Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Group Development within Apollo 13 Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Group Development within Apollo 13 - Movie Review Example Lastly and in many cases, most important, would be the stage of performance, or performing. This would be the stage at which individuals within the group would truly come together as one and be able to effectively execute that which they would wish to do so. From a cinematic standpoint, the movie to consider for this exercise would be the Ron Howard directed 'Apollo 13'. Based upon the events that occurred for the Apollo 13 crew that almost did not return home from their mission, the three primary characters are as follows: Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert. With formation, the final group of men on the mission would be re-formed together, after the discovery of the potential illness of one of the original men selected for the crew. With Lovell and Haise, they would have already been through the forming process together and as such, would have grown more accustomed to one another, than they necessarily would have been with the new addition of Jack Swigert. The storming phase would be most apparent between Swigert and Hase, with Lovell serving as the intermediary.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Challenges to Infant and Toddler Goods Market

Challenges to Infant and Toddler Goods Market [Name: Yuet Chun LEUNG] 1.0Â  Introduction We are the fastest growing retailer of infant and toddler goods in the Australian market. As we are gearing up to meet the market demand, it appears that our online sales are growing. We are looking at what other retailers have done and experimenting with new forms of organising to support our expected growth. Thus, we can be a successful online retailer. Online retails being problems, the customer cannot try on the goods before buying them and international online orders with caution. 2.0Â  Summary of the issue The customer always complain they cannot try the product before buying them and what they do if they cannot get what they ordered. We can do the refund system if customer really do not like the product with no shipping costs that we can attract more customers to purchase products on our online retailer. According to Harvard Business Review (2017) Zappos provider clever solution to the customer cannot try the items before buying product. Zappos eliminated shipping costs and using the call center to establish the strong relationship with customers. The most important thing is customers can try them all on, and send back the ones they didnt like, gratis. (Harvard Business Review, 2017). Besides, customer always worries about if they cannot get what they ordered. We would provide the new order status page on the final page on our stores checkout. It is useful for see real-time updates on the location of their shipment and check the status of their shipment without needing to contact you directly (Shopify help center, 2017) to let customer check it and reassurance. Customers would concerns about the purchase fees when buying from foreign. According to Findlaw (2017) before you order, you need to know what is the product priced and is it converted to U.S.D if there displayed different currency. We accept U.S.D only, that would be more clearly, customers would not confuse with that. 3.0Â  Implications for the business Any online retailers problem or issue cannot without communication with customers. Therefore, we would create the new department which is Live Chat/Real-Time Support. According to Birkett (2017), 56% of responders have used live chat/real-time support to answer the question on companys website, 49% of responders are using this system for online-purchase questions. Furthermore, when live caht/real-time support, the staff can understand what the customer needs, that staff can recommend other items suit for customers, the sales would increase either. Also, we will provide the customer service training to our new department Live Chat/Real-Time Support use the positive language, find out the easiest solution, we know that, somethings could not be done and we have to explain it to customers in positive way (Kolodynska and Kolodynska, 2017). Make customers feel like we are bring the shop to customers home. Finally, we try to satisfy what all customers need, answer their online shopping question then our online retailer sales would substantially increase. Reference List Harvard Business Review. (2017). Zappos and the Connection Between Structure and Strategy. [online] Available at: https://hbr.org/2015/06/zappos-and-the-connection-between-structure-and-strategy Findlaw. (2017). Problems with Online Shopping FindLaw. [online] Available at: http://consumer.findlaw.com/consumer-transactions/problems-with-online-shopping.html Shopify Help Center. (2017). Order status page. [online] Available at: https://help.shopify.com/manual/orders/status-tracking Birkett, A. (2017). What Do You Do When Your Customers Are Afraid To Shop Online?. [online] CXL. Available at: https://conversionxl.com/customers-afraid-shop-online/ Kolodynska, O. and Kolodynska, O. (2017). How to Say No to Customers Without Making them Angry. [online] LiveChat. Available at: https://www.livechatinc.com/blog/how-to-say-no-to-customers-without-making-them-angry/

Friday, October 25, 2019

Escape from Vietnam :: Personal Narrative

Escape from Vietnam The other night I had a dream. I dreamed of a boy whom I had known a long time ago, but since then he had disappeared completely from my life. In my dream, I saw him sitting beside my bed and talking to me. He told me about the trip that he had taken with his parents, his two older brothers, and his sister when he was seven years old. He told me how his parents had been victimized by a man who knew about his parents’ desperate attempt to flee from Vietnam, so he took advantage of them. â€Å"Wake up, wake up, son. We must leave now.† He opened his eyes and looked outside; it was still very dark and rainy. â€Å"Where are we going, Mom?† he asked while crawling out of bed sleepily. When they left the house for the train station, it was only four o’ clock in the morning, and the boy thought that his family was going to visit their grandparents whom he had not seen for ten years. The next morning, they arrived in Nha Trang, a coastal city in Central Vietnam, where his father told him that they would stay for a while before going to the next destination. They went to live in the house of an acquaintance near the fish market. Every day they would stay inside the house and would go out only when it was absolutely necessary, especially the kids who now had to learn how to be quiet. They learned how to walk tip-toe and to talk by finger pointing; few sounds were made. Every sound was kept to the minimum so the neighbors and the secret police woul d not be aware that there were new people in town. Around midnight on the fourth day, the boy and his family members awakened again. This time they went with the family of the house's owner to a bus station where they took the bus going northward. The boy was very happy because he was free at last to play as a normal child again. On the way, everybody was fascinated and hypnotized by the scenery along the road, especially the kids because it was the first time they had left the cosmopolitan city for the countryside.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

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Laboratory Class Eight: Brain and Behavior 2: Basic Unromantic and Function. Laboratory Class Nine: Revision Laboratory. References & Inspirational Readings. All research or teaching using people at the University of Auckland requires approval of the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee. We have chosen the exercises carefully in order to provide you with what we hope will be an informative learning experience. However, if you are uncomfortable with any exercises we strongly encourage you to contact your tutor and ask to be excused from participation.It is much better if you are able to do this before the lab is underway. It is therefore recommended you read the manual to find out what is coming up before each lab and decide if you think any of the exercises may be distressing to you. If an exercise becomes distressing or uncomfortable for you during the lab, you are still able to be excused. Please be aware that you will only be excused from the specific exercis e of concern, not the entire lab. Please also be aware that you will not be able to be excused from parts of a lab AFTER it has taken place on these grounds; you must see your tutor before or during the lab.For Ethical concerns contact: The Chair, The University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland. Tell: 373 7699 ext. 87830. Completing Laboratory Reports Introduction The laboratory reports for PSYCH 109 can count towards 20% of your final mark. Therefore, students are strongly advised to put significant effort into gaining good marks for their reports. When preparing reports, there are a number of things students should know. This section of the laboratory manual is written so that the appropriate information is available to all students.The various areas of psychology taught in PSYCH 109 have a long history of research. An essential component of scientific communication is the requirement of conciseness and parsim ony. This means that when communicating experimental outcomes and conclusions (such as from an international research project or an introductory level laboratory in psychology) it is very important to write in precise was observed, should be given. However, oversimplification is not an acceptable course of action. Explanations need to account for what was observed: no more, no less.General considerations for Laboratory Reports ; Never exceed the page limit that is prescribed for an assignment, You will be able o answer questions adequately within the space limit. ; Ensure that you use appropriate grammar correct and spelling. Try to write clearly. Never assume that the marker knows what you mean. Remember that a marker can only evaluate what you have actually written – not what you meant to say in your answer. Plan how you are going to write your answers. Do not simply write the first thing that comes into your head.Write a draft answer that you can edit and revise before wri ting your final answer. Try and use short sentences. Two short sentences are usually better than a long one. Ideas can be stated more concisely in shorter sentences. Often, long sentences end up being ambiguous. ; Remember to proof-read your work carefully before submitting your report. Sometimes it is a good idea to ask a friend who is not enrolled in 109 to proof-read your work and check for clarity. If this person does not understand your answer, it is likely that the marker will also struggle to follow it. If it is discovered that two or more Laboratory Reports are exactly the same, the concerned parties will be subject to disciplinary action. Plagiarism of any kind is not permitted. General requirements To help you write laboratory reports that will reward your effort with good marks, he following list of important points has been prepared. If you want to attain high marks you will need to incorporate the elements in this list into your written work for these papers. Constructi ng graphs experience of drawing graphs before and a few of you will have your own ideas of how a graph should be drawn.These ideas may come from what you were taught at school or from the way you were instructed to draw graphs in other departments. Different scientific disciplines have their own codes of practice and communication. This is because the most concise mode of communication for one rear of science may not (and usually is not) the most concise mode for another area. Psychology is a science that follows the codes of practice and communication set down by the American Psychological Association (PAP), and the PAP has produced a set of guidelines for the presentation of graphs from psychological research.According to PAP guidelines, there are strict rules for drawing graphs. In this Laboratory manual, however, when graphs are required, the emphasis will be more on how to interpret the graphs produced during the experiments. However, graphs must be legible and neat, and must f ollow the general guidelines below. General considerations for graph drawing Graphs should always be drawn within the space provided in the manual. It is a good idea to draw a preparatory graph on separate paper (graph paper will help you here) so that you can make a neat, correct copy in the space provided.Graphs should be made as large as possible without causing cramping or squashing. All graphs should be drawn in pen (never pencil) and only one color is permitted -? preferably blue. All straight lines from which a graph is constructed must be drawn using a ruler. All errors need to be corrected either by redrawing the graph or, for a very small error, by neatly whiting out the error. Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences Significant Differences In psychology, we are often faced with the question of whether or not the difference we see in two groups of data is statistically significant.A significant difference observed in the data is one that is so large that it's unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. For example, we may be interested in knowing if students perform better in an examination under one condition than another – say, sitting an examination in a well-lit room as opposed too dimly-lit room. We could randomly mom, have them sit the examination in their allocated room, and then compare the two group's examination results. There will always be a difference between the groups' average results and there are two possible explanations for this difference: 1 .Non-significant Difference The observed difference could solely be due to which students happened to be allocated to which room, I. E. , could be Just due to chance alone and nothing else. OR 2. Significant Difference The observed difference is sufficiently large that we simply don't believe that it's likely to have occurred by chance alone but that the level of lighting in the room is also avian an effect on each group's results, I. E. , this difference is so large that it is unlik ely to occur when nothing else (apart from the ‘chance' effect) is ‘going on'.Significance Tests and the p-value Sometimes the difference between two groups of data is really so large that, maybe with the aid of a plot, we can easily conclude that it is a significant difference. On most occasions though, it is not so clear cut and in order to objectively decide whether a difference is significant or non-significant we must perform a significance test. When we conduct a significance test, the most important value produced in the output is the p-value. The p-value is a probability, a value between O and 1, and it answers a question about the data: e. G. , â€Å"How likely is it, I. E. , what are the chances, I. . , what is the probability, that a difference this big, or bigger, would have been observed in the data if there really were nothing going on? † Interpreting the p-value Small p-values 0 a significant test result Large p-values 0 a non-significant test resul t If the p-value is small (less than 0. 05) then it is saying that less than 5% (0. 05) of the time (hardly ever) would we observe a difference(s) as big as this (or bigger) when toting apart from chance is contributing to it – it would be highly unlikely to get a difference(s) this big by chance alone. We say the observed difference is significant at the 5% level'.There are a large number of significance (hypothesis) tests available to use depending on the situation under study but in this course we will look at only one test, the Independent samples t-test. (Non-assessed laboratory class). Learning Objectives After completing this laboratory students should: 1. Understand the assessment requirements, requirements for pleasure, attendance acquirement, and assignment requirements for Psych 109. 2. Understand the hand-in dates for the two laboratory reports for Psych 109. 3. Understand the penalties for handing in late work; and the cut-off dates for accepting late assignments for Psych 109. . Understand where to hand in late laboratory reports for Psych 109. 5. Know the date and time of the terms test for Psych 109. 6. Understand what plagiarism is, and understand the consequences of plagiarism or other forms of cheating. 7. Understand the correct procedure to follow for raising individual concerns or course criticisms regarding Psych 109. 8. Understand that a Psych 109 student must attend their scheduled laboratory stream in the weeks that laboratories are scheduled, and that they must ensure that their tutor correctly records their attendance at laboratories. 9.Understand the procedure to follow if the scheduled Psych 109 lab cannot be attended. 10. Understand GAP requirements for undergraduate Psychology courses. Thinking. (Assessed laboratory classes). Lecturers: Associate Professor Tony Lambert (author of lab class). Associate Professor Doug Life (author of Research Methods lectures). After completing this laboratory students should 1. Understand t he distinction between an independent groups research design and a repeated measures research design. 2. Be able to use a histogram in order to explore and evaluate the variability in set(s) of scores. . Be able to calculate the standard deviation of a set of scores using SPAS. 4. Be able to perform a t test in order to compare two experimental conditions. 5. Understand the statistical nature of inferences based on the outcome off t test. 6. Gain an appreciation of the complex issues that may be encountered in considering possible relationships between experimental evidence and theoretical conclusions. 7. Be able to think critically about the relationship between experimental evidence, psychological theory and everyday behavior.Do men and women think differently? If so, to what extent and in what ways does the thinking of women differ from that of men? Judging from the enormous popularity of publications such as Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus; it seems that almost everyone has at least some interest in this question. In addition to popular publications of the Venus and Mars ilk, a substantial amount of serious science has been directed at answering this question. It will come as no surprise to discover that his work is controversial.Controversy over research into sex differences in thinking is apparent at several levels. There has been disagreement concerning the reliability of the findings: Sex differences have been reported in a number of published studies, but not all these findings been replicated successfully by other researchers. Therefore, questions remain concerning the reliability of results in this area. In addition to the question of empirical reliability, there is the rather thornier question of what the experimental question. For example there is of course the perennial nature-nurture issue.So if e find, for example, that men and women differ in their verbal and spatial skills, is this due to environmental factors arising from different c hildhood experiences and child-rearing practices for boys and girls; or is it due to innate factors, related to biological and relatively immutable differences in brain structure and function for men and women? In addition to this rather baldly stated dichotomy between nature and nurture, a third state of affairs is possible – that both nature and nurture contribute, and that biological factors interact with learning and experience in complex ways during childhood.One might also wish to consider the size of an experimental effect – although men and women may differ as a group on a particular cognitive task, there will also be considerable overlap in the scores. Clearly, the degree of overlap between the cognitive performance of men and women will have a bearing on the conclusions that can be drawn. The research findings of Hilary et al. (2005) Hilary et al. (2005; Behavioral Neuroscience, 1 19, 104-117) asked 42 men and 42 women to perform a variety of verbal and spati al tasks.Blood samples were also taken, so that measures of circulating hormones, especially estrogen and storefront, could be measured. This was done because one aim of their study was to discover whether there is any relation between hormone levels and performance on cognitive tasks. There were three main findings: (1) Females performed better than males on a verbal fluency task; (2) Males performed better than females on a spatial task involving mental rotation; (3) There were no clear relationships between hormone levels and performance on any of the cognitive tasks.In the laboratory exercise we will attempt to replicate the first two findings of Hilary et al. (2005). Obviously, it is impractical to look at their hormonal findings in PSYCH 109 – and even if we could, attempting to replicate their ‘null result' may not tell us very much. ) Our study, and that of Hilary et al. (2005) make use of an independent groups research design (also known as a between subjects r esearch design). As you will remember from the recent Research Methods lectures, an independent groups (between subjects) design involves comparing different groups of individuals.In this case, our independent variable (V) is sex , because the experiment involves comparing men and women with respect to scores on verbal and spatial tasks. Other examples of independent groups designs might involve comparing extravert's with introverts (independent variable is personality), or five year olds with seven year olds (V) is age), or left hander's with right hander's (IV is handedness), or anxious with non- anxious individuals (IV is anxiety), and so on. An alternative, and equally popular approach is to use a repeated measures research design (also known as a within subjects research design).In a repeated measures (within subjects) experiment the same individuals are tested repeatedly in two or more experimental conditions. An example of this kind of design could involve comparing the drivi ng behavior (using a simulator! ) of individuals before and after consuming varying amounts of alcohol (IV is alcohol dosage). Another example could involve asking individuals to employ and then comparing their performance under these different instructional conditions (IV is memory strategy).Each kind of design (I. E. Repeated measures and independent groups) has advantages and disadvantages which render them useful for research in different kinds of situation. One advantage of the repeated measures sign is that it is often more sensitive than an independent groups design. This is because each person is being compared with themselves under different experimental conditions. A disadvantage of repeated measures designs is that the results can be contaminated by practice and/or fatigue effects.A common strategy for eliminating or minimizing this problem is to counterbalance the order of performing in the different experimental conditions. For example, in the driving and alcohol exampl e Just mentioned, half the participants might perform the driving task in the alcohol condition first followed (several days later! By the no alcohol condition; the other half would participate in the two experimental conditions in the reverse order. Independent groups is of course the appropriate design in any situation where the research question is related to individual differences, such as personality or handedness.Independent groups designs are also often used in the clinical trials of medical researchers, where the effectiveness of one treatment is compared with that of another. Hence, our experiment will employ an independent groups research design with sex (female vs.. Male) as the independent variable. The experiment will have two pendent variables: scores on a verbal fluency task and scores on a mental rotation task. As you will remember from Research Methods lectures dependent variable(s) are the quantities or factors that are being assessed to see whether they might be r elated to (I. . Dependent upon) changes in the independent variable. How to carry out the experiment As mentioned earlier, our aim is to try and replicate the findings of Origin Hilary and her colleagues published in the Journal Behavioral Neuroscience (Hilary et al. , 2005). To do this, each student participant will need to carry out a mental rotation task and verbal fluency task. All participants will perform the mental rotation task first followed by the verbal fluency task. Figure 1.In the mental rotation task (see text) participants must decide whether pairs of shapes, such as those shown in A, B and C are identical or different. Mental rotation task Look at the top pair of pictures (A) shown in Figure 1. Are the shapes shown in the pictures exactly the same, or are they different? How did you arrive at your answer? Most people report that they solve this problem by imagining rotating the left hand shape clock-wise (or the right hand shape anti-clockwise), you ay be able to â⠂¬Ëœsee' in your mind's eye, that the two shapes are exactly the same.Now, decide whether the pairs shown in (B) and (C) are also the same. By using the same strategy, you might be able to ‘see' that the shapes in B are also identical, but the shapes in C are different – and remain different, whichever way you rotate them in your imagination. The drawings shown in Figure 1 are similar to those used by Roger Sheppard and Jacqueline Metzger in a classic study published in the Journal Science in 1971. Sheppard and Metzger found that the time taken to make a decision in this mental taxation task increases systematically as the angular disparity between the two drawn objects increases.These findings attracted great interest at the time, and continue to attract interest nearly four decades later. One reason for this enduring fascination is that Sheppard and Mà ©tier's findings showed that a mental phenomenon such imagination, which appears at first glance to be irredeemably private, subjective, and unobservable (by anyone else, aside from the person doing the imagining) can nevertheless be studied scientifically.Furthermore, their findings showed that one aspect of imagination, the mental rotation process, appears to operate in a highly systematic and lawful way. In the version of the mental rotation task to be used for this laboratory exercise, you will be presented with pairs of line drawings representing AD shapes, and will be asked to decide whether the two shapes are the same or not. As in the examples shown in Figure 1, the shapes will be presented at varying orientations.On trials where the correct response is ‘different' the two shapes are usually mirror images of each other. These features of the task make it relatively difficult! Do not be concerned if you make errors when you carry out this task. The dependent variable or this part of our experiment is percent correct; clearly the experiment would fail if everyone was able to perform t he task with 100% accuracy!

