peaceful means. Elections therefore determine the manner and methods by which changes In the social order may be brought about. Where this method fails, individuals and groups may be left to their win means including assassinations, coup datasets, revolutions, insurgency and bush wars to press their claim to power. It is this fact more than any thing else that makes the subject of elections and electoral practices In Nigeria so crucial today. As we are aware, the controversial elections of 1965 produced the coup detat of January 1966. Again the flawed elections of 1983 produced the military coup of December 31, 1983. Finally, Bandages flawed elections of 1993 produced the Abaca palace coup of that year and paved the way to his memorable dictatorship. As we look now awards 2007 against the background of the failed elections of 2003 and 2004 the question naturally arises as to whether our country can arrive there in one piece or survive it in whatever form thereafter. In order to answer this question or suggest ways In which it can be answered so that we can arrive there, as one country with a renewed faith in the democratic process, there Is a need to examine the nature of elections and its place in furthering democracy and development in a bourgeois social order such as ours. 2. Elections. Bourgeois Democracy and Development Almost everywhere, the enlightened self-interest of the ruling class dictated that autocracy be replaced first by the classical form of democracy and that next, the classical form itself be replaced by Its liberal form within the context of representative democracy. This is not to say that members of the ruling class voluntarily, willingly and at their own initiative conceded the right of elections. Even in the Greek city state with which the classical idea of democracy is most closely associated, only free men could participate In the debates and therefore Influence the mode of governance of the city. Thus slaves were not allowed to participate In the debates as the Greek city was divided between the nobility and subjects and freemen and slaves. The emergence of bourgeois society, not only produced struggles to redefine the meaning but also the practice of democracy. From the bourgeois point of view, democracy becomes: OF 29 arriving at political, legislative and administrative decisions. It is a method by which the individual acquires the power to participate in decisions by means of a competitive struggle for the peoples vote.. It is the competition for votes that is the distinguishing character of the democratic method.. Further, democracy ensures: Meaningful and extensive competition among individuals and organized groups (especially political parties, either directly or indirectly, for the major positions of governmental power, a highly inclusive level of political participation in the selection of leaders and policies, least through regular and fair elections, such that no major (adult) social group is excluded, and a level of civil and political liberties freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom to form and Join organizations sufficient to ensure the integrity of political competition and articulation (Diamond, 1988:4) It can be seen that that the concept of elections or the vote and the processes associated with it are seen to lie at the heart of a system of representative democracy. The other elements are the guarantee of civil and political liberties and the existence of an institutional arrangement or government whose function it is to maintain the aforementioned elements throu gh, among other things, the rule of law. This is not the place to undertake a critique of the theoretical postulations and hence practical implications and applications of the bourgeois concept of democracy (we eave undertaken such a critique elsewhere Away, 1995). What is important is that elections play a crucial role in the bourgeois understanding of democracy and that the stability of the bourgeois order is premised upon the credibility of its elections. Further, this understanding has provided the benchmarks against which democratic and hence electoral practices have been measured in all bourgeois contexts in the world (Dye and Ziegler, 1971). As an index of the culture of politics in a context, these benchmarks also indicate that the integrity of the electoral process has major implications for the level of economic ND social development that are possible or attainable in that context (Family, Jay and Webby, 2003). As Aka (2001: 1-6) has pointed out, that both the failure of development and the failure to put development on the agenda in Africa are largely attributable to political conditions. One of these more salient conditions is the conception of politics as Warfare by the politically active segment of the ruling class. The implication of this however is that there is a recursive relationship between political practices as engendered by the political system and development. A political ultra that is defined by violence makes development impossible because by its very nature, such a political culture is destructive of the need and motivation for achievement. A culture of elections that is marked by violence and warfare is thus totally anathema to the possibilities of development. As Kooky (2003:vii) has pointed out in Do the Votes Count? Final Report of the 2003 General Elections in Nigeria: Elections are a complex set of activities with different variables that act and feed on one another. It can be defined as a formal act of collective decision that occurs in a treat of connected antecedent and subsequent behavior. It involves the participation of the people in the act of electing their leaders and their own participation in governance. Elections are not necessarily about Election Day activities although it forms an important component. It encompasses activities before, during and after elections. It includes the legal and constitutional framework of elections, the registration of political parties, party campaigns, the activities of the electronic and print media in terms of access; it includes campaign financing, the activities of the security agencies and the government in power. It includes the authenticity and genuineness of the voters register; it includes the independence or lack of it of electoral agencies and organs. It includes the liberalism or otherwise of the political process in the country and the independence of adjudicating bodies of elections. An examination of the character of elections in Nigeria must thus deal with these issues, not simply in a theoretical sense but more in terms of the way in which they have functioned over the period. It is particularly important in this regard that such an examination deals with not one but all elections that have occurred in the context n order to discover underlying dynamics and thus to be sure that in suggesting the way forward, it deals, not with symptoms but with causes. For this reason we shall examine elections and electoral practices in Nigeria in four phases. These will be: v Elections in the colonial period v Elections in the first ears of independence v Elections during the years of military rule and autocracy v Elections under civilian regimes in between the years of military rule and autocracy 3. Elections in the Period of colonial rule A number of elections were held in Nigeria in the colonial period. These elections Egan with the legislative councils in Lagos and Callback from 1922 (Kernel, 2003). The growth of the labor movement and the development of towns led to concessions by colonial authorities that culminated in these city and legislative council elections. By 1938, for example, the Nigerian Youth Movement, an organization that was hostile to British colonial interests in Lagos in particular and Nigeria in general was able to win three out of the four available seats in the city council elections. In the same year, it also won all three legislative seats in the legislative council elections. Several other elections took place between 1951 and institution of the same year, the 1954 elections took place under the new Federal Constitution. Whereas all constitutions up to 1954 limited the right of elections to certain members of the population, the Federal Constitution granted universal adult suffrage. In the book, British Administration in Nigeria: 1900-1950 A Nigerian View, John has provided a graphic account of the motives for and electoral practices of the period. In the 1951 and subsequent elections for example, the British colonialists worked assiduously to tilt the political scale in favor of the Northern Peoples Congress (NP). Coordinated by Sir Bryan who was to become the Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Northern Nigeria during the crucial run off period to flag independence, these efforts ensured that the genuine pro-democracy forces in the country did not acquire political power. For example, Sir Bryan confessed that in the elections of 1951, he not only helped to prepare Naps manifesto, slogans and strategies but that in the case of more than a dozen, I had to hold and guide the pen hand, after cajoling from them the names of those for whom they wished to vote. He also confessed to election manipulations even in areas where Muslims were in a minority so that the Northern Peoples Congress could win 90% of the votes. Commenting on the 1951 elections and Sir Brans role in it, John (1974:331) has observed that: An American scholar has described Sir Brans account of the 1951 elections in Kane over which the latter presided, as revealing as it is obtuse. Sir Bryan became, in the last ten years of his Northern Nigeria service the chief pillar of the administrative establishment in that part of the country. Under him and his other British associates in power, the defense of the status quo became much more than an official preoccupation. In the face of the threats from within the North represented by such lunatic fringe anti-British parties as the Northern Elements Progressive Union and the Middle Zone League, and represented from without by such parties as the Action Group or the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon, the British residents