Overseas Holidays

What has happened to demand (sales) of holidays in the last five years? What has happened to prices, and the revenues of sellers? Overseas holidays take up the greater part of travel agent bookings; the year 2011 experienced a great amount of holidays overseas taken by the United Kingdom’s flat line since 2008. The demand for sales of overseas tourism in the last five years was low because of various reasons or factors.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Overseas Holidays specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the lack of growth in the last five year was enhanced by such factors as â€Å"Eyjafjallajokull† volcano, which caused the airspace to be closed up, thus, leading to the reduction in demand sales for holidays due to the negative effects within the market. In addition, there was a downgrade in forecast of GDP growth in the Bank of England, which was noted to be approximately one percent t o two percent. The decrease in the demand for overseas holidays in the last five years was also due to domestic events that happened during the peak summer period. For instance, there were Olympic Games in August and the UEFA, European Football Championship in June. It is revealed that domestic holidays declined from the year 2009 peak point remained at sixty-one percent of all holidays that were in use in 2010. Therefore, due to the decrease in demand of holidays that was experienced in the last five years, the prices were also affected, they had to be reduced in order to attract more holiday travelers. As a result, the sellers’ revenues were also influenced negatively because they declined. Research shows that the percentage of demand on holidays was a result of over protection on holidays and a small upturn in the package sector that raised agent`s share of the market. Short breaks were greatly affected by the recession that led to their abandonment by consumers. This tren d caused a negative impact on independent holiday volume. The meaning of staycation and why it is popular A staycation is a special type of vacation in which individuals known as staycationers remain at home rather than travel away to have some rest. The main purpose of a staycation is to help people rest from their day-to-day activities without having to take a trip far away from home (Rees 2011, p.89). Staycations have become popular currently because they are readily affordable by every person who needs a vacation but lacks finances or sufficient time. In addition, it is the best vacation for those individuals who do not like to experience travel difficulties such as delays among other shortcomings. Staycations have become popular because it is a person’s choice where to go. In a staycation, there are no difficulties in packing and unpacking of luggage. Generally, staycations have become popular because they are good time savers.Advertising Looking for report on busin ess economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is because most people’s schedules are so tight and, therefore, finding time for oneself becomes an issue. Therefore, with staycation, people can save time that is spent on traveling by checking in the nearest resort where they can get out of their daily activities. It saves money since most vacations are extremely expensive. Staycation requires creativity rather than a lot of money in order for one to have fun. Staycations are also safe, specialized and simple. Importance of the Concept of Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand Cross elasticity of demand is the measure of responsiveness of the demand for a product due to a change in the price of another product. Elasticity of demand is important because if an organization can estimate cross elasticity of demand, then it stands a good chance of evaluating the effect of pricing strategies of their competitors. Determinants of the Relative Prices of Staycation and Vacations Relative price is the price of a product or service in terms of another. Therefore, the relative prices of staycation and vacation are determined by the prices spent on vacation to those spent on staycation. This implies that a person may decide to have a staycation because of lack of enough money to go for a normal vacation, which is quite demanding in terms of money. Using the concept of Income Elasticity of Demand to explain the effects of the Recession on the Demand for Holidays Income elasticity of demand is used to quantify the association between a change in amount demanded and a change in revenue. Demand for holidays is extremely price elastic. This means that as the prices of holidays goes up, it leads to a decline in demand. For instance, during the declines in the number of demand for holidays that were less than the equivalent reductions in volume, average expenditure on oversees continued to increase across the period. Exampl es of overseas expenditures involve airfares, sea fares, tunnel, as well as train fares. Therefore, due to this increase in travel expenditures using the concept of income elasticity of demand, the demand for holidays reduced at a higher rate because a considerable number of people choose to have a staycation, which is quite affordable rather than going for long vacations far away from home. The major cause of recession involves the short breaks that have been unreasonably affected. This is because a significant number of customers are more likely to abandon the short breaks holidays due to an increase in travel expenditures more than the long main holidays.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Overseas Holidays specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, this could lead to the elimination of shorter value oversea trips from the equation to a higher extent than long holidays. The capacity concerning the short brea ks have been thoughtfully redirected towards high value commodities. Therefore, higher affluence has greatly correlated with the likelihood to take holidays overseas, nevertheless, the rich customers have been the least likely to change their behaviors concerning going for holidays despite the occurrence of recession, whereas the less fortunate have been more likely to give up the issue concerning the overseas holiday market. Some of them either resort to other travel agencies or simply give up the idea of holidays completely. As a result, it has reduced the average expenditure on the influence of the lower spending sections. This implies, therefore, that change in price expenditure of travel agencies led to change in demand for holidays for majority of individuals who cannot afford to pay. Type of market structure that exists in the market for package holidays Most organizations base on those features that influence the nature of competition and pricing. For package holidays, there is the existence of the perfect competition market structure. This is a market structure that involves unrestricted contestability. This implies that any is free to join such a market because there are no obstacles that hinder a person or an organization to join the market structure. For instance, there are an unrestricted number of manufacturers and purchasers that involve an ideal elastic demand curve. Therefore, perfect competition exists within the market for package holiday because business dealing with travelling is open and has no restrictions for entry and exit, there are also a significant number of firms that have been developed under this market thus they produce the same products and services which are mostly transportation services. This market structure within the market of package holidays provides effective and efficient information and skills that are required through various means such as the internet so as to make it easier for travelers to have access to the inf ormation anytime and anywhere they wish. The firms under this market structure are price receivers making their demand curve to be a perfectly elastic curve. The rationale for the merger activity in recent years The motivation for the merger activity was to help in expanding the travel agency. For instance, through this activity that has taken place during the recent years, there was introduction of the United Kingdom first fair trade holiday as well as introduction of internet across the broader travel industry, which acted as the driving force for the innovation and for the merging activity in recent years. It is noted that a considerable number of people from various places have made their bookings through the internet.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The relevant costs include variable costs because they tend to vary with output. This implies that these costs have a constant increase rate that is relative to labor and capital. For instance, when the demand for holidays reduces, the costs included in the travel expenditures also reduce, while the increase in demand for holidays also increases the prices. Reference Rees, T 2011, Travel agents, senior travel and tourism analyst, Prentice Hall, London. This report on Overseas Holidays was written and submitted by user Jared Dillon to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Personal Essay Example My Experience of Visiting Chinatown