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Macbeth’s change in charcter

This essay will outline the main influences on Macbeth's character. I will highlight the differences in this personality and how dramatically his character changes and why he chose to act as he did. In order to do this, I have to look at the play from other critical aspects. I have a great advantage also as I attended â€Å"Macbeth† at Crumlin Road Gaol on November 2nd 2007. This advanced my knowledge and understanding of the play. I will analyse the transition in Macbeth's character from an apparent heroic position to that of a merciless tyrant, corrupted by forces both within, and beyond, his control. Macbeth is first seen as a heroic worthy character in the play. This is shown through the language Shakespeare uses also when King Duncan first refers to him saying: â€Å"O valiant cousin, worthy gentle man.† (Act 1 scene 2 L24) King Duncan says this as he hears the good news of the battle. He has found out that Macbeth has fought valiantly against his enemies and rewards him with this new title. In Act One Scene Two Line 1, we receive the first indication that violence is going to be integrated into the plot and we see this later through the violent actions of Macbeth. Even Duncan himself alludes to the violent implications of the play when he says: â€Å"What bloody man is that?† (Act1 Scene2 L1) From this statement there is perhaps a hint that Duncan will be killed later in the play. The murder of a King in Jacobean England was considered a crime against nature and the Gods. Shakespeare believed in ‘The Divine Right' of Kings and therefore Macbeth's deeds later in Act Two of the play, would be considered shameful and treasonous. Also, Shakespeare was writing a play about a Scottish King in order to impress his own monarch; James I. Macbeth is seen to be well-respected and admired by King Duncan at the beginning of the play, as his King refers to him as: â€Å"Noble Macbeth† (Act1 Scene3 L68) Macbeth's character begins to change when the witches chant. â€Å"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cowdow.† (Act1 Scene3 L48) This makes Macbeth fear for the future and also makes him curious and later obsessed with gaining more knowledge from these witches. The question of how much the witches influence his mind is clearly debatable, but there is no doubt that they plant ‘the seeds' of regicide within Macbeth's mind. This is first shown through Banquo, as he says: â€Å"Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that sound so fair?† (Act1 Scene3 L49-50) This is also evident, when Macbeth says: â€Å"Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more,† (Act1 Scene3 L68) This is when his obsession and thirst for power and glory, actually begins. This curiosity overwhelms him and so from this, we gather that the witches influence him and get it into his head that he should become king. How much was Macbeth responsible? I personally feel that he certainly has to take some responsibility for his actions, although he was certainly influenced by forces beyond his understanding. Lady Macbeth plays a leading role in influencing Macbeth, her husband, to turn the way he did. She does this by stinging his manhood, especially when she says: â€Å"When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more that what you were, you would be so much more of a man.† (Act 1 Scene7 L49-51) We see here that Macbeth allows himself to be manipulated by his wife who insidiously attacks his manhood and we see here the power that she exercises over her husband which proves that she is a major influence on his character. We see this further (following the murder of Duncan) when she chastises him for taking the daggers from the place remarking: â€Å"Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there, go carry them and smear the sleepy grooms with blood.† (Act2 Scene 2 L51-5.) Here Lady Macbeth is ordering her husband to do what she says and so we believe that she is a motivating factor in her husband's fate- driving Macbeth to kill his king. Macbeth's character is clearly changing at this point in the play and he is seen to have changed significantly from the image of the ‘noble Macbeth.' Even the witches refer to him as â€Å"wicked:† â€Å"By the pricking of my thumbs something wicked this way comes.† (Act4 Scene1 L44-5) This proves that Macbeth has changed; this is a very significant part in the play. Even Macbeth's language changes throughout as he once spoke courteously to people, for example when he is made the ‘Thane of Cawdor' he politely greets Ross and Angus by saying â€Å"I thank you, gentlemen† (Act1Scene3L47) Later, in Act Four, he dramatically changes; as yet again he refers to the witches as:† Midnight hags!† (Act4 Scene1 L47) He also insults them by calling them: â€Å"Filthy.† (Act4 Scene1 L114) Macbeth begins to hallucinate, due to guilt and remorse. This begins during the dagger speech and surfaces again during the banquet scene when he sees the spirit of Banquo, whom he killed out of pure selfishness and paranoia. He thinks he sees Banquo even though he is dead, thus leading us to believe that Macbeth has gone completely mad: â€Å"Thou art too like the sprit of Banquo† (Act 4 Scene1 L11) â€Å"For the blood-bolter'd Banquo smiles upon me,† (Act4 Scene1 L 122.) By him saying: â€Å"blood-bolter'd,† (meaning covered in clotted blood) we are led to believe that he is seeing him as he did when he killed him. Macbeth is therefore unbalanced and, following the murder of Banquo, he continues to show signs of madness and desire for power, believing that he cannot be killed and that anyone who attacks or threatens him must also be killed, as he says: â€Å"I must fight the course. What's he that was not born of woman? Such a one am I to fear, of none,† (Act5 Scene7 L1) In the end, Macbeth has changed very much and is no longer the man that Duncan referred to as â€Å"Noble Macbeth.† He is now just like the murderous traitor known as the â€Å"Thane of Cowdor.† The main influences on his character are that he was driven to greed and power because of his own selfishness and also by listening to the lies of the Witches and Lady Macbeth. The play is particularly effective because it is a lesson to all of us about what power does to an individual, if he seeks to ignore his own moral values and principles. This was brought clearly to my attention when I experienced the play in performance and personally acted out various scenes from the play, which is clearly what Shakespeare intended for his audience. Clodagh Mc Henry Creative End of para 1. For weeks now the Free-Staters have been waging a ferocious war against the ‘irregulars', which brings back terrible memories of the previous war with the ‘Auxies' and the ‘Black and Tans'. De Valera was right when he said that the ‘Volunteers would have to wade through Irish blood'- this is exactly what is happening in Ireland at present. Para 4 -What is this tragic news which I must impart to you? It all happened on Friday last. I was ordered to mount a rooftop and patrol an area near to ‘The Four Courts.' A fierce gun-fight ensued ,resulting in the loss of several men from my unit. Then I took a hit from a sniper, hidden deep within the darkness of a roof-top opposite. I didn't even look to see if I recognized the insurgent. I shot back at him immediately and the perpetrator fell to the ground, stiff. Lifeless. Dead. The blood was oozing from my right forearm. . . Then the guilt set it and, * and the thought that I had killed someone so close to me. There is no telling what a man might do in a desperate situation; in times of war we do the most awful things to one another. Seamus and I were so close and in that one brief second, everything we meant to one another was shattered! How could this happen? My world is at an end!

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Bush vs Kerry essays

Bush vs Kerry essays Bush vs. Kerry The presidential election of 2004 has been one of controversy, disparity and enthusiasm. President George W. Bush is being pushed by his opponent John Kerry in many different ways. President Bushs every move is being countered by Senator Kerry. Last weeks first Presidential debate was just the stepping stone in the difference in opinions between these two Presidential candidates. John Kerry hasnt lightened up at all in his bashing of President Bushs actions regarding the War in Iraq, education and many other pivotal topics. In my eyes President Bush hasnt exactly done a great job in his current term, but I also think that he could have done a much worse job with the cards that he was dealt. With the 9/11 terrorist attacks, weapons of mass destruction and the War on Iraq all happening in one four year term, he hasnt an awful job keeping the country at ease. I will be interested to see how the rest of these Presidential debates fold out. The key to opportunity in our country starts with education. Bush and Kerry will both have to prove to the country that their plans for education are worth while and will help us stay a float. President Bush developed the No Child Left Behind act, which demands accountability in exchange for the record levels of Federal spending now going to K-12 public education. So far I feel that this has been beneficial to Bushs campaign. I like his ideas on education and I feel that with all the people bashing his decisions regarding the War on Iraq that education might become a light in the tunnel for the republican side. Another one of Bushs ideas for education is to ensure that all high school students are better prepared to enter higher education or the workforce. If President Bush is serious about this, then I think that he might really be getting somewhere with it. More of...