decided to throw their weight in support of the fledging Northern Peoples Congress, the only party in Northern Nigeria dedicated to the preservation of the status quo. The 1951 elections to the regional legislature, conducted under the McPherson constitution, were conducted with the resident of ACH province as the chief electoral officer. Sir Bryan was the Resident of Kane province at this time, a province which had to select twenty of the ninety seats of the new Northern House of Assembly. This pattern of electoral practices was repeated in the subsequent post 1951 elections. Against the background of the Richards and McPherson constitutional provisions which stipulated that 50% of the seats in Parliament be reserved for the Northern part of the country, it is not surprising that the Northern Peoples Congress assumed control of political power at flag independence in 1960. In effect, the manipulation of the electoral process by the British ensured as Chief Anthony Narrow (1985:21 ,22) has succinctly observed, that Nigeria became the only country in the entire history of the anti-colonial struggles of our time in which those who of meeting the challenges of independence The truth of the matter, which determined efforts to falsify history cannot forever conceal, is that the nationalists who were prepared to work, to fight, to risk, to dare to die if need be so that a new and democratic nation might be born, these people lost control of the situation and ere displaced or succeeded by those who had remained untouched by the unifying and modernizing flames of the new nationalism When independence came in the fullness of time, neither the goodwill of progressive forces Or our trade unions, nor our youth could prevent the inevitable course of events when those who were least disposed towards democracy became the official guardians our fledging democracy. 4 Elections in the first years of independence: 1960 1965 Three sets of elections were held in the period from 1960 1965. These were the elections in the newly reared Midwest Region in February 1964, the Federal elections of December 1964 and the Regional elections of 1965. The prelude to the December 1964 Federal elections was provided by the census exercise and the creeping crisis in the Western Region from 1962 onwards. The census results released in March 1961 had shown that the South had a higher population than the North. As the time of the Federal elections approached, the Bale NP government not only cancelled the 1961 census results but also slated a recount for 1963. Then Just before the elections in 1964, the new census results were released. The results declared that the North had 55% of the population of the country. For the NCSC which had gone into alliance with NUMB, NINEPIN and its old adversary, the GAG to form the United Progressive Alliance and therefore hoped to win the Federal elections because it anticipated the census results to revalidated the 1961 results, and because it was already in control of virtually three out of the four Regions in the federation, the census figures provided the last straw in a litany of pre-election measures by the NP government that were aimed at frustrating the opposition. Demagogy (1981:19) recounts that: .. As the elections approached, the NP government of the North did not hesitate to frustrate the PUPS candidates in the North, so that many of them could not file in their nomination papers. Hence, before the elections, sixty-seven NP candidates had been declared elected unopposed. That did not go down well with the PUPS leadership who called for an immediate postponement of the elections. But the Below Government rejected the idea of postponement. Thereupon, the PUPS led by Dry. Spark, the Premier of the Eastern Region, called for a mass boycott of the election by its supporters. Again, the Below government ordered the election to go ahead in spite of the boycott. Thus, the elections of December 1964 turned out to be a farce. It was completely boycotted in the Eastern Region, where the NCSC Government used its powers to ensure that no election was held. It was also partly boycotted in the West, North, Mid-West and Lagos, with the effect that the election results lacked credit and were nationally unacceptable. However, while the PUPS rejected them, the NP and its allies of the ANA, which single-handedly carried out the elections, accepted them. There followed a national stalemate. Farcical. Although the people clearly rejected the Okinawa government at the polls and voted massively for the GAG opposition party, the Okinawa government publicly (interfered) with the results of the elections. In very many cases, GAG candidates who held certificates that they were duly elected in their constituencies later heard their names mentioned as defeated candidates through governmental news media (Demagogy, 1981:21-22). These developments, including the simmering TIP revolt in the Middle Belt, the political impasse at the centre, the resulting mass revolt in the Western Region by the people who felt rightly that they had been cheated at he polls set the stage for the first military coup of January 15, 1966. 5. Elections during the years of military rule and autocracy The military rulers conducted three elections during their period of misrule. These were (I) the elections of 1979, under the first coming of Bassoon, the 1992-1993 elections under General Bandaging and the 1999 elections under General Abdominal Babushka. Commenting on these elections, especially on the first and the last, the EX. Election Group, which monitored the 2003 elections has suggested that, the most free, fair and peacefully conducted elections in Nigeria were those in 1959, 979, 1993 and 1999, and the most chaotic, violent and disputed were those in 1964 and 1983. The reason for this is that the first three were transition elections in which the regimes in power and responsible for organizing the elections had to hand over power to a democratic civilian regime. So, in 1959 the British colonial regime wanted a smooth transfer of power to Nigerian self-government, in 1979 the military government of General Bassoon viewed itself as an interim fixture to ensure stability and then hand over to elected officials, in 1993 a combination of internal and external pressure forced General Bandaging to organism the elections and in 1999, after the disastrous rule of General Abaca the military had no political credibility and wanted only to disengage as quickly as possible. In contrast, the other elections can be viewed as potential consolidation elections, in which an elected civilian government was responsible for organizing elections to hand over power to a successor regime. The failure of these elections to consolidate democracy (each led in fact to disruption and eventually a return to military rule) was due to the elegance of the incumbent regime to allow a level playing field, in case they lost their grip on power. Both the assessment of these elections and the reasons advanced for the Judgment are greatly at variance with the historical facts, some of which we have already provided. The assessment is also greatly flawed by the assumption that voter behavior on voting day is indicative of the fairness and peacefulness of elections. The colonial and military regimes were rooted in force and repression. Thus arrangements for voting were also highly militarisms. The 1993 elections, for example, reduced the 12 2/3 controversy, which the Bassoon military regime resolved in favor of its interests. The elections of 1992-1993 were frequently delayed, cancelled, postponed and adjusted to produce a result predetermined by the military. In the annulled by General Bandaging on the excuse that the military was uncomfortable with them. The 1999 election results were also predetermined. Acting in concert with neo-colonial and imperialist interests, the dominant coalition within the local ruling class drafted General Bassoon into a political process that ended with him being declared the winner of the process. All these processes occurred with flawed electoral rules, without legitimate and valid constitutions, with electoral agencies under the firm Jackboots of military rulers. Thus it was public knowledge that Professor Henry Knows who replaced Proof. Away as head of Bandages electoral agency was brutalized by security agents on account of the fact that he dared in 1993 to announce some of the authentic results. In 1993 as in 1999, the political parties were the creatures of the military despots. They were, as the late Chief Bola leg characterized them, all leprous fingers on the same leprous hand. 6. Elections under civilian regimes from 1983 onwards From 1983 onwards, three sets of elections were conducted under the civilian regimes. These were the general elections of 1983 under the She Shari NP government, the general elections of 2003 and the local government elections of 2004 under General Bassoon. In the 1983 elections, the ruling NP government perpetrated all sorts of electoral atrocities. The voting process, voter registration, and actual votes cast were all grossly distorted. To produce the so-called landslides, moonshines and bandwagon effects, the order of elections was reversed and voters sisters inflated. For example, whereas the order of elections provided that the Presidential elections be held last, the NP government decided that these elections would come first. In Mandrake, a suburb of Fife, voter registration Jumped from an original 26,000 voters to 250,000 thus making the voting population there more than the voting population of the whole of Fife. Indeed, at the national level, the Federal Electoral Commission (FEEDER) announced that voter registration had increased from 1971 to in 1983. This was in spite of the fact that the 1979 figures had indeed been considered to be highly inflated. FEEDER and the state owned mass media became willing and active accomplices in the electoral frauds perpetrated by the NP government in power. For example, FEEDER played an active role in deepening the crisis that engulfed such opposition parties as the Peoples Redemption Party (PR) and Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNP). It