Media Does NOT Control Society Essay -- Sociology

Does media control us, or do we control media? "Sex, Lies and Advertising," was an essay written by the founder of Ms. Magazine, Gloria Steinem, explaining the difficulties in interesting advertisers for a women's magazine like hers. She talks about the advertising world seeing women's magazines as only "cash cows" and all the articles are surrounding hair, makeup, nails, or some other superficial thing that relates to Cover Girl, Revlon, Clairol, or Olay. According to Ms. Steinem, what we pick up from the newsstand or have delivered in our mail every month is all "fluff" because of such advertisers. "Oh, women's magazines... everyone knows they're just catalogs" (Steinam 275). In the movie, "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" a woman journalist, Andie Anderson, who worked for such an advertiser's dream magazine, and wanted to have the freedom to write about politics and current events and things that were intellectually stimulating and not about hair, nails and makeup. At t he end of the story, she quit because she could not have that freedom because her editor would not allow her to write about anything but their set topics, and now, I see why. In "How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days" we see how such companies are really controlled by the advertisers and the editors of those magazines make sure they stay that way to ensure the life of their magazine. The article "Censorship and Homosexuality in the Media" also deals with advertisers control of magazines, and to the censorship of television, movies, even plays. It comes from the opposite direction though, rather than it being the magazine, or the conservatives screaming for something that wont offend their delicate sensitivities or possible maim Junior for life, it's co... ... McGrath, Charles. "Giving Saturday Morning Some Slack." The Blair Reader. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. 266-271. National Vanguard Magazine. "Who Rules America?" Jul 2001. 13 Oct 2003. Http://www.stormfront.org/jewish/whorules.html Steinem, Gloria. "Sex, Lies, and Advertising" The Blair Reader. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. 274-290. Tuttle, Katie. "Television and African Americans." The Blair Reader. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. 297-303. Wynn, Marie. "Television, the Plug-in Drug." The Blair Reader. Eds. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. 257-266.

Modern day reader Essay

Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories were written over a hundred years ago. They are antiquated and out dated and have nothing to offer a modern day reader. Discuss.  One hundred years ago the lifestyle in England was very different. Queen Victoria was in power, the quality of living was at a lower standard, and the technology was not as updated, compared to today’s modern world. Crime was rife in this period, with thieves and pickpockets everywhere. The police force weren’t much help either. They were considered corrupt and unsuccessful in their investigations. This gave them a bad reputation, and made them unpopular with the local public. This helped to make crime as high as it was, and it also made people feel unsafe. The citizens within the community wanted somebody who could solve the toughest crimes, and somebody who wasn’t riddles with corruption. Sherlock Holmes matched this criterion perfectly. That is why Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation of the Sherlock Holmes stories were tremendously admired back then. The book itself was designed for an audience of that time period, and because certain things have changed, for example literature, there will be definite difficulties presented to us in the text. For one, the sentence structure used in the stories was very peculiar, because in quite a few occasions there were uses of extremely long, descriptive sentences that went on for over 3 lines. This is very strange because modern day writes tend to lengthen their sentences up to, maximum, two lines. Also when you were reading it you were running out of breath because of the limited spaces to breathe whilst you were reading. Another problem that we encounter whilst reading this piece of text is the reference to things that existed in the old times, but not today. This may interrupt the reader in understanding what is going on. Vocabulary is one other major a factor which could present the modern reader difficulties. The choice of words used in the older time is not vastly different, but there are some differences, as the modern reader may struggle to interpret the definition of words.  Modern day writers use Doyle’s texts so that they can illustrate some of the techniques Doyle uses in their writing. They use Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes book because the techniques used in the book grasped the attention of many people with the description, and other various techniques. I believe that the books are still popular (not as much as when they were first introduced though) because the Sherlock Holmes series still appear today, most recently on television. The techniques used in the Sherlock Holmes stories are key to bringing the characters to life, and creating a tension-gripping atmosphere. The techniques used also gain and maintain the reader’s interest in a number of ways: through suspense and making the reader question his or her mind, through excitement of what is happening and the thrill of the investigation, or through some of the interesting, unusual characters that some of the stories present us with, for example Dr Roylott in â€Å"The Speckled Band†. One of the predominant reasons why I believe that Doyle can capture and maintain the reader’s interest, not only in the time period it was wrote, but now is because of the structure. Each story has a set structure, which the stories follow, although Doyle has tended to adapt some of them as he feels necessary. The structure is effective because the way that all of the stories are set out, they still leave us with many inquiries in out head, such as how Holmes worked out the case. For example, in â€Å"The Speckled Band†, Holmes discusses to Watson how he figured all of the traps out, how he figured out about the snake, and what he found out about certain features of the bedroom to make him come to certain conclusions. He says â€Å"I had come to these conclusions before ever I had entered the room. An inspection of his chair showed me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . What this illustrates is that the questions that the audience had developed whilst reading the book are answered by Holmes in his description of the events that occurred and the discoveries he made. It also indicated to us some of the points that we may have missed out in the book, or some of he points that we didn’t seem to think were important. For example when Helen Stoner in â€Å"The Speckled Band† says that she has a ventilator in her room, we make nothing of it. We eventually find out though, that it is essential to the case.