Personal Essay Example My Experience of Visiting Chinatown visit to Chinatown and confront with the reality on the ground. By so doing, firsthand experience came in hand. A community of Chinese people that lives together in the same area, around a foreign city usually leads into that place being named Chinatown. Such an area becomes the working community for the Chinese. Having no preconceived idea of how Chinatown looked like, the expectation one would have is to meet up with pure Chinese architecture. However, this is not what I witnessed because the architectural structures one finds are a mixture of both Chinese and American architectural designs. A few buildings that seemed to be at least one century old could be seen in the distance but, nonetheless, the surroundings are not instantly exotic. Though there is hardly genuine Chinese architecture, the few that are there are worth seeing. Examples from such were adorned with fire-spitting dragons and Chinese lettering. They were not, however, sufficient to make the buildings manifestly exotic. With a keen look at the people dashing along the streets, however, an aura of a foreign characteristic is perceived. The streets here are always filled up with people moving in both directions. The alleys are narrow and the buildings are decorated with Chinese writings and drawings. Most of the people who live in Chinatown have their roots in a common place origin. Most of them are immigrants of Chinese descent. Nonetheless, traces of other people with Asian origins are also found. Therefore, it is not strange to find Thas and Vietnamese on the streets. Basically, the relationship of the people in Chinatown is cultural. It is the cultural ties of these people that hold them together as a community. The identity of Chinatown is founded on cultural factors and, consequently, the relationship of the residents is also culturally defined. The people in Chinatown nowadays lead very busy lives. This is dictated by their main economic activity-trade. Many private businesses are found on the opposite sides of streets here. Therefore, the typical daily life of any residents involves attending to their business affairs. No one seems idle. Buying and selling is the order of the day. By keenly inspecting the streets, one inevitably perceives of the kind of businesses that exist here. Shops are everywhere. According to Waxman, almost all deal in similar goods that range from clothing items to household goods and gifts and other souvenir items. Sea food markets are many, wherein lots of different sea creatures are traded. Markets that trade in traditional Chinese medicine are scattered everywhere. The most outstanding of them all are restaurants that sell Cantonese food which is attractive to tourists who visit the surroundings. Walking along the streets, it is hard to meet with any other people other than the Chinese. They spoke a dialect that I could hardly comprehend. On further investigation, the language they spoke turned out to be Cantonese. However, on a good day and by sheer luck, one may meet with a Chinese who can communicate in English. What seems to make Chinatown so precious to the inhabitants is the imposing sense of community. According to Zahra, this sense of community is what links the residents with their motherland. Conclusively, Chinatown is an attraction for both locals and tourists. Individual Chinese from the vicinities of the city visit Chinatown for shopping as well for a feel of home. On the other hand, tourists and people like me are afforded an opportunity to learn and relate with Chinese culture which makes the whole affair a pleasurable experience indeed.

Agreemnet Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Agreemnet - Personal Statement Example d genuine differences among people to rapidly spiral out of control, further destroying the team’s interpersonal relationships (Griffith & Goodwin, 2012). As such, it is important to adopt positive approaches towards resolving conflicts, whereby discussions and exchanges are courteous, active listening occurs and the focus is on issues instead of individuals. Significantly, it is important to accord parties in the conflict the benefit of doubt since making assumptions and apportioning blame without hard evidence might further aggravate the conflict. Collaboration is another tactic that may be effective in addressing Manuel’s case of conflict. Since in this case job dissatisfaction and unfair pay seem to be the triggers for conflict, it is important to gather all involved parties to brainstorm for possible solutions solution that are mutually beneficial. However, this will only occur after Manuel is able to come to terms with his personal issues. This is because in order for collaboration to be effective in resolving conflict, compromise must occur whereby individuals relinquish their hard stand to find the middle ground. Consequently, Manuel may not be able to compromise if he has not come to terms with his issues and role in the conflict. The ability to compromise will also be helpful in negotiating for the appropriate solution since Manuel will have understood clearly the position of the company and his colleagues and vice

SOCIAL WORK IS PAPER TOPIC----Analysis of Assessment and Intervention Assignment

SOCIAL WORK IS PAPER TOPIC----Analysis of Assessment and Intervention Skills with Families(paper topic) - Assignment Example By evaluating the narration, the therapist connects these stories with the client’s life experiences and can recognize the links between different situations. In this narrative theoretical frame work, the therapist categorizes the experience into â€Å"dominant† stories and â€Å"alternative† stories (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.2). Structural frame work of family â€Å"indicates† the relationship and role of every individual in a family. The quality of a family depends on the â€Å"cohesive† attitude and â€Å"flexibility† of its members and the bonding among them (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.2, 4). A family structure includes certain â€Å"boundaries† which relating to the participation of members in family. In narrative therapy, the philosophy and approach is to focus on individual values of the client, within the family context. On the other the structural approach relies on the structure of the family rather than the individual traits of the client. The â€Å"alignment† features of family structure contains the same interests of the members and involvement of two family members to third member and the â€Å"power† of a family structure revolves around the head the family and his or her influence on the final output of a family activity (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.4). The structural theoretical frame work of family therapy regulates the involvement of every family member. The â€Å"explicit† and the â€Å"implicit â€Å"contract and the client centered approaches of the therapy differentiate it from narrative theoretical frame work of family therapy (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.4). In narrative frame work, the clients get a chance to â€Å"re-author† their stories , and through this re-telling the clients will come to know about themselves (Allyn & Bacon, 1998, p.1). The idea of reframing is a concept where the therapist asks same questions to two members of the same family. This is intended to derive different perspectives of an issue in hand so