also selectively accorded recognition and hence registration to political parties that would weaken the opposition to the NP government. The state owned media equally crude partisanship in playing its role. The Nigeria Television Authority (ANTA) became, in effect, the campaign mouthpiece of the NP overspent as it bandied around slogans that were meant to intimidate the opposition and assure victory for the NP government in power. The NP government also intimidated political opponents. Alkali Shabby was deported from the country on the ridiculous grounds that he was not a Nigerian. The Nigerian Police was equally used to intimidate the opposition. Thus armored vehicles were and were subsequently used by the police to perpetrate massive electoral frauds. Not surprisingly, the results of the elections were rejected by the opposition parties and the ensuing crisis provided the context for the military to stage another coup on December 31, 1983. The final elections by a civilian government were the general elections of 2003 and the Local government elections of 2004. Conducted under the Bassoon government, these elections (including the various party primaries) will go down in history as the most fraudulent and equal only to a coup detat against the people. All commentaries on the 2003 and 2004 elections except those from the PDP government in power are unanimous in their verdict that all aspects of the elections were fraudulent. The following excerpts from the Report by the Transition Monitoring Group are indicative of the general texture of the 2003 elections: Twenty-nine of the registered political parties that either contested or did not contest the elections have variously rejected the results as announced by the NICE declaring the results as fraudulent. Both Domestic and International Election Observers documented massive irregularities that characterized the elections and refused to endorse the elections as free and fair. Some political parties and their candidates decided to challenge some of the results before the various Election Petition tribunals and have gone ahead to do so while others declared mass action to pressure a government without popular mandate to abdicate power. It is now historical reality that no electoral instrument in the history of Nigeria has been so challenged and so thoroughly discredited like the electoral Act 2001. Its replacement, the Electoral Act 2002 has also had its own fair share of controversy and nobody can now say with certainty whether the operative law is the Electoral Act 2001 or 2002 Act. What we have is a situation where the political gladiators sought to use the instrumentality of any documents which best served their personal advantage, creating an uncertainty in the electoral process. It is self evident that elements within the political class and the different political arties drawing from their experiences during the 1998 voters registration process perfected the art of rigging the 2003 elections. The full import of their actions dawned on the country when NICE on its own excluded millions of names from the voters register. From the report of Domestic election Observers during the 2003 elections, there are so many voters cards that are still in the hands of ghost and underage voters. Those who sought to corrupt the electoral process used those cards effectively and to their advantage during the three strands of elections conducted by EN-C. During the elections, the Nigerian people trooped out in large numbers to cast their votes. In fact, during the registration of voters, most state governments threatened residents of their various states with sanctions if they did not go out to repeated the same feat during the National Assembly and Presidential / Gubernatorial elections. They demonstrated patriotism and resilience. In some states, gunmen tried to chase them away from polling stations. In other states, political thugs simply made away with the ballot boxes and or stuffed the ballot boxes with unlawful votes. Yet again, in some states, ghost and under age voters kook the centre stage while in others, community leaders and other leaders of thought did the voting on behalf of their communities. While the voters waited and persevered in the polling stations to cast their votes, the political class and the political parties had different ideas. The voters wanted their votes to determine the winner of elections while the political class wanted to corrupt the process and rig their way into elective offices. Besides the electoral malpractices and irregularities that characterized the elections in some states, other issues combined to undermine the process. The political parties on whose shoulders Estes voter education and manipulation simply abandoned the duty to civil society groups and organizations. Party agents had to do the voting on behalf of the voters while in other places, security agents assisted those who could not identify the symbol of the parties they intended to vote for. NICE contributed its own fair share of electoral problems. The lack of clearly designated compartments for thumb printing undermined the secrecy of the vote and exposed the voters to the machinations of those that would have preferred community voting. NICE also did not make adequate arrangements for the remonstration of sensitive election materials to polling stations and to collation centers. Result sheets disappeared and re-appeared in different forms at collation centers while corrupt party agents simply sold unused ballot papers to the highest bidder. Following the reversal of the process for the order of the elections by NICE, voters deserted the State House of Assembly elections. Thus no real voting took place in these elections although winners emerged from the process These massive electoral frauds so demoralized the public that by 2004 when the Local Government elections took place, the governments in power simply allocated toes to candidates as they wished. All the elections were characterized by threats of, or, actual assassination of political opponents. The security agencies either simply stood by while these crimes were being committed or took active part in facilitating electoral frauds in order to assist the government in power. Thus in many instances, political candidates who did not stand for elections were returned as having won elections. These events were helped by others, notably; multiple, ghost and underage voting, violence, intimidation and harassment, stuffing of ballot boxes, stealing and eying votes, disruption of polls, absence of electoral officers, intimidation of election observers, and Justification of rigging by the President, Governors, ministers and party officials. TM, 2003). 7 Common Features of Nigerian Elections the period, elections in Nigeria have shared a number of common characteristics. First, they have been particularly characterized by massive frauds, the intimidation of political opponents and controversy. The governments in power have had their own designs and used the instruments of the state in penetrating electoral brigandage, tougher, violence and warfare. Secondly, while there has been continuity in violence and warfare, there has been lack of continuity in the political organizations through which both violence and warfare have been conducted. Each period has thus produced new political formations reflecting not only the penchant for lack of principle and shifting allegiance among members of the political class but also the total De-idealization of the issues on which members of the class were divided into antagonistic camps. For example, the major political parties in the 1951 1966 period were the NP, the NCSC and the GAG. Between 1979 and 1983, the major political arties in the field became the NP, UPON and NP. Between 1987 and 1993, the members of the political class were herded into the NRC and the SAD. During Bachs Vicarage assisted ill-fated self-succession bid, the two herds metamorphosed into the famous five leprous fingers on the same leprous hand. Between 1999 and 2003, the five leprous fingers changed major into the PDP, AD and the KNAP. Thirdly, what is striking about this pattern of lack of continuity in the political platforms used by members of the political class to compete for power is not simply that the names of the platforms keep changing; it is rather that there is simply no tatter to the way in which members of the class change their political allegiance. This situation assumed such tragic proportions in the 2003 elections that an individual politician could and did change party membership three of four times on the same day. Over the years, this shifting political allegiance has meant that there has been no tradition of party building among members of the political class. Fourthly, the sudden shifts and turns in political commitments and orientations have meant that the parties have not been defined by ideological positions that set them apart from each other. And yet, such defining and at the same time limiting ideologies are crucial to the development of a genuine political culture for several reasons. First, they indicate the overall direction of development favored by the different sections of the political class. They thus enable the electorate to make informed choices. Secondly, they permit reforms within the political parties themselves as the constant interaction between the favored ideology and reality creates a permanent tension towards change and realignment of the different components of the ideology. In the process, the parties change and become more need to the demands of society. Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, they prevent the seizure of the centre stage of political action and practice by calculations based on primordial and potentially divisive political orientations. Indeed, one clear consequence of the absence of an ideologically driven political competition among the political elite in Nigeria is the resort to ethnicity as the primary credential for qualifying for the stake to power. The practice not only reinforces primordial divisions; as a result of this fact, it also prevents the emergence of a national consciousness and national identity.