Monday, October 21, 2019

respraying a car essays

respraying a car essays In order to do a proper job you must first look over the whole car top to bottom and either write a list of all the dent and rust spots or take photos. If some panels need replacement write down what it is and the year and make of your car, weather it is a sedan or station wagon or ute e.t.c. Once you have found all work that has to be done you need to write a list of the estimated amount of body filler, sand paper and primer is needed. Once all this preliminary work is done you can start work on your car. It is best to start from the roof down. This is because of over spray, which is annoying and harder to work with in later stages. You sand, remove any rust and dents using body filler and then primer the whole area which will also fill any shallow scratches. You then move on to the boot and bonnet. If you have bought a new panel, work on it before applying it to the car. This is an added bonus because you can have the bonnet or boot on any angle or height to work on, its much more user friendly. You should, if you want a good finish, be doing all this in an enclosed area. Any outdoor area will not be good enough. You also should have good fluorescent lighting so you can see everything. You then move on to the doors, which again if are replaced, work on them before applying them. You have to mask up the windows with masking tape and paper so they do not get any over spray on them Once your car is prepared for painting there is no rush. You can leave your car at this state if you cant find time spray it. But if you can you first have to sand the primer just a little to smooth it out. Then you either hire out a spray booth or find somewhere that has no airflow and a good dust extraction system. You need an air compressor and a heavy-duty spray gun, you also need your choice of paint that amounts to about 4 litres, you also need clear coat lacquer, which is about 5 litres, and thinners that is about 20 litres. Once you have ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Grand Bargain - Details and Explanation

Grand Bargain - Details and Explanation The term grand bargain is used to describe a potential agreement between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders in late 2012 on how to curb spending and reduce the national debt while avoiding steep automatic spending cuts known as sequestration or the fiscal cliff set to take place the following year to some of the most important programs in the United States. The idea of a grand bargain had been around since 2011 but the real potential emerged following the 2012 presidential election, in which voters returned many of the same leaders to Washington, including Obama and some of his fiercest critics in Congress. The looming fiscal crisis combined with a polarized House and Senate provided high drama in the final weeks of 2012 as lawmakers worked to avoid the sequestration cuts. Details of the Grand Bargain The term grand bargain was used because it would be a bipartisan agreement between the Democratic president and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, who had been gridlocked on policy proposals during his first term in the White House. Among the programs that could be targeted for substantial cuts in a grand bargain are the so-called entitlement programs: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Democrats who resisted such cuts would agree to them if Republicans, in return, sign off on higher taxes on certain high-income wage-earners much like the Buffett Rule would have imposed. History of the Grand Bargain The grand bargain on debt reduction first emerged during Obamas first term in the White House. But negotiations over the details of such a plan unraveled in the summer of 2011 and never began in earnest until after the 2012 presidential election. The disagreements in the first round of negotiations reportedly were the insistence by Obama and the Democrats on a certain level of new tax revenue. Republicans, particularly more conservative members of Congress, were said to have vigorously opposed raising taxes beyond a certain amount, reportedly some $800 million worth of new revenue. But following Obamas re-election, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio appeared to signal a willingness to accept higher taxes in return for cuts to entitlement programs. In order to garner Republican support for new revenues, the President must be willing to reduce spending and shore up the entitlement programs that are the primary drivers of our debt, Boehner told reporters following the election. We’re closer than anyone thinks to the critical mass needed legislatively to get tax reform done. Opposition to the Grand Bargain Many Democrats and liberals expressed skepticism over Boehners offer, and restated their opposition to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. They argued that Obamas decisive victory allowed him a certain mandate on maintaining the nations social programs and safety nets. They also claimed the cuts in combination with the expiration of both the Bush-era tax cuts and payroll-tax cuts in 2013 could send the country back into a recession. The liberal economic Paul Krugman, writing in The New York Times, argued that Obama should not easily accept the Republican offer of a new grand bargain: President Obama has to make a decision, almost immediately, about how to deal with continuing Republican obstruction. How far should he go in accommodating the G.O.P.’s demands? My answer is, not far at all. Mr. Obama should hang tough, declaring himself willing, if necessary, to hold his ground even at the cost of letting his opponents inflict damage on a still-shaky economy. And this is definitely no time to negotiate a grand bargain on the budget that snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Abdallah Azzam Brigades (AAB) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Abdallah Azzam Brigades (AAB) - Research Paper Example First, the paper will work to describe the history behind these particular types of organizations in the Middle East, working to show how the Arab war against Israel has worked to influence such groups, as well as the effects of anti-Semitism in the area. It will look into the effects of religion on terroristic organizations in the area, and go into the philosophy of the After looking into the history of the organizations, and how religion affects these organizations, a targeted look into how these organizations directly affect the United States will be made, specifically focusing on terroristic acts between 1968 and 1993, working to show how these have escalated over the years. Focus will be given to the socioeconomic parameters that promote terrorism, the assistance of political factors, and the people who are directly and adversely affected by these attacks. Information will be provided the distinctive characteristics a target group must have in order to be labeled a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) as well as details on the specific actions of certain groups who have had this label applied to them by the following the look into how these groups affect the United States, the focus of the paper will expand slightly in order to discuss the perspectives of global terrorism analysis, looking specifically into the terrorist group the Azzam Brigades, their activities in Lebanon, and how this affects the world on a global sociopolitical scale. The differences between the newer terrorist organizations and the classic terrorist will be reviewed, including what makes up the different types of distinctions, a comparison and contrast between the two, and where the line is drawn to determine what label is applied. Counter terrorism measures for the two distinctive types will be touched on briefly as In order to be able to better understand these types of organizations, the views of the Middle East in regards to the United States of America will be

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Effects of Global Warming on Polar Bears Research Paper

The Effects of Global Warming on Polar Bears - Research Paper Example Despite ongoing activism this decrease in numbers still continues up to the present day. Indeed, it is a frightening possibility that soon, polar bears will be just parts of history and will become another name on the list of extinct animals. The decline in Polar Bear population is due to many harsh realities in today’s world. With not only traditional adversaries in the wild to contend with, the additional factors of climate and the encroachment of man begin to play a big factor in the Polar Bear saga. Chief among the causes of the polar bear’s steep mortality rate is hunting by humans (Schliebe et al. 34). Another cruel by-product of the influence of man is the exposure of the bears to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), highly toxic chemicals. The high levels of accumulation of POP compounds cause impacts to the polar bear’s nervous system, reproduction, and even their immunity (IUCN Red List 1). This man made problem has begun to substantially threaten the health and well-being of the animals. Taken together, these problems alone would be hard for any species to face. However, overshadowing other issues is the advancing argument that the biggest threat to the existence of polar bears is the phenomenon of global warming. The continuous and intensifying climate changes have already made impacts on the polar bears’ sea – ice habitat. With entire shelves falling prey to the cracking and once mighty ice floes reduced to a mere shade of their former selves the ability to deny that the polar caps are warming is nearly impossible to dispute. As a result, their ice covered habitat has been disrupted in a complete and fundamental manner. With even the very fabric of their existence shifting under their feet, their instincts hold little recourse. This deeply affects their access to prey and den areas. It is a very strong position to state that the effects of global warming are seen to be critical to the polar bear’s extinction (IUCN Red List 1). This research will explore the possible effects of global warming on polar bears. The issue i s in need of special attention because the likelihood of polar bear’s extinction is a very important environmental concern. With the continuous climate changes, and the human population stuck in perpetual deadlock, affecting the habitat of polar bears, it is very likely that our environment will lose another biological component. This research paper will assess how the impacts of global warming are contributing to the likelihood of polar bear’s extinction. In order to gain a full understanding of the effects of global warming on polar bears, this paper will focus on three areas of literature. First, the study looks at the area that attempts to comprehend and illustrate that the polar bears are the bears of the sea. Second, the paper will examine the literature that discusses the effects of global warming on the earth in general. Third, the research will delve into the effects of global warming on polar bears specifically. By taking the time to examine all of these basi c facets, the picture of the plight of the Polar Bear begins to come into focus. First, we start by learning about the polar bear. Long regarded as the largest terrestrial carnivore in the whole world (World Life Fund for Nature’s Status Report), the bear has few natural enemies. According to Norris et al, its scientific name is Ursus maritmus (8) was

TESCO PLC AND THE NATURE OF MARKETS IN WHICH IT OPERATES Essay

TESCO PLC AND THE NATURE OF MARKETS IN WHICH IT OPERATES - Essay Example As one of the biggest players within the UK retail grocery industry, Tesco’s market share was 30.5% back in December 2009. In line with this, Tesco’s close competitor includes: Asda (16.9%), Sainsbury (16.9%), and Morrisons (12.3%). Having only four major players in the market, the market structure of retail grocery industry in UK is oligopoly. Within an oligopolistic market that targets many buyers, the industry is commonly dominated by only a very few numbers of sellers that offer homogenous products to its target consumers (Arnold 2008, p. 512). One of the very few factors that can trigger the development of oligopoly is the fact that a lot of companies are entering into merger and acquisitions as a result of tight market competition caused by globalization. The problem with oligopoly is that a very few number of competitors within the industry can enter into collusion making them able to dictate the market price of heterogenous products they are selling in the market (Gans 2005). Considering that market consequences of a few-firm concentration ration, a lot of economists believe that a market that is characterized by oligopoly is almost similar to the market consequences associated with anti-competitive domestic or international market activity. Although it is possible for players within an oligopoly market to dictate the market price of goods, this is not true in the case of Tesco and its competitors. Since grocery and merchandise retailers are selling homogenous products, its target customers will always have the opportunity to decide where to regularly purchase their weekly consumption of grocery items. In line with this, Tesco’s existing customers can anytime decide to purchase their grocery items from Asda, Sainsbury, Morrison, Waitrose, M&S, Somerfield, Aldi, Lidl, and Netto among other small-scale supermarket throughout the United Kingdom (Tesco 2010 b). There is a strong price competition within the grocery

The Impact of Health Inequalities on Health Education and Health Essay

The Impact of Health Inequalities on Health Education and Health Promotion - Essay Example dren in developing countries (Guerrant, Kirchhoff, Shields, Nations, Leslie, de Sousa, Araujo, Correia, Sauer, McClelland, Trowbridge and Hughes, 1983). Due to these disparities in the economies of developed and underdeveloped nations, there are a lot of discrepancies in the health standards of the people of these countries as well. Health inequalities refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across sexual orientation, racial, socioeconomic and ethnic groups. A marked difference can be seen between the health conditions of developed and underdeveloped countries. The better the economy of a country, the better is the state of health. Health disparities exist between differing socioeconomic groups. The lower socioeconomic group have poorer health and higher rates of chronic illness, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Differences also lie in access to health care between the two classes. Usually people in deprived areas receive less care than needed. Whereas the affluent areas have easy access to almost all kinds of medication and health care. Within a country, we can also see difference in the health standards between different racial groups. For example; in America, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and African Americans have higher mortality, higher rate of chronic disease and poorer overall health conditions. There is a need to change life styles of people to help them live a better and healthy life. This could be achieved through health promotions and educating them about health issues. Health promotion enables people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental intervention (WHO, 2011). Health promotion aims at influencing, informing,... This paper approves that health care costs are continuously arising, resulting the government, employers and consumers to struggle to keep up with the increased costs. Major policy of the health care units is to cut off the costs. Rising federal deficit with an overall slowdown in the economic growth is also putting strain on the systems used to finance the health care. Things are made more complicated by the health disparities within the nation. The health care units have to divide their funds for improving the conditions in the rural areas and conducting health awareness programmes for them, and for research purposes. This essay shows that government plays an important role in providing awareness regarding how to stay healthy and solving health related issues. Government have the power of financing, organizing, overseeing, and delivering health care. Government is also responsible for getting care to people who wouldn't otherwise have it; the underprivileged, the disabled, and the aged, many of whom could not afford it on their own. The government's role in health and health care does not end here but it goes into the realm of encouraging new discoveries related to health affairs There are some Government Organizations like U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps which are working to promote, protect, and advance the health and safety of the United States. Members of PHS often serve on the frontlines in fighting diseases and poor health conditions. They are trained and equipped to respond to emergencies such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks and public health crisis.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Similarities and differences between action research and audit Essay

Similarities and differences between action research and audit - Essay Example Concerning functions and applications, they have their distinct objectives, techniques and responsibilities.An interesting fact concerning these two disciplines is that action research of audit improves auditing, and auditing of action research helps to remove the dross and improve the quality of the research. (CAFWAA).From immemorial times monarchs and other rulers have rewarded groups and individuals for research and development purposes. The wise rulers and elders possessed the gracious disposition which caused them to provide rewards and incentives to encourage discoveries, inventions, and improvements for the betterment of human life and society.Men and women convinced in the belief that there were better ways of doing things immersed themselves in understanding systems and theories, and harnessed nature and elements to refine methods and structures. They zealously pursued their goals, at times against heavy odds, bequeathing their posterity a rich legacy of healthier and happie r living conditions. (Action Research).Action Research is based on clear vision, mission and guiding principles seeking to reveal the truth about any subject, thesis or situation. It also undertakes tasks of finding ways and means on improving existing systems and methodologies. It does so by meticulously going through existing systems and technologies, scrutinizing their efficacy, relevance and alternatives, and conducting experiments with new hypotheses and integrations. (What is Action Research) Audit Audit is the statutory study, scrutiny and verification of financial statements and management systems maintained by institutions, corporations and individuals. It provides the status and track record of the entity as required by law for general information or specific purposes like diversifications and investment strategies. Audit is done internally and by external professionals. (Audit, Credit Suisse). Audit helps to shape and reshape policies and procedures and improve efficiency and output. It refurbishes the entire organization to provide better quality and services. (Acacia Research Corporation). Auditing is highly responsible and demanding task. It is also time consuming and meticulous. It is a teamwork pursuance endowed with highly skilled technical expertise and adept at critical evaluations of diverse disciplines. It follows the highest order of professional and statutory standards and ethics. (Audit). Similarities between Action Research and Audit One ostentatious similarity between action research and audit is that both rely on data and facts to serve their aims and objectives. They base their conclusions on fundamental principles and sound judgment. They source their data and methodologies from well-established, credible sources only. Their similarities also match in the highly professional and all-pervasive approach to their area of activities. Action research is based on examination and improvement wherever possible of relevant, well-documented data and facts. Audit is based on the examination of financial statements made up of facts and figures, and their certification and approval along with suggestions for improvements and rectifications. Both action research and auditing is done by experienced, well-qualified, and highly skilled professionals. (Catherine Wylie). Differences between Action Research and Audit Action research is an age old phenomena which has existed for a very long time. Audit is comparatively new and came

Growth Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Growth Analysis - Essay Example Its continued innovation, which is marked by continued research and development activities has enabled it grasp customer needs and services (Ignatiuk, 2009). The move by dell Inc to develop modern technologies like the blue ray disc technology puts it strategically to the demands and preferences of global customers (Ignatiuk, 2009). Since Dell Inc sells a range of products, it has competitive advantage of economies of scale. The use of communication technology strategically puts it at a better position to create a collaborative relationship with its customers and network partners (Sigismund et al., 2009). The use of proactive marketing staff helps keep the company’s long-term objectives active. Since loyal customers are part of primary asset for organizations, Dell Inc has continued to create customer loyalty over years. This comes in terms of catering for customer needs by offering customized systems that cater for their needs. It is also noted that customer service and support is equally enhanced in Dell operations including online services. Diversification of the market is evident in several ways. Dell has been able to open up manufacturing centers in various parts of the world. This can be argued to be a key factor of targeting new and more customers (Sadler & Craig, 2003). It is also argued that its strategic management and objectives and the organizational culture reflects its mission and vision statements. With the mission of Dell being to be the most successful at bringing the finest customer experience in the market it serves, and the vision being to interact with customers in the global community and serving their needs with the changing technologies, it is apparent that dell has worked hard to accomplish

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Similarities and differences between action research and audit Essay