Report on the statistical trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Report on the statistical trends - Essay Example Bibliography 13 7. Appendix 14 MA7414 Mortality 1. Introduction: 193 United Nations member states and over 23 international organizations have been and continue to work on the Millennium Development Goals campaign since the year 2000. The campaigns are to achieve eight international development goals by the year 2015. The eight goals range from eradicating extreme poverty to improving child health and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Millennium Summit of the United Nations had set the target for MDGs as the reduction of the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. ( 1 )This research project evaluates the impact of the recent economic crisis whose impact was felt all world over, on the successful implementation of the MDG-4, reduction of child mortality, among the six WHO regions, and the global index on the same. In addition, two countries from the African region, Mali and Niger, have been picked and progress in there assessed too. Of great importance are the overall trends in successful implementation of this MDG value, and any possible shift in trend since the on-set of the economic turmoil. Infant mortality rate and the under-five mortality rate data obtained from the WHO have been used for trend analysis. Following the turmoil, it is estimated that the emphasis laid on the reduction of child mortality has reduced globally as emphasis shifts to other urgent and more immediate threats. Understandably, the implementation of the MDGs has to go hand in hand with the management of emerging roles. The impact of the threat of shifting emphasis forms the basis of this investigation. 1.1 Source of Data The infant mortality rate is the probability of a child born alive to die within 1 year of their birth, and under-five mortality rate is the probability of a child dying by age 5 per 1000 live births which is a measurement of child survival. The mortality data is published by the world health organization and the tables give the under-five mort ality rate of a given year and region.[3] The regions include Africa(AFR) , Americas(AMR), South-East Asia (SEAR), Europe(EUR), Eastern Mediterranean(EMR), and Western Pacific(WPR). The global values have also been provided. 2.1 The statistical trend of infant mortality within the WHO region: Figure 1 the line of infant mortality rate among the WHO regions Figure 1 shows the downward trend of mortality rate for infants ( per 1,000 live births) between 1990 and 2011 in six different regions. In general, the mortality rate for each region has a downward trend. Globally, the death rate for children under one has decreased by 40 per cent over the study period, from 61 to 37 deaths per 1,000 births. Three WHO regions have higher infant rates than the global rate, and they are thus the main focus of the MGDs. These regions are Africa (AFR), South-East Asia (SEAR) and Eastern Mediterranean (EMR). In the regions with high level death rate for infants ( above the global infant mortality rate ), South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean have seen reductions of about 40 per cent and followed a similar trend over the period. Meanwhile, the number of children in South-East Asia who died before they could reach age one dropped from 77 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2011. In addition, the highest mortality rate of infants is found in Africa, where, above one in ten infants died before their first

Free Will Is An Illusion Philosophy Essay

Free Will Is An Illusion Philosophy Essay In my research I shall be investigating whether individuals can hold full moral responsibility for their actions if free will does not exist. Firstly I shall be exploring why it is claimed that free will is an illusion and looking more closely at the deterministic route. Then I shall be looking more closely at moral responsibility to see if we hold full responsibility through determinism/ causality. I will be looking into different areas of determinism from soft and hard determinism and compatibilism; looking at philosophers such as Kane and Hume. I shall conclude in my research that it is possible to hold full moral responsibility but yet be determined. This argument is supported by analogies such as the Frankfurt argument. Free will and determinism defined To investigate whether moral responsibility can exist without free will, we firstly have to explore the arguments of free will and determinism. The first approach that will be examined is libertarianism. Libertarianism states that humans have free will, and that there is a free action, therefore denying the thesis of determinism. Determinism being the opposite branch; denying free will and obtaining that for everything that happens in the universe there are conditions, and given those conditions, nothing else could happen or be changed. Already we can see how they conflict, actions cannot be free, but yet determined. Libertarianism is based on the belief that not all events in the universe are subject to causation  [1]  . After distinguishing both libertarianism and determinism I shall then move on to my next chapter to examine how the both collide with one another; to come to the conclusion that free will is unable to exist because determinism stands to strong. I will now explai n what each definition means with philosophers ideas. Libertarianism- Libertarians are revolved around an agent being able to do otherwise. If an agent has the choice and decision to do otherwise, then they are therefore free in their action. Kane is a well-known philosopher who defends the position of free will. In order to define what we mean by free will, he first describes what he means by Will. After distinguishing what Kane means by Will, he moves on to explain how our Will is free. He states to be a self or person or rational agent was to have reason, or the capacity to reason, and this was essential, as they viewed it, for the existence of anything we could call free will  [2]  . In order to have free will, we must be capable to reason, but as Kane explains we also need to recognise the capacity to reason has two kinds; theoretical and practical. Theoretical reasoning meaning intellect and practical reasoning meaning will; this allows us to act rationally as humans. He defines the term rational will as a set of powers defined in terms of a family of concepts whose focal member is practical reasoning or deliberation  [3]  . Kane moves on to explain what he means by practical reasoning; reasoning about what to be done. This means what one ought to do or should do, or what one chooses or decides; which signifies two kinds of judgements. The Will is a set of conceptually interrelated powers or capacities, including the power to deliberate, or to reason practically, to choose or decide, to make practical judgements, to form intentions or purpose, to critically evaluate reasons for action, and so forth. Kane describes the meaning of Will, to be rational and to reason. In order to have free will we have to be rational being. We can prove that we are rational beings as we have to have to capacity to reason, which every human attains. Therefore, to have the ability to reason as rational beings enables us to be free in our actions. We are able to look into situations and reason which is the best course of action to take. If we were pre-determined from the beginning of the universe to follow certain actions, then it means our reason would be pointless. Kane claims that being a rational being means we have freedom as humans, because we have the ability to reason. Humans generally act as if they possess free will. We dont see ourselves as being robots were we are being told how to function, but we like to believe that we are autonomous. We are able to freely choose what path we would like to take without any external factors influencing our decisions. However, it could be claimed that we are affected by the domino effect, our feelings effect our motives, which then effect our actions and so on, so technically we are always being influenced by something rather than being totally autonomous. Skinner explores this area of argument in later chapters with his behavioural studies. Foot explains, our actions may be determined by our past motives, feelings, or desires, but that doesnt necessarily prove that humanity has been pre-determined from the beginning of the universe. Foot comes to this conclusion because an action said to be determined by the desires of the man who does it is not necessarily an action for which there is supposed to be a suffic ient condition. In saying that it is determined by his desires we may mean merely that he is doing something that he wants to do, or that he is doing it for the sake of something else that he wants. There is nothing in this to suggest determinism  [4]  . Jean- Paul Sartre has an interesting view of human freedom; he argues that human actions usually tend to be something new, something they have never done before, a new experience. They think about going from present, to think about future actions that do not yet exist. Sartre argues that in this sense, humans are capable of standing part from the world, they are conceived and moved by the future that they see which does not exist yet. Sartre states that human-reality is free becauseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is perpetually wrenched away from itself and because it has been separated by a nothingness from what it is and from what it will beà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦freedom is precisely the nothingness which is made to be at the heart of man and which forced human reality to make itself instead of to simply be  [5]  . Although we may believe this is true, every action we tend to take is a new experience. But this new experience has to have been brought