How To Redesign Your Website Like CoSchedule In 10+ Easy Steps

How To Redesign Your Website Like In 10+ Easy Steps Alright. So you’re about to start a huge REDESIGN of your company’s website. That’s no small task, and quite franklyit’s intimidating. 301 redirects, copy, coding, A/B tests, wireframes, sitemaps, planning! And that’s just the obvious ones. This summer, ’s product marketing team made the bold move to update our entire website. And while researching and learning from others was a huge help, the resources out there were pretty minimal (especially for small teams) like us. So, we decided to recap our experiences and share some life lessons. Here it goes: This is how two people (in-house) built a website from scratch in 4 months. The Process: 1. The Five Day Brainstorm Sprint There’s an awesome book called Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. If you haven’t read it, here’s a great starting point: And it’s basically what we did. In a week’s time, we created three very different storylines with accompanying Photoshop designs. We forced ourselves to create a story, design it, and present it to leadership every other day. It was scrappy and tad intense, but it got us where we needed to go†¦ We started with anything and everything. Pushing outrageous ideas quickly- to help  us flesh out ideas, build off of them, and create the official story. From a  comic book feel with super heroes to little robots guiding marketers along their journey, each idea brought us a little closer to the final story. 2. Plot Out Your Sitemap. Put a name to every page on your new website. It doesn’t have to be overly complex, Megan (product marketing’s awesome UX/UI designer) built one in less than an hour. And with a high level view of your new site, you’ll be able to  build a strong path for conversions and a strong storyline to guide them along the way. 3. Write Your Copy Before  Design. Before a single wireframe was created, every line of copy was written for EVERY page. We spent a good three weeks creating skimmable  content and placing a major emphasis on good headlines for each talking point. Recommendation: Write a minimum of 25 headlines per talking point and (if you can), test and iterate on them with a team member. ’s Headline Analyzer is a great tool for writing headlines . Use the â€Å"but why† process to find your users WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Before a single word is written,  ask yourself this question to get to the real benefits or the real reason why anyone would care to read x blog, page, email, etc. If you haven’t already, watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk on Why ↠ it’s a great starting point to building a story your users will care about. 4. Build Wireframes For Your Designers Sanity Wireframes are the skeleton to design AND if you want your designer to still love you at the end of a project, DON’T skip this. Wireframes are a lot like sitemaps and are a simplistic view of a page layout. They help ensure that when designing really starts, you aren’t caught off guard by layouts and can move forward quickly. 5. Start With Photoshop, Then Code. Create high fidelity designs  of each page. Similar to writing copy for every page BEFORE design, high fidelity design should be done BEFORE code. Again, it’s a necessary step because it eliminates the need to â€Å"imagine† what your page or elements of the page will look like and makes changes easier (because you catch them earlier). 6. A/B Test (Tn The Midst Of Process). Start testing your assumptions early. After creating your copy and initial PS designs, start testing out a few of your ideas on your existing website (think elements: headlines, logos, images, etc). Quick How-To for Creating An A/B test: Create a hypothesis: Based on your current sites performance and the particular element youd like to test create a hypothesis to build your test around: For example: Replacing the static image on the homepage with a autoplay video will increase conversions Test it: Create a variation of your hypothesis (new homepage with video), and then A/B test it against the original page. Calculate the test duration with respect to your monthly visitors, current conversion rate, and expected change in conversion rate. (VWO will help calculate all of this for you HOWEVER if you dont have this,  heres a calculator). Analyze it: Dig into your results and see which variation performed the best. If theres an obvious  winner, go ahead an implement that variation to the real website. If results were a tad muddy, revise your hypothesis and keep testing. We tested a few headlines and added a video to the homepage during our website redesign, and saw a 6% increase in conversions → pretty awesome validation! It pays to test early. Never rest on your assumptions: prove and disapprove them with data! Recommended Tool: VWO for A/B testing. It’s great for non-designers and quick A/B experiments. Use â€Å"quick learnings† to get faster results when you can’t run a test for an extended period. 7. Coding: Once Designs Are Approved, Code It. Once youre at the coding stage stick to the plan. Focus on pushing out code, getting it out into the world, and iterate on it AFTER you launch your new site. Aside from minor bug fixes, avoid major overhauls at this point. 8. Push Code to your Staging  Site (For Review, Edits, etc.) This is where all your hard work comes to life (behind the curtain). Here you can test and revise the functionality of your designs. We use Meistertask for our QA  (quality assurance) phase. Similar to many Kanban views, its helps us to track the progress on edits as well as test, retest, and sign-off on edits. You can create  custom phases (open bugs, in progress, review, and done) and utilize Skitch to create visuals (your designer will love you for this). 9. Plan Time in the Project for Bug Fixes†¦ You will have bugs, so plan for it. Recruit folks from the team to purposely test and break your website (so real users don’t have to). In addition, test user experience during this phase. Observe a friend or team member, someone who hasn’t been involved in the project, click around the new site. Take notes and be ready to make changes. Getting a new set of eyes will help to validate if the user flow is second nature or clunky. Remember: Good design just works. If your user has to think youre doing it wrong. 10. Go Live!  Hold Your Breath and Release Your Hard Work Into the Real World. The 10+ step: Keep A/B Testing. Launching your new site is NOT  the end all be all. Its just the beginning. Throughout your redesign process build a list  of various items to test: color, images, copy, video, etc. And then build out a schedule for testing those ideas a few weeks after your launch. Remember, your website has one goal: to convert visitors into paying customers. And if you want to increase conversions, A/B testing will help you  to determine whats is and isnt working with your new design. Lessons Learned: Write Your Copy in the Customer’s Words The best way to sell to your ideal customer, is to use the phrases and words of your current customers. They’re your best advocate and they speak the buyer’s language. So how do you do this? When creating copy for ’s new site, we went through pages and pages of customer surveys. Polldaddy has this awesome feature that creates word clouds of the most populars words and phrases AS WELL AS a filtering option to rank popular answers (I relied on both of these heavily). In addition, customer interviews were part of the process. Over the project, I scheduled and recorded Skype calls with some of our current customers to find their stories. It was a great way to get natural, candid  responses to how and why they use . Daily syncs (more meetings can be good, if done with a purpose) Before this project, I was definitely on team â€Å"less meetings, more doing† But after this project I realized the problem isn’t the meetings, it’s the FOCUS in those meetings. For our entire redesign, the product marketing team met for 30 minutes (or less) each afternoon for a hyper focused  status update and feedback on our individual projects. These daily syncs helped us produce faster and push past blockers sooner. It was a highly focused meeting with an enforced timeline. And because of these guidelines typical meeting bullshit was rare. People left those syncs with clear action items and good feedback on their work. Recommendation: Pick two action items for each sync. Skip the small talk. And go right into the area you need feedback on copy, wireframe, design whatever it is. Remember, you’re on a time constraint, so honor it. Also, if you’re doing your syncs over the web, it can be awkward knowing how and when to end a meeting. Embrace the awkward, and just call it when it needs to end  (time is precious, and you’re doing everyone a favor).