The world’s industrial fisheries

The world’s industrial fisheries can be considered predatory, as they hunt fish and other marine life on the behalf of flesh-eating humans. Therefore, these fisheries can be considered as competitors of the natural predators that exist among marine wildlife, and the activities they perform adversely affect the population by reducing the number of fish available as prey. Industrial fisheries’ role as predator has been the cause of a major decline in the number of kittiwakes that exist in the North Sea (Frederiksen, 2004).Since the beginning of the 1990’s the population of these pelagic birds has declined by over 50%, and the black legged creatures (known scientifically as Rissa tridactyla) are thought to have succumbed as a result of a reduction in their food supply caused by an interruption of the food chain (2007). Another factor that has been instrumental in affecting the population of these black-legged kittiwakes in the North Sea has been the change in oceano graphic variables. Such factors as sea levels and temperature in the North Sea have been monitored, and their changes have been shown to correlate with the general changes in the kittiwake population (2004; Wanless, et al., 2007). Specific research done over a 15-year period from 1986 to 2002 has confirmed that not only has significant increase in industrial fishing of kittiwakes’ prey taken place, but also that significant oceanographic changes also occurred alongside these demographic changes.Kittiwakes and other pelagic birds demonstrate the existence of complex relationships between their feeding levels and their ability to produce offspring (Ollason et al., 1997). The most common form of prey for the black-legged kittiwakes is the sandeel, and it has been shown that during the most active period of sandeel (also known as sandlance) fishery (between 1991 and 1998) the survival of the adult population of kittiwakes showed a sharp and sustained decline (Frederiksen, 2004; W anless, 2007).The harvesting of sandeel has affected the population of kittiwakes in other ways, as the breeding of the species also declined for subsequent generations. Since the longitudinal monitoring of the black-legged kittiwake population has spanned several years before and after this sandeel-harvest period, research has been able to demonstrate that the kittiwake population was actually on the rise before industrial fishing of sandeel (Ammodytes marinus) began. The change registered a 19% fall in the growth rate of the population, from +8% to -11% in just eight years (2004).However, sandeel fishery has had more than just an immediate effect on the population of the kittiwakes. In recent years, this form of industrial fishing has experienced a decline that has proven favorable for the population of black-legged kittiwakes in the North Sea. Nevertheless, the current decline in industrial fishing of sandeel has failed to improve the situation for the kittiwake to a significant degree, as the population continues to fall.Even the newly elevated breeding rates have still proven insufficient to bring the population growth back up to what it was before it was adversely affected by industrial fishery (Frederiksen, 2004). In statistical models developed by researchers, the population decline promises to continue even if sandeel harvesting is low (2004). In order for the kittiwakes to flourish, such industrial fishing would need to cease altogether for an extended period of several years.More recently, it has been demonstrated through research that the sandeel that do survive have also been undergoing changes that may reduce their quality and nutritional usefulness to the kittiwake population (Wanless, 2007). This is particularly important, as kittiwakes tend to go through an extensive and technical, yet very critical feeding stage prior to breeding (Ollason et al., 1997). Analysis of the body composition of these sandeel has rendered low levels of lipids.The sa ndeel have also been appearing significantly later in the season than usual, and their body sizes have shown significant decline in the past three years (2007). While it is not clear to what extent these changes may be attributed to industrial fishing, it might be hypothesized that pollution may have a bearing on these variables. Oceanographic factors may also come into play in this area.The global warming changes to climate have affected oceanographic factors, and these effects have also resulted in a decline in the kittiwake population of the North Sea (Frederiksen, 2004; Wanless, 2007). The correlation between the survival of adult kittiwakes and the increased temperature of the winter seas has been negative. In fact, the success of kittiwake breeding has been recorded as showing a one-year delay (2004). The fact that the decline in industrial fishing of sandeel has been only minimally successful in causing the recovery of the kittiwake population indicates that the increased win ter sea temperatures have taken a heavy toll on these pelagic birds.The association of the decline in kittiwakes with warm winter sea temperatures and increased industrial fishery has led to some difficult choices for humans. Since it is unlikely that global warming can be reversed quickly or easily enough to decrease winter ocean temperatures and improve the condition of black-legged kittiwakes, changes to industrial fishery is the most feasible solution. These changes will have to be drastic in order to garner any improvement in the kittiwake populations, considering that the damage to the population and its breeding processes have proven to be extensive.Therefore, the complete closure (for now) of the section of the fishery industry that harvests sandeel has been considered the only measure that will lead to the recovery of the kittiwake population (Frederiksen, 2004; Wanless, 2007). It might also be considered that reduction in marine pollution is likely to lead to the improveme nt of the condition of the sandeel, which may in turn aid the growth of the kittiwake population by providing them greater nutrition. Therefore, decreasing its use of pollutants is another way in which the fishing industry may help the recovery of the black-legged kittiwake population in the North Sea.ReferencesFrederiksen, M. S. Wanless,  M. P. Harris,  P. Rothery,  L. J. Wilson. (2004). â€Å"The role of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   industrial fisheries and oceanographic change in the decline of North Sea black-legged   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   black-legged kittiwakes.† Journal of Applied Ecology, 41(6): 1129-1139.Ollason, J. G., A. D. Bryant, P. M. Davis, B. E. Scott & M. L. Tasker. (1997). â€Å"Predicted seabird   Ã‚   distribution in the North Sea: the consequences of being hungry.† Journal of Marine   Ã‚  Ã‚   Science. 54(4): 507-517.Wanless, S., M. Frederiksen, F. Daunt, B. E. Scott & M. P. Harris. (2007). â€Å"Black-legged   Ã‚   kittiwakes as indicators of environmental change in the North Sea: evidence from longterm studies.† Progress in Oceanography, 71 (1). 30-38.