on by past experiences; it cant just be a random a ct that has never been thought about before. Such as, I want to go on holiday to America. A new experience, I have never been there before. But at some point in my life, past experiences have led me to come to this conclusion of wanting to go to America. Whether relatives have gone before, or someone has recommended it to me. A random thought cannot just appear in our heads, it had to be brought on by past acts/experiences. Therefore, we are under the illusion that we are free, but actually looking beyond the illusion, we see that in reality we are determined in some way or another; environment, heredity, experiences etc. Hard Determinism/ Causality However, determinism stands at the opposite end to free will. Determinism states that every event in humanity; decisions, actions, feelings is a consequence of state of affairs. Therefore, we are unable to be autonomous in our actions. Determinism can be placed into two different categories; Hard and Soft determinism. The basic outline of hard determinism is that humans have no free will. This is an incompatible position that both free will and determinism cannot exist. But this raises issues; if hard determinism is true then no one can possible be responsible for their actions? This is my area of investigation which will be explained later in more depth. Hard determinism holds 3 theses; 1) free will is incompatible with determinism and 2) free will (in an incompatible sense) does not exist because 3) determinism is true  [6]  . Hard determinism leaves no room for decisions and choice, as our lives have been determined for us. We may believe that we have choices and free will, but this is an illusion. Determinism lies within the idea of reductio: every action or event is the strict effect of a cause, and because this cause is itself the necessary effect of a previous cause, and convincing explanation requires a return to the very first cause, in other words the prime mover. Whatever its nature   [7]  . Determinism/Causality is the relationship between cause and effect. It is the thesis that every event is causally determined by previous events in accordance with laws of nature . It is a view that mankind has a say in determining its fate and choices of the agents future. If the agent was free to choose otherwise, then they must be free. They had the decision and to choose otherwise, but also the natural laws is unable to change. The past is fixed and out of anyones control, to say that if I had done that, the past would have been different (natural laws would have been different). However, the past cannot be changed, and therefore we are not free to choose, as we are always been influenced, determined by our past and natural laws. Determinism is what I shall be arguing for; we are able to hold full moral responsibility through determinism, which again will be explained in later chapters. Soft determinism Soft determinism differs from hard determinism. Hard determinism is one strict belief that free will cannot exist, but we are totally determined in our ways. Our choices, decisions, desire have all been determined for us, we are unable to prevent or change these. However, soft determinism is the belief that determinism and free will are compatible with one another. It is possible to believe in both without them conflicting. Compatibilists believe that it is possible to believe in both determinism and free will without being logically inconsistent. Freedom can be present or absent in situations; its about acting free in according to ones determined motives. Augustine and Hume have different ideas on their view of soft determinism, but yet still sum up the same conclusion that both determinism and free will are compatible. Augustine is a soft determinism but is also referred as a compatibilist too; we are still determined but nonetheless we are also free. Augustine is a prime philosopher of soft determinism, although his determined differs as he follows the route of theological soft determinism; events are caused by a higher power, known as God, yet we still obtain free will. St Augustine argued that just because God is omniscient does not mean that we do not have free will. God has foreknowledge of our choices and the decisions we will make. This does not mean man doesnt make decisions freely; rather it emphasizes Gods omnipotence. Augustine argued for three type of events; those that appear to be caused by chance, those caused by God (such as birth and death), and those caused by us (whether or not we take the decision to lead a morally good life). Whereas Hume didnt believe there was a higher power affecting agents, but believed that soft determinism operates through the mind and allows for flexible response. But it is still deterministic, because the way the various circumstances that constitute moral causes operate is to establish a set of motives or reasons that render a peculiar set of manners habitual  [8]  . What he means by this view is that soft determinism is about human nature that our morals sentiments are aroused by the characters of agents; where he claims that nature has made the minds of all people similar in their feelings and operations  [9]  . Soft determinism overall is belief in both determinism in some aspect, and a belief that we still hold free will. They still hold the view of universal causation (hard determinism), that everything is caused by a series of casual events. But it is also possible to hold freedom too, such as we are able to be moral responsible agents. One is able to act in accorda nce with ones nature, which has been determined by factors such as heredity, family or the environment. We have now distinguished what we mean by free will, and the different aspects of determinism. In order to answer this research question to find out whether moral responsibility can exist through determinism, we must first prove that free will is an illusion; which is my next chapter. Free will and determinism compatible? Free will and determinism collide with one another. My aim in this chapter is to conclude that free will is an illusion; it is unable to be compatible with determinism. My reason for arguing that free will is an illusion is so I am able to investigate whether it is possible for determinism alone (hard determinism) is able to be compatible with moral responsibility. As agents, do we have we the right to take praise and punishment, if our actions that we act upon werent our choice? However, I first have to disprove free will existing. As Kane states, we would like to believe that we feel it is up to us what we choose and how we act; this means we could have chosen or acted otherwise  [10]  . But is this the case? My argument is that agents are unable to act otherwise, as there is always an influence of determinism which limits their choices and decisions. I shall be exploring arguments from a free will view, but defending the determinism approach by claiming we are misled to believ e that we have free will, it is an illusion. In Kants critique of Practical Reason and Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals he argues that we must admit that we are free, otherwise morality cannot exist. Reconstruction of Kants main argument of free will goes as follows; 1) we accept morality on intuitive grounds. 2) Morality implies rationality. 3) Rationality implies free will. 4) Therefore we conclude we have free will  [11]  . In order for us to maintain morality as agents we must also maintain free will. Kant argues that; Firstly, morality involves a law-a moral law-that commands me to act in a certain way. Secondly, this moral law is universal in that we conceive of it as binding on everyone without exception. Since that moral law binds everyone, I cannot, or at least ought not to, excuse myself or a friend for any crime. Evidently, then, morality as a moral law, and indeed, the moral law, is an imperative in that it demands something of every person, and in particular, each persons will  [12]  . Moral law according to Kant is an act in accordance with the demands of practical reason, it is a categorical imperative (commands us to act in accordance to reason) rather than a hypothetical imperative (action required for a personal motive or desire). Our rationality needs to come from both reason and morality; we can use a priori reason to derive necessary actions or duties, the basis on which we are to act, from one of the several formulations of the categorical imperative  [13]  . Kant defends his claim that rationality implies freedom. This is because; rationality must appoint rules of both reason and morality. The categorical imperative as an imperative of rationality gives us a command to act in a certain way. It acknowledges us to use our priori reason in order to come to a conclusion of our actions and duties on what we act