Base Form of a Verb Definition and Examples

Base Form of a Verb Definition and Examples In English grammar, the base form of a verb is its simplest form. It exists without a special ending or suffix. Its the form that appears in dictionary entries. lt is also known as the  plain form, simple form, or stem. The base form of a verb functions as the present tense form for  the first- and second-person singular (e.g., I walk, You walk), and the first-, second-, and third-person plural (We walk, You walk, They walk). Said another way, the base form serves as the present tense form for all persons and numbers except the third-person singular,  which has the -s  ending (He walks, She walks, It walks).  Additional verbs can be created with prefixes added to the base verb, for example, overthrow  or undo. The base form also functions as the infinitive (with or without to) and as the present subjunctive  for all persons including the third-person singular. In addition, the base form is used for the imperative mood.   Examples of a Simple Verb Here are some examples of a simple verb, in different contexts: Present Tense Present tense is for action happening now. When I ring the bell, you leave the room.Men live in a fantasy world. I know this because I am one, and I actually receive my mail there. (Scott Adams) Infinitive An infinitive verb is used with to as part of a verb phrase.   I want to see the stars.Its always easier to learn something than to use what youve learned. (Chaim Potok, The Promise, 1967) Present Subjunctive Using the subjunctive tense indicates that the outcome isnt definite. The music teacher insists that John sing.The tour guide recommends that we travel in pairs. In the first example, although the teacher might insist, John might refuse to sing. In the second, some people could disregard the recommendation and go off on their own. Imperative The imperative is a command, with the subject implied as being you (second person). Take my car and drive yourself home.Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your own wings on the way down. (Ray Bradbury) A Building Block Verb The simple regular verb is used to build other verb forms by using suffixes. (Irregular verbs are beyond the scope of this article.) For example: Simple Past Tense Simple past tense is for action thats completed.   I walked to the store for some bread. Past Perfect Past perfect denotes action that took place before the most recent past action. I had eaten there last year on vacation, but on this years trip, we chose another place nearby.I had walked home after practice yesterday. Continuous, or Progressive, Tenses, and Gerunds Present continuous action is happening now and hasnt finished yet. The simple verb form takes on an -ing and becomes a participle.   I am walking home from school after practice. The participle can also be used for other tenses, such as future continuous.   I will be walking home from school later.   Past continuous shows something continued happening in the past. Contrast it with an action that happened and was then completed: We were walking home when a Stan drove by in his truck.   An -ing form used as a noun is a gerund. Walking is good exercise.

Language investigation - investigating the difference in the language Essay

Language investigation - investigating the difference in the language used in boys and girls toys televison adverts - Essay Example For example, when language used in advertisements designed for boys reinforces concepts of strength and career or those designed for girls emphasize concepts of motherhood and housewife, gender roles are being reinforced for both the parent and the child. However, growing attention into the effects of violence in the media on young children and the development of the mind suggests that perhaps these strong gender roles used in toy advertisements are no longer employed as openly. In order to determine whether the language used in advertisements for children presents specific gender roles, six advertisements appearing during a particular mid-afternoon show on a children’s television network entitled Nickelodeon were analyzed in terms of lexis, semantics and phonology. While all of the advertisements are for toys and do function to appeal to the parent in some way, there remain significant differences in the types of toys marketed to boys versus girls as well as in the language u sed. In this analysis, lexis refers to the use of adjectives, common nouns, verbs and other specific words; semantics refers to the denotation, connotation and language change used; and phonology refers to the rhythm, alliteration and repetition of words. The analysis of these six advertisements in terms of lexis, semantics and phonology does indeed demonstrate traditional gender stereotypes and societal roles are being reinforced through today’s advertising. Advertisements for toys targeted to boys’ use include a great deal of competitive energy and expected momentum. For example, in an advertisement for Biker Mice, boys are encouraged to be strong, invincible fighting forces with nerves of steel based upon the specific words selected for the toy’s description. The name of the toy itself brings up connotations of frightening men (or rather creatures) on motorbikes. They are described as

Facts about Leonard Peltier Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Facts about Leonard Peltier - Research Paper Example   In these cities, instead of the promised land they were pledged upon with, they suffered joblessness, poverty, and hopeless despair. Due to this torment, the American Indian Movement was born. The movement was born due to the issues that the people are facing every day, such as police brutality, high unemployment rates and the Federal Government’s policies concerning the American Indians. The group was composed of people who do not fear the government and are willing to lay their lives down for their fellow Indian people. AIM did not only become instrumental in shaping the American Indian’s path across the country but opened the eyes of the world through AIM protests, to the Siege at Wounded Knee. Some of the unforgettable leaders of the society were Dennis Banks, John Trudell, Russell Means, Eddie Benton-Banai and Clyde, and Vernon Bellecourt. They have been envisioned by Leonard Peltier as imperfect people; however, they have the bravery and compassion for their f ellow Native Americans. These people inspired Leonard Peltier, who was 14 years old then. At an early age, he experienced rank racism, political activism, and brutal poverty. He was inspired to attend meetings on the reservation with his father. With this action, he was convinced that we would want to live for the people of Pine Ridge Reservation and be a protector in their disposal. He realized that he can do something worthwhile of his life and for his people. One of his most successful conquests was the 1970 peaceful takeover of abandoned Fort Lawton, outside Seattle Washington, which is originally under the right of the Indian people. Because of this passion, he became the leader of AIM.  Ã‚  

Analysis and reports Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis and reports - Statistics Project Example Out of 49 respondents, 17 (34.69%) of the respondents have experience within 1 year, 7 (14.29%) of the respondents have experience between 1 and 5 years, 16 (32.65%) of the respondents have experience between 5 and 10 years and 7 (14.29%) of the respondents have experience above 10 years. 2 (4.08%) of the respondents did not respond. First of all the anxiety related questions were identified as from question 5 to question 22. The total of all this anxiety scores were added and kept as total anxiety score. For example, for the first respondent, the anxiety score is 51, then for 2nd the anxiety score is 58 etc..(File is attached). Similarly all the respondents’ anxiety scores were added and the total anxiety score was computed. Secondly all the confidence related questions were identified as from question 23 to question 35 and question 39. The total of all this confidence scores were added and kept as total confidence score. For example, for the first respondent, the confidence score is 50, then for 2nd the confidence score is 51 etc.. Similarly all the respondents’ confidence scores were added and the total confidence score was computed. The correlation between education and anxiety score is 0.13 and not significant (probability 0.372), the correlation between education and confidence score is -0.041 and not significant (probability 0.779). The correlation between experience and anxiety score is 0.187 and not significant (probability 0.209), the correlation between experience and confidence score is 0.159 and not significant (probability 0.285). At the outset, the anxiety score and confidence score are not having significant correlations with either age, education and experience. One should have some other criteria to investigate the valid correlations with anxiety score and confidence score. The other things can be marital status, income level and social

Soap Opera developed from the American radio serials in the 1930s to a Essay

Soap Opera developed from the American radio serials in the 1930s to a major global television genre. Trace it s development a - Essay Example These ongoing serials, which first appeared on radio and later on television, were called â€Å"soap operas† because the leading soap manufacturers such as P&G, Lever Brothers, Colgate and others were the major advertisers, producers and financers of these soap operas (Katzman, 1972, p. 210). By the 1930s, most of the networks and advertisers were realising the potential and the size of the daytime market, as most men would spend their daytime on their job and children would spend most of the morning and afternoon at school and playing outside, which left the women and homemakers as an enormous untapped market (Baym, 1996, p. 149). Soap operas provided these networks to tap into this market and attract the advertisers since these women made most of the important purchasing decisions in their homes. Furthermore, with the advent of television and its widespread distribution and use in industrialised and modern economies, advertisers began to focus on developing soap operas on te levision and it is on television that the genre of soap opera has developed and nurtured (Nariman & Rogers, 1993, p. 152). This paper will make a brief attempt at exploring and analysing the development and evolution of soap operas in the global television industry with highlighting the significant and noteworthy changes that have taken place over the past few decades in terms of the format and content of soap operas. Discussion For the most part, a crucial defining element of soap operas has been its open-ended narrative nature, where the story line has the potential to go into so many directions. Every episode ends in such a way that it does need to explicitly run a ticker saying, â€Å"To be continued† because the viewers easily infer that the story will move on to several upcoming episodes. A soap opera may have several parallel story lines, which may intersect with each other and shape each other. Soap opera are least likely to bring all of their storylines to conclusion during the show and even if one storyline moves towards its conclusion, the other storyline is likely to take its place (Nariman & Rogers, 1993, p. 152). During the early years, when the soap operas represented stage plays and theatre settings, the actors relied heavily on blocking techniques. Every now and then, during conservations between characters, one character would suddenly change his or her direction so that they could both face the camera or the stage at the same time (Matelski, 1988, p. 37). The conversation or dialogue delivery, which takes place in such a setting, is not at all realistic but this was a technique which was heavily relied upon during the early years when most of the soap operas were shot in live format. The same does not apply to soap operas and television dramas of today, whether they are using single camera or multi camera format (Liebes & Livingstone, 1998, p. 68). During much of the 1940s-1960s, many of the soap operas never left interior settings or were shot in fictional settings of Midwestern midsized towns. Furthermore, since most of the early actors that took part in these soap opera were theatre actors, the focus remained on live broadcasting in order to provide a