Similarities and differences between action research and audit - Essay Example Concerning functions and applications, they have their distinct objectives, techniques and responsibilities.An interesting fact concerning these two disciplines is that action research of audit improves auditing, and auditing of action research helps to remove the dross and improve the quality of the research. (CAFWAA).From immemorial times monarchs and other rulers have rewarded groups and individuals for research and development purposes. The wise rulers and elders possessed the gracious disposition which caused them to provide rewards and incentives to encourage discoveries, inventions, and improvements for the betterment of human life and society.Men and women convinced in the belief that there were better ways of doing things immersed themselves in understanding systems and theories, and harnessed nature and elements to refine methods and structures. They zealously pursued their goals, at times against heavy odds, bequeathing their posterity a rich legacy of healthier and happie r living conditions. (Action Research).Action Research is based on clear vision, mission and guiding principles seeking to reveal the truth about any subject, thesis or situation. It also undertakes tasks of finding ways and means on improving existing systems and methodologies. It does so by meticulously going through existing systems and technologies, scrutinizing their efficacy, relevance and alternatives, and conducting experiments with new hypotheses and integrations. (What is Action Research) Audit Audit is the statutory study, scrutiny and verification of financial statements and management systems maintained by institutions, corporations and individuals. It provides the status and track record of the entity as required by law for general information or specific purposes like diversifications and investment strategies. Audit is done internally and by external professionals. (Audit, Credit Suisse). Audit helps to shape and reshape policies and procedures and improve efficiency and output. It refurbishes the entire organization to provide better quality and services. (Acacia Research Corporation). Auditing is highly responsible and demanding task. It is also time consuming and meticulous. It is a teamwork pursuance endowed with highly skilled technical expertise and adept at critical evaluations of diverse disciplines. It follows the highest order of professional and statutory standards and ethics. (Audit). Similarities between Action Research and Audit One ostentatious similarity between action research and audit is that both rely on data and facts to serve their aims and objectives. They base their conclusions on fundamental principles and sound judgment. They source their data and methodologies from well-established, credible sources only. Their similarities also match in the highly professional and all-pervasive approach to their area of activities. Action research is based on examination and improvement wherever possible of relevant, well-documented data and facts. Audit is based on the examination of financial statements made up of facts and figures, and their certification and approval along with suggestions for improvements and rectifications. Both action research and auditing is done by experienced, well-qualified, and highly skilled professionals. (Catherine Wylie). Differences between Action Research and Audit Action research is an age old phenomena which has existed for a very long time. Audit is comparatively new and came

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Teacher's Role in Classroom Management - Essay Example However, through the use and application of different strategies and lessons, the teacher not only lectures about a particular subject, (English language, in this case) but also shapes up the personality of the young minds being addressed. The task of a teacher also includes instilling the right moral and ethical values in the mind of the learners to help them transform into a better citizen and eventually, a better human being, who will contribute positively to their respective societies. Channeling different creative ideas presented by students in the right direction is also an important responsibility of a teacher. When the subject is taught with the right mix of humour and gravity, respect develops in students and it ultimately leads to a better teacher-student relationship. What has become even more important is the role of a teacher in classroom management. Classroom management is the use of those methods that facilitates the transfer of knowledge. It is all about disciplining, motivating and encouraging the students to prepare them to face the practical world with the right values. The affect of the external factors and environment on a classroom atmosphere has been well researched and confirmed. When handling classroom management, one of the most important things a teacher needs to keep in mind is to ensure that the environment is not dull and distracting. Firstly, the classroom should have a good inlet and outlet of air so that the right supply of oxygen helps maintain a lively and healthy atmosphere. Using enclosed spaces for classroom is not very effective while teaching since students tend to feel restless and bored in an atmosphere which looks suffocating. Apart from that, the seating arrangements and the teacher's corner should be placed in such a way so that it gives the classroom a spacious look, while not proving a hinderance to the communication that will take place. Neatness and order in classroom arrangement is even more important. It is imperative that the comfort level of students is also kept in mind as discomfort due to unleveled chairs or varying temperatures in the classroom may prove to be great distractions in the learning process. Furthermore, it is the role of the teacher to make sure that all students can view the teacher and learning tools clearly. Colourful charts and displays stimulate the minds of the students and help them retain knowledge better. It is better if a teacher tries to replace charts with new ones and add new things on display to upkeep interest and curiosity. In maintaining the right environment, the teacher plays the most significant role when it comes to discipline and the behaviour of the students. It is essential that misbehaviour of a student is declared wrong and punished though in a subtle way so as not to intimidate the other students. Overall, a comfortable environment is necessary to better the learning process and give teaching the right flow. [Barbara L. Wilt (Schoolmarm), 2000, 'Classroom Management Plan'] COMMUNICATION It will not be wrong to state that initiating and

Monday, October 14, 2019

Impact Of Facebook On Students Academic Performance Commerce Essay

Impact Of Facebook On Students Academic Performance Commerce Essay The use of social Networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, Likendin, Orkut etc are growing day by day in India. Facebook is one of the popular social networking site among young adults and college students. Further, very few researches have focused on influence of Facebook on students Academic performance in India. Through this research, we have tried to throw a light on the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online social Networking site students academic performance. The study will be undertaken to know the frequency of usage of face book. Also, the study will try to find out the relation between time spent for use of facebook and time for study .The study will focus to know the most preferred social networking site among students and also to know the impact by the ownership of GPRS phones and use of facebook. For this research, descriptive research design will be used. The sample size will be 300 Students of Ahmadabad. Structure questionnaire developed to measure influence of Facebook on college students Academic Performance with respect to Ahmedabad. 1.0 Introduction Socializing via the Internet has become an increasingly important part of young adult life. Relative to the general population, adolescents and young adults are the heaviest Internet users.SNS are the latest communication tool for interaction with people in their networks Social networking sites can be defined as an online platform which builds and reflects the networking among people and builds relationship among them. People share their interests, activities each other through such sites. The most famous social networking sites in India are Orkut, facebook, LinkedIn, Ibibo, Twitter.One such website is Facebook, whose founder was Mark Zuckerberg along with his roommates and fellow students Eduardo Saverin Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. The website was launched in February and privately owned by Facebook Inc. It was ranked as the most used social networking service worldwide by a January 2009 compete.com study. Facebook also consists of individual profile, his/her social links, list of personal interests, contact information, personal information, photos and various other things. Through such sites, users can communicate and share with friends various activities and also join groups of their interests, like pages, advertise product/service. It also offers privacy settings wherein an individual can see only the specific parts of profile. Users can also control the information viewed by others through their privacy settings. Such websites generate huge revenue by advertising and posting banner ads. Asia stands at second position among the facebook users in the world having 183.9 millions of users having 4.7% penetration level. Facebook is very popular social networking site among the college students. Several researches have examined the effect of social media on the academic performance of the students Through this research, we have focused on one of the social networking site i.e facebook and tried to find out the influence of facebook on academicperformance of the students. 2.0 Literature Review In the paper entitled The influence of social networking sites on students academic performance in Malaysia by Adam Mahamat Helou and Nor Za irah Ab. Rahim, they tried to study the students perceptions on the use of social networking sites and its influence on their academic performance.They found most of the respondents do feel that the SNSs have more positive impact on their academic perfor mance due to its use for various academic activities such as communicating with the faculty and university authority, communicating with lecturers and supervisors, making academic discussions with classmates and chatting with friends in respect to topics o f educational interest Nicola Cavalli Et al. in his paper Facebook influence on university students media habits: qualitative results from a field research found that nearly half of them were unfamiliar with facebook site and contrary during 2009 all of the respondents were aware and about 59% of them use it regularly. In the paper Effects of social network on students performance: A web-based forum study in Taiwan the researcher investigated the effects of social networks on the performance of students online education. They found that students who are more active on facebook have positive effect on their academic performance. In a study of Lessons from Facebook: The Effect of Social Network Sites on College Students Social Capital by Sebasti  n Valenzuela2, and Kerk F. Kee4 University of Texas at Austin they examined that there exists moderate relation between intensity of facebook usage and life satisfaction, social trust, civic participation and political engagement of students. In the paper The relationship between facebook usage and academic performance A study at Ohio state University by Aryn Karpinski and Adam Duberstein (Ohio Dominican University) found that facebook usage was associated with lower GPAs, and less time studying. Those who use facebook tended to have lower GPAs than those who did not, and it appears from the slew of articles written about it, that within the group that used facebook that more usage was associated with lower GPAs and less time studying. A study on The Benefits of Facebook Friends: Social Capital and College Students Use of Online Social Network Sites by Nicole B. Ellison,Charles Steinfield and Cliff Lampe examines the relationship between use of Facebook, a popular online socialnetwork site, and the formation and maintenance of social capital.The study suggested a strong association between use of Facebook and the three types of social capital, with the strongest relationship being to bridging social capital. In a research paper entitled Lessons from Facebook: The Effect of Social Network Sites on College Students Social Capital by Sebastià ¡n Valenzuela, Namsu Park, and Kerk F. Kee at University of Texas at Austin examines if Facebook, is one of the most popular social network sites among young adults in the U.S. 3.0 Objectives To study How much time students actively spent on face book. To know the most preferred social networking site among students To know the impact by the ownership of GPRS phones and use of facebook. To study association between the use of facebook and academic performance. 4.0 Research Methodology A descriptive research was used for study Impact of Facebook on studentsacademic performance. A survey approach was chosen to gather information from students of Ahmedabad. Non-probability sampling technique or convenience sampling was used. The structured questionnaire was developed and administered to 100 respondents. Before finalizing questionnaire opinion of expert panel was taken and it was followed by pilot survey of 15 students . Data and information gathered through questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS Software. Various statistical tests like chi -square and fisher exact test were performed to study Impact of Facebook on studentsacademic performance. 5.0 Hypothesis H1: There is significant association in academic performance among facebook users with different frequency H2: There is significant association for ownership of GPRS Phone and use of facebook. 6.0 Analysis and Interpretation 6.1 Most preferred social networking sites SNS Responses Facebook 107(40.1%) LinkedIn 5(1.9%) Twitter 13(4.9%) Orkut 42(15.7%) YouTube 41(15.4%) Google+ 59(22.1%) Total 267(100%) Table 1 To study most preferred sites among students we have asked multiple choice questions to respondents what is your most preferred social networking site. Table 1 shows that 40.1% respondent preferred face book ,Google+ is followed by facebook . LinkedIn and twitter are not preferred by students of ahmedabad. 6.2 Time spent on Facebook Table 2 Time spent on Facebook 30 min. to 1Hr 1 hr to 2 hr >2 hr Total Day 22 21 7 9 59 Week 16 11 5 3 35 Fortnight 1 0 1 0 2 Month 4 3 2 1 10 Total 43 35 15 13 106 Table 2 Table 2 show the time spent by students on facebook , it reported that students who used facebook generally the logged In several time or once in a day and spent time 1 hour or less than that mostly. Very few students log in on facebook fortnightly or monthly. So we can say that students use facebook frequently. 6.3 Purpose of Facebook Purpose of Facebook Responses Keeping in Touch with Friends 93(29.4%) Looking Photos/Videos 37(11.7%) Playing Games 14(4.4%) Chatting 69(21.8%) Applications 20(6.3%) Messaging 43(13.6%) Communicating with Faculties 21(6.6%) Making Academic discussion Group 19(6%) Table 3 Results of Table 3 shows that 29.4% Students used facebook for keeping touch with friends, 21.8% respondent used facebook for Chatting only 6.6% respondents used facebook for Communicating with faculties and making academic discussion so, majority of students preferred to use face book for keeping touch with friends, chatting and messaging. for Playing games, communicating with faculties and for academic discussion very less students preferred Facebook. 6.4 Hypothesis 1 H1: There is significant association in academic performance among facebook users with different frequency. To check association of academic performance among facebook users with different frequencies chi-square test of association were performed . Time Percentage 30 minutes to 1 hour >1 hour Total 13 11 8 32 >=60 Percentage 9 10 8 27 Total 22 21 16 59 Table 6 Chi-square test Degree of Freedom 3 Level of Significant 5% Calculated Value 0.2915 Table Value 7.8150 From above table we have found that calculated value for chi-square was 0.2915 and table value at 5% level of significant and 3 d.f was 7.8150 which is greater than calculated value so, we found that there is no significant association in academic performance among facebook users with different frequency. 6.5 Hypothesis 2 H2: There is significant association for ownership of GPRS Phone and use of facebook. Some literature studies found that introduction of the Smartphone increased the usage of the facebook. So to find out the relationship between ownership of GPRS supported phone and use of facebook, Fishers exact test was used. Result of the test shown in table below. Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Exact Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square 4.718a 1 .030 Continuity Correctionb 2.558 1 .110 Likelihood Ratio 4.095 1 .043 Fishers Exact Test .062 Linear-by-Linear Association 4.664 1 .031 N of Valid Casesb 87 To study association for ownership of GPRS phone and use of Facebook Fishers exact test was performed. P-value of fishers exact test is 0.062 which is greater than level of significance value (0.05) So, There is no significant association for ownership of GPRS phone and use of Facebook. 6.6 Perception of Facebook To study perception towards facebook whether facebook have any impact on academic performance of students we have asked several questions and asked respondents to rate according to their perception where 1 for strongly agree and 5 for strongly disagree. Statements Mean score Facebook influences my academic performance negatively, because they distract me from my studies. 2.86 Using Facebook requires spending money and are wastage of time and by this way it will affect my academic life. 2.96 Addiction to Facebook is problematic issue that affects my academic life. 2.95 I find it hard concentrating on study knowing that I can play online games and visit the site just by logging into it 3.08 I compare my grades before I become engaged into the Facebook and after I became involved. I see a drop in my academic performance. 3.11 Facebook is personal/ social-canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸t be used for education. 3.01 The usage of Facebook is useful in higher educational institutions, because it is an effective communication application. 2.49 Group discussions can be arranged with my classmates using Facebook. 2.42 An appointment can be fixed with my lecturer through Facebook. 2.84 Facebook is helpful in my studies because I can receive announcements from lecturers and faculty. 2.77 Facebook help in my studies because I can discuss my assignments with friends. 2.52 Using Facebook improves my interaction with classmates and lecturers 2.57 I use Facebook to facilitate academic activities and coordinate with friends 2.50 Table 7 Table 7 we found that students have neutral opinion for facebook is personal cant be used for education and because of facebook there academic performance is dropped. Rest of statement students are agree. 7.0 Findings and Conclusion: Among the students, facebook is the most preferred social networking site and google plus is the second preferred site. Maximum students use facebook on daily basis for various purposes like chatting and being in touch with friends. The use of facebook is very less for academic purpose like discussion with faculties. There is no impact on students academic performance due to the use of facebook. Use of GPRS phone has no impact on facebook usage.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Anthony Trollopes: An Eye for an Eye :: Ethics Morals Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye Anthony Trollope's intense commitment to drawing for his readers a picture of the world as it actually is, to creating a fictional reality in which they "might recognise human beings like to themselves" (Autobiography 145), can obscure the depth and sincerity of his concern with the moral dilemmas confronting the characters he has so painstakingly rendered lifelike. But as the startlingly candid passage quoted above from the Autobiography reveals, Trollope's purposes in his fiction are not merely descriptive, but normative as well; he sets out both to show us "the way we live now" and to direct our attention to questions that are in the broadest sense ethical: how ought we to live? His unflagging desire to "please," however, and his firm belief in the primacy of characterization among the novelist's tasks render the extraction of his "system of ethics" from his novels a delicate and difficult task: his characters are, ineluctably, individuals and unlike those populating the works of more overtly "philosophical" novelists, cannot often be taken as unproblematic representatives of an abstract quality larger than themselves. Trollope's "system" is to be an ethics of everyday life, one that takes as its province situations irreducible to arid formulae. Close examination of the late novel An Eye for an Eye illustrates both the nuanced, even protean, subtlety of Trollopean ethics and the ways in which his moral code is complicated by the gender, class, and national dimensions of the life he portrays so vividly. The novel, in its remarkably evenhanded treatment of the agonizing choice facing a young English aristocrat who seduces and impregnates an Irish girl of disreputable provenance, displays a sophisticated and sympathetic understanding of the manner in which larger social and historical forces impinge on the decisions we make as supposedly free moral agents. The story dramatizes the tension between two approaches to moral problems: on one hand, there is what we might call an ethics of particulars, represented by Scroope Manor and the older members of the Neville family, an insistence that questions of right and wrong can only be justly resolved by reference to the social position of the moral agent and to the organic structure of the society in which he or she is enmeshed. On the other hand, there are the claims of a universalizing ethical praxis in which each individual must be viewed as an end in himself or herself, regardless of circumstance. Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye :: Ethics Morals Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope's: An Eye for an Eye Anthony Trollope's intense commitment to drawing for his readers a picture of the world as it actually is, to creating a fictional reality in which they "might recognise human beings like to themselves" (Autobiography 145), can obscure the depth and sincerity of his concern with the moral dilemmas confronting the characters he has so painstakingly rendered lifelike. But as the startlingly candid passage quoted above from the Autobiography reveals, Trollope's purposes in his fiction are not merely descriptive, but normative as well; he sets out both to show us "the way we live now" and to direct our attention to questions that are in the broadest sense ethical: how ought we to live? His unflagging desire to "please," however, and his firm belief in the primacy of characterization among the novelist's tasks render the extraction of his "system of ethics" from his novels a delicate and difficult task: his characters are, ineluctably, individuals and unlike those populating the works of more overtly "philosophical" novelists, cannot often be taken as unproblematic representatives of an abstract quality larger than themselves. Trollope's "system" is to be an ethics of everyday life, one that takes as its province situations irreducible to arid formulae. Close examination of the late novel An Eye for an Eye illustrates both the nuanced, even protean, subtlety of Trollopean ethics and the ways in which his moral code is complicated by the gender, class, and national dimensions of the life he portrays so vividly. The novel, in its remarkably evenhanded treatment of the agonizing choice facing a young English aristocrat who seduces and impregnates an Irish girl of disreputable provenance, displays a sophisticated and sympathetic understanding of the manner in which larger social and historical forces impinge on the decisions we make as supposedly free moral agents. The story dramatizes the tension between two approaches to moral problems: on one hand, there is what we might call an ethics of particulars, represented by Scroope Manor and the older members of the Neville family, an insistence that questions of right and wrong can only be justly resolved by reference to the social position of the moral agent and to the organic structure of the society in which he or she is enmeshed. On the other hand, there are the claims of a universalizing ethical praxis in which each individual must be viewed as an end in himself or herself, regardless of circumstance.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Cons of Factory Farming :: Factory Farming

