1950s America Speech Essay

1950s America Speech The 1950s were a remarkable time in the history of the United States of America. Many of the events that occurred during this time inspired and molded the future of an entire generation. The economy was booming, bringing millions of Americans into the middle class. Government, Business, and Unions worked together to keep the economy going, but I believed the biggest force in the economy in the 1950s decade is the consumers. â€Å"Consumer Culture† is a culture where consuming goods become a marker of social states and a way of creating meaning in the people’s lives. The demand of the consumers created many jobs for people. As a result there were millions of things the United States produced, and abundance of things to buy. America had the newest, coolest, popular car out like the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Thunderbird. America also produced the wristwatch, TVs, and the famous, girly toy in the world-the Barbie Doll. The best part was credit cards were invented around this time allowing consumers to buy now, and pay off later. Now with the economy going so great, there was a high cost in demand allowing jobs to be formed. Blue Color Jobs were people who are plumbers, bus-drivers, cab-drivers, warehouse workers and construction workers. White Color Jobs were people who are accountants, sales representatives and mid-management positions. In the 1950s women were the housewife and mostly stayed at home. However, in the late 50s women started to have jobs mostly like being teachers, nurses, stewardess, and secretaries. In 1950 the gross national product (also known as GNP) had $284. 6 billion dollars; the US was by far the largest economy in the world! By the end of the decade the GNP stood at $482. 7 billion dollars. The 1950s played a huge role in segregation. â€Å"Separate but equal† was a famous quote to allow segregation seem okay. In truth, African Americans were always separate but never equal. However, in 1948 armed services were officially desegregation. Schools weren’t desegregated yet. An African-American girl had to walk 2 miles get to a black school when a white school was only 6 blocks away. On May 17, 1954 with its Brown v. Board of Education decision, the U. S. Supreme Court ends segregation in public schools. This is the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Just like today, Americans were sports crazy in the 1950s. Basketball, football, boxing were all typical sports that Americans loved, but one sport stood out of all of them. You guessed it; baseball. All these sports expanded in popularity due by technology and mass media such as television, magazines, and radio. Integration was spreading to sports allowing the famous, â€Å"Rookie of the Year†- Jackie Robinson to play baseball. Baseball remained the most popular of American sports mainly because the New York Yankees winning 7 out of 9 World Series. LEGOs building bricks were the most popular activity to do. It required imagination allowing the creator to build anything she/he wants to build. These LEGOs building bricks were for mainly children around 7 to 12 years of age. Skateboarding was a very popular activity for teenager during the 1950s. Fashion changes all the time. What’s interesting about the 1950s fashion is that it’s still acceptable nowadays. The teenage boys would were blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. To form a â€Å"cool† look. The hair style has longer than usual hair allowing longer sideburns for guys. This fashion was mainly influenced by Elvis Plessey. Grown up men would wear suits, a tie, and a hat to top it off. Most of the men would carry a suitcase. This fashion is known as the business man. Fashion for teenage girls is more sophisticated. What was in† during the 1950s were the tight sweater for a top, poodle skirt (a long, full skirt with the image of a poodle on it), bobby socks (ankle-high socks) and saddle shoes (sturdy shoes with a contrasting band of color). Teenage girls wore their hair up in a ponytail and wore a lot of Make-up. The only difference in clothes between teen age girls and women is women didn’t wear the poodle skirt. Most women would wear a full-length dress and carry a purse. Music is everywhere; it’s only annoying when it’s stuck in your head and you hear it repeat over and over through-out the whole day. But something special happen in the 1950s; this was the decade Rock n’ Roll was introduced by â€Å"The King†-Elvis Plessey. Some of his famous songs include: That’s All Right Mama, Heartbreak Hotel, Viva Las Vegas and the one I have stuck in my head right now, You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog. Not only does Elvis introduce a new type of music, but also Influence teens such as appearance in fashion, and behavior. He also influenced future musicians such as the Beatles. Elvis Plessey is one of the most famous musician/ actor in the 1950s. Let the Rock n’ Roll rule forever. Booooom! The baby boom started in 1946 and stop in 1964. A baby boom is when any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. The term â€Å"baby boom† most often refers to the dramatic post–World War II baby boom (1946–1964). There are an estimated 78. 3 million Americans who were born during this demographic boom in births. Reasons why people started to have babies all around the same time because: WW2 ended, people started to marry at a young, around the age of 20 was average and were ready to start a family. Science began to take off. In the 1950s Francis Crick and James Watson discover the double-helix structure of DNA. An immunization vaccine is produced for polio. The first successful ultrasound test of the heart activity was in the 1950s. The CERN is established. (European Organization for Nuclear Research) The world’s first nuclear power plant is opened in Obninsk near Moscow. NASA is organized. (Later on we have a â€Å"Space Race† with the Soviet). President Harry S. Truman inaugurated transcontinental television service on September 4, 1951 when he made a speech to the nation. AT&T carried his address from San Francisco and it was viewed from the west coast to the east coast at the same time. One of the most popular cars in the 1950s was a Cadillac. If you owned one you would symbolize wealth, power, and success. Elvis Pressley owned a Cadillac and so did captains of their own, individual industry. Even Hollywood big-shots and the common worker who saved enough owned a Cadillac. For most people, the name Cadillac evokes images of the finned, chromed, and gadget-laden â€Å"Fabulous Fifties† models. These Cadillacs proved that America was emerging unscathed from the war and to the contrary, demonstrated a new-found prosperity which found expression in cars. For four decades starting from 1950, Cadillac had no series competition in the US market. The 1950s were â€Å"The Golden Age of Television†. Television was introduced to Americana in 1939 and began to gain a foothold after WW2. In the 1950s TV were and still are American’s source of entertainment. In the year of 1950, 5 million TVs were sold! In 1950, just fewer than 20% of American homes contained a TV set. Ten years later, nearly 90% of homes contained a TV-and some even had color TVs. The three major networks: NBC, CBS, ABC. Some of the top favorite TV shows: The Texaco Star Theater, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, I Love Lucy, The $64,000 Question, and Gunsmoke. Gradually, by the mid-fifties, there came electronic color television, which was followed by launching of remote control and transistorized television sets towards 1959. Thus, we can conclude that television in the 1950s brought an element of reality, news and fun for the people and also helped create a sense of awareness against all the social ills. The availability of movies and movie-related shows, reality shows, daily soaps and of course the news programs have made it the prime media of entertainment in every household. The 1950s truly were the decade of the TV. TVs allowed families to bond in the newly created suburbs. TVs also allowed advertisement. So in a way you’re communicating and discovering new products and news about what’s going on in the world. A women’s best friend is TV because around the 1950s women usually stayed at home and watched TV shows. The 1950s really had events and importance; also it isn’t much different from our lives today. Many of the events that occurred during this time inspired and molded the future of an entire generation.

Cannibalism In The Cars Autosaved

The men, trying to hold on to human values and not succumb to their instincts, fail ascribable as they attempted to remove their guilt Of eating each other by justifying it through â€Å"Roberts Rules of Order. † The cannibalism may seem an extreme symbol to represent what is often the product of the government's legislative actions, there is little arguing that acts and laws have been passed that have been detrimental to the citizens of this nation, such as the black codes and Jim Crow laws.Though the symbolic nature of the story may be hyperbolic, Twain vividly personifies the United States' dubious legislative process by focusing on the demutualization of the subjects for which it was reared by illustrating selfishness, a lack of focus on the greater cause, and the inability to consider ulterior solutions. It is important to note the context of Twain's work. This piece was written in 1868 during the era of Reconstruction, following the Civil War.The government, at the time, was trying to reestablish the viability of the South, but was failing, which drew the focus away from the true needs required to reconstruct the South rather to government proceedings. At the beginning of Reconstruction, disagreement between the Radical Republicans and the more moderate Republicans such s Lincoln and Johnson led to the swift reconstruction of the South being thwarted. With the focus drawn away from the South, Black Codes, corrupt sharecropping, and organizations like the UK Klux Klan were established right under the government's nose.Twain had witnessed the tragic results of selfishness, lack of focus, and inability to consider workable solutions. â€Å"Cannibalism in Cars† offers numerous examples throughout that portray the self-serving paradigm from which the stranded passengers operate. â€Å"Gentleman: It cannot be delayed longer! The time is at hand! We must determine which of us shall die to furnish food for the rest! (Twain, 4). â€Å"Gentleman-?I nominate the Rev. James Sawyer of Tennessee. † (Twain, 4).On the seventh day of sitting in the cars without food, these were the initial statements. Quite obviously the passengers, or parliamentarians-to-be, as it were, faced imminent starvation, which is why they turned to cannibalism. Meltzer 2 Although everyone was in agreement that they needed sustenance for survival, no one seemed particularly ready to offer themselves as the main course. As was the case then and is the case now, legislatures are known to place self-preservation above all else.For example, â€Å"pork barrel† spending as long been a tool to assure votes as tax dollars are funneled to specific districts despite much greater needs elsewhere. Additionally, gerrymandering, or purposefully shaping voting districts to gift wrap favorable election results for a specific party, is a partisan maneuver that ignores fair representation for the benefit of certain politicians. Examples of politicians choosing se lf over the greater good are innumerable, thus though Twain's example may be grotesque, it is almost believable, and eloquently illustrates his point.The greater cause for the men on the train was survival. However, the focus would teeter be;en sun. ‘vial and superfluous rules of order. Mr.. Sander, one of the many stranded passengers, found the proceedings to be flawed and said â€Å"Gentleman-?I protest earnestly against these proceedings. They are, in every way, irregular and unbecoming. Must beg to move that they be dropped at once, and that we elect a chairman of the meeting and proper officers to assist him, and then we can go on with the business before us understandingly. (Twain 5). Additionally, Mr.. Bell Of Iowa made it abundantly clear that the focus was on surviving and not the proceedings through his comments. Twain creatively paints a portrait of a group attempting to solve a problem, yet allowing the process and partisanship of politics to intervene. Meltzer Ra ther than work together as a unit to find an alternate solution to a highly complex and difficult situation, the passengers considered only the indignity of eating each other.Though it could be argued that there could have been much less horrid conclusion, sans devouring human flesh, the discussion only centered around one potential conclusion based largely on the testimony of the conductor, who had assured that there was no path to lavational beyond the track. To eat a man that is dead is considered repulsive, but to kill a man then eat him for your own survival is inhuman. The parliamentarians took the conductors word as truth and never gave another thought to venturing out in the snow to find civilization.Once the decision was made that the conductor's word was to be taken as truth, the act of cannibalism was a forgone conclusion, and debate shifted exclusively to determining the process by which the unfortunates should be chosen. Twain was attempting to mirror the faulty logic o ften found in the halls of Congress herein those who have been given the responsibility to govern, fail to fully vet complex issues in order to find the most desirable outcome.Unfortunately, for those who â€Å"won† the vote, consideration given any other method for salvation was quickly dismissed on the basis of one opinion. During the time Of Reconstruction, the United States' government endured one it's more dark periods with the Johnson presidency being an unmitigated failure because of his leniency, Ulysses S. Grant's administration is historically known to have been wrought with corruption, while the government and entry, as a whole, was divided over the management of the South leading to strife among citizen's nationwide.Mark Twain brilliantly and deceptively shares his opinion of the government through his satire. The people on the train tried to construct a form of government to justly, in their mind, decide the next meal. However, constant distraction with disagreem ent over proceedings led to a failure to focus on the main purpose for which the quorum was established. Furthermore, selfish desires impacted the participant's decision, a practice common today in our houses of government.