Effects of Volcanoes on Air Pollution in Japan Research Paper - 1

Effects of Volcanoes on Air Pollution in Japan - Research Paper Example The researcher states that volcanic eruption has led to creation of new features tearing down the old ones. Large eruptions are risky, sometimes killing millions of people at the time of occurrence. Eruption has an extreme impact on change on the earth climate. The complex changing processes and events on the planet’s climate results from volcanic eruption. Increase in level of radiation on the earth surface results from the volcanic eruption. Millions of individuals are potentially exposed to volcanic gases globally. Primary studies states that health hazards of volcanic gases. Sulphur IV oxide and acid aerosols generated from volcanic eruption are associated with respiratory illness and mortality in Japan. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in most geothermal areas in Japan has associated with increase in nervous system and respiratory diseases. According to Prisma, volcanic eruption has resulted from natural hazard that has affected the human population globally. Systematic reviews re ported that volcanic eruption has led to human injuries, displacement, refugee, fatality, death and mortality among others. According to the Science for a Changing World organization, volcanic eruption releases more than 130 million tons of carbon IV oxide (CO2) into the atmosphere every year in Japan. CO2 is odorless and colorless has no direct hazard to human life but it has a long life effect to human health. The CO2 increases geographical temperature leading to change in atmospheric conditions. Extreme heat from the lava entering water bodies rapidly heats up and vaporizes seawater resulting to chemical reactions. Effects of volcanic eruption highly depend on how the solids and gases from the interior of the earth eject from the ground forming various features such as mudflows, ash falls, pyroclastic flows and stream explosions in Japan. Japan has experience great effects relating to the volcanic eruption. An effect of volcanic eruption has impact on air, water, and land. The ef fects have both positive and negative significance to natural environment.

The Continuum of Masculinity-Femininity Term Paper

The Continuum of Masculinity-Femininity - Term Paper Example The gene SRY that determines the male gene Y binds to the DNA, and distorts it to form the testes. Sox 9 gene is the one that regulates the expression of the SRY gene. If SRY gene is not regulated by the sox 9 gene, the fetus turns male (Storms, 1979). Without SRY gene, organs of female reproduction would be formed instead of male organs. Research shows that one in a hundred people has intersected characteristics. Not everyone believes that his or her biological sex corresponds to his or her gender identity. These people include transsexuals, transgender people and people who are interred sexed according to storms, (1979). Transsexuals and transgendered persons face certain challenges in the society even as they struggle to accept themselves as they are and acquire new gender roles that are based on each individual’s sex. A person might feel that their gender roles are not in line with their gender identity. This creates a disorder related to gender identity. Gender identity d isorder comes to play when individuals are uncomfortable with their gender anatomy which may lead to them to behave like people of the opposite sex. It is not true that masculinity and femininity are positioned on opposite sides of the continuum as is popular belief. If someone possesses both masculine and feminine traits, it does not mean that they are too feminine or masculine. A person’s position on the femininity and masculinity continuum depends on the report specifying their qualities and behaviors that are gender-linked. The continuum midpoint is called the zero point as noted by Rathus, Nevid, and Fichner-Rathus (2011). A person is placed here if he/she fails to be identified by the gender role, or they breach it. Those identified with sex roles that are strong are placed on either end of the continuum. One factor that has helped me identify my gender is that naturally, I am a male with male sexual organs. However, this may not make me completely female. What I do every day and my behaviors also identify me as a male.

Effects of Volcanoes on Air Pollution in Japan Research Paper - 1

Effects of Volcanoes on Air Pollution in Japan - Research Paper Example The researcher states that volcanic eruption has led to creation of new features tearing down the old ones. Large eruptions are risky, sometimes killing millions of people at the time of occurrence. Eruption has an extreme impact on change on the earth climate. The complex changing processes and events on the planet’s climate results from volcanic eruption. Increase in level of radiation on the earth surface results from the volcanic eruption. Millions of individuals are potentially exposed to volcanic gases globally. Primary studies states that health hazards of volcanic gases. Sulphur IV oxide and acid aerosols generated from volcanic eruption are associated with respiratory illness and mortality in Japan. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in most geothermal areas in Japan has associated with increase in nervous system and respiratory diseases. According to Prisma, volcanic eruption has resulted from natural hazard that has affected the human population globally. Systematic reviews re ported that volcanic eruption has led to human injuries, displacement, refugee, fatality, death and mortality among others. According to the Science for a Changing World organization, volcanic eruption releases more than 130 million tons of carbon IV oxide (CO2) into the atmosphere every year in Japan. CO2 is odorless and colorless has no direct hazard to human life but it has a long life effect to human health. The CO2 increases geographical temperature leading to change in atmospheric conditions. Extreme heat from the lava entering water bodies rapidly heats up and vaporizes seawater resulting to chemical reactions. Effects of volcanic eruption highly depend on how the solids and gases from the interior of the earth eject from the ground forming various features such as mudflows, ash falls, pyroclastic flows and stream explosions in Japan. Japan has experience great effects relating to the volcanic eruption. An effect of volcanic eruption has impact on air, water, and land. The ef fects have both positive and negative significance to natural environment.

Knowledge management Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Knowledge management - Annotated Bibliography Example d that KM is supported as a means of harnessing and utilizing intellectual resources to address challenges, as well as improving innovation, business performance and client approval. This paper aims at providing annotated bibliography for the topic of knowledge management. After careful selection, five articles have been found from the online library, and these have been discussed here in the paper. A common format has been used for summarizing the articles to be able to cover the major aspects of the paper. The main aim of the article is to identify the nature of the methodology employed by top business and management journals and to analyse the aspects that are considered while creation of the management knowledge. This article has used a very different approach and completes its sampling from the various other management articles that have been presented in the past. Based on this, the following information: Sample: A hundred and twenty articles have been chosen from leading management journals between the periods of 1991 to 2000.Instrument: Secondary Data collection (Desk Study) Analysis: The analysis of the article focuses on the characteristics of the authorship and also focuses on the research methodology adopted by the sample articles. The research findings clearly provides detailed explanation of the authorship profiles, where it has been found that majority of the contributors are senior academics and only as low as 6% of the total papers were actually by lecturers or assistant professors. The major contributors were the associate professors and the professors. The findings also find that majority of the authors were male with around 35% of the authors as female. This research although not directly related to the topic, proves to be very helpful and impactful in the field of research as in knowledge management. This article helps the students and the readers identify with a various set of important aspects like the reliability, and validity of the