What if you were born to die and live a miserable, torturous life in between? This is everyday life for animals on factory farms. Factory Farming is a system of rearing livestock using intensive methods, by which poultry, pigs or cattle are confined indoors under strictly controlled conditions. [add in citation for definition] Factory farming isn’t only inhumane, but it’s also hurting our health, and we don’t even have the slightest clue. With our culture today, we believe whatever the media tells us; we trust them. Each and every year, the meat industries put mounds of money into advertising, brainwashing us and telling us what food we should eat. They run their advertisements on the television, radio, and Internet ads, and have even partnered with schools in exchange for free educational resources. We like to imagine that the meat we are eating was once free, happy, and had a fast death. But that is a lie. If we don’t do anything, who will? Did you kno w that more than 19 million animals are killed every hour? That means 19,011 animals are killed per minute (2013d). Animals in factory farms are born, raised, and slaughtered in confined buildings. They are never allowed out to run, to enjoy life. They are born to be killed and tortured in-between. This isn’t just about one farm animal, but a variety of them. +++ Last sentence is unnecessary, include in other sentences to tie in what different animals AND how it’s effecting humans. ++THESIS STATEMENT. ☠º Chickens are one of the top most tortured animals in factory farms. Farmers get the most money for chickens that are heavier and have enlarged thighs and breasts. Like most factory farmed animals, broiler chickens are raised in overcrowded cages their entire life, and become very aggressive. Because of this aggressiveness the employees of the farms cut of their beaks and toes without any type of painkiller or an anesthetic just to keep them from fighting. After being â€Å"debeaked† some chickens are then not able to eat and starve. Layer chickens lay 90-95% of the eggs sold in the U.S. (2013b) The torture starts the day they are born. Chicks are placed on a belt, where an employee than picks up each chick to see if it is a male or female. Newborn male chicks are thrown into trash bags, ground up alive, crushed, and killed many other inhumane ways.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Children’s Exposure to Homosexuality in Popular Culture

The issue of homosexuality is a hot topic because of its religious, political, and social aspects that can be debated. The Family Research Report says â€Å"around 2-3% of men, and 2% of women, are homosexual or bisexual† (Gallup). Education on the topic is vital to promote acceptance and this can be done through formals or informal education. Formally, health care professionals or school sexual education classes can educate. But informally, parents, friends, and media are the most influential on people. In the media, homosexuality is portrayed in many ways and through many portals. In subtle ways it can be demonstrated with intimate friendships, inclusivity, hints, stereotypes, references, and physicality. The most easily influenced are children therefore they are the ones who need to be educated. Dennis says, â€Å"queering, locating undertows of same-sex desire between putatively heterosexual characters (Doty) is actually easier in programs targeted to children and adolescents than those targeted to adults† (739). Homosexual representations in popular culture on television positively and directly affect the acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transvestite individuals by younger generations. Inclusivity is important in children’s television programs to show viewers that heteronormativity is not the only option available in relationships. One show studied by Dennis uses a Nickelodeon show, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, to demonstrate how subtle changes in dialogue can send a more positive message. The show is made as a guide to help adolescents survive in middle school or high school and offers tips on how to be successful in aspects not directly related to academics. In one episode Ned says â€Å"when you like someone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when he could have just as easily said â€Å"when you like a girl†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Dennis 742). Changing the tip to include both sexes indicates that the character views a relationship to not be restrained to one sex or the other. While involving a more general target, the program also drops the notion that one sex must always be attracted to the opposite sex. Lack of such inclusivity leads children to grow up ignorant to the options they have and shows them that homosexuality is unacceptable. When a child relies on parents or formal education for sexual education, homosexuality is often excluded as a topic to be discussed and may be uncomfortable with it later in life when exposure is guaranteed. The largest case of ignorance and avoidance of the subject seems to be in the case of adolescent males, while adolescent girls tend to get a more complete and positive understanding of homosexuality in society (Herek, Cogan, and Gillis). Although it may be a difficult topic to discuss with children or allow children to be exposed to, depending on the individual’s beliefs or personal experience and knowledge, it is important that they give the children the information necessary to make decisions and judgments for themselves. This inclusivity positively affects children because they have the knowledge to accept individuals who are homosexual when they come in contact with them. In most cases in society, ignorance leads to fear, which is an unnecessary emotion when dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transvestite people. Stereotypes, specifically defying stereotypes, are an effective tactic to promote acceptance in children’s television series. Because individuality is so important and applauded in our Western culture the defiance of social norms tends to be a good way to promote change or be noticed. Heteronormative ideals are no exception to this rule and therefore to promote acceptance and shift away from homophobic ideas in the media, homosexuality needs to be more prominent. A good example of how going against the norm is a successful way to get attention is the hit TV show The Simpsons. Everything about The Simpsons challenges the American Dream. It criticizes the hypocrisy within the American educational, religious, political, and economic systems (Tinglef). The Simpsons is also an example of defiance against heterosexual norms because there are many instances where the main character, Homer Simpson, acts in a way that is stereotypically homosexual such as kissing his secretary Carl, calling his wife Carl in bed, and having his favourite song be â€Å"It’s Raining Men† (Dennis 60). There are also secondary characters that act in a homosexual way such as Lenny, who sees a heaven full of Carls when he is dying. Another example is in Dennis’ study where he observed beauty as an important and frequent occurrence with males in young children’s programs, which is usually a trait attributed to females. This defiance of stereotypes is important for television series because it demonstrates the importance of individuality in our society and shows younger audiences that just because heterosexuality is the norm, it is not the only way to be. When children understand this at a young age, they will tend not to hold back homosexual feelings if they get them later in life. Subtle or obvious hints are important aspects to children’s programming because they demonstrate how homosexual ideas, behaviours, and acts are part of modern society. This exposure to subconscious hints implements the impression that these ideas, behaviours, and acts are not out of the ordinary and are to be accepted like all other aspects of society. While watching television, children often see same-sex couples portrayed as intimate friendships. An example is with bullies Crony and Loomer on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide who are always together. Some episodes show them doing stereotypical couple acts such as expressing jealousy if the other has a love interest. While studying the show, Dennis observed that in one episode Crony struggles to come out about his passion for fashion design, especially to Loomer, whom he thinks might end their friendship if he found out. Dennis describes this struggle as a metaphorical coming out as gay, especially when dealing with the issue of the â€Å"gender transgressive† interest in fashion (741). Hints such as those directed at intimate friendships and other homosexual behaviours positively affect the children watching the programs because they increase the belief in the normality of resistance against the heterosexual norms. Such hints of resistance can often be seen in children’s programming, especially in animated series with a high degree of fantasy (Dennis 744). Thanks to media exposure, acceptance of homosexual culture has become ncreasingly popular recently. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transvestite people are more common in the media than ever before and homosexual culture is generally accepted in bigger cities. Homosexual actors and characters are also becoming more common on Harper, 5 television programs. One example is the TV show The Simpsons with several regular characters that are clearly homosexuals such as Mr. Smithers, Homer’s secretary Carl, and Marge’s sister Patty. It is important for adolescents to see this kind of diversity on TV so that they can be more accepting in their own communities. The Simpsons was awarded an Emmy Award for its 8th season, 15th episode, called Homer’s phobia for the lessons it gives on homosexuality and acceptance. In this episode, a gay parade that passes by the Simpsons’ home inspires Homer to attempt to man-up his son, Bart. Throughout the episode Homer has homophobic worries and tries to prevent Bart from turning gay, which is a negative lesson for children, but the show turns around at the end and Homer assures him of his unconditional love, whether he is straight or not (Padva 60). Through inclusivity, defying stereotypes, and giving subtly hints homosexuality in children’s television programs is increasing awareness and acceptance in younger generations of children. Although the incorporation of homosexual gestures and references in children’s television rises the question of why producers, directors, and actors decided to add them in the beginning, whether it was a purposeful act with political intentions, a deliberate but joking incorporation, or completely unintentional, it became evident that the effects are positive and will continue to be positive for as long as homosexual representation is positive.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Representative Democracy

A Representative democracy is define as The form of government that rests on the principle of the people being represented by individuals they elect;it is government that holds the belief that elected officials represent the people. Countries that have representative democracies include the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. A Representative Democracy is the only type of governance that provides the order of having a hierarchy with the satisfaction of the people having control.Representative democracy is the most successful form of government because the people have the power, The human rights are highly respected and protected, and The welfare of the society would not be put aside for the needs of the individual. Giving people the power to vote for their leaders in government is a way to have the majority of the peoples ideas be brought up. Having specifically designated elected officials in government can help simplify the needs and problems of societies with everyone agreeing on the decisions made.Governments that represent the views of the people tend to have higher success rates and less rebellion. In a representative democracy form of government the human rights are held to the highest standards. The right to life and liberty acknowledges that all human beings should be free. Freedom of speech also primarily guarantees that the government itself would not prohibit the people from voicing their opinions. Equality and fair treatment for everyone is also giving to the people by the government to show that everyone has the same opportunities.The welfare of the society would not be sidelined for the needs of the individual. Decisions would be made based on the common good of the people. Everyone is also encouraged to go voice their opinions and vote for what the believe is right. and everyone is entitled to free and public education and giving the ability to seek knowledge to better themselves and there society and take part in government decisions if the choose to.These are some of the many reasons why a representative democracy is the most successful form of government. Direct democracy may work very well among a small group of people, but the larger the group the more difficult it is to run effectively. Representative democracy eliminates this difficulty by operating on a much smaller scale the majority of the time Most people do not really want to vote all the time on political issues.Voting for a representative who agrees with you takes less effort, doesn't require you to do anything about issues that don't concern you and does not require you to learn about complex issues. Sources: (William P. Meyers (2002)The Original America: Republic or Democracy? ] [Held, D. (1996) Models of democracy] [Ankersmit, Frank R. (1996). Aesthetic Politics: Political Philosophy Beyond Fact and Value. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ] [Nadia Urbinati (2006) Representative Democracy: Principles and Genealogy. )

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Media Analysis Paper Toddlers and Tiaras