Corporate Governance and Heart Kids

BSBINM401A- Assessment 9Brandon Finn Task 1: Standard 1; Customer Feedback Form Standard 2; Lockable filing cabinet/ records Standard 3; Customer Satisfaction Survey/History Standard 4; As above Standard 5; As above Standard 6; As above I didn’t find this question to be very clear. Task 2: Home Address; Yes, we will require this to work out the cost of living for the customer’s location. Age; Yes, we would require this to decide their stage of life. What their priorities are re; Superannuation, first home. Marital Status; Yes, we would use this as they might have a second income we should know about.Number of Children; Yes, We need to know the number of dependants as their cost of living be much higher than a single person. Occupation; No, not necessarily important as to wage. Level of Education; as above. Wage; Yes, we need to know the income coming in to work out what the client can afford to have coming out. Task 3: i. a. www. heartkidsvic. org. au b. The purpose is to create awareness of heart conditions in children, and to provide useful information and avenues of support for families of heart children. c. Families affected by child heart defects. . You can call or email them for further information or read the about us section on their website. e. The site is by Still Moving Design for Heart Kids Victoria. ii. Heart Kids Victoria Report; Heart Kids Victoria is a non for profit organisation aimed at supporting children and families of children with heart defects. The website www. heartkidsvic. org. au is very informative, with support options for families and stories on many beautiful children who unfortunately have suffered with some type of heart disease in their youth.There are some great stories of triumph and some very heartbreaking stories also. The target audience is families, but also gives options to anybody that would like to lend a helping hand, be it financial or volunteering, there is links to find out how. The website by Still M oving Design has a great layout and is very easy to find your way around. The site is very informative, easy to use and will melt your heart. Great cause! Task 4: a. The positive aspects are all information is recorded and then can be used for training and to improve current practices. . The negative aspects are that the information is being double handled therefore reducing the efficiency of all staff. c. To improve the currnet process you could design a computer based system in which staff input the information directly to. This would mean there is no double handling of information and would create greater efficiency for the company. Task 5: a. I would consult the IT staff for their advice as to the best system available for our needs.I would also consult with staff as to their thoughts/input on the idea. b. The costs would involve the IT staff time in implementing the new system. There would also be cost involved in purchasing the program itself. Also the costs involved in traini ng the staff. c. To get approval for the idea I would get all staff to vote as to whether or not they agree with the idea. I would then take it to a board meeting where the board would then vote in approval or against the idea with all costs and information available to them, d.To prepare staff I would call a meeting and organise a workshop for our IT staff to show all staff how to use the program efficiently and effectively. I would also provide any one on one training required to any individual staff member that may be having difficulties after the workshop. Task 6: a. Finance Manager and Chief Financial Officer b. Learning & Development Manager and Technical Operations Manager c. Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors d. Project Manager and Chief Technology Officer Task 7: Office 2010 Report to follow

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 3 SLP Essay

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 3 SLP - Essay Example The Philippine center for weather forecasting which is known as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) has been noted for its lack of necessary gadgets to increase the accuracy of weather forecasting in the country.2 Investing on the development of the said process through creating possibilities for PAGASA's capabilities to release notable information that could help emergency disaster departments to evacuate people and several properties away from the possible affected area could actually make the inclined weather forecasting goal a reality. Navigation and monitoring procedures, again, needs high tech gadgets that could aid the process. In this regard, it is highly recommended that the Philippine government be able to find better ways to invest on their technological applications used towards implicating emergency calls and warnings to protect their people's values and properties; after all, the benefits of this particular investment could save the country some hundreds and even thousands of dollars that could be greatly a huge saving for the said country. 3 Being able to monitor areas that are to be added in the hot spot of disaster and calamities in the country could allow emergency agencies to handle possible accidents in the future with a much controllable process saving lives and properties that could worth millions. 2. Identify and briefly describe at least one additional measure that has not been implemented which would mitigate against your selected disaster. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT: as noted from the given suggestions above, technological advancement is a major process of development that could be utilized by the Philippine government so as to increase the level of alert and warning signals that could be given to evacuate the people and the properties that could still be saved away from the coming tragedy. True, if the occurrence of natural disasters could not be avoided, at least keeping the people and the properties safe away from the possible damages that they may cause could be a better option to take into consideration. 3. Evaluate this mitigation strategy using FEMA's criteria discussed in the Module 3 home page. According to FEMA's database, flood and mass movement disasters such as landslides are rather forced through the existence of storms that are highly uncontrollable. FEMA further notes the need to have an accurate pre-forecasting process that would allow weather forecasters and emergency control managers the kind of alert that they need to have to be able to find better chances of evacuating and preparing areas of target. This could be further gained through the application

Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Movies - Essay Example Most of the movies, no matter where they are produced contain so much indecency that they are not able to be watched at least in front of young kids. Young people have immature and underdeveloped brains, they usually do not have enough experience to differentiate between good and bad, therefore often face the consequences of their acts. This factor is destroying our young generation because at very young age they are being introduced to adultery, abnormal sex, etc. It also influences the behavior of children. They get distant from their families and start spending most of their time in watching movies. The increasing number of sales of c.ds doesn’t show a good sign. As this is also an age of studying hard and performing well in school but by spending more time in movies and songs lead them to perform poor in schools. If a movie doesn’t contain these issues than it has other problems like Racism, which creates discrimination among people due to their different lifestyles and background. Movies are supposed to be made to get entertained but if they start creating discrimination among human beings than they are not of any value. In order to make their child a better human being, parents must pay considerable attention to the nurturing and fostering of their children, because once habits are developed, than they will stay in their subconscious mind

Business plan for a fitness centre Fitness One Coursework

Business plan for a fitness centre Fitness One - Coursework Example The business will be financed with ? 100,000 by a sole proprietor and ? 200,000 through a business loan from a bank. Sales are estimated to reach about ? 52,000 average for the first and second year. A positive cash flow is projected at the end of the first year. 2. Range Of Products To Be Offered Fitness One shall offer club membership for access to various fitness and health programs, to include: a. Swimming b. Tennis c. Fitness Center with cardio vascular and weight training equipment d. Court Sports e. Massage f. Physical therapy 3. Geographical Location I have chosen the Covent Garden area due to its proximity to my hometown in Canterbury. London would be my home base as this offers better market reach. Covent Garden in London is popular for its shops, street performers, bars, restaurants, theatres and the Royal Opera House. It is an Italian style piazza holding restaurants, bars and fashionable boutiques and is known for being the capital’s premier entertainment and leis ure destination. (Covent Garden Life.Com. 2007). Marlowe Arcade in Canterbury and Westgate Shopping Centre at Oxford are both popular destinations for both local residents and tourists. They are also the best places to put up Fitness One branches as they are situated along busy districts where the hustle and bustle happens. 4. Anticipated Customers, Target Market and their Distribution Fitness One will focus on  the young urban professionals as its primary customer base. The programs will be designed to address the health and fitness needs of this target market. 5. Statement Of Viability/ Keys to Success Fitness One shall rely on the following Internal and External Factors as its Keys to Success: a. Market Knowledge – b. Service Quality - c. Targeted Marketing Campaigns – Fitness One will prepare and implement promotional campaigns that will create noise in the market. It will utilize its Internet Marketing Channel to ensure that it would be positioned in the right m arket. d. Right Marketing Mix – Fitness One’s aims to penetrate the target market via Internet Marketing. Its primary location in London assures the company of a solid footing, as this placed is recognized to be Europe’s Best City for Business by the European Cities Monitor 2004. (Visit London. 2007) e. A systematic cash flow – Membership costs shall be determined basing on the services offered and the target number of members per month. 6. Staff & Skills Requirements In Early Stages (If Needed) The minimum required skills and experience for the start up crew are as follows: Staff Assistant – At least two years experience doing administrative job. Must be skilled in basic accounting and bookkeeping. She is responsible in consolidating information and sales reports from the store and shall provide administrative support as well. Purchasing Staff – At least three years doing purchasing work for a retail company. Must be knowledgably in the pro cesses in purchasing and as experience in supplier handling and relations. Store Supervisor – At least five years experience in store operations, two years as supervisor, with experience in Marketing and a graduate of any Business course Sales Staff – At least six months experience in sales in any kind of store industry Cashier – At least one year experience in store cashiering Inventory Staff – At least one year experience in Inventory Management 7. Explanation Of Basis For Planned