upon. Kant claims that of these formulations, the one that accords best with the conception of freedom is the formula of autonomy  [14]  . Acco rding to this formula, it means that the categorical imperative instructs the Will to act in a way that it both legislates law for itself, and at the same time subjects to those same laws. But these laws must conform to reason and reason is universal to every rational being. Therefore, Kant concludes that when the will acts accordance to this formula of autonomy, it is the autonomous will  [15]  , resulting that we must be free as rational beings. However, Spinoza flaws Kants argument; rationalism takes place the most strict identity between cause, reason and nature in which cause is the same thing as reason, reason is the same thing as cause, and cause is the same thing as a necessary causality or determinism. From a given determinate cause there necessarily follows an effect  [16]  . This results in the opposite of Kantian approach, as rationality is incompatible with freedom. This is because determinism results in the same causes producing the same effects, like a chain. Instead of looking at a philosophical approach on free will and determinism, lets take a look at the psychological approach too. Such as B.F Skinner, instead of using analogies Skinner uses hard and reliable evidence of studies and experiments to conclude that we are determined as humans. Skinner was a psychologist but also a very important proponent when it came to the debate of free will and determinism, he was well known for his behaviourist approach. Skinner stands as a hard determinist by stating that; If we are to use the methods of science in the field of human affairs, we must assume that behaviour is lawful and determined. We must expect to discover that what a man does is the result of specifiable conditions and that once these conditions have been discovered, we can anticipate and to some extent determine his actions  [17]  . Skinners system was based on operant conditioning, where an agents behaviour is modified by its consequences such as reward and punishment. Rather than our free will of choice and desire, we are instead determined or conditioned by our environment. Skinners aim of operant conditioning was to prove that our past experience does determine our actions in the future. If an individual finds something pleasant from their past experience, then their behaviour is likely to be repeated in the future. And vice versa- if the behaviour is followed by an unpleasant consequence then it is unlikely the individual would not repeat it- this is known as Law of effect. In order to prove his hypothesis of determinism skinner used an experiment called the skinner box. The Skinner box was created in order for an animal in the box to manipulate a lever that they can press to access food or water- a type of reinforcement. There was a light on the lever, and only when the light was on the food would be real ised by pressing the lever. Through this form of learning the animal was able to realise that the lever they pressed released food when the light was on rather than off, therefore the likelihood was the behaviour of the animal would repeat when the light was on, as it was a positive reinforcement. The animal learnt that the lever would not release any food if the light was off. Skinner relates this to our physical and social environment- the idea that we learn from our behaviour. When we find a positive consequence, we will repeat the behaviour, a negative response, we wont repeat the behaviour. For example, we learn from our peers when the best time is to ask them for a favour. If they are miserable, you know not too. But if they are cheerful you know that is the best time. The reason for this is because we have learnt from our past experience. We have learnt that persons facial expression and emotions when the best time is to ask for a favour wanting a positive reinforcement. Skin ner also gives different scenarios in which we learn from past experience which now determined our behaviour today; you also know that your professors are more likely to respond to your raising your hand if they are facing you than if their backs are turned. A green traffic light, another type of discriminative stimulus, signal that driving though an intersection is likely to be reinforced by a safe passage  [18]  . Skinners studies shows that we are affected as humans by our past experiences, through reward and punishment, bad and good affects. But these past experiences now determine us as agents, they are constantly influencing us in what we do. The past cannot be escaped and no matter how much someone claims they have free will they will constantly by determined by early/past experiences. We can never be totally free in choice or decision making, it is impossible. However, Kane recognises this conflict that Skinner picks up on. That we cannot be free because we are always being influenced by external factors, such as heredity, our environment and past experiences. Therefore, to defend the libertarian approach Kane forwards an example linked to B.F Skinner. Suppose a young man is on trial for an assault and robbery in which his victim was beaten to death. Let us say we attend his trail and listen to the evidence in the courtroom. At first, our thoughts of the young man are filled with anger and resentmentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦But as we listen daily to how he came to have the mean character and perverse motives he did have-parental neglect, child abuse, sexual abuse, bad role models- some of our resentment against the young man is shifted over to the parentsWe wonder whether some residual responsibility may not belong to him. Was he determined this way through his upbringing and environment, or was his choice totally free? Kane would claim he was total ly free in his decision making, with no influence or deterministic route. To explore the understanding of free will and Skinners claim more Kane elaborates on the idea of garden of forking paths. To illustrate suppose Jane has just graduated from Law school and she has a choice between joining a law firm in Chicago or a different firm in New York. If Jane believes her choice is a free choice (made of her own free will) she must believe both options are open to her while she is deliberating  [19]  . Therefore, there is more than one path available to her in her future and she believes this choice is entirely her own free will. We can see how determinism threatens the picture of free will but Kane carries on to defends the libertarian view; if we stopped believing in free will then we would lose our sense of morality/ responsibility so free will must exist. But we cant just claim we have free will because we are under the illusion we have more than one choice. There could be a mil lion choices, but the matter of the fact is only one of those choices is going to happen because we are determined. We are unable to choose otherwise. However, it could be argued that our reasoning is just an illusion. We like to believe we have a choice and be able to reason in situations, but it is possible that we have been pre-determined to make choices, but we just reason because we like to believe we are free. Its an illusion. We could deny determinism throughout our past and present future, but it doesnt mean we are not pre-determined. Pereboom reacts to Kanes argument and re-examines the libertarianism arguments. He argues that event-causal libertarianism cannot secure responsibility-conferring control  [20]  . He proves this through his own analogy. A business woman; Anne, who is in a dilemma to either decide to stop and help an assault victim, or she can refrain from so deciding. Pereboom argues that relevant causal conditions antecedent to this decision-agent-involving event, or, alternatively, states of agents-would leave it open whether this decision would occur, and she has no further causal role of the antecedent conditions already given, whether the decision occurs or not then settled by anything about the agent- whether it be states or events in which the agent is involved, or the agent herself  [21]  . Perebooms argument is that the agent has limited control required for her to be morally responsible. She cannot choose, nor have the desire to act upon this situation by helping the assault victim. She has no choose to do otherwise, and free will collides with this. Schopenhauer- Schopenhauer expressed that every man, being what he is and placed in the circumstances which for the moment obtainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦can absolutely never do anything else than just what at that moment he does do. Accordingly, the whole course of a mans life, in all its incidents great and smell, is as necessarily predetermined as the course of a clock  [22]  . A man is able to desire