Beethoven 2nd Novel Example

Beethoven 2nd Novel Example Beethoven 2nd Novel – Book Report/Review Example Movie Review: Beethovens 2nd Your Full Beethovens 2nd The movie Beethovens 2nd was written by Len Blum and directed by Rod Daniel. The characters in the movie were George, Alice, Ryce, Ted and Emily - they are the Newtons family who owns Beethoven. Regina was the villain in the movie, and was helped by her boyfriend, Floyd. Brillo was Reginas future ex-husband, as they were on the process of getting divorced. Also in the characters was Missy, the lady St. Bernard that Beethoven falls in love with and her four puppies which were named Chubby, Doll, Tchaikovsky and Moe. The movie began in the house of the Newtons, where the family, together with Beethoven, has somehow adjusted to their life. The plot begins when Regina and Brillo were going to have a divorce. Regina wanted to get some money from Brillo, which led her to keep Missy under her custody. Missy escaped Reginas home with Beethoven, Ted and Emilys help but was later on taken back by her mean owner. The Newtons kids and Regina found out that Missy had puppies as well, and this made Regina want to get rid of them too. Ted and Emily brought the puppies secretly in their home and took care of them. They even woke up in the middle of the night to feed them. However, George found out what his kids were doing and was angry because he had to deal with growing dogs again. Due to financial difficulties, the Newtons had to relocate in a house near the mountains and Beethoven thought the puppies were already safe, but he later knew he was wrong. At the country fair that George and Beethoven participated in, Regina and Floyd saw them, and everything led to one chase after another. Regina took the puppies from the Newtons while Beethoven and Missy were able to escape to the forest. Regina and Floyd followed them, and the Newtons realizing that the puppies were taken, ran after Regina. As Floyd attempted to drop the puppies into the river, Beethoven made a heroic move which made Floyd and Regina fall down the river an d got washed away. In the end, the Newtons kept the puppies and took care of them, and Missy was reunited with Brillo, and everyone was happy. The theme of the movie is being helpful, just as how Beethoven helped Missy, Ryce and the puppies in the movie. Helping without waiting for any reward is the best form of love even dogs can give.