Employability and Personal Development Assignment - 1

Employability and Personal Development - Assignment Example The employee, if works efficiently under a concrete and esteemed employer, can expect promotions, pay increases and a decent pension to retire with. Traditionally, a career would comprise of similar jobs, like a cook, food caterer, and a hotel chef. An experience of jobs as diverse as a doctor, a designer, and a cook would not traditionally constitute of a career. The traditional theme also emphasizes on a career as a profession, which is perceived to belong to a higher socio-economic standard and gives greater independence. As such, lawyers and doctors fall as examples of traditional careers. The limitations of traditional careers, namely downscaling of the workforce by firms, declining mutual loyalty between the employers and the employed and rising job security evolved the nature of careers over the decades that help individuals adjust to the rising uncertainties of the working environment. Most common of this contemporary or modern perspective of careers is boundaryless careers. They operate beyond the hierarchical, social and industrial parameters, and are not linked to a central employment setting, and have a good degree of inter-organizational mobility. This is hence followed by people focusing on a global career. This is in contrast to a traditional career, which is highly immobile and where a single career path and organizational setting has to be adhered to. Also, a modern career requires individuals to be highly self-responsible in their career choices and determine career goals based o personal value, which is contrary to traditional careers where organization determines the career path to be followed. This evolutional in career opportunities mean that I have a wider range of choices available in modern careers with greater autonomy, despite employing the similar skills as could have been applied in a traditional career.

1. Explain what the terms correlations AND confounding variables mean Essay

1. Explain what the terms correlations AND confounding variables mean (in your own words, and cite the source) - Essay Example The article on Obesity in Latino Children seeks to identify factors that can be associated with overweight and obesity observed in Latino children (Kornides, Kitsantas, Yang & Villarruel, 2011). The study exhibited both correlations and confounding factors. Correlation in research study implies the characteristic relationship between the variables treated in the study. Specifically, correlation between variables implies that a change in one variable is accompanied by a change in another variable as a result of the first change (Kornides, Kitsantas, Yang & Villarruel, 2011). In other words, with one or more variables whose change induces change in another variable or variables, all the variables involved are said to be correlated. The study presented in the article seeks to identify factors that are primarily associated with obesity and overweight scenarios observed in Latino children. The study takes into account what other literatures have said about the issue and critiques the information contained therein. The study also identifies research loopholes in the literatures considered in line with the current trends in the issue around the time the study was conducted in the year 2011. Challenges that characterized the study are highlighted and future research propositions made on the subject matter of the study. Research studies also employ confounding variables to aid the treatment of objectives and hypothesis being examined. Confounding variables are research aiding tools that are crucial in the examination of the topic of study, but are relatively hard to measure or account for in the research undertaking (Kornides, Kitsantas, Yang & Villarruel, 2011). In other words, they are crucial aiding variables in a study in that they complement the dependent and independent research variables. Although confounding variables are not directly examined in the study, they enhance the inferences made by backing up the primary

Gendered Roles in The Tale of Genji Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gendered Roles in The Tale of Genji - Essay Example Notable among themes is the illustration of unique livelihoods of high courtiers at the time of the Heian period. This illustration also qualifies the social constraints and liberties which men and women faced in the Heian period, as shall be seen forthwith. Social Constraints Which Compelled Elite Men and Women to Negotiate As Part of Their Privileged Status In the Tale of Genji, there are particular sorts of social constraints which compelled men and women to negotiate as part of a privileged status. In the Genji Monogatari, it is the concept and reality of class and class consciousness. She is not able to fit into the life in palace, despite being the queen, Lady Kiritsubo. As is provided for by Seidensticker, the grand ladies in the palace regard her as a presumptuous upstart while ladies who hold lesser or lower social standing than Lady Kiritsubo are resentful towards her. The gravity of this development is portrayed as being highly potent since the same affects the queenâ€⠄¢s psychosocial life: she falls ill and becomes more frequently at home, than at the palace1. Again, it is indisputable that life’s natural courses are constraints and forces which compel men to negotiate as part of their privileged status. Since man must die, he has to genetically propagate himself and his genes. Marriage is the environment in which propagation is done, and love is the force which creates this environment and also sustains it. To get into marriage, all like Emperor Kiritsubo had to negotiate with their fiances or girlfriends. Despite the glaring disparity of fortunes, Emperor Kiritsubo falls in love with Lady Kiritsubo, marries her and sires Genji with her. At a certain point, Emperor Kiritsubo, Emperor Suzaku, Kokiden, Lady Fujitsubo and Genji die. One of these constraints is the integration of individuals to their occupation, in lieu of their personality and character. To this effect, none of the characters in the original texts are assigned explicit name s. All characters are referred to, in relation to their roles, their social standing and the relations that these characters have with other characters. This is the case so that there is the Minister to the Left, His Excellency and the Heir-Apparent, respectively2. While this development above may soothe the ego of aristocrats and people with reputable occupations, it may also serve as a source of stigma to those who are less privileged in the society. In the same wavelength, referring to people by their character may subject the same to prejudice and stigma too strong to allow them the power and chance to reform. Anyone who is always and consistently referred to as a thief may not see the need to reform as that label is permanently stuck on him. The same may also entrench classicism since those who are poor and weak in the society are referred to as such. The elite are always referred to by their honorifics and thereby entrenching their sense of self importance. The Greatest Source s of Freedom (Or Joy) and the Greatest Constraints on Individual Identity That Men And Women Faced In This Age, As Seen In the Novel Some of the greatest freedoms which men and women enjoy in the Heian Period are biologically induced, meaning that because of biological reasons, certain

Slavery and Racism in Early American History Essay

Slavery and Racism in Early American History - Essay Example The second part of the paper is based on the following sources: Senator Lincoln's speech of September 18, 1858, and Frederick Douglass' 1852 speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" In both parts of the paper the following fact is made clear: racism is closely related to slavery; the relationship between these two concepts is so strong that, often, the terms of their interaction are too difficult to be identified. Moreover, the following issue needs to be highlighted: both racism and slavery have been highly developed in America; the intervention of these concepts in the country’s social and political life is still high. The elimination of racism and slavery would be required for securing social justice. The terms of elimination of racism and slavery in America would be differentiated across states because of their different legal framework, at least up to a level, compared to the legal rules of federal government. Racism seems to be well established in the American history. In any case, the historical development of racism has been related to slavery. In order to understand the role of these two concepts in the American history, it would be necessary to refer to the initial perceptions of Englishmen on blacks. According to Winthrop (3) the first visit of Englishmen in West Africa took place about at 1550; it was then that Englishmen had their first contact with blacks (Winthrop 3). However, it seems that at that period, Englishmen did not perceive blacks as potential slaves but rather as buyers of goods (Winthrop 3). This phenomenon continued up to the mid seventieth century (Winthrop 3). However, it seems that the color of natives has attracted the interest of Englishmen (Winthrop 3), meaning that the difference in regard to physical characteristics implied also differences in terms of physical performance. Also, the difference in color implied the existence of other characteristics, meaning especially the dirt (Winthrop 3). It was in this co ntext that the first ideas on the low social status of blacks were developed; the potential use of blacks as slaves followed (Winthrop 3). However, slavery, as a social phenomenon, has not appeared before the 17th century, a period where the initial cases of use of blacks as slaves were reported. Indeed, as Winthrop notes, the enslavement of blacks has started almost since their arrival in America (Winthrop 26). Indeed, the first blacks arrived in Virginia in 1619 (Winthrop 26). A few years later, approximately by 1640, the first signs of enslavement appeared (Winthrop 26). In fact, it is noted that ‘between 1640 and 1660 there is evidence of enslavement’ (Winthrop 26). Reference is made to ‘the statute books of colonies’ (Winthrop 26), as evidence for proving the appearance of slavery in America. Through the decades, slavery was highly expanded across America (Winthrop 148), up to the elimination of the particular phenomenon due to its prohibition by the l aw (Winthrop 148). The term racism, as a term reflecting the rejection of equality among human no matter their physical characteristics (Winthrop 15), has appeared much later, approximately at 1950s (Winthrop 15), a point where the study of Winthrop (15) is aligned with that of Stannard (270). According to the issues discussed above, racism and slavery have been common concepts in American history. At this point, the

Analysis of Work Placement Vacancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of Work Placement Vacancy - Essay Example In product development, an employer would be exposed to the global trends embraced by the organization in regards to product production. Skills required for the placement are based on the ability to develop communication and technological techniques (Ford Motor Company, 2014). The IT placement requires one to bear the ability to develop IT tools and solutions to enhance business productivity (Ford Motor Company, 2014). In the marketing placement, one is required to possess consumer appreciation skills as well as the ability to develop fresh and trendy marketing ideas. In the quality placement, a person is required to have ideas on how to connect quality to product production and manufacturing. From my academic experience, I was able to acquire the skills required for the placement. I have exceptional skills in teamwork, total quality assurance, marketing and IT. However, the requirements by ford are more demanding that my prior experience in school. The skills I lack will be provided by the employer in the training experience. Moreover, I will develop skills as required by the employer to increase my work placement effectiveness. In addition, I would enhance the skills I lack by consulting with other employees in the