what one wants to do, but his actions are predetermined for him, and isnt able to choose otherwise. To explain this, Schopenhauer implies that determinism relies on two factors of an agent; their motive and their character. Our motive is causality that passes through our cognitive side; ones attention, memory, their reason. And a situation that happens at a particular time in particular circumstances depresses the switch on the detonator causing the explosion. This presupposes the nature of electricity and of the materials used for combustion  [23]  . Another word, motivation from ones action is roo ted from their personal character. This is known as their nature of the will. But what makes an agent determined, Schopenhauer explains is a reaction to the same motive will always differ in every individual. This alternatively makes up their individuality of their character. Schopenhauer calls this the empirical character as it is by its means that the way in which various motives affect the given man is determined  [24]  . An individuals character, their mental and physical attribute is constant throughout their life, no matter what it is always immutable. On looking back over our past, we see at once that our life consists of mere variations on one and the same theme, namely our character, and that the same fundamental bass sounds through it all. This is an experience a man can and must make in and by himself  [25]  . It could be argued that one is always changing, their character, and their physical and mental individuality. But no matter what we adapt to, or change our views, our character is always constant throughout our life because it roots back to our motive, which is our character. It is clear that free will is a weak position, and it could be claimed it is an illusion. Determinism can follow off into many routes, as Skinner has proved- a psychological approach, and Schopenhauer through an approach of our character and motive. But it is clear that determinism holds a very strong stance. Kane recognises the conflict of determinism and free will, but doesnt do much to hold his argument. To claim that just because we feel we can debate about a choice, and we think we can do otherwise does not prove we have free will. Its an illusion that we think is happening, but in reality, we have been determined. As Skinner and Schopenhauer have proved, our environmental, and character determined who we are today and who we will be. Now we have proved free will to be an illusion, this raises another issue. If we are totally determined in our actions then how are we expected to take full responsibility for our actions. If our actions have been pre-determined from the beginning of the universe, or through our character of environmental basis, then how could we possibly take responsibility for our actions? We have no freedom in choosing our actions, therefore why shall we be punished for them? Is Determinism/ Causal determinism compatible with moral responsibility? After establishing that the libertarianism view cannot exist, the deterministic route now has to be examined in more depth. Free will is an illusion, admitting this means everything is determined; either through a theological, psychological, behaviour or environmental path. But this raises a significant and relevant issue within philosophy which has been evolved for many centuries; can moral responsibility exist if everything has been determined? How can we claim we have responsibility or take responsibility for our actions e.g. punishment and reward, if we have been determined this way as an individual? Firstly I shall be exploring what I actually mean by moral responsibility so the argument is more specific and clear. Then I shall be deepening my argument to see whether hard determinism can exist with full responsibility of our actions; concluding that through the hard deterministic route it is possible to have full moral responsibility. Defining moral responsibility and determinism Concentrating on the issue of moral responsibility, I first have to define what I mean by this. Moral responsibility refers to whether an individual holds full responsibility of their actions and morals they act upon. As Pereboom explains the term meaning for an agent to be morally responsible for an action is for it to belong to her in such a way that she would deserve blame is she understood that it was morally wrong, and she would deserve credit or perhaps praise is she understood that it was morally exemplary  [26]  . If we take to definition of moral responsibility and link it with determinism (holding that determinism is true and in no form can be compatible with free will) we now start to build an argument. If our lives our determined for us, then why are we held responsible for our actions if our actions are not a choice we can make, they cant be prevented or chosen. Can moral responsibility exist? Ogletree and Oberle examine whether we have the right to hold individuals responsible for their actions; blame and punish them, if they could not have done otherwise. In a research study by Nahmias, Morris, Nadelhoffer and Turner (2005); examining peoples thoughts on moral

Conditions and Effects of the Evolving Electronic Economy on Labor Essa

Conditions and Effects of the Evolving Electronic Economy on Labor â€Å"But I think what surprised me as much as anything was not to find any stores on Washington Street, or any banks on State. What have you done with the merchants and bankers? Hung them all, perhaps, as the anarchists wanted to do in my day?† â€Å"Not so bad as that,† replied Dr. Leete. â€Å"We have simply dispensed with them. Their functions are obsolete in the modern world.† (60) Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy, 1887 Edward Bellamy’s futuristic conception of commerce in the 21st century unintentionally created a surprisingly accurate representation of the emerging electronic economy. The use of computer technology and the internet is allowing the creation of greater corporate profit margins at the expense of labor. There is a clear march towards â€Å"seamless† electronic transactions that removes many established forms of traditional marketing and employment that have existed for centuries. Funded by corporations, government, and ironically by consumers themselves, the evolving wireless economy promises to accelerate consumption at a blistering pace with little thought about the need for labor to have viable forms of income to sustain consumption. We are on the threshold of establishing global economic methods of manufacturing and distribution promoted by a capitalistic quest for profit that has not considered the far-reaching implications of dissolving existing methods of commerce or consequences of increased production. Capitalists have grandiose plans for increasing production and consumption at the expense of labor, but few plans for sustaining income for labor to support consumption. They have neglected to recognize or plan for the inherent flaws of capitalism that will have a tremendous effect on our future system of economy and society. At this time, we can only postulate theories about the outcome of our transformation to a digital, global economy. The indicators, however, predict a continuation of trends that do not portray favorable situations for labor or to support a cohesive society. In his book Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy astutely envisioned future methods of transactions that are increasingly becoming our reality, and his description of contrast between old and new world commerce could not have been more clear: â€Å"That must be a tremendous saving of handling,† I said. â€Å"... ... Atkinson, Robert. The New Economy Index, Understanding America’s Economic Transformation. Washington, D.C.: Progressive Policy Institute Technology, Innovation, and the New Economy Project, 1998 Bellamy, Edward. Looking Backward 2000-1887. New York: Random House, 1982 Braverman, Harry. Labor and Monopoly Capital, The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1998 Byrnes, Nanette. Internet Anxiety: Part in envy, part in fear, Corporate America is embracing a radically new business model. Business Week. June 29, 1999 Fiore, Frank. e-Marketing Strategies. Indiana: Que Publishing Company, 2001 Hanson, Ward. Principles of Internet Marketing. Ohio: South Western College Publishing, 2000 Hoque, Faisal. e-Enterprise. Business Models, Architecture and Components. Cambridge: University Press, 2000. Press, Associated. Does Tax Plan Repeat History? Sonora: The Union Democrat, March 12, 2001 Rosner, Bob. Getting Laid Off Isn’t The End of the World. San Francisco Chronicle, March 11, 2001 Stricker, Frank. Causes of the Great Depression, or What Regan Doesn’t Know About the 1920s. Dominguez Hills: California State University, 2000

A Study on Religion and the Role of It on People and Media….