Mujahideen (Definition)

Mujahideen (Definition) Definition: A mujahid is one who strives or struggles on behalf of Islam; mujahideen is the plural of the same word. The word mujahid is an Arabic participle drawn from the same root as the Arabic word jihad, to strive or struggle. The term is most frequently used in reference to the self named Afghan mujahideen, the guerrilla fighters who battled the Soviet army from 1979 – 1989, when the Soviets withdrew in defeat. The Soviets invaded in December, 1979 in order to provide support a recently installed pro-Soviet prime minister, Babrak Karmal. The mujahideen were fighters from the mountainous areas of the largely rural country, and also maintained bases in Pakistan. They were entirely independent of the government. Mujahideen fought under the command of tribal leaders, who also headed Islamist political parties, which ranged from radical to moderate. The mujahideen received arms by way of Pakistan and Iran, both of which share a border. They made use of an arsenal of guerrilla tactics to thwart the Soviets, such as laying ambushes or blowing up gas pipelines between the two countries. They were estimated to be about 90,000 strong in the mid-1980s. The Afghan mujahideen were not seeking to wage an aggressive jihad beyond national boundaries, but were rather fighting a nationalist war against an occupier. The language of Islam helped unify a population that was- and still isotherwise very heterogonous: Afghans have many tribal, ethnic and linguistic differences. After the war ended in 1989, these different factions returned to their previous divisiveness and fought each other, until the Taliban established rule in 1991. These unorganized guerrilla warriors were viewed as outlaws by their Soviet enemy and as freedom fighters by the Reagan Administration in the U.S., which supported the enemy of its enemy, the Soviet Union. Alternate Spellings: mujahedeen, mujahedin

Labor Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Labor Relations - Essay Example Economists are of the opinion that increasing the minimum wage will increase business costs. They, however, insist that these increased costs will be quite modest and easily absorbed through slight increases in productivity and prices of business products. Republicans seem to be inconsistent in their opinions concerning the issue of minimum wage increase. This is because some of them are in support of increasing the minimum wage, just not as consistently as the Democrats. The Republicans are hypocritical because those in support of an increase in the minimum wage condemn increased economic regulation by the government, same the other Republicans who oppose the increase in the minimum wage. On the other hand, conservatives avail a convincing argument against increasing the minimum wage. In their opinion, raising the minimum wage results in unemployment since it increases business’ prices and labor costs, which will in turn force unskilled workers off the market.Public pensions refer to contracts for fixed sums of money to be issued regularly to persons following their retirement from service. Publicly funded pensions are an example of unsustainable programs that have to be disregarded in the years to come. One thing that is certain is that systems and programs that are unsustainable have to go away and be replaced by more sustainable arrangements whether we are willing to accept this reality or not. Unsustainable public pensions have to be disregarded.

Gustave Courbet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gustave Courbet - Essay Example The Artist’s Studio (also known as L’Atelier du Peintre) is also one of his famous paintings that he did in the early years of his realist experiments. After the completion of the painting in 1855, Courbet subtitled the painting as ‘A True Allegory Concerning Seven Years of My Artistic Life’. The painting is a portrayal of an artist’s studio wherein the working artist is surrounded by many people. In the painting, Courbet appears as the key figure in the center, sitting with his canvas and painting a landscape. The studio is filled with many other people metaphorically used by Courbet as the people; some who have had least interest in what he was doing whereas some who appreciated and commended his new style of painting. â€Å"The composition comprises roughly thirty figures, divided, to a casual glance, into three or more distinct groups: on the left, an assortment of figures, who until recently have been seen representing various general types rat her than specific individuals †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ on the right, a number of people who for the most part are identifiable as friends and supporters of the artist, †¦. and, in the middle of the canvas, Courbet himself sitting painting a landscape under the attended gazes of a naked woman and a peasant boy.† A boy accompanied by a playful cat, stands very near to the canvas and overlooks innocently as the artist is occupied in painting. An unclad female, which is a celebrated subject in the romanticist painting, also stands by the backside of the painter and looks. while Courbet is involved in painting. Towards farther left, a group of men sit with little interest in what the artist is doing, they seem to be occupied in their own activities. Whereas on the farther right, a lady accompanied by other people, interestingly look at his work as if they are appreciating the skills and the ideas of the artist. In the painting, the artist has represented all the classes of people; the l ower, middle and the upper class. The figures represented in the painting metaphorically represent different people whom Courbet has encountered and who in one way or the other, have influenced the intellectual being of Courbet as an artist. The artist attempts to shows the intellectual and physical transition of his studio and in brief he describe how has he been treated by people in general during the seven years of experimentation with realist painting. Some have been indifferent