Book Report Writing Template Essay Example for Free

Book Report Writing Template Essay This is a guide only. It is not meant to write the report for you. It gives you a format or template for writing your own report. The original draft was developed by a teacher friend of mine to use with her own students. I have made a few additional enhancements which I believe make the model more clear and complete. A note of caution here. Your instructor may have another book report format that he/she prefers. So, make sure they approve of this format before using it. The following book report format template is appropriate for students at the pre-college level who are required to write a report about a book they have read. For the type of book summaries applicable to college and university level (undergraduate and post-graduate), as well as for business and professional situations, you can check out the following book summary sample. 1. Introductory Paragraph The first sentence should state for which instructor and class the book-report is being written. The second sentence should state the title of the book and the authors name. The third sentence should tell how many pages the book has and the name of the publisher. The fourth sentence can state basic bibliographic information about the book. Bibliographic information means not only the author and title but also what company published the book, what year it was published in and any other relevant information such as the edition and if the book has been translated, simplified or abridged. (see copyright page and the back of the title page. ) The next sentence should state the reason(s) you decided to read this book. Why did you choose this particular book? Typical reasons might be: You like the author. You like this type of book (i. e. mystery, western, adventure or romance, etc. ). Read more:Â  How many sentences in one paragraph. Someone recommended the book to you. It was on a required reading list. You liked the cover. These reasons do not have to be complex. Most people choose the books they read because they like the author or somebody recommended it to them. If you chose the book because you like the author, then state why you like that author. An optional sentence can be used if the cover (back cover) of the book gives you any additional information then add a sentence with that information. Was the book a best seller? Are there X million copies in print? Did it win any major awards? 2. Main Character(s) Paragraph The first sentence of this paragraph should state who the main character or characters of the book are, and why they are important. Refer to this person or these persons as the Main Character or Main Characters. You will need at least a complex sentence for this, and probably more than one sentence. 3. Other Characters Paragraph You should compose at least one sentence for each of the other prominent or important characters in the book. State the name of each of the other important characters, and the key role that each one plays in the book Most books have five or six prominent characters besides the main character, so simply listing each one and stating their role in the book will give you a good sized paragraph. 4. Plot Summary Paragraph This is perhaps the hardest paragraph to write in five sentences or so. If you have to write a bit more dont worry. Here are the main points to cover: State the type of book (Mystery, Western, etc. ). What place or country was the book set in? What time period was the book set in? (19th century, the present, ancient Rome, the 23rd century). Other physical locations which are important, like: ships, airplanes, houses, or buildings. Other notable attributes of the book. (Was it violent, scary, fast paced, etc. ). What is the main character trying to do? What is the outcome of the book? etc. Make sure you cover all of the major parts of the plot. You might have to go back through the book, chapter by chapter, and make a few notes. 5. Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close. Start with a sentence that states that you are now writing a conclusion. (For example: My final thoughts on A Fine Balance are that it is a fascinating book but I am not entirely sure if I completely understood the thematic message of the book. Restate your reasons why you liked and/or disliked the book using different words. Write two sentences that talk about the books good points and weak points. Write a sentence or two about what you learned from the book. Close with a sentence that states whether you would recommend the book to others. Dont be afraid to give your own honest impressions of the book. After all, if youve read the book thoroughly, you are entitled to your own interpretation of it. Typically, your book report should not exceed two double-spaced pages, and it should be somewhere between 600 and 800 words in length. Research Assistance This site, which claims to be the best single research source online, maintains an inventory of more than 25,000 research reports on thousands of subjects; many of which are book summaries. Most are available for immediate download. If your subject isnt already in their archives, they will do custom research and writing for you. You can download existing papers and/or order custom research papers 24 Hours a Day!