The Islamic Wills Essay Example for Free

The Islamic Wills Essay This article is a very brief overview of the traditional Sunni Islamic law pertaining to the Islamic will. The aim of this article is to arouse awareness amongst Muslims particularly those living in the West regarding this important aspect of Islamic law. It should be stressed that when writing a will one should consult an Islamic scholar/legal expert to ensure that the will complies with Islamic law as well as the law of the country of residence. When a Muslim dies there are four duties which need to be performed. These are: 1.payment of funeral expenses 2.payment of his/her debts 3.execution his/her will 4.distribution of the remaining estate amongst the heirs according to Sharia The Islamic will is called al-wasiyya. a will is a transaction which comes into operation after the testator’s death. The will is executed after payment of funeral expenses and any outstanding debts. The one who makes a will (wasiyya) is called a testator (al-musi). the one on whose behalf a will is made is generally referred to as a legatee (al-musa lahu). Technically speaking the term testatee is perhaps a more accurate translation of al-musa lahu. The importance of the Islamic will The importance of the Islamic will (wasiyya) is clear from the following two hadith: It is the duty of a Muslim who has anything to bequest not to let two nights pass without writing a will about it. (Sahih al-Bukhari) A man may do good deeds for seventy years but if he acts unjustly when he leaves his last testament, the wickedness of his deed will be sealed upon him, and he will enter the Fire. If, (on the other hand), a man acts wickedly for seventy years but is just in his last will and testament, the goodness of his deed will be sealed upon him, and he will enter the Garden. (Ahmad and Ibn Majah) the will gives the testator an opportunity to help someone (e.g. a relative need such as an orphaned grandchild or a Christian widow) who is not entitled to inherit from him. The will can be used to clarify the nature of joint accounts, those living in commensality, appointment of guardian for one’s children and so on. In countries where the intestate succession law is different from Islamic law it becomes absolutely necessary to write a will. The Will (Al-wasiyya) The Islamic will includes both bequests and legacies, instructions and admonishments, and assignments of rights. no specific wording is necessary for making a will. In Islamic law the will (wasiyya) can be oral or written, and the intention of the testator must be clear that the wasiyya is to be executed after his death. any expression which signifies the intention of the testator is sufficient for the purpose of constituting a bequest. there should be two witnesses to the declaration of the wasiyya. A written wasiyya where there are no witnesses to an oral declaration is valid if it written in the known handwriting/signature of the testator according to Maliki and Hanbali fiqh. the wasiyya is executed after payment of debts and funeral expenses. the majority view is that debts to Allah (SWT) such as zakh, obligatory expiation etc. should be paid whether mentioned in the will or not. However, there is difference of opinion on this matter amongst the Muslim jurists. The Testator (Al-musi) every adult Muslim with reasoning ability has the legal capacity to make a will. An adult for this purpose is someone who has reached puberty. Evidence of puberty is menstruation in girls and night pollution (wet dreams) in boys. In the absence of evidence, puberty is presumed at the completion of the age of fifteen years. The Maliki and Hanbali fiqh also consider the will of a discerning (tamyiz) child as valid. Under English Law you must be at least 18 years of age to make a valid will (similarly in most of the United States of America) unless you are a military personnel in which case you may make a valid will at the age of 17. the testator must have the legal capacity to dispose of whatever he bequests in his will. When making a will the testator must be of sane mind, he must not be under any compulsion and he must understand the nature and effect of his testamentary act. The testator must of course own whatever he bequests. the testator has the right to revoke his will by a subsequent will, actually or by implication. In traditional Sunni Islamic law the power of the testator is limited in two ways: 1.firstly, he cannot bequest more than 1/3 of his net estate unless the other heirs consent to the bequest or there are no legal heirs at all or the only legal heir is the spouse who gets his/her legal share and the residue can be bequeathed. Narrated Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas (RA): I was stricken by an ailment that led me to the verge of death. The Prophet came to pay me a visit. I said, O Allahs Apostle! I have much property and no heir except my single daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity? He said, No. I said, Half of it? He said, No. I said, One-third of it? He said, You may do so, though one-third is also too much, for it is better for you to leave your offspring wealthy than to leave them poor, asking others for help (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahah Muslim, Muwatta, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.) 1.secondly, the testator cannot make a bequest in favour of a legal heir under traditional Sunni Muslim law. However, some Islamic countries do allow a bequest in favour of a legal heir providing the bequest does not exceed the bequeathable one-third. Legal heir in this context is one who is a legal heir at the time of death of the testator. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA): Allah’s Prophet (SAWS) said, Allah has appointed for everyone who has a right what is due to him, and no bequest must be made to an heir. (Abu Dawud). Similar hadith narrated by Abu Umamah (RA) and reported by Ibn Majah, Ahmad and others. The Legatee (Al-musa lahu) generally speaking, for a bequest to be valid, a legatee must be in existence at the time of death of the testator except in the case of a general and continuing legatee such as the poor, orphans etc. the legatee must be capable of owning the bequest. any bequest made in favour of any legal heir already entitled to a share is invalid under traditional Sunni Muslim law unless consented to by other legal heirs. an acknowledgement of debt in favour of a legal heir is valid. acceptance or rejection of a bequest by the legatee is only relevant after the death of the testator and not before. generally speaking once a legatee has accepted or rejected a bequest he cannot change his mind subsequently. if the legatee dies without accepting or rejecting the bequest, the bequest becomes part of the legatee’s estate according to the Hanafi fiqh because non-rejection is regarded as acceptance. According to the other three main Sunni madhahib, the right to accept or reject the bequest passes onto the heirs of the legatee. there is difference of opinion as to the time at which ownership of a bequest is transferred from the testator (or his heirs) to the legatee. According to the Hanafi and Shafii fiqh the transfer of ownership is at the time of death of the testator, according to the Maliki and Hanbali fiqh the transfer of ownership is at the time of accepting the bequest. all the Sunni madhahib agree that if the legatee dies before the testator, the bequest is invalid since a bequest can only be accepted after the death of the testator. if there is uncertainty as to whether or not the legatee survived the testator, such as a missing legatee, the bequest is invalid because the legatee must be alive at the time of death of the testator for the will to be valid. if the testator and legatee die together, such as in an air crash, and it is not certain who died first, the bequest is invalid according to the Hanafi, Maliki and Shafii fiqh. But according to the Hanbali fiqh, the bequest devolves upon the legatee’s heirs who may accept or reject it. Executor of the will (Al-wasi Al- mukhtar) the executor (al-wasi) of the will is the manager of the estate appointed by the testator. the executor has to carry out the wishes of the testator according to Islamic law, to watch the interests of the children and of the estate. The authority of the executor should be specified. Hanafi and Maliki fiqh state that the executor should be trustworthy and truthful; the Shafii fiqh state that the executor must be just. the Hanafi fiqh considers the appointment of a non-Muslim executor to be valid. the testator may appoint more than one executor, male or female. the testator should state if each executor can act independently of the other executor(s). if one starts acting as an executor, one will be regarded as having accepted the appointment, both in Islamic and in English law. Dr. Abid Hussain