Media Research Research Topic- RELIGION AND MEDIA A STUDY ON RELIGION AND THE ROLE OF IT ON PEOPLE AND MEDIA†¦. NIKESH GHOSH 100601181 Batch B ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of all I thank almighty God for helping me do this research paper and for being with me all throughout the research. Secondly, I would like to thank Mr. Padma Kumar sir for supporting me and for being the head of my research. Last but not the least I would like to thank all my friends who have helped me do this paper. Special thanks to my friend’s Gerson Pearson and Aparna Nair for their utmost help and support.In What Ways Did Religion and Economics Influence the Development of Medieval Europe and Japan?OVERVIEW This research paper mainly deals with religion and its impact on people through media. Here I have firstly focused on what is religion and media and then have linked religion with the society. Later I have showed the relationship of both of these with the media and all consequences regarding it. I hav e also added to it my own view point’s regarding the same topic. During the course of the research some questions regarding the same issue has also been dealt over here. INTRODUCTION What is religion?Religion is a mixture of belief, faith and culture which brings together humanity and spirituality. It is more often considered as an emotional expletive during the time of crisis. It has a very deep impact on certain people whereas a very mild impact on others. Religion was thought to be originated around 2500 BC. From then started the rise of religion. Even though there are a group of people who does not believe in the supernatural powers and god but they believe in science to control the world, there is another side of it too who believes that the supernatural power is god.Depending on this the religion aspect was also cut into several pieces and these were named as Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as Indian and Far Eastern religions like  Buddhism   and  Sikhism; Iranic religions like  Zoroastrianism and  Bahai , and African indigenous-based religions like  Santeria. Others belief systems were also developed with the rise of time such as atheism and Mormon Church. This is how religion was divided and this division also led to the conflicts in the name of god. Basically religion is something brought about by the humanity and it just serves as a hope and life for the believers.Religion is something which has the capability of controlling man. It helps a person gets rid of suffering, show them the value of life, enhances the urge to live in a peaceful way ,to help others which all ultimately leads to a peaceful life. Through this one finds the meaning of his or her life. But on the other hand there is also another category of people who uses religion for their personnel fights and creates fights and wars in the name of religion which no god tells to do. People and society have the privilege of manipulating things to the way they want and this is exactly what these categories of people are doing.Even though there are a lot of religions people forget to realise that the belief and controlling power is just one. One more category of people is the ones who don’t believe in any of these and just science has the controller of the world. In spite of all these religion has a very good impact in the peoples mind in the modern era. What is media? Media is a very broad and vivid area which is a communication link to wide variety and category of audience. It is a source through which the world links with the mankind. The sources to communicate with the audience may be different like television, radio, newspapers.Internet etc. but the aim is just one and that is to make people aware of the day to day events occurring across the globe. The people tend to believe these technologies blindly which has increased the rate and extend of rise of the media drastically. The source of information and value training to the society i s more and more often the media. The information brought about by the media is what the people believe and try to inculpate and this is due to the rise in the busy schedule of one’s life. Media itself is classified into: 1.Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising 2. Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass electronic communication networks 3. Digital media, electronic media used to store, transmit, and receive digitized information 4. Electronic media, communications delivered via electronic or electromechanical energy 5. Hypermedia, media with hyperlinks 6. Mass media, all means of mass communications 7. Multimedia, communications that incorporate multiple forms of information content and processing 8.New media, a broad term encompassing the amalgamation of traditional media with the interactive power of computer and communications technology 9. News media, mass media focused on communicating news 10. News media (United State s), the news media of the United States of America 11. Print media, communications delivered via paper or canvas 12. Published media, any media made available to the public 13. Recording medium, devices used to store information 14. Social media, media disseminated through social interaction 15. MEDIA Programme, a European Union initiative to support the European audio-visual sector (http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/Media) Relationship of religion and society through media As discussed above, society is very much influenced by the media and the attitudes of people of religion towards the media are extremely varied from uncritical acceptance to total rejection of media's presence in the life of society. As we all know everything has its dos and don’ts, this issue are also have both dos and don’ts. Nowadays the society is so much into the media that they believe anything and everything brought by them blindly . for instance the religious worships and aspects shown in movies vary from film o film and they may show a lot of aspects against and maybe for it. Some people has the ability to take it wisely whereas there is another category of people who believe the television and other media so blindly that they tend to believe all the religious aspects shown through this medium is true which ultimately has led to a lot of conflicts . we even know some religious themed movies even though has an outstanding performances in it has been banned a lot of commodities due to different ethical and religious issues. At times people tend to forget that films are not reality.But this is not just in the case films but any media related aspects can very well influence the people’s mind which has ultimately led to lot of religious dissimilarities and conflicts among people even now. One of such issue is the very famous ayodhya dispute which is even going on now . media has caused a very huge impact of this issue on the society. During the issue there were several articles against the media too stating that media should be kept away from the court and many more. All these are just some examples in order to show the relationship between religion and society through media.Today, the biggest criticism levelled by people of religion is that media are usurping religion's place in society. That is to give shape to a value system and to express the essence of a culture. Religion and media has gained visibility as a new area in the academic Study and knowledge of religions and their impact through a growing number of publications, research centres, and thematically focused conferences and workshops are also carried out. The media and television are believed to challenge the religious world views presently and also in the coming decades.Religion itself is categorised as a particular type of news among the media presently. Given below are two images in which one represents the top religious stories occurred in 2009 and other is the selected topics in t he us media in the year 2011 in which religion represents 2. 0 per cent of the total. Review of literature 1. Stewart Hoover’s recently published monograph (2006), Religion in the Media Age, begins with the following observation: ‘Religion and the media seem to be ever more connected as we move further into the twenty-? rst century. It is through the media that much of contemporary religion and spirituality is known. 