What Influence The Media Have Over Education Policy Media Essay

What Influence The Media Have Over Education Policy Media Essay The media influences many areas of our lives sometimes without us even realizing that it is happening. Where else do we learn about the newest must have toy for Christmas, or the latest iphone. We see it and we immediately want it and cannot live without it. The same principal applies to the amount of influence media has over our schools and education policies. They shine a favorable light on someone who is running for the school board and instantly we think that person is the best candidate for the job. They do an investigative report on how money is being wasted at the expense of our kids and we are ready to march down to the administration building and demand they all resign. We grow up believing that everything we see and here in the media is the truth but the reality is that someone usually has an ax to grind and finds a way to get their view before the general public. This type of journalism has gotten so out of hand that Fox News uses the tagline fair and balanced in an effort to bring more views to their channel. I am left wondering why all channels and outlets are not reporting the news in a fair and balanced manner. There are two ways in which media, including the news media, popular culture, and entertainment sources, are commonly viewed as educational. In the first sense, people learn what to think and how to behave from media sources, viewing information on the news as matter of fact, or the characters on a televised sitcom as models for normal behavior, for example. Many find this view most compelling when considering medias impact on young children, whose understanding of the distinction between reality and fantasy is not set in stone. As an example, Schrag suggests that, lacking prior learning or experience with Middle Eastern culture, young children are bound to learn from Aladdin-a Walt Disney film marketed to young children that has sold tens of millions of copies-that Middle Eastern fruit sellers are commonly prone to violent rage upon discovering a single apple has been stolen from their cart. A similar view of media as unduly and directly influential to children was used in defense of twelve-year-old Lionel Tate, who was tried in 1991 for killing a six-year-old girl by body slamming her as he commonly observed contestants in World Federation of Wrestling do on television. (Jackson, 2010) The first policy is the right of freedom of speech. Public schools are the easiest to change though law and public policy when compared to parents, news media, campaigns, and communities. Schools can have a direct impact on students civic attitudes, knowledge, and habits. One of the most effective ways for them to teach citizenship is by promoting discussion of current issues, which is often based on items from the news media. There is even evidence that discussions of current issues in social studies classes can have indirect effects, enhancing family discussions of current events, which then increase both parents and students interest and knowledge. Educational programs that emphasize discussion of controversial issues have been found to increase students tolerance and use of the news media. By discussing these topics at school first then the student going home and talking about it to their parents it helps the student better understand the topic and the world around them. (Lopez, 2009) In 2005, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation released results from a major survey of more than 112,000 high school students in more than 500 public and private schools that was taken in 2004. The survey was called the Future of the First Amendment (FOFA). It focused on habits and attitudes relevant to the First Amendment and especially freedom of the press. Students were asked factual questions about the First Amendment. Questions such as, Is it legal to burn the American flag as a protest? They were also asked opinion question, Does the press have too much freedom? and Should newspapers be allowed to publish freely without government approval? Finally, they were asked questions about their use of various news media and participation in school media activities. (Lopez, 2009) This research is very disturbing. It implies that schools are not doing their part to teach the students about what rights they do have. Recently some groups tried taking away our freedom of speech by telling us that when we say the Pledge of Allegiance it is wrong to say one nation under God. Freedom of speech should protect everyone and one group does not have the right to tell another that the words they choose to say are no longer allowed. Another area where the media has had a positive impact on school policy involves underage smoking. Movies and TV commonly show the stars of the film smoking. This is because smoking is still accepted in everyday life even though there are so many anti-smoking campaigns. Libertarianism toward smoking still permeates the society sufficiently to make smoking by film stars tolerable and normal, if not also attractive and desirable, as long as they are not literally advertising cigarettes to minors. Some audience members respond critically to media messages implying that smoking is socially acceptable, while others are more favorable. Yet the commonality of smoking by protagonists in mainstream film, nonetheless, reveals that, according to mainstream producers information, smoking is not considered to be beyond the bounds of social norms; it is regarded normally as an expected, largely acceptable, behavior that need not require a critical response or prohibition on the big screen. (McCart hy, 1998) Most of the policies that schools are trying to enact are for the good of the students. They want to make sure that the students are healthy and safe while they are on school property. Media campaigns have been used to modify individual behavior in many issues such as AIDS, tobacco use, breastfeeding, physical activity, and milk consumption. Ads are used in newspaper articles or letters to the editor in order to influence policy change. In 2006, North Carolina launched a campaign that used mass media campaign to influence policy change. It became the first state to create a statewide mass media campaign to promote the adoption of and compliance with tobacco-free policies in schools (TFS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of a comprehensive tobacco control program, calls for tobacco-free policies in schools to prevent youth tobacco use. (Summerlin-Long. S, 2009) The most effective tobacco-free policies that are enforced have shown there to be a significant reduction of youth tobacco use. These policies not only affect the students. It also affects school personnels use of tobacco and teaching of youth about tobacco. The most successful tobacco-free policy prohibits the use of tobacco products by anyone. No one is allowed to use tobacco on school grounds or at school events at any time. This includes school premises, school vehicles, and school events such as concerts and sporting events. At the time of the campaign launch, 78 of the 115 (67.8%) school districts in North Carolina had adopted comprehensive tobacco-free policies. The vast majority of these districts passed policies after school and community organizations funded by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) specifically began to focus on this issue in 2003. As an innovative strategy for augmenting promotion of TFS policy adoption and compliance across the state, t he HWTF decided in 2005 to develop a statewide media campaign that would educate North Carolinians about TFS policies and encourage widespread support for such policies in local school districts. (Summerlin-Long. S, 2009) This was the first tobacco-free media campaign in the nation there and there was no evidence-based practice to base what ads worked best. Research was needed to help with the creation of the campaign aimed at changing policies. Researchers decided to speak with experts to learn more about messages to promote TFS policy. In February and March 2005, researchers conducted a total of 45 interviews with experts on TFS policy that were from within and outside North Carolina. The experts were from North Carolina and five other states. The people that were chosen for the interview were school district superintendents, Board of Education members, and school employees who included principals, teachers, and other staff. These people were chosen because they had the most power to influence policy and they were the adults most affected by local policy. There were twenty participants in twelve districts with TFS policies and in six districts without TFS policies participated in interviews. Two par ticipants were from organizations that worked across school districts. The research team also interviewed 9 state legislators to ensure the possibility of such a media campaign in a tobacco-growing state. The legislators included political parties, the Senate and the House, and a number of prominent members of the legislature who might wield influence on this issue. (Summerlin-Long. S, 2009) The survey tool asked interviewees about the best types of people to appear in ads. People were asked to think about which kinds of people would be most compelling in general.. They had to make the decision to decide whether a youth must appear in the personal testimonial of youth, and superintendents/school personnel would be best to relate the experiences of successful districts. They were also asked (1) what kinds of messages they believed would be most effective, (2) what kinds of messages might be seen as controversial, and (3) legislators comments on three of the most popular themes from the expert/stakeholder list. (Summerlin-Long. S, 2009) An ongoing problem in schools is bullying. In recent years the students are even bullied while they are on the internet away from the school setting. Schools are now using the media to help stop bullies and make sure that students are safe. Recent news in the national media about two students deaths as a result of harassment in school has highlighted a renewed desire for educators to address the culture of bullying and harassment in public schools, especially when the victims are targeted for their real or perceived differences. Some students are bullied and made fun of so much that they see the only way out is to commit suicide or leave the city that they are from. South Carolinas legislature responded to this need in June 2006 with the passage of the Safe School Climate Act. This statute was designed to limit and punish harassment, intimidation, or bullying among public school students, and it was required that school districts established policies to address this issue before Janu ary 1, 2007. However, failure to adequately implement the provision may provide an explanation as to why the Safe School Climate Act has failed to significantly change the culture of schools in South Carolina. South Carolinas legislative intentions provide a reference for similar legislation and policy changes nationwide. Current research shows that only quality staff development combined with ongoing, effective training in and education about any new policies will lead to its effective implementation. The complex causes of bullying and its impact on school culture continue to be debated by educational researchers, psychologists, and social theorists. (Terry, Blocking the Bullies: Has South Carolinas Safe School Climate Act Made Public Schools Safer?, 2010) Obviously legal remedies and punitive measures for bullies alone have not solved the problem. Will there ever be a time in history where students can be themselves and not worry about if someone is going to make fun of them or if they will ever be able to hang out with the cool kids? Hopefully through continued media attention to this problem changes will come about. Do you remember walking down the hallways in high school and suddenly having the security guard chase after you because they thought that your shorts where to short? By the time that I was a senior in high school is became a joke to us all. We learned that we could bend our arms a little bit and make it look like our shorts were long enough. In reality yes our shorts where to short but there was nothing that we could do about. My high school didnt have air conditioning so at times it got very hot and it was unbearable to wear pants. When we would go shopping for shorts they ones that would fit around our hips without falling off would be too short and it we bought them so that they were a little bit too big so the length was right then we would get into trouble because they would be falling off of us. It was such a dilemma. The dress code restriction didnt just stop on what length our shorts had to be. Students and teachers alike have always had restrictions on what is appropriate an d inappropriate dress. Virtually with no exception, schools have minimum dress codes in place: rules about what cannot be worn at school. Uniform policies state explicitly what must be worn in schools. (Gereluk, 2007) Halter-tops, tube-tops, one shoulder tops . . . muscle shirts, see-through or mesh tops (unless underneath a shirt) arent to be worn. Blouses, shirts or tops that reveal bare backs, midriffs, undergarments, or that have spaghetti straps or revealing necklines are not to be worn in Trents classes, hallways, class activities, or on field trips. (Raby, 2010) Does that sound familiar to you? I remember reading this in all my classes throughout my educational career. I always used to wonder why we had to have such a strict dress code. Now that I am older I have realized why. Dress code violations are distracting to others and they do not fit the desired image of a school, and disrespectful toward oneself and others. The details of dress codes do shift, however, as school administrators respond to trends in popular fashion. An example of this is reflected in rules banning midriff tops now making way for new concerns with girls reveal ­ing cleavage. Several American towns banning young me n from wearing low-slung pants that reveal their underwear. (Raby, 2010) Dress codes are not only for the students they are also for the staff in the school. Who wants to look at a teacher all day that is wearing sweat pants or a really low plunging neckline? I would be very angry. That is more distracting than if a student was wearing that outfit. In a 1901 document entitled Rules for Teachers, female educators were informed that they must wear at least two petticoats and that dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above the ankle. Male educators were informed that they shall wear a suit coat and suspenders. Additionally, teachers were admonished not to wear bright colors. (Kiracofe, 2010) As you can tell times have changed a lot. People do not dress like this anymore. Now modern school administers must decide if teachers are allowed to wear T-shirts with religious messages or other religious garb such as a turban or birkha. (Kiracofe, 2010) The question of whether or not media plays and helpful or harmful role in regards to the education system is not an easy on to answer. School safety has been improved following the events of past years that played out on every TV screen across America. They have reported on cyber bullying and the devastating consequences that such behavior can cause. Smoking has been banned from school property. On the other hand they have shown crazy games that have been being played among large groups of students. The latest one involves students on foot being chased by other students in cars. The object of the game is for the students on foot to make it to a predetermined location without getting caught. Shortly after this story was reported in the mainstream media there was an increase of traffic accidents due to even more students playing the game after hearing about it on the nightly news. The best we can hope for is that the good outweighs the bad and to try and teacher our children that just because the news anchor tells them something it doesnt necessarily mean that it is the truth etched in stone.