Implementation of a Risk Communication Plan

Implementation of a Risk Communication Plan Following the reported deaths of hundreds of birds in Esperance in Western Australian between December 2006 and March 2007, it was discovered that lead being transported through the towns port were responsible for their deaths. However, much of the community was unaware of this until it became public as part of the investigation into bird deaths in the local environment. Esperance saw itself as an idyllic rural community, with a sound economic basis, but removed from the problems associated with cities, such as pollution. Once the lead problem was identified, residents became very concerned about their childrens health and demanded immediate action. In order to address the concerns of the affected parties, a risk communication plan is essential so as the risk assessment team is able to improve risk understanding among target groups, disclose information about hazards to people whom might be exposed, legitimise risk-related decisions in favor of acceptance or rejection of specific risk sources. It also has the role to breakdown the risk management process to the target audience so that assessors can build up trust in the risk fairness of the management process while at the same ensuring that there is enough individual risk reduction information to improve public protection. Finally the risk communication plan promotes support towards the communicating agency as it provides guidelines for emergency situations and educates decision-makers about public concerns and perceptions. (Sue Lang, Lorna Fewtrell and Jamie Bartram, 2001, p.320) There are multiple stakeholders involved in this crisis, starting with the residents of the community, governmental departments such as the department of water, environment and planning, local businesses, the companies exporting the metals, the port authorities and media. A risk communication (RC) needs assessment was run prior in order to identify the major stakeholders involved in the in this crisis and to identify the issues of concerns of for each group, the goals from the interaction with each group and be able to choose and adequate technique of approach to each type of stakeholder. The RC needs assessment had led to understand that various stakeholders had different issues of interests and concerns and that whether their concerns were, the techniques of approach to them may overlap. The key stakeholders were identified to be the residents of Esperence, health department, water department, port authorities, tourism operators, business owners, the media, local authorities and department of environment, local government and department of planning. The key issues noted during the assessment were the risk to the health of the residents, risks to local businesses such as tourism, relocation of locals, and panic within the community due to health hazards. The table below identifies the issues that meant to be addressed in a risk communication plan and how they are link to the plans goal together with the activities needed to be carried out so as to reach the goals. It should also be noted that descending order of the issues representative of the priority given to each individual issue. (R Brian Pickard, Risk Communication Plan Guidance,   2013 p.24) ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED PLANS GOALS ACTIVITIES Local residents concerns regarding the hazards Provide the residents necessary   and adequate information to address their concerns Provide information to the residents by activities such as distributing information on physical or electrical mediums. Develop and maintain relationships and supports two-way communication with public community groups, and the news media. Concerns of the health department regarding crisis Provide them with the outreach of the crisis; how many people are affected and to which extent. Maintain direct communication for health persons via phone, email or in person. So that they received necessary data as they require it. Level of information between assessors and Department of water Share findings obtain through research to concerned department so it knows where they stand and how they can mitigate the situation Ensure that they receive   tangible information in terms of documents and findings which they can consult and base action plan upon Concerns about treat to local businesses. Assess impact of contamination on local businesses. Hold meeting with the concerned stakeholders and discuss ways by which they are being affected and try find solutions. Department of planning Provide the department expected outcomes in case of an imminent crisis Ensure that they receive   tangible information in terms of documents and findings which they can consult and base action plan upon Nature and types of information being released by the media Audit the quality of information being released to the press. Monitoring of information released through various media outlets; websites, newspapers, television and radio by appointing media trackers Threat to port activities and jobs at stake Assess situation and find possible links between issues and port. Minimize potential risk of activities shutdown. Meet with responsible of activities and discuss Communication at all stages of the program is important. People need to be informed about key developments so they will be able to make the most of the program. Information should be disclosed to community members throughout the program, especially before starting key activities, before making changes to the program and upon encountering delays. The order/timing in which information is disclosed to the various stakeholders depends upon who they represent in the community and the value of their feedback so that when a wider public is informed, the risk assessment plan has already been revised to that it understood by the majority of the stakeholders. The resources to be deployed for the risk communication plan relies greatly on the budget allocated to the assessment. While a great part of the resources remain man power which favors easier communication, builds up trust among the community, provides for skills for data collection and analysis depending upon the budget communication methods such as mass media and dedicated can employed, else inexpensive methods inexpensive, such as sharing information at community meetings, working with community and committees creating simple posters can be used., There are various challenges that might hinder the implementation of this; unwillingness for stakeholders to cooperate, coordinate risk communication messages among multiple communicators who are communicating about the same issue or time constraints. (Cabinet Implementation Unit Toolkit, 2013, p.3). The roles and responsibilities in order to implement the risk communication plan correctly are as listed below. ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES Public Information Officer Implement risk communication plan and directs information disclosure Provide information to stakeholder through various mediums Create and uphold two conversation between all stakeholders .Maintains current information summaries and/or displays on the incident. Responsible to communicate information to   pertinent staff Develop presentations for utility executives Prepare responses to constituent inquiries. Content and Message Coordinator Develops pathways to receive information rapidly from various institutes regarding public health emergencies and works with available subject matter experts to create situation-specific fact sheets and updates. Media Coordinator . Assesses media needs (e.g., briefings, statements) and bridges the gap between the public and sources Direct Public Outreach Coordinator Responsible for public service announcement and initiates telephone information line Partner/Stakeholder Coordinator Sets up communication protocols based on agreements with identified partners and stakeholders. Media Tracker Monitors available internally and externally identifies misinformation, provides, assess the quality of communication, takes action to amend wrong information, tracks press releases, monitors news outlets and web sites, and drives away (stories that may or may not be true)