2. The mission statement for the NYU Center for Religion and Media opens on a similar note, suggesting that ‘In the 21st century, religion is dif? cult to imagine detached from the dizzying array of media that amplify and circulate its ideas and practices. ’ 3. Gregor Geothals (1981, 1993) and William Fore  (1987, 1990, and 1993)  . â€Å"television has become the great cultivator of our culture, the great mythmaker of our time' †¦ providing myths which ‘tell us what has  meaning  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ for example, the meaning of social roles in society: who has the power, who is the aggressor, who is the victim.They tell us who can do what, to whom, with what consequences. By telling us ‘the way things are' they convince us this is the way it ought to be'. 4. George Gerbner (1979) . â€Å" television, in providing a ritualised dramatisation of symbols and values, plays a cultural role similar to popular religion. Gregory Baum (1993, p. 65) notes that the mass media do much more than mediate information: like religion they create the categories mi which we perceive the world. 5. Lee Marsden and Heather Savigny, both at the University of East Anglia, UK. Media Religion and Conflcit is one of the first constructive, unbiased analyses of its kind which looks at the role of media, religion and conflict in current domestic and global politics. It forces the reader to re-evaluate media constructs, cultural perceptions and issues surrounding identity whilst examining how and why conflict occurs as a result of these self-same media stereotypes. 6. The spirit of networks: new media and the changing role of religion in American public life; Author:Healey, Kevin : The Spirit of Networks examines the implications of new media for the future of American religious politics.I argue that we are at a critical juncture in both media and religion, similar to the early days of radio broadcasting. The outcome of that earlier juncture involved an increase in media commercialization and the proliferation of conservative evangelical broadcasters—developments which paved the way for the emergence of the Religious Right. Today, technological and generational shifts have the potential to alter the course of American religious politics. Younger people are more wary of political partisanship and religious hypocrisy, and are more likely to use new technologies as tools of political engagement.These shifts have led some journalists and researchers to pronounce the death of the Religious Right and the emergenc e of a new Religious Left. 7. A case study with Du, AlSayegh Media and Shaikh Al Oraifi. There are relatively few religious media channels through which to communicate effectively and which may be receptive to conveying a message on behalf of a company when compared to more mainstream media. Even if a company has a message that they’d like to promote and which would appeal to this target audience. 8.Communication and research trends (center for study of communication and skills: volume 21,2002. no. 2:media and religion case study ): The relationship between religion and media sheds light on this paradox [the privatization of religion but with public consequences, like the Islamic revolution in Iran or the political role of liberation theology], which illustrates an increasingly complicated negotiation between the private and public spheres. 9. Belief in the Media: (Cultural Perspectives on Media and Christianity Horsfield, Peter, Mary E. Hess, and Adan M.Medrano, eds. London: Ashgate, 2004. ): â€Å"Media Culture and Christian Institutions,† explores the impact of media on Christian institutions. This part, of course, drives home the message that institutions can no longer view media as simply tools for institutional messages; rather, the fluidity of media must be taken into account. Mary Hess examines the importance of popular culture and how Christian institutions might adapt to it. Both Adan Medrano and Siriwan Santisakultarm reflect on the use of media in their religious backgrounds, Latino and Thai Catholicism, respectively.Medrano’s â€Å"Making Religious Media† demonstrates the difficulty of creating religious television programming, which resonates both with the institutional message and the lives of adherents. In â€Å"Changes in the Thai Catholic Way of Life,† Santisakultarm traces the changing media that dominated Thai Catholic life from oral culture to the purported loss of religious communication with modernizati on. The final essay in this part explores the U. S. Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, and Frances Forde Plude suggests that, with this scandal, it becomes clear that the Church and the news media have differ nt and often contrasting views of media. Method of study In this qualitative research, firstly I have identified different types of media and evaluated their influence on society. Secondly I have explained and evaluated different religious attitudes towards the media and also religion and politics. Thirdly I have focused on the relation between religion media and society. Lastly I have focused on my own views regarding the topics listed above. 1. Types of media and evaluation of their influence in society? The different groups of media include: newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, radio, television, press, web and internet.Among these the most prominent one in the present days is web and internet. â€Å"In the last five decades or so, the media and its influence on the soci eties, has grown exponentially with the advance of technology. First there was the telegraph and the post offices, then the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and now the internet and the new media including palmtops, cell phones etc. There are positive and negative influences of mass media, which we must understand as a responsible person of a society. We have put our trust on the media as an authority to give us news, entertainment and education.However, the influence of mass media on our kids, teenagers and society is so big that we should know how it really works. The media makes billions of dollars with the advertising they sell and that we are exposed to, every single moment. We buy what we are told to buy by the media. After seeing thousands of advertisings we make our buying decisions based on what we saw on TV, newspapers or magazines. These are the effects of mass media especially in teenagers; they buy what they see on TV, what their favourite celebrity advertise s and what is acceptable by society based on the fashion that the media has imposed on them. ( http://www. opinion-maker. org/2011/01/mass-media-and-its-influence-on-society/) . The above statements were from an article by M. A. Mugdhal which clearly tells us about the influence media has on the society. People tend to believe what the media tells so blindly that they forget what the actual reality is. Henceforth, media has a huge rate of responsibility in order to bring up the accurate matters to the society and to educate the society in a proper way.The mass media can create awareness, knowledge of preventive innovations and convey useful information about the skills needed for behaviour change, but they should not be expected to change strongly held attitudes and behaviour. 2. Religion and media Malcom Muggeridge, a veteran English communicator with a long career in the world of radio and television, thought that one should do without television because it is a medium that traffi cs in fantasy that creates images and ideas that are not true and does not have and cannot have any relationship with truth.For him, the medium is an autonomous element capable of creating its own dynamic and, therefore, its own communication structure. Yet faith can be lived, received and shared outside society's structure and, so, the media are not only unnecessary but harmful. Muggeridge saw using mass media as a â€Å"fourth temptation† which Jesus would have rejected because in reality â€Å"this medium, because of its very nature, does not lend itself to constructive purposes. † On the contrary, media â€Å"are giving to Christian society something which is dangerously