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1. 1 PURPOSE 1. 2 DATA DESCRIPTION 2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS AND TODDLERS & TIARAS 3. TELEVISION AND REALITY TV AS A MEDIUM 4. REALITY TV RESEARCH 4. 1 MEDIA SPECTACLES 4. 2 OBSCENITY OF TODDLERS AND TIARAS 4. 3 USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY 4. 4 STUART HALL’S ENCODING-DECODING MODEL 5. METHOD 6. FINDINGS 7. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS 7. 1 LIMITATIONS 8. CONCLUSION 2 2 2 3 4 5 5 7 9 10 11 13 29 31 31 33 ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. 9. REFERENCES 10. APPENDIX 10. 1 PAPER DIVISION 10. 2 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 10. 3 INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS 1. Introduction Ever since the advent of reality TV at the end of 1990’s, television producers started to look for controversial subjects, which would capture the viewer, and make this new format a hit. This was also the case with the child beauty pageants industry, which has been a frequently discussed to pic in the United States for decades.Nevertheless, after the emergence of the Reality TV (RTV) show, Toddlers and Tiaras, produced by the American broadcaster TLC, the controversy about this particular industry and children on television has increased rapidly. Toddlers and Tiaras is a show which might seem strange to people who do not know and have never heard of child beauty pageants. Especially the emphasis on making a girl look older, than her actual age, is hard to understand for many people. However, these shocking scenes that often cause certain emotions among the audience, is exactly how RTV producers are trying to capture and interest its audience.Toddlers and Tiaras might be a show that is judged rapidly due to the controversial nature of child beauty pageants, however the ratings of TLC prove that it is also a program which people enjoy watching and like to talk about. 1. 1 Purpose The purpose of this research paper is to investigate what people think about a show that fea tures little girls who are turned into beauty queens, how they perceive the characters as well as child beauty pageants in general. Furthermore, due to the fact that this phenomenon clearly reflects the American society, it is interesting to find out what European's actually think of this concept. . 2 Data description Most of the data collected in this research comes from academic articles used in the course, and books from the SDU library. Furthermore, online desk research played a major role, including research papers from the scholar. google search engine. Since Toddlers and Tiaras is a show that has only been broadcasted since a few years and has just entered the European market it seems to be a very current topic. This helped us in our research to find up-to-date information about the Reality TV show, as well as the child beauty pageant industry.Moreover, ten in-depth interviews served as a qualitative research method and added highly valuable information to our research. 2 2. Brief introduction to child beauty Pageants and Toddlers & Tiaras Only in a climate of denial could hysteria over satanic rituals at daycare centers coexist with a failure to grasp the full extent of child abuse. (More than 8. 5 million women and men are survivors. ) Only in a culture that represses the evidence of the senses could child pageantry grow into a $5 billion dollar industry without anyone noticing.Only in a nation of promiscuous puritans could it be a good career move to equip a six-year-old with bedroom eyes (Richard Goldstein, 1997). Child beauty pageants have in the past few decades grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, sponsored by multinationals such as Proctor and Gamble and Hawaiian Tropics. In the United States approximately, five thousand child pageants are held every year, with a subscription fee between $250 to $800 dollars, especially when competing on a national level (Giroux, 1998: 39). Pageants are held both on a local and national level.Whereas the local level is mainly meant for working class families, the national competitions are dominated by the middle-and upper class, who have the resources to afford expensive clothes, pageant coaches, dance lessons, travel expenses and etc (Giroux, 1998: 39/40). The popularity growth of child beauty pageants did not go unnoticed and after the rising interest for pageant magazines such Pageantry, The Learning Channel (TLC) decided to launch the reality-based docudrama ‘’Toddlers and Tiaras’’ in February 2009. Now four years later, due to high audience ratings TLC has recently premiered its 5th season.The protagonists of Toddlers and Tiaras are children as young as two years old and their mothers, competing in beauty pageants. The show follows the little beauty queens and their families in their homes and backstage in order to document the preparation the girls have to go through to get the required ‘Barbie-look’ for the contests. Pageants are a lucr ative business, not only for the promoters who are making approximately $100,000 per event but also for the contestants who are able to win high money prices as well as holidays and cars (Giroux 1998: 40).Nevertheless, besides the fact that a lot of money can be earned, the costs of competing in child beauty pageants add up quickly. Those high amounts of money indicate that the participation at such beauty contests demands much commitment and a high level of professionalism from the little girls. Hours of training for a flawless dance routine to impress the judges, as well as a healthy diet to be thin for the upcoming pageants are the rule (Sheridan, 2011). 3 Furthermore, there are two different categories of pageants, the Glitz pageants and the natural pageants.Especially the Glitz pageants have led to extreme discussions and outrage in the US. From fake eye lashes to fake spray tan, from provocative outfits to overlays for teeth (the so-called ‘flippers’ to hide the l ittle girl’s tooth gaps, and give them a million-dollar smile), the TV show Toddlers and Tiaras documents every single step of the pageant preparation, and has increased the controversy about the sexualization of children on television (Sheridan, 2011).Another controversial point of the TV show, are the mothers of the little beauty queens, who are faced with the accusation of using their children to make their own dreams come true. According to what you see on the show, they push their little girls to practice several hours a day, and use beauty treatments, like spray tanning to increase their chances of winning (Heltsley & Calhoun, 2003: 82). According to experts, the consequences these competitions can have on little girls are extremely negative. Indeed, â€Å"it can be harmful to girls, teaching them that their self-worth is measured by how pretty they are† (Schultz & Murphy, 2012).Moreover, as a result of the pageants, the girls can develop lifetime problems, inclu ding depression, perfectionism, eating disorders, and body shame (Sheridan, 2011). 3. Television and Reality TV as a Medium If our culture in the second half of the twentieth century is influenced by one medium, then it is television. Via TV, people were for the first time able to witness the horrors of warfare. However, the TV also brought new forms of amusement, music, cabaret and the glitter and glamour of big show programs. In other words, television caused that awareness, grief and appiness have become public issues (Hermes & Reesink 2003: 2). Furthermore, even though in recent years the Internet has started to take over television as the most penetrating medium, television is still often seen as one of the most intrusive one, due to the fact that it uses both visual and auditory stimuli. Moreover, media is used by different people for different reasons. Whereas one person would use the medium television or another medium in general, to gather information, others will turn on t he television pure for entertainment (Asseldonk 2005: 10).One trend which can be described as pure entertainment is RTV, which can be referred to as a ‘’catch-all category that includes a wide range of entertainment programs about real people’’. This form of entertainment has become a firm part of the daily television programing since the 1999s/2000s worldwide. Reality TV nowadays portrays everything and anything, from dating to weight loss, from healthcare to children beauty pageants (Hill, 2005: 2). Moreover, reality TV can be funny, dramatic, exciting and even 4 educating.A reality TV show does not tell its audience how they have to feel about what they see, which is why the opinions about popular programs, such as Big Brother or Toddlers and Tiaras, differ widely. The very first reality TV shows were totally different from what we see today. In fact, the shows followed mainly policemen, firefighters or ambulance drivers and did not invade the private s pace of a person (J. Bignell, p. 28). According to Hermes & Reesink (2003) RTV can be divided into three different forms; emotional-TV, real life soaps and docusoaps.Toddlers and Tiaras can be referred to as a docusoap, meaning that a fixed group of people and their daily activities are being recorded at school, work and etc. The emphasis of these formats is mainly based on the recognition and identification of the people and events portrayed on the show (Mast, 2003). Furthermore, the paper will continue to concentrate on the medium within the medium reality television or more specifically the RTV show Toddlers and Tiaras. Hereby the next chapter will take a closer look at both Media spectacles, the Use and Gratification theory and the encoding-decoding model n relation to child beauty pageants portrayed on the show. 4. Reality TV Research The following chapter focusses on four different theories related to television including; Media Spectacles, Obscenity, Hall’s Encoding an d Decoding model and Uses and Gratification theory. 4. 1 Media spectacles Today’s society can be described as ‘society of the spectacle’. In fact; â€Å"Spectacles are those phenomena of media culture which embody contemporary society's basic values, serve to enculturate individuals into its way of life, and dramatize its controversies and struggles, as well as its modes of conflict resolution.They include media extravaganzas, sports events, political happenings, and those attention-grabbing occurrences that we call news — a phenomena that itself has been subjected to the logic of spectacle and tabloidization in the era of the media sensationalism, political scandal and contestation, seemingly unending cultural war† (Kellner, 2003: 27). Sports, such as the Super Bowl or the Olympics are important media spectacles (p. 5). Moreover, the entertainment industry is providing major spectacles itself, such as the Oscars or popular film spectacles like the Harry Potter series (p. ). Furthermore, politics also play a major role in the media, and the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, with the following war against terrorism, has clearly been the mega 5 spectacle of the 21st century (p20). Besides, those serious topics, reality TV has become part of this phenomenon as well. Starting with hit-series like Big Brother, Survivor, and the Bachelor, RTV soon turned into a major spectacle, with a constantly growing fan crowd. In addition, RTV reached a ew stage, when MTV started to broadcast the faux-reality series about the rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his family, which documented their somewhat ordinary family life. However, this new kind of ‘realitainment’ was a huge success, and fascinated massive television audiences around the world (p. 19). â€Å"Thus, the new millennium is marked by a diversity of spectacles in the field of politics, culture, entertainment, and every realm of social life† (Kellner, 2003: 27) And y Warhol said in 1968: â€Å"In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes† (phrasefinder). Nowadays, the world has many celebrities, such as actors, writers or singers.However, it seems that more and more people want to be part of the rich and beautiful, and decide to turn their lives into televisual spectacles to achieve those 15 minutes of fame. The participants of Toddlers and Tiaras often say during the show that they would like their children to become a celebrity when they grow up. The most common wishes are to turn the girls into a future a Miss America, singers or actresses, with idols such as Selena Gomez, who both started their careers at a very young age (Hollywoodlife, 2011). Clearly Toddlers and Tiaras is a special kind of spectacle that draws a lot of attention and discussions.The show has been debated on big TV channels, such as CNN, ABC and CW, who have invited various mothers and daughters portrayed on the show, in order to discuss the repeated a ccusations of child abuse (Canning & Behrendt, 2012: 1). Nevertheless, the first time (Glitz) beauty pageants attracted national attention was after the alleged sexual abuse and murder of the six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey in 1996. The public was shocked, and saw a clear connection between the murder and the pageants, saying the perpetrator had used the children beauty pageant competition to choose his victim (Giroux, 1998: 2).Paul Peterson, a member of ‘A minor Consideration’ that tries to change the children entertainment industry said about the pageants: â€Å"This is feeding the sex industry. There is a tremendous trade within juvenile modeling† (ABCnews, 2011). However, at the time of JonBenet’s murder, no TV show had been documented about the children beauty pageant circus yet. JonBenet who was competing in various beauty pageants, was found abused and murdered in her basement.Not only the public but also the media blamed the beauty pagean ts for attracting pedophiles and accused JonBenet’s parents of violating their parental duties by dressing JonBenet too sexy and letting her 6 participate in those contests. The murder of JonBenet turned into a mega spectacle with the parents and beauty pageants at the center of national news reports. Nights in a row all major networks showed the public, video’s in which JonBenet was seen wearing sexy adult clothing, red lipstick, curled and bleached hair giving the audience a seductive look in order to impress the judges (Giroux, 1998: 37).According to Giroux, this case presented the American viewer ‘’a spectacle in which it became both a voyeur and a witness to its refusal to address the broader conditions that contribute to the sexualiation and commodification of kids in the larger culture’’ (Giroux, 1998: 37). The case did not only caught the attention of the major networks but also of important American television figures such as Oprah W infrey, who showed the public that child abuse frequently occurs at home and that the idea people have about that a child molester is most often an outsider is not so credible.The Ramsey case clearly showed this phenomenon of a ‘’unsafe home’’, not necessarily in the way of physical abuse but more looking at the fact that JonBenet parents forced their dreams and fantasies on their little girl, which resulted in the fact that they denied her a personality appropriate for a six-year old. Despite this terrible event and the enormous controversy towards child beauty pageants, TLC decided to broadcast a program dedicated to exactly this. Even though the controversy remains, the program has high audience rates and has turned into yet another reality television spectacle. 4. 2Obscenity of Toddlers and Tiaras According to the Cambridge dictionary, obscenity or when someone or something is obscene is also referred to as ‘’an offensive and shocking situ ation or event’’ (Cambridge dictionary online). The commercialization of major broadcasters has according to several theorists led to negative changes in what kind of media content is offered nowadays (De Bens, 1994; Dovey, 2000). De Bens calls the tendency towards First Person Media also tabloidization, due to the fact that the media nowadays offers more and more entertainment that makes the public dumber (Jansen, 2011: 17).Especially in RTV programs the cameras have started to intrude in people’s private lives, in order to satisfy the viewer’s desire towards sensation and spectacles. It is often said that viewer’s currently, have gotten an increasingly narrowminded and stereotype image of what kind of problems are going on in society (Mast, 2003). The stories and images portrayed in the media, of individuals sharing their intimacies is getting crazier every time. The public has gotten used to the fact that the public domain has turned into a frea k show. 7When the first Big-Brother came out and the contestants were having sex on life TV, people started to wonder where the limit is. According to Hermes & Reesink (2003), fear arose that RTV would continue to stretch its limits and would become more and more inappropriate and revolting (p. 229). When looking at the RTV program Toddlers and Tiaras and the Cambridge definition of obscenity, the program is often seen as both offensive and shocking. Ever since Toddlers and Tiaras debuted on TLC in 2009, it has been a show that caused much controversy in the US (realitytvworld, 2009).Children beauty pageants were nothing new in the US at that time, since the very first pageants already took place in the 1960s; however this new RTV show documented very closely to what extremes the mothers go to make their daughters win (Huffingtonpost, 2011). The mothers participating in Toddlers and Tiaras have earned the nickname ‘pageant-moms’ in the US, and there is even an overall t erm to define their often shocking behavior, namely the ‘pageant mom’ phenomenon (ABCnews, 2012: 3). By definition, ‘Pageant moms’ aggressively market their daughters in beauty contests.Those mothers often function as managers and might have a less positive and stable relationship with their children, than mothers that separate business from family. Toddlers and Tiaras heated up the discussions about the ‘pageant mom’ phenomenon, and uses the overly competitive mothers very successfully, to increase the interest in the program. Some of the show’s protagonists achieved a very questionable fame in the US and are highly criticized for their behavior. For most critics, the main problem is not even the actual beauty pageant, but the preparation that comes with it.TLC concentrates greatly on filming the beauty treatments, such as spray tanning or heavy make-up, since those are the moments when the children most often defend themselves against their mother’s treatment. The complaints made by these crying little girls often hits a nerve of the public and generated more than once a fundamental discussion about child abuse (McKay, 2010). Moreover, the debate about sexualizing children on television has increased extremely since Toddlers and Tiaras started broadcasting.This is, due to the fact that many mothers select provocative costumes to attract attention, and to improve the winning chances of their daughters. However, together with the heavy make-up and professional hairdos, the little girls look extremely mature. This is where the problem for many starts, as a children psychologist shares: â€Å"When you have them looking older, for a lot of people that means looking sexier†¦If you’re telling a 6-year-old to act like a 16-year-old, you’re telling her to be seductive and to be sexy† (Schultz & Murphey, 2012: 2).In fact one pageant mom on Toddles and Tiaras has gone as far as to dress her 3-year-old in the same costume that Julia Roberts’ prostitute character wore in the movie ‘Pretty Women’ (Thompson, 2011: 1). This performance was followed by much public out8 rage and a complaint, which was filed by the Parents Television Council against TLC’s Toddlers and Tiaras saying: â€Å"We have a serious problem when The Learning Channel features a toddler, who probably hasn't even learned to read, dressed as a prostitute showing off her sexy strut† (Thompson, 2011: 1).However, exactly those provocations and shocking scenes has made Toddlers and Tiaras one of the most successful Reality TV shows featuring children. Moreover, the pageant moms get much attention in the hit-series Toddlers and Tiaras and sometimes become even more popular than their own daughters. Many critics say that the mothers push the girls to participate in pageants and on Toddlers and Tiaras only to be in the spotlight themselves. However, not every pageant mom can autom atically be accused to be a bad mother.In short, Toddlers and Tiaras create a lot of shocking and controversial moments and discussions. During the in-depth interviews the research will continue to concentrate what the opinions of the participants are and whether according to them this program can be seen as obscenity. 