The Tourism Planning Discussion Paper Tourism Essay

The Tourism Planning Discussion Paper Tourism Essay Tourism is one of many human activities in a community or region, and has the idea as a private and public sector activity and especially as an area of government intervention that requires planning and coordination. On the one hand, tourism is also one many activities in an area that must be considered as part of economic, physical, environmental, and social planning. Thereby, it is very important in ensuring that the tourism industry can thrive and develop by trying to maximize all these valuable aspects and to develop comprehensive tourism planning at a community or region. This discussion paper will be mainly discussing about the different approaches to tourism planning and the tourism planning framework for the development of tourism in the destination region of the Central Highlands of the Island. The overall framework in this paper consists of the appropriate steps to be taken in the planning process and in a way to achieve successful planning and development in the destinatio n region, the guiding principles in the planning, and several issues to be considered in the planning. 2.0 Critical review of approaches to tourism planning Based on Getz (1987) there are four different approaches of tourism planning at the destination level can be recognized according to the values that support the planning or policy activity include boosterism, economic, physical/spatial, and community-oriented that emphasizes the role the destination community plays in the tourism development and experience. Then to these four approaches, Hall (1998) added an additional approach of sustainable planning. Each of tourism planning approach differs in its underlying assumptions about planning, and their strengths and weakness that play in the tourism development. The following describes the strengths and weaknesses for each approach. 2.1 Boosterism Boosterism is one of the tourism planning approaches that have attitude towards tourism development which is inherently good and will provide benefit to the hosts destination. This approach also characterized as being part of an attitude to the development of growth is good and any negative impact of tourism development will be dominated by positive benefits. From this approach perspective the primary planning problem is one of how to attract as many people as possible to a given location or destination. Boosterism approach however, doesnt take into account or involves their host community in the decision making process, planning and policy process surrounding the tourism developments. Yet it is still being adopted by governments and politicians to promote tourism growth, regional economic diversification and employment creation. This attitude approach towards tourism development is seen as to give benefits to the host destination and community which can bring higher living standards to a destination and improves quality of life of the people especially in the developing countries. Tourism development could improves quality of life ,as it supports the creation of community facilities and services, through the provision of better or upgraded infrastructure, facilities, services, transport, health, better quality of commodities and food. The indirect benefit of tourism development will also increase job opportunities towards the whole community and at the same time boost up the countrys economy. However on the other hand, since this approach does not involved residents of the tourist destinations in the tourism development plan and policy, and decision making process, thus there will be lack of public or community participation in the local tourism development. The tourism development tend to benefit more on th e government instead of the local community because the community has no power to make their own decisions in the tourism planning and therefore it will not encourage them to participate and does not allow them to share tourism benefits with the wider community. 2.2 Economic The second approach of tourism planning is the economic (industry-oriented approach). It is an approach that aims to promote economic growth and development in a destination, as well apply the use of marketing and promotion to attract visitors. The economic approach emphasizes more on the economic impacts of tourism and the most efficient and effective use of tourism to create income and employment benefits for the regions, communities, and countries as a whole. The main strengths of this planning approach are as it is mainly focuses on the economic impacts of tourism, it believes that tourism development is becomes a key driver of economic growth or will boost the countrys economy through the creation of employment, generation of foreign exchange earnings, contribution of government revenues, stimulation or improvement of infrastructure investment, and the create contribution to the local economy. Yet there are some weaknesses from this approach which it doesnt take into account env ironmental concerns and social issues which means there is limited attention is given towards the environmental and social impacts brought about by tourism. Another weakness would be the high satisfaction of tourists result from tourism development and the positive attitudes towards tourists in host communities are unknown. 2.3 Physical/Spatial The physical/ spatial approach to tourism planning considers tourism as a form of land use to be managed using spatial strategies and regarded as having an ecological base with a resultant need for development to be based upon certain spatial patterns, capacities or thresholds that would minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the physical environment. The key planning approaches from this perspective include carrying capacity, hazard and risk assessment, resource and landscape evaluation, resource appraisal and allocation, decision making and evaluation and the development of appropriate institutional arrangements. While the main point of this approach is to control and maintain the capacities, land use and the number of physical infrastructure being built for tourism, so it wont exceeds the environmental and social carrying capacities of the destination. As a result, it will help to minimize the negative environmental impacts resulting from tourism development. Besides, a well planned physical destination with structured design and layout would also attract visitors to visit a destination as it can provide a good and open space for tourists. Other strengths would be the increase protection towards the environment due to the less land being use and it keep the sustainability of tourism. The weakness of this approach is if the number of infrastructure, buildings, and capacities are being controlled, thus economically the destination unable to maximize their profit from the result the inability to fulfill the high demand of tourism to build more attractions. Limited attention is also given to social and cultural attributes of the destination. 2.4 Community Community tourism planning approach is focuses on the social and political context within which tourism occurs and it advocates greater local community control over the development process. Under this approach, community is considered as the focal point or actor that encourages the development process of the tourism and seeks for public participation in a destination in order to enhance their economic livelihoods while protecting their cultural values, and preserving the natural environment. Community planning approach which implies a high degree of public participation in tourism planning process, highly involved the community in the decision making and planning process, as well as in the sharing of tourism benefits and in the sharing of tourism profits with the wider community. Therefore, the main strengths of this community based approach in terms of its benefits, will likely to create and increased employment opportunities available to the locals as more community being involved in the process while it also contributes positively in the improvement on household income and general quality of life through the extent of contribution vary from one aspect to another. Moreover, public participation is also to design tourism development in such a way that it is intended to benefit the local community and to encourage them to participate in their own development through mobilizing their own resources, defining their needs and making own decisions about how to meet them. Then if the government is being supportive and let the community to take a large part of the decision making for tourism, there will less conflict arises between the government and community, and if problem arises the community would be able to make decisions and solve it on their own. Bringing educational elements towards the whole community is also one of the strength of community approach. The locals likely to be educated and trained in order to improve their knowledge about tourism and as a results it will help them to recognize and conserve their local culture, natural resource values, and creating a good image about the destination. Tourists who come from different parts of the world will also encourage the locals to interact and provide cultural exchange between hosts and tourists, at the same time it also gives the opportunities for the locals to learn foreign language and lead to a better understanding of cultural differences and build tolerant attitude towards foreigners. On the other hand, there are weaknesses of this approach in terms of the barriers or the difficulties in implementing a community approach to tourism planning in tourist destination. The major difficulties or barriers to incorporating public participation in tourism planning can include the lack of financial and human resources in the tourism sector especially in the developing country. Resources at the local level may not enough to finance the present scale of tourism development and therefore it will lead to discourage community participation in the tourism planning. Then generally the public may have difficulty in understanding complex and technical planning issues, not always aware the decision making process, and the difficulty in maintaining representativeness in the decision making process due to the lack of knowledge, experiences and possible conflicts that may arise between cultures. In addition, there is also need for the government to be able to manage the involvement of t he community that aims to achieve the desired result however it does not give the impression to the community of being control by the government. Power should also be distributed evenly within a community so that some groups or individuals will not have the ability exert greater influence over the planning process than others. 2.5 Sustainable The sustainable approach towards tourism is an integrative form of tourism planning which brings together economic, environmental (physical/spatial), and socio-cultural (community) planning methods. This approach seeks to provide lasting and secure livelihoods which minimize depletion of resources, environmental degradation, cultural disturbance and social instability. It also concern about both inter and intra-generational equity which in sustainable development it means that we should not only concerned with the maintenance of environmental capital (Jacobs, 1991) but also the maintenance and enhancement of social capital (Healey, 1997). The main strengths of sustainable approach are include long term protection of environment resources since it focuses on tourism development which try to avoids damage on the environment, economy, and cultures of a tourist destination as well as provides positive experience for host community tourism industry and the tourist itself. As a result of t hese, it will also lead to the preservation of essential ecological processes, give beneficial and opportunities for future generation ability to use the resources and enjoy the same situation as now, protection of human heritage and biodiversity, improve economic benefits to support sustainable tourism, and it also benefit the communities by providing more employment opportunities and the improvement of standard of living. The weaknesses of this sustainable approach are include the overprotecting the resources will result that the tourists unable to enjoy or being satisfied with the overall tourism experiences, for instance tourists might have high expectation when they travel to the tourism site, yet they are not allowed to connect to the environment thus their perception will be lower because it doesnt meet their high expectation, and become very unsatisfied. Besides, by adopting sustainable tourism approach could also create conflict between public and private sectors in terms of having different views and perspective on sustainable planning. Public sector might want to save and maintain the environment while private sector wants to gain more economic benefit in having less concern on sustainable tourism benefits. Sustainable tourism approach could also be difficult to achieve and has been often criticized for its contradictory goals that never achieved, as it requires cooperation and coordination b etween industry and the manager of destinations, and the needs to build consumer and producer awareness. 3.0 A review of the main issues or challenges that tourism planners face As millions more people travel and to seek for personal rewards from their experiences, the massive development of tourism resources is the consequences (Gunn, 2002). The various activities that tourists engage in a tourism destination are important and expanding aspect of the tourist industry in which it creates huge development for tourism in a destination and provides tourism benefits in many ways. Thus, it is now recognized that planning is necessary for tourism to develop, to be managed in a controlled, integrated, and sustainable manner in such a ways that would lead to enhancing the benefits derived from tourism. By using this planned approach to design of all tourism development, it allows tourism to generate economic, social, and environmental benefits to the host community and any negative impacts results from tourism can be minimized. Moreover, planning for tourism can be a challenge regarding to the several main issues, complication or challenge that tourism planner may face in trying to plan tourism. Besides, due to the rapid growth and complication nature of tourism have made it difficult for planners to apply even the most fundamental of research findings and recommendations for improved tourism. Based on Claire A. Gunn (2004) described the prospects for tourism planning in term of the key issues and concerns in the field of tourism planning in which the issues include the poor understanding of the need for planning, the lack of systems planning, poor organizational integration, and lack of tourism literacy. The first issue of poor understanding of the need for planning refers to the unclear understanding or different assumptions on tourism planning that seen as the unncecessary interference in market driven development. Investors and developers might seen a opportunity to build various kinds of attractions or tourism related places in the destination to increase tourism development. Then tourism promoters usually belief that all development is positive by bringing better employment and economic benefits and continually to attract tourists. However, this merely a half truth even though tourism development can provide economic benefit but the undestanding on plannning doesnt take into account that tourism growth also create negative impacts in which it creates more demand for new investment to build more attractions as a result may lead to increased in pollution, and destroyed natural landscape. The high volume of visitor in the destination could also have reduce the local quality of life , and forcing long time residents to move. Hence, these issues requires new plannig techniques and planners must cope with the constantly changing environment results from tourism growth. The second issue is the lack of system planning. Most tourism planners have modeled the fuctioning tourism system which have two main drivers of tourism consist of a demand and a supply side. The five supply side major components include transportation, attractions, services, information, and promotion. They are all interdependent which subject to travel demand and require planning that relates to market trends as well as to physical characteristics of land and resources. The supply side is influenced greatly by many external factors such as the governmental policies, competition, community involvement, entrepreneurship, labor, finance, cultural and natural resources. This way of viewing tourism is oppose to the mindset of tourism as an industry and mostly on the business sector. Understanding of tourism as a system is relatively important and knowing how each part of tourism depends upon each other. Poor organizational intgration is another issue in the tourism planning in which there are lack of communication and integration between different and separate organizations (suh as in in the business tourism sector there are the hotel organizations, restaurant, attraction, and airline organizations) developed in tourism in tourism planning,. The lack of organizational mechanism is affect the tourism as entirerly. There is a need for better communication aamong many existing tourist organizations in order to gain mutual benefit and assist better understanding of change. Lastly, is the lack of tourism literacy means within parts of tourism all parties are very well knowledgable about their functions and operations. However, there is still remains a lack of understanding among developers and managers considering the full meaning and importance of tourism to them. Due to the tourism illiteracy, community is not well prepared to plan their localities in the best interest of tourism and t o protect local lifestyle. Other issue or complication of tourism planning developed by Gunn (2002) is regarding with the worldwide proliferation ofecotourism, acculturation, and the dramatic evoluationary changes in many aboriginal societies. Native populations (non-industrial foundation) could face the dilemma of introducing tourists to their cultural uniqueness and lead them to move into new industrial societies. Thus, it will be difficult for them to plan for tourism development that might generate economic advantages without facing the great internal stress for protection of their cultural heritage and acculturation. 4.0 The Central Highlands of the Island The Central Highlands of the Island is the chosen destination region to develop tourism planning to encourage tourism development in the destination. The Central Highlands of the Island is a developing country and known for its tourist destination. Despite having a number of potential tourist attractions, the area still have little development on tourism and facing quite number of problems, based on the facts that the country has experienced a number of environmental problems include water pollution and having limited of human and natural resources of fresh water resources and electricity. It also experienced a depressed economy with limited infrastructure and supply accommodation in the central region area. Besides, the destination has a unique ethnic groups living in the central highlands region and having the majority population of Islandese, yet several of these ethnic groups are being isolated who have typically been ignored in most government policy exercises. These people also have limited of education background and low levels of languages which can be one reason that discouraged the community participation in the tourism development or make them difficult to participate. However, by experiencing these various conditions the local government should have promote tourism planning to encourage tourism development in the destination by taking account all the tourism resources, organizations, then economic, environmental, and social aspects of tourism development. The government should also need to get involved the local community in the tourism planning process to help support and encourage the tourism development of the destination at the same time intended to benefit the community as a whole and giving them opportunities to participate in their own development. The next part of this paper will be discussing about overall framework on the Central Highlands of the Island which are emphasizes on the steps in the planning process, the set of guiding principles for planning participants and list of issues to be considered in the planning process.. 4.1 Steps in the Planning Process In the tourism planning process, it takes a proactive role in assisting and promoting the implementation of a good quality of development. A large number of groups or individuals including stakeholders, community, and operator are involves in the tourism planning. They conduct various kinds of planning which are include feasibility, marketing, product development, promotion, forecasting, and strategic planning. The following are main series of steps to be taken in the planning process in terms of the tourism development of the Central Highlands of the Region as a tourist destination. According to Stynes and OHalloran (1987), there are six steps in the planning process include define goals and objectives, indentify the tourism system (resources, organizations, markets), generate and evaluate alternatives, select and implement, lastly monitor and evaluate. The first step that the destination need to accomplish is to obtain clear statements of tourism development goals and objectives which should acquire more from general community on how they want to achieve specific tourism development, whether the community wants to serves the broader community goals in seeking for better quality of life and to improve living standard. These objectives could be achieved by working together with various groups and organizations in the community. The appropriate types of goals to be achieve and the degree in which tourism is addressed in planning depends on how long the community has been involved in tourism or the importance of tourism to them. Since the Central Highlands region i s still in the early stages of tourism development, goals that may want to achieve involve setting up organizational structures and collecting information to have better understanding on the tourism system in the community. Then later throughout the process, more precise objectives can be created. The second step involve in identifying tourism as a system by breaking it down into three subsystems; tourism resources, organizations, and market. This will refers to how the community in the destination region coordinates their activities toward common goals and striving to achieve certain objectives by matching available resources and programs with the needs and wants of tourists, and identify the availability to be able to serve the tourists and provide opportunities for tourism development. For instance, for tourism resources in the Central Highlands; natural resources which can be used and available for the tourists are climate, scenery, favorable geographic location for shipping trade and high supply of local food and wine, while for cultural resources could be the unique ethnics cultures, cultural heritage, archaeological sites, and the local cuisine. Human resources of having a productive labor force and capital resources include the availability of infrastructure (roads, ac commodation, utilities of water and electricity) are quite limited. Moreover, the community also needs to recognize and list all the diverse range of public and private sectors in the destination that manage or coordinate tourism activities, and to make all these groups to work together achieving the same goals. Lastly, is to identify the tourism market segments or types of tourists the destination wish to attract and serve. Furthermore, after the second step moving on to the generating and evaluating alternatives step in tourism planning process. The generating alternatives development and marketing option to meet the goals requires brainstorming. And there are two parts to evaluation of tourism development and marketing alternatives; feasibility analysis, and impact assessment whether it is possible to be done and understand the impacts both positive and negative associated with tourism development. The last critical steps in a tourism plan are the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. As objectives have been set up for the plan, it needs to be implemented through a set of specific actions that should be adopted and developed by the community with clearly defined responsibilities and timetables. Then implementation is should be monitored and evaluated to find out the success of the plan in meeting its goals and objectives. Plans generally still need to be adjusted over time because of changing go als, changing market conditions, unexpected impacts. Thus the most important of all, successful tourism planning and development should able to serve both tourists and host communities. However, tourism should serve the community first since tourism development is closely coordinated and supported by the local population of the destination. 4.2 Guiding Principles for planning participants Tourism is very important and as the main key driver of economic growth or development tool for the Central Highlands Region, which its future development should therefore be maintained by tourism developers or planners engaging in the tourism planning process. There are set of guiding principles that can be used to support tourism planning which by providing specific policies that need to be developed to suit the particular area of the Central Highlands of the region. The tourism policies which are include in a plan can aim to maximize the benefits of tourism by ensuring that the development able to reach its potential contribution to tourism in the destination at the same time providing benefits for local community. Then it is also to integrate development with its surroundings in terms of design and layout in the way that the facility or service is able to function properly and in order to avoid unexpected impacts such as disturbance to activities. In preparing such policies it re quire planners to understand a number of important factors which are include market demand, environmental impact, transport and accessibility, functional link, regeneration benefits, and labor supply which all these can be vary for different tourism developments such as for labor supply, the quality and amount of labor will be different from one area to another. Tourism planning generally seeks to place new development where the need for employment exists and to benefit the local population from the various ranges of job opportunities. 4.3 Issues to be considered In terms of planning tourism development of the Central Highlands destination region, comprehensive planning is required for successful planning and development which involves systematic approach and series of steps that has been mentioned above. In addition, there are still several issues to be considered regarding to tourism planning for tourism development in the destination especially in terms of the complications and issues that tourism planner may encounters. Refer to the previous Claire A. Gunn descriptions of issues or challenges in the field of tourism planning; the major issues that probably face by the tourism planner in the destination are the lack of system of planning and the dramatic evolutionary changes for aboriginal societies and acculturation. The lack of system of planning can occur in which there is no enough balance between two main drivers of tourism elements both demand and supply. The limited supply in the destination which are include limited infrastructure, accommodation, natural and human resources, as well as tourist attractions would not enough to fulfill the high tourism demand as both elements are dependent on each other. Besides, due to the majority of the island population are ethnic groups and they seems to be distrustful of strangers it will be difficult for the community to develop tourism plan because it requires them adaptation with the industrial societies and they need to decide which areas of the community that will be shared with the tourists and how the community will capture the benefits. Since they need to have a contact with the tourists, it will also lead to modification of the culture as a result of contact of different culture. 5.0 Conclusion The Central Highlands of the Island which is the main discussion in this paper, as a tourist destination region, still have a very little development on tourism due to the lack or limited of supply and natural resources (fresh water) that are important to support for tourism activities and development. One way is that the local government needs to encourage tourism planning and get involve the community in the process and decision making, and use different approaches of tourism planning that play important role in the tourism development in the region. Thus, planning is necessary for tourism in the area to develop at the same time it will provide benefits for the communities in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects of tourism. Besides, comprehensive planning should be also applied by involving series of steps to achieve specific objectives of tourism development and highly coordinated with the local community and regional planning efforts. However, there are also some issues or challenges in the tourism planning that planners might face include the lack system of planning and acculturation in the area since the community has to still maintain and protect their strong and unique cultures.

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn †Freedom :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Freedom In the novel The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a theme of freedom is portrayed. Freedom takes on a different perspective for each character in the novel. In Jim, the runaway slave, and Huck's, the mischievous boy, journey, they obtain freedom. Jim's hunt for freedom is an escape from the clutches of slavery, while Huck's is a flight from the civilized world. Their hunting for freedom is for one reason, for their happiness. This is shown throughout the novel in Jim's desire of escaping slavery and Huck's wish for being uncivilized. From the beginning of the novel, Jim lives his life as a slave. He is fairly content until one day, when he overhears his owner, Mrs. Watson, talking about selling him to New Orleans. Jim becomes terrified and runs from Mrs. Watson. From that point on in the novel, Jim turns into a runaway slave. His journey with Huck down the Mississippi river begins with only the fear of being caught as a runaway slave. Later in the journey, Jim starts to yearn for freedom from slavery. This is manifested in this quote when Huck describes Jim's reactions about being free in Cairo, "Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom" (97). Jim's excitement is also demonstrated in more actions about Cairo as Huck describes more, "Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, "Dah's Cairo!"" (97) Jim's excitement for freedom is obvious. Slavery sets social chains on Jim's life and hinders his happin ess and his goals in life. The only way Jim can achieve his happiness is through freedom. Freedom for Jim means escape from slavery and a release from the social chains. Huck makes a clear point about his perspective about living in the Widow's civilized home when he states, "But it was rough living in a house all the time...and so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out. I got into my old rags, and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied" (1). Huck keeps this outlook on being restricted throughout the novel.

Notre Dame University Football Dynasty Essay -- essays research papers

Waking up the Echoes Throughout College Football's extensive 138 year history, there has been debate over which football team is the greatest dynasty. Many dynasties throughout the nation have the ability to be titled 'the greatest'. Nevertheless, the University of Notre Dame is undeniably the best overall College Football dynasty, when one considers not only statistics but also tradition, heart, and dedication. Notre Dame?s exceptional dynasty has many attributing factors throughout its history. These factors range from the greatest coaches and players to the contagious Irish spirit. No matter what ethnic background a Notre Dame man comes from, the minute he steps out onto 'Rockne's house'(Notre Dame Stadium), he automatically becomes one of the Fighting Irish. It is a telling act that throughout Notre Dame's history, and increasingly in recent years, many players, coaches, and fans have made the university their home purely because of their preference to be in the midst of a community of learning wher e belief is not merely tolerated, but in fact is celebrated. Notre Dame?s football history has not only been legendary but memorable. From their extraordinary hall of fame coaches to their historic rivalries, not one person can forget the Fighting Irish. During this Irish History, their dynasty could not have been ?Rock?-solid (referring to Knute Rockne who built Notre Dame Stadium) without outstanding coaches. With thirteen national titles, Notre Dame has more football championships than any other university or college in history. The thirty remarkable coaches include the greatest in Notre Dame?s history: Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, and Lou Holtz. The program has the highest total winning percentage, higher tha... ...s come and go, football?s greatest players and coaches yield their places in history, Nevertheless, the years fail to dim the ?glory-days? won by the Irish. The University of Notre Dame has proven itself as the best overall dynasty by its ability to persevere and prepare to bounce back under pressure. The remarkable history of the Fighting Irish will always be treasured by their fans and shows the heritage of the Irish spirit. Notre Dame?s young team for the upcoming season (2008) may lack experience but also has more potential for growth, flexibility and magnitude. Based on current statistics and facts, Notre Dame is proving its ability to come back and achieve greatness once again. No matter what the scores or numbers show or ?whether the odds be great or small, Notre Dame will win overall? as long as the spirit of dedication and perseverance continues to thrive.

Implications of the Internet – moral, social and commercial disadvantages of the Internet

Pornography – although pornography itself dates back hundreds of decades, the mass media availability of pornography is rather modern; however, Internet pornography evokes various problems. Online pornography is so popular partly due to the level of anonymity it offers as certain individuals can use this privacy to hide their dubious activities. For example: * A married man could be unsatisfied with his sex life, however rather than tell his wife, he can anonymously achieve sexual gratification without his wife discovering his dissatisfaction through pornography via the Internet. * Alternatively, online pornography can be a teaching tool to the likes of teenagers who do not have the confidence to ask others about sex – nonetheless as the vast majority of pornography is edited in ridiculous ways, e.g. making certain assets bigger, this can be more hindering than helpful * However, the biggest problem with anonymity is PAEDOPHILES! Disgusting individuals can use technology and the Internet to conceal their illegal activities and therefore massive child pornography rings exist – nevertheless it is incredibly hard to prevent such actions as no one really owns the Internet, as it is an international free network, so centralised control cannot be implemented to censor such filth The Internet also offers an astonishing amount of various explicit materials for very cheap costs and psychologists believe that the concept of ‘too much of a good thing' leads to a serious addiction to online pornography. Potentially, this addiction can cause problems in other aspects of life e.g. careers, family relations, friendships and issues with ones self-esteem. Read also Twitter Case Study Of course, when morally speaking there are the typical issues concerning pornography that it is exploitative in nature. Many argue that pornography teaches people to view others as objects of lust rather than someone with feelings and unique personality traits. Consequently the threat of harming the way in which we view others increases as the Internet has made pornography much easier to consume in large quantities. Alternatively, many view the claim that pornography makes people view others as ‘sex objects' slander, saying that very few are actually affected in this way and in fact most consumers are well-adjusted individuals. For example, they assert that an increase in high levels of online pornography has not increased any country's rape or domestic violence levels. Another issue to discuss is that thousands of people below the legal age are able to access pornography on the Internet. Contrast to stores where you can prove your age, online you simple ‘agree' you are above the legal (18 in most countries) and so many youngsters are viewing explicit material illegally, which in some ways, if rather graphic and serious alter ones outlook. [1] Chat rooms – it is indisputable that chat rooms have revolutionized social communication way before social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. People across the globe can escape the burdening aspects of life's reality to hang out online typing away to online friends, participating in random theme-based discussions. However, the widespread use of the chat rooms has brought a certain level of threats and dangers to users. Read also Recording General Fund Operating Budget and Operating Transactions * Online Threats / Illegal Activities – Cyber criminals, drug dealers and other unsocial individuals lurk in chat rooms to lure in unsuspecting victims, as well as the willing, to participate in various illegal activities. Once done so, participants are left vulnerable to police enquires and could even be arrested for their crimes. * Example: An advance-fee fraud such as the Nigerian Letter, also known as 419 fraud, is a type of scam where victims are convinced that someone is stranded in a country – Nigeria – and that they cannot get their passport back until certain bills are paid. Therefore, vulnerable people are targeted, in some cases through chat rooms, and are then contacted via email to ask for help. A 2006 BBC article stated that at the time this â€Å"style of incidents alone cost the UK economy à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½150m a year – with the average victim losing à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½31,000†. * Paedophile Predators – The greatest threat of chat rooms in my opinion is the presence of paedophiles, online stalkers and other repulsive predators constantly looking for ways to exploit the vulnerabilities of pre-teens and young teens. * Example: Recently in Australia, (June 2011) an alleged US predator Stephen Vosilla was arrested for â€Å"going into video chat rooms and talking to minors and convincing them to take their clothes off or do sexual acts and he was recording and taking screen captures of what they were doing.† (As said by Morristown Detective Michael O'Keefe) * Harmful Addiction – Addiction to chat rooms can cause users to spend hours on different forum at the cost of other life activities. Human behavioural scientists and clinical psychologists have even considered chat room addiction to be almost as damaging as alcohol or drug addiction on the human psyche and health. * Hacking Threats – Too much time spent on chat rooms can also lead to the possibility of your computer being hacked by the universal threats of semi-automatic spyware, adware and various human-related viruses, or even receiving spam emails via your chat room accounts * Social Disengagement – Spending hours online in chat rooms can ruin your interaction with people in the real world. Becoming too familiar with online-only friends can leave you detached from outside relationships and make you incredibly social awkward. Therefore, not only personal hindering your life, but this can make getting and holding down a job very difficult. Social Dominance of the English Language Some argue that the exponential growth of the Internet has caused considerable damage to language: * Firstly, language usage and written proficiency is gradually deteriorating with online ‘slang' ruining the need for correct spelling and good grammar. * Secondly, the Internet threatens national borders through the apparent foreign influence and hegemony. * Thirdly, the Internet threatens to oppress the language of linguistic minorities and the linguistic identity of minor communities and nations. Although across the globe there are more native speakers of Chinese, Spanish or Hindi, it is English that they use to communicate across cultures, and it is English they teach their children to help them become citizens of an increasingly intertwined world. Ultimately, it could be argued that English is the ‘lingua franca' on the Internet (and in the world). Although one widely quoted figure stated that 80% of online content is in English, other sources argue showing figures 5 to 15% lower. However, it is evident that well over 50% of the Internet's information is in the English Language; hence overall English does dominate the Internets data. Historically the English dominance on the Internet is understandable as the Internet was basically developed in America, therefore naturally the Internet predominantly spread in the other English-speaking countries of the world. Nevertheless, many have bitter views of the Internet due to the English language: * The director of a Russia Internet service provider has at one point referred to the Internet as â€Å"the ultimate act of intellectual colonialism.† * Former French President Jacques Chirac was far more apocalyptic stating that the prevalence of English on the Internet is a â€Å"major risk for humanity,† which threatens to impose linguistic and cultural uniformity on the world – and as a result the French government inflicted a mandate that all Web sites in France must provide their content in French. Alternatively, there are some positive aspects of the Internet when concerning language. People in foreign countries can now access online versions of nearly any resource, so if French speakers in non-Francophone regions wish to read the French newspaper they can do so thanks to the Internet. People unable to speak English are provided with search engines in their own language, in 2008 Google owned around 800 domains, here's just a few: * www.google.com (USA) * www.google.co.uk (UK) * www.google.com.af/ (Afghanistan) * www.google.cn/ (China) * http://www.google.com.ng/ (Nigeria) Whatever country you are in Google will provide the best results in your spoken language; therefore even if you cannot speak English, you can still search the Internet. More importantly, online users can now get remote access to government information, educational materials, scientific journals, and, ultimately, the digitized collections of the major national libraries in an array of languages, enhancing learning capabilities. Of course the Internet cannot prevent the global dominance of the English language but it does provide the opportunities to communicate with other members of geographically dispersed communities. Today more than 100 different languages are used in discussion groups, including not just the major national languages but Catalan, Gaelic, Navaho and Welsh, among so many others. People now have the opportunity to speak in their native tongue with others all other the world who before could only talk in Welsh or Yiddish with older relatives. Therefore, despite the indisputable dominance of the English language the Internet provides so many opportunities for other language speakers. Web Addiction Due to the constant use of the Internet in today's society, such as using emails relentless at work or video conferencing with business partners or teenagers spending ridiculous amounts of time online for social networking, the possibility of becoming an addict is highly likely. There have been several cases of people being addicted to the Internet features such as chat rooms, or to certain websites, such as eBay. Like any addiction, Internet addiction must be taken very seriously as resulting financial and social problems can sincerely destroy people. Case Study: China In China Internet addiction is treated as a mental illness and sufferers are sent to military-style training camps where severe discipline ensues in order to rehabilitate. It was been estimated that up to 10% of China's millions of web users could actually be addicts and as a result the Chinese government shut down almost 2,000 Internet cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s in 2001 because of the concerns over the influence of the countries teenagers. As of yet there is no proven way to treat the addiction, however in July 2009 China's Ministry of Health formally banned the use of electroshock therapy. An incident concerning one of the Internet addiction training camps happened in august 2009 at Qihang Salvation in China. A 15-year-old boy called Deng Senshan was sent by his father to receive ‘treatment', nonetheless, within less than 24 hours of being their Deng was out in solitary confinement and horrendously beaten. Deng was later found vomiting and was then taken to a clinic however, having received such brutal injuries (marks were found on his body), Deng unfortunately died. Of course this is an extreme case, but the fact that China has taken such extreme measures emphasises how serious the increase of Internet addiction is becoming. Society will not be able to function properly if our people are addicted to the web and therefore, this serious problem of a need to be online must be stopped before other countries start following China's inhumane methods. Commercial – The concerns with e-Commerce The past decade has shown a revolutionary increase in business transactions online, however despite e-commerce modernizing the world of business, the developments have also brought along an array of problems. * Privacy and Security issues: Privacy of personal information is a highly significant issue for consumers. Each legal jurisdiction has varying laws when concerning consumer privacy, and as a result there are different levels of enforcement. The vast majority of consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing that comes with supplying contact information to an online merchant and therefore many merchants promise to not share consumer details for these purposes, or they provide options to ‘pot-out' of such contacts. Many websites, like Amazon.com, track consumer purchases in order to suggest other items or websites for the customers to view. Although this can be a useful service, however, if this was done across companies this could be viewed as an infringement of privacy. The biggest security risk with shopping online is someone obtaining your credit / debit card details and then running up huge bills, spending your money. Although today secure payment methods are many and varied, there are still risks of hackers and malicious software's obtaining such information. Online merchants need to have high security as hackers many try to illegal breach the software to obtain all the personal details of consumers to not only use their credit cards but also open up new accounts in their names. The old clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½: ‘If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is' becomes highly relevant with credit card fraud. Ridiculous bargains and suspicious looking sites should be treated with vast caution, as these could be a front for stealing credit card details. * Products: Misinterpretation and misunderstanding of items bought online is a common problem nowadays, hence a problem with online shopping is that you are unable to physically see and touch the item before purchase: for instance, Items can be of poor quality or items may differ significantly from the description given or clothes cannot be tried on or tested. * Delivery and Returns: Waiting for you items to arrive can be in some cases frustrating. Once your order has been placed, you have to wait for ‘processing' and finally when it is ‘dispatched' you have to wait for the courier or postman to delivery it. By the time you actually received your item the ‘thrill' of shopping is practically gone. Furthermore, there are risks of the item never arriving as it can get lost or stolen, or the couriers could damage your package. Both resulting in a series of extensive phone calls to resolve the problems. Moreover, although some sites may offer free shipping, many only offer free delivery if your spent over a certain amount, meaning buying ‘cheap' items is pointless as you end up paying more. Buying items that you need immediately is a problem, unless you pay extra costs for ‘next day delivery', which can be substantially high. Additionally, if you decide to return your item, this requires even more phone calls or emailing and you could als o be charged for the shipping back costs. Diminishing physical stores – better deals online Another significant problem when concerning commerce is the Internet has diminished the value of certain ‘brick and mortar' stores, and combined with the current economic climate, has resulted in numerous chain stores having to shut down, such as Woolworths, Jane Norman and TJ Hughes. In October 2010, over 89% of people had reported that they shopped online and Verdict Research experts estimate that by 2014 online shopping spending will grow by à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14 billion (61%) – in 2008 people already spent à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½14.7bn online. [18] The increase use of online stores like Amazon, which allows individuals to find goods at the lowest price, means people are benefiting from the so-called â€Å"flight to value†. In todays economic climate average people can no longer afford to go out on a massive shopping spree and instead stay at home surfing online for a bargain. However, another factor of the Internet that diminished the value of stores like HMV is the ability to illegal download music, movies and TV shows. People can no longer afford to buy their favourite songs or films and therefore resort to illegal download them from various websites via the likes of torrents. Hence, HMV is now going through tough times, being very close to closure, if it weren't for a Russian investor.