4. 3 Uses and gratifications theory Within the uses and gratifications theory the central idea is that it is necessary to know how and why people use media in order to see what kind of force that certain medium has on people (Vettehen, 1998: 6).Media use is linked to the needs people want to satisfy and the gratification they think they will get from it. The uses and gratifications approach, studies the social, psychological and cultural origin of the needs media users have. People generally use media because it fulfills and satisfies these needs (Vettehen, 1998: 6). The uses and gratification approach is in research frequently used to trace the functions of peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s media use. When applying uses and gratifications on RTV, it helps to understand the watcher’s motives and preferences.This is done by placing RTV on the greater spectrum of communication channels which are somewhat accessible to audiences, with the understanding that people are often, but not constantly, actively involved in the selection of media content (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007: 356). According to A. Rubin (1983) nine different motives for watching television could be identified including; ‘’relaxation, companionship, entertainment, social interaction, information, habit, pass time, arousal and escape’’ (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007: 359). Moreover, three additional otives were added, including parasocial interaction of watching the news and ‘’surveillance and voyeurism for certain program types’’ (359). Furthermore, according to Papacharissi & Mendelson quantitative research, RTV is mainly watched for en tertainment, to pass time or because it has become a habit. In contrast to these three main 9 objectives of watching RTV, voyeurism seems the least mentioned motive. According to Crew’s study (2006), this has several reasons. First of all, people are nowadays, used to the concept of watching RTV programs.Secondly, social desirability may also play a role in this, due to the fact that people rather not admit that they like to spy on other people. People however, seem to be very interested in the game element and the group dynamic of a program, due to the fact that this often gives excitement to the program (Crew, 2006: 71). Furthermore, despite the fact that according to De Kloet & Chow (2000), it is impossible for a RTV participant to completely be themselves, the viewer often does not see it that way. Therefore, besides entertainment, the authenticity of the personages as well as their emotions also plays an important role.By using RTV programs as a means of identification a higher degree of involvement finds place. In different studies about watching reality television, divergent motives are being mentioned as the most important motive to watch this genre. The question however, is which of these motives apply to Toddlers and Tiaras. Even though, a wide variety of the viewers of Toddlers & Tiaras cannot directly identify themselves with these little girls or their mothers, the program does strongly play into the emotions of the viewer as well as concentrating on the game factor of which child will win this episodes pageant.During the qualitative interviews the research paper will focus on finding out which of the 12 earlier mentioned motives, according to the 12 respondents are most relevant to Toddlers & Tiaras. 4. 4 Stuart Hall’s Encoding-decoding model Hall’s encoding and decoding model focuses on the interpretation of media messages, a process that finds place when the media messages are being received. An individual gives meaning to messages by looking, reading and or listening, through which the person can feel emotionally involved or has the feeling that he or she can identify him or herself with the personage portrayed (De Boer & Brennecke, 2003: 114).Furthermore, Hall’s model states that there are two central processes who decide which meaning a media product has. Encoding refers to the producer’s role who formulates a media message within its own abilities and restrictions. Social background, gender, age, education and organizational structure all play an important role in this. Decoding on the other hand, refers to the public who receives a message and depending on its own knowledge and common sense interprets the message in its own way (Jansen, 2011: 32).Both daily life experiences as well as what the public sees and hears in the media are of importance when giving meaning to a message (Fiske & Hartley, 2003: 81). This means that both on the encoding and decoding side, different meanings of media-messages arise due to the fact that people generally differ widely from each other (Hermes & Reesink, 2003: 33). 10 According to Hall there are three different ways to read a media text such as for instance a television program, including; dominant (or ‘hegemonic’), negotiated and oppositional (‘counter-hegemonic’) reading.The dominant reading exists of the message the producer meant to send to the public. Negotiated reading means that the viewer understands the producer’s message but partly also gives its own interpretation which fits the situation better. Lastly, with oppositional reading the viewer rejects the message. In addition studies of signification start when the medium and public meet. The origin of these studies all come from Hall’s encoding and decoding model.Hereby it is assumed that different people, possibly all give a different meaning to a specific media message. Two common perspectives of these studies in terms of RTV are; identification and disapproval. Identification finds place when people can relate the story line to their own life, whereas disapproval finds place when people are distant towards what they see and find it unrealistic (Liebes & Katz, 1990). Both theorists and viewers describe reality television in a different manner.According to research on the signification of RTV it appears that the viewer realizes that the images they see are copied-pasted by the producer’s as well as that conversations are often manipulated in a way that it changes the context (Jansen, 2011: 33). For the viewer it is especially important to identify themselves with the different personages, in which authenticity plays an important role (Hautakangas, 2010: 237). Besides, identification, emotional empathy as well as using the program as a reference framework are ways to give meaning to a RTV program.In the case of Toddlers and Tiaras, the viewer might feel empathy when seeing how the eyebrows or legs of 4-6 year olds are being plugged and waxed. These kinds of images are often supported by voice overs in the form of interviews or dialogues with either the mum or the children themselves. Due to these dialogues and interviews, the viewer is enabled to empathize with what the personages are feeling (Hermes & Reesink, 2003: 224). In which way the viewers of Toddlers and Tiaras give meaning to the program will become clearer during the in-depth interviews. 5. MethodAs mentioned in the introduction the purpose of this research is to find out, what people think about the show Toddlers and Tiaras, how they perceive the characters as well as child beauty pageants in general. Furthermore, due to the fact that this phenomenon clearly reflects the American society, it is interesting to find out what European's actually think of this concept. The variety of data used for this research and the 11 diverse number of sources from which they were collected made both the use of qualitative and qua ntitative research methods of collecting data suitable or this research. We therefore, decided to mix these two methods of data collection. Qualitative research is often used ‘’to study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or to interpret, phenomena in terms of meanings people bring to them’’ (Denzin & Lincoln, 2002: 3). Furthermore, qualitative research questions are often ‘’how and what’’ questions trying to find out information about the respondents experiences, strategies, feelings, behavior, perceptions and motivations (Evers & de Boer, 2007: 18).This research paper makes use of the qualitative research method; interviewing, which according to Evers & de Boer (2007) is the most common data collection strategy. Qualitative interviewing exists of various types, including individual interviews and group interviews. For this paper we have chosen to focus on individual in-depth interviewing. An important reason why we have chosen for this is due to the fact that it has a more personal setting and in this way we can get more honest and extensive responds from the participants than when for instance distributing a quantitative research survey.In addition, the interviews were held in an informal setting often on the couch of either one of the interviewers or of the respondents, to give the participants a relaxed feeling so that they would feel open towards the questions asked. Before the interview, the participants were also asked to watch a 42 minute episode of Toddlers and Tiaras at home so that in case they had never seen the program before, they had a clearer overview of what it is about.Right before the interview, the participants were shown another short 2 minute video clip about a famous Toddlers and Tiaras participant who is well known in the United States for drinking the so called ‘’go-go Juice’’, which is a mix of two different caffeine drinks. Fu rthermore, the in-depth interviews were held on the basis of the theoretical framework of chapter four, focusing on the following topics; uses and gratifications, obscenity, signification/encoding and decoding and child beauty pageants in general.For this research, a total of 10 international master students (five men and five women) from the University of Southern Denmark were interviewed about their viewing of the American RTV program Toddlers and Tiaras. The interviews existing of 16 different open questions took between approximately, 11 and 21 minutes, depending on how much the respondent knew about the program. The fact that the sample included both 5 female and 5 male respondents was done purposely, in order to be able to examine whether gender plays a role in how people perceive the program.The participants were matched on nationality, coming from five different European countries, with the exception of one participant who is half American and Half Greek. Furthermore, as men tioned earlier the participants were also matched on 12 the level of education (Master students) and age (23-26), due to the fact that according to research ‘’students represent a significant portion of the demographic age group that several reality shows target’’ (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007: 359).Lastly, the participants were contacted either personally or via Facebook and they volunteered knowing that the interview would be recorded for later examination. 6. Findings In this chapter the research findings of the 10 conducted interviews will be analyzed, which existed of 16 different questions, some related to the theory of chapter 4 and some in order to get a better understanding of what the interviewees think about both Toddlers and Tiaras or child beauty pageants in general. RQ1: What did you just watch or see?In order to have an understanding of how the participants perceived the two video’s they were asked to watch before they started the i nterview, all 10 contestants were asked the question; ‘’what did you just watched or see’’. According to the De Bruin (2005), with the interpretation of media-content people construct ideas about themselves and about the people they have seen on TV (p. 17). The purpose of this question was therefore, to find out what popped in to the contestants minds when solely asking ‘what did you just watch’, without giving them any time to really think about the question and their responds.Three out of ten of the respondents solely answered ‘’Toddlers and Tiaras’’, without going more in to depth of how they decoded the two video’s. Nevertheless, the remaining 7 participants gave a more descriptive message about what they had seen. One of the male respondents for instance stated that he ‘’saw a lot of young girls acting like old girls, like old adults, like grown-ups. And I saw the parents as well who are kind of living in another world like maybe they would have like to be their daughter or something’’ (Xavier, 00:12).By only asking one simple question, Xavier did not only described what he saw; ‘young girls being dressed up as adults and their parents’, but also interpreted the message in a way that he feels that these parents live a life they might have wanted themselves through their daughters. Furthermore, also one of the female respondents answered the question in a similar way by saying that she had ‘’seen a little girl who wants to be a beauty queen and her mum who wants it even more’’ (Igne, 00:33).Xavier’s and Igne’s idea is being confirmed by the Psychologists Mark Sichel who said about the mothers portrayed on Toddlers and Tiaras that; â€Å"Clearly these mothers are living vicariously through their daughters, hoping the girls will receive the attention and accolades they do not get in their own lives†¦ They put make-up on their daughters, without realizing that they are, in effect, pimping out their own child† (M. Sichel, 2011). 13 RQ2: What part of the video shocked you the most or stood out to you the most?As mentioned in chapter 4. 2; obscenity is referred to as ‘’an offensive and shocking situation or event’’ (Cambridge dictionary online). In order to find out whether the respondents felt there was a relationship between obscenity and the program Toddlers and Tiaras the above mentioned question was asked. Even though various answers were given the two major outcomes were the behavior of the children and then especially their behavior towards the parents as well as the fact that these little kids have no idea what they are doing.The first outcome was based on the fact that the respondents were shocked about how the participation in Toddlers and Tiaras affected the behavior of these girls in a very negative way. 50% of the participants mentioned a certain aspect of education, behavior or development. According to Katia ‘’the most shocking to me is how already like small kids they react and how they behave with their parents.For example the small children they do not really respect their parents, they can say some bad stuff or show some bad gestures to their parents, I do not appreciate that’’ (Katia, 00:37). Whereas, most shocking to male participant Sebastian was; ‘’The way the parents take advantage of their kids. Especially if you talk about these girls how they behave if their parents are around and how this entire industry or this entire way of treating them really seems to affect their behavior’’ (Sebastian, 00:30).The behavioral attitude is an often discussed subject in relation to child beauty pageants. The Psychologists Micheal Sichel, even took this aspect a little further by saying; â€Å"there certainly is no evidence that these toddler beauty pageants creat e anything but future narcissists who will not know how to get along in the world. This is because once the pageant is over, the little girl is no longer a tot with a tiara, yet expects the world to treat her like a queen† (M. Sichel, 2011).This statement was also tipped on by one of the respondents who said that he had the feeling that these girls are ‘’acting like she is an actress or a famous person’’ (Adrian, 00:36). Furthermore, the second main outcome was that the respondents were shocked about the fact that due to the age of the girls, they have no idea what they are doing, which has been confirmed by childhood behavioral health psychologist Dr. Bishop who stated that â€Å"Toddlers are not old enough to make an informed decision as to whether they should compete† (Mckay, 2010).Remi one of the male French respondents was actually shocked by a combination of the two above mentioned outcomes; ‘’the attitude of the parents and the mentality, of pushing their child who are not able to decide for themselves, the parents are deciding for them and pushing them which is actually quiet bad for the development of the 14 child’’ (Remi, 00:30). Whereas Kleo and Felix only mentioned the aspect of age and not knowing what they are doing; ‘’What shocked me the most was how the parents handled the whole situation because kids can be kids and they don’t really know what is going on’’ (Kleo, 00. 40). ’Force them to do something that they probably don’t really want to do. Of course obviously they do it but I think that they are not in the right age to decide it by themselves’’ (Felix, 00:29). RQ3: Have you ever watched the show Toddlers and Tiaras? Due to the fact that respondents were foreign Master students from various countries studying abroad, the majority does not have a television in their apartment or student housing. The television show investigated is being broadcasted every Sunday evening on the Danish TLC and can be watched for free on YouTube and on various illegal online streaming sites.Nevertheless, due to the fact that the program is still quiet unknown in Europe we wanted to know how many of the contestants actually watch or have watched the show before we showed them the 43 minute episode, as well as why they watched it or why they do not. These why or why not questions are related to the Uses and Gratification theory as described in chapter 4. 3. In total 6 of the contestants had never watched the show before from which four were male and two were female. Four of these six participants would not start watching the show after having seen the 43 min episode for various reasons.One of the respondents for instance answered; ‘’no I do not because I do not want to give my audience to that kind of stupid shows’’ (Adrian, 00:52). Whereas one of the female respondents had a more explici t answer of why she does not want to watch the show ‘’The little girls annoy me†¦ Especially that from such a young age she believes she is so beautiful and just with her beauty she can just get what she wants. And that her parents allow that, that is what annoys me the most’’ (Kleo, 01. 38).The two respondents who were ‘excited’ about the show after watching the episode and who would watch it again, mainly thought this due to the fact that they either thought the program was ‘’funny’’ and she would watch it because ‘’it is fun, but not because I think that it right what they do’’ (Igne, 01:33), or out of ‘’curiosity’’ (Sebastian, 00. 57). The remaining four participants who had seen the show before either watched it on a regular basis or had just watched it a few times. The reasons why they watched the show varied, one respondent said ‘’it is ju st an easy rogram’’ (Lilli, 01:34), whereas the other ones watched it out of curiosity or because a friend told her it was worth watching. Lastly, Katia one of the female participants who watched the program on a 15 regular basis said she watched it because ‘’it is something so different, I cannot say I understand it, but it is so different that I am trying to understand why they are doing that, because Americans are so different to me that I am thinking that by watching this show or something similar that I can understand better their culture’’ (Katia, 01: 20).Moreover, the Uses and Gratification theory and why the participants watch or would not watch the program varies and will be discussed in more depth during the next question where the participants choose which motive fits Toddlers and Tiaras the best. RQ4: If you look at the following 12 motives of watching television which ones apply the most to Toddlers and Tiaras?In order for the re spondents to answer this question, they were shown a PowerPoint slide, which mentioned Rubin’s and Papacharissi’s 12 motives of watching TV including; relaxation, companionship, entertainment, social interaction, information, habit, pass time, arousal, parasocial interaction, surveillance and voyeurism. Even though the participants all have a high level of English some of the motives were given a short definition in order to prevent confusion. Graph 1: % of motives mentioned by the respondents Motives scoreArousal Habit Companionship Information Entertainment Parasocial interaction Pass time Surveillance Relaxation Voyeurism 4% Social interaction 0% 26% 4% 26% 7% 7% 0% 7% 15% 4% Besides, parasocial interaction and companionship, all motives were mentioned at least once by the respondents. As you can see in graph 1, the two motives stated who matched mostly to why the respondents watch or would watch Toddlers and Tiaras are entertainment and voyeurism. As mentioned in t he theoretical part in chapter 4. 3, it has been mentioned that according to Papacharissi & Mendelson, 16 ntertainment is indeed one of the main reasons why people watch RTV shows like for instance Toddlers and Tiaras. The interesting contradiction however, is that according to them voyeurism is not often a motive mentioned in relation to RTV shows. Nevertheless, even though various researchers (Crew 2006) point out that voyeurism is indeed the least mentioned motive, Hermes & Reesink (2003) disagree with this statement. They stated in their book ‘inleiding televisiestudies’ that people like to watch RTV because it gives them the possibility to spy and observe people.They are real people, who are sometimes portrayed in intimate and critical situations which are actually not meant for the public eye, which makes it even more exciting to watch (Hermes & Reesink, 2003: 223). Similar to Hermes & Reesink, 7 out of 10 of the respondents, felt that voyeurism is indeed a motive of watching RTV or more specifically, the show Toddlers and Tiaras. One of the respondents explained why she thought voyeurism was a motive of watching the program by saying that ‘’we do not live that kind of life and maybe yeah you want to see people who are maybe a ittle bit stupid or superficial in that way or who do you think are living a really different life than you are’’ (Marina, 01:31). Moreover, one of the other female participants said that ‘’about the last one, about sexual sometimes I think about it like that as well, that they are sometimes crazy sick people that watch it for that reason you know girls in swimsuits’’ (Katia, 02:13). Furthermore, the third most mentioned motive was information, which was often mentioned by the contestant due to the fact that they did not know much about child beauty pageants as it is an American phenomenon and therefore found it informative. ’It could be for information becau se in America these things happen every day, so it is an inside of a different world for us who we do not even know existed’’ (Kleo, 02:31). RQ5: What kind of show is Toddlers and Tiaras according to you? In order to see whether the respondents understood the concept of the television show and knew what kind of genre Toddlers and Tiaras falls under, question 5 was raised. Nevertheless, it must be said that some of the participants had difficulties answering this question and only 5 out of 10 of the respondents understood that it is a reality television show.When some of the respondents were then asked whether they felt the program was real, in order to find out the authenticity of the program and the personages portrayed on the show. Two out of five actually thought it was real whereas the other three contestants felt that at least a part of the show was staged. Lilli for instance stated that ‘’it all seems a little bit fake, but then again the American cu lture tends to be a little bit fake. So it can be also quiet real. But all reality TV shows are not 100% real, but I believe these people really exists and act like this on TV’’ (Lilli, 03:44).Whereas Xavier 17 one of the Male respondents answered ‘’I think yeah, I think the people in this show are different, are maybe bored or need action. I think they have something missing in their life’’ (04:00). Even though, the opinion of our respondents, whether the participants shown on Toddlers and Tiaras act the same in real life varies. Research shows that in the RTV genre the producers often make use of reconstructions and other dramatic techniques in order to interest the viewer, therefore the question can be raised about how real reality TV actually is (Biltereyst et all, 2000: 15).However, according to Reesink (2000), when you are being followed around by cameras all day nobody is really themselves (P. 42). RQ6: What feeling did you get from wa tching the 42 min episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, or what kind of feeling do you normally get when you watch the show? Encoding and decoding as mentioned in chapter 4. 4 concentrates on how the viewer gives meaning to messages and what kind of feeling they get from that, either whether they are emotionally involved, can identify themselves with the person portrayed etc.It therefore, was important to find out more about how our 10 respondents actually felt about the show. Graph 2: Feelings of the respondents towards Toddlers and Tiaras 4 3 2 1 As you can see in graph 2, the respondents had a variety of feelings towards the program. Nevertheless, feeling sad, sorry for the parents and for the children were the three feelings mentioned most often. Feeling sorry for the parents might at first sight seems to be a bit of a strange answer due to the fact that the majority of times the parents are the once who decide to let their daughters compete in beauty 18 pageants.Though as Marina and Xavier stated ‘’I feel sorry for the kids and also for the family that they are engaged in something that is really not important in life’’ (Marina, 03:08), ‘’I felt sad for the children and sorry for the parents and for the children as well. Because I think it is just a waste of time and for me it should not exist’’ (Xavier, 04:24). It can therefore, be said that even though the respondents felt sorry for the parents, this was more in way of not understanding why they spend or waste their time with something so useless, then that they actually had an emotionally feeling of pithiness toward them.Furthermore, interpreting a media message is a difficult process and as mentioned by Hall (1973), ‘’We are not viewers with a single identity, a monolithic set of preferences and repetitive habits of viewing†¦. We are all in our heads several different audiences at once’’ (Morley, 186: 10). The fact that we are different audiences at once becomes clear when looking at some of the answers of the contestants who clearly show that they have more than just one feeling about the program.Kleo for instance mentioned that she is annoyed about the program but on the other hand also understands that these children like to compete and want to become famous and therefore feels that it is good that their parents are supportive. Nevertheless, despite her understanding she said ‘’but I really felt that they were not getting specific values and limits about how they should be. And the parents just let the children be the leader of the family’’ (Kleo, 04:10). RQ7: Do you think it is good to have a TV Show about this? Why yes or why not?After knowing how the respondents feel about the television show, in which they often gave a negative vibe, we wanted to know whether they actually thought it was good or bad to have a program portraying this 5 billion American industry. The a nswers here were divided into different groups, the yes, no, does not mind and not being surprised groups. The respondents who answered that they thought it was good to have a show like this, generally said this not because they actually liked the show, but because they felt that people would hereby be informed about what is happening in the world.Igne and Sebastian for instance stated ‘’I think it is good in this point that not to promote to do these things but to show what is going on in America’’ (Igne, 05:20), ‘’in a sense yes definitely, this show really just states how, mirrors some trends which exist in society in some sense’’(Sebastian, 03:32). Nevertheless, three of the respondents felt that Toddlers and Tiaras was not a good program. Hereby, it became clear that only the male participants felt that the program was bad, whereas none of the female respondents gave this answer.Felix one of the male respondents compared the program with the advertising industry and how women are being portrayed as skinny. According to him ‘’it is a bad thing for the whole society because it kind of influences how people perceive children, I think people do not 19 really adopt it but take some of it for themselves and maybe threat their children differently’’ (04:10). This statement is mostly supported by one of the other male respondents who said ‘’I do not think it is good at all.I do not want this to reflect the society that I am living in†¦ It gives a bad image to the parents; I mean it gives a bad image to the education they are giving their children’’ (Xavier, 05:28). Besides, good or bad answers, one of the female respondents stated that she does not think that the program is bad, but child beauty pageants in general (Katia), whereas Lilli did not see any problems in broadcasting this show, as ‘’also less educated people need something to wa tch’’ as well as because according to her it is relaxing and something that you can watch without needing to use your brain (Lilli, 08:03).It can therefore, be stated that even though the majority of the people generally have a relatively negative feeling towards child beauty pageants, which has become clear out of the previous questions, only 30% of the participants felt that the television show itself is actually bad. RQ8: What do you think is from the producer’s point of view the message behind Toddlers and Tiaras? As mentioned in chapter 4. the encoding and decoding model exists of two processes, the process in which the producer formulates a message behind the program, and the process in which the viewer decodes that message and either agrees with it or formulates its own message. In the above mentioned questions we have asked the participants about how they feel about the program etc, all fall within the second process. Nevertheless, in order to find out w hat the respondents think is the message behind the program through the eyes of the producer, the above mentioned question was raised.Also in this question it becomes clear that there is a difference between the response of the male and female participants. According to all five male interviewees there is no or no real message behind the program and it is pure entertainment, while at the same time as Xavier stated the show is ‘’taking advantage of these people’’ (06:30). Even though according to all of them there is no explicit message, both Felix and Sebastian said that broadcasting a program like this is only done for economic reasons.Furthermore, despite the fact that Remi believes the program is pure for entertainment, he does express how he feels the show reflects the American society, which is very much build on competition and capitalism (Remi, 04:40). The female interviewees on the other hand do think the producer is sending a message. Moreover, ev en though, this message differs per respondent, all five of the participants mention a certain factor of giving the world a negative view about the child pageant world or show how superficial and uneducated people live their life (Marina, 04:45).Additionally, Katia for instance has the feeling that by broadcasting this 20 show the producers are trying to promote and attract new people, however, she also stated that when she would not know that the show has already been on for so long that the producers ‘’would like to sell how crazy it is†¦ like do not do that’’ (05:30). Igne shares Katia’s second view by saying that she has the ‘’feeling that they want to show that is negative, I do not feel like they want to show that it is right.. just show how it is ridiculous’’ (04:01).Lastly, despite the fact that Lilli has more the feeling that the producers ‘’just want to create buzz.. show something a little bit shocking, something abnormal, where people talk about’’ (Lilli, 08:31), she does feel that the goal of the producer’s is to show people how scandalize it is, nevertheless, this not in order to really give a general view about child beauty pageants but more to attract viewers. Even though, the real message of the producers of Toddlers and Tiaras is unknown, it could be said that the male respondents are oppositional readers as they feel that there is no message at all behind the program.The female respondents on the other hand seem to be more negotiated readers, when looking at the fact that they all give their own interpretation to the show, however, do have the same opinion about that the producers are sending a negative message. Nevertheless, hereby it must be said that due to the fact that the original message behind the program is unknown, we cannot guarantee that the female interviewees understand the message sent by the producer or if they have created a t otally new message for themselves. RQ9: What do you think of child beauty pageants in general?The fact that TLC decided to turn children beauty pageants into a reality TV show, gave us the possibility to focus on the TV show as the primary medium. Though, to get a thorough understanding and capture all the information of the show Toddlers and Tiaras, we decided to also investigate the children beauty pageants as a medium during the interviews. Children beauty pageants are controversial events, which create diverse opinions among the audience. Our interviewees had very different views on the question â€Å"what do you think about child beauty pageants in general?What is wrong about it / what is good about it? †, and seven out of ten participants said they consider the pageants as wrong. In fact three participants simply stated that they associate negative feelings with the pageants and â€Å"think it is pretty useless† (Remi, 05:12). However, four of the interviewees ha d stronger opinions about this topic. 21 What stood out from this question is that the participants thought the pageants to have a very negative impact on the psychological development of the little girls.In fact Lilli blamed the pageant business and mothers to be responsible for â€Å"raising little, arrogant, superficial children† (Lilli, 10:20), whereas another participant claimed that â€Å"they are living in another world†¦ their parents are taking or considering them like stars or divas’ and I think it is really bad for them and when they grow up it will even be worse† (Xavier, 06:40). Moreover, one interviewee expressed his concern about the values the girls et taught, since it seems that everything is about their looks, in fact â€Å"if you really only compete on your looks, what kind of image of the world you get, you teach to your kids†(Sebastian, 05:30). Kleo agreed with this point of view, and said about a girl in the video â€Å"that is not good for her self-esteem† (Kleo, 06:52). Indeed, â€Å"it can be harmful to girls, teaching them that their self-worth is measured by how pretty they are† (Schultz & Murphy, 2012). On the other hand, there were three participants who thought that the pageants could be improved, in a way that it would cause less harm to the children.First of all two of the respondents said it would make more sense to put an emphasis on talent instead of looks and like this advance the child’s skills, like singing or dancing. Surprisingly enough, Felix was the only interviewee who approached the topic of legal issues, concerning child beauty pageants, and proposed â€Å"some laws or restrictions†¦it should be observed from a third party, from a moral point of view, I think there should always be a third party involved which takes care of some laws† (Felix, 05:31).RQ10: If these trends would also enter the European market, would you when you have children later let them participate in Beauty pageants? a) Even if she wants it herself? Toddlers and Tiaras, as well as children beauty pageants in general are an entirely American phenomenon, which is why a great part of our respondents had never heard of the show before. As one of the respondents said: â€Å"for me it is more entertainment and like I said to understand the American culture† (Katia, 06:40).Since this child pageant world is so different to us Europeans we thought it would be interesting to see how the participants react to the question of being involved in this business themselves. The difference of gender among the interviewees showed most in this question. In fact, when asked the first part of the question, all five male participants answered with a clear no. The second part of the question â€Å"Even if she wants it herself? † also clearly got negative responses.Interesting was the fact that the male participants were absolutely convinced that their own daughters wou ld never want to be in a 22 beauty pageant, like Remi said â€Å"She is not gonna want it for sure† (05:38). The female respondents on the other hand were more open to the idea of a child beauty pageant for their children, however, with a stronger emphasis on talent, and only if the child really wants it. Yet, for the female participants it was important to stress the responsibility they would have as a mother in this potential child pageant situation.As two interviewees said â€Å"If she would love to yeah maybe, but I would not push her† (Igne 07:14), and â€Å"but only if the child really would want to†¦but I would definitely try and be a different mother than what they show on television† (Kleo, 08:39). To conclude this question, men seem to find the idea of child beauty pageants more absurd than women. This is probably, since women can understand the dream of the little girls, to be turned into a ‘princess’ better than men can. Moreover, t he strangeness of pageants for Europeans seems to underline the strongly negative opinions about those events.In Europe there are no child beauty pageants that are comparable with those in the US, only the UK has had a similar program on television, like Katia said â€Å"But yeah UK it is like small USA they get kind of crazy about those things† (07:18). RQ11: What do you think that according to the children and parents is good about beauty pageants? Since there is such a strong emphasis on the personages portrayed on Toddlers and Tiaras, we wanted to have a closer look on how the public decodes the protagonists.For this reason we asked the interviewees why they thought, the children and parents had a positive attitude about the beauty pageants. This question turned out in two very strong opinions. First of all, four of the participants said that a positive factor about the beauty pageants is that the girls are shown from a very early age what competition means. They will dev elop a very strong competition spirit due to the pageants, and the mothers might think it will prepare the girls for the ‘real life’.Like Kleo said â€Å"it also shows girls that competition is in life and if you try really hard you can win, but there are always times when you lose†¦I think that is a good life lesson† (09:12). On the other hand, one interviewee found competition to have a negative impact on very young children â€Å"I think it is not good, they will have a spirit of competition already at this age I think it is really bad† (Xavier, 09:24). Six out of ten of the participants claimed that the parent’s actual goal was to live their own dreams through their daughters.The key words for this answer were: mother’s dream, self-actualization, fame, and attention. Thus those interviewees saw the intentions of the parents in a very negative light, and did not feel that it had anything to do with the child’s well-being. As Ma rina said: â€Å"I don’t think that they think so much about their children in that way, because what was in the clip I watched I had the feeling that it was 23 more about their dreams and their self-actualization† (07:11).The so-called ‘American Dream’ is a driving force behind those pageants, as one interviewee said: â€Å"they want their children to be successful, like the American dream that from nothing you can be something and become famous and a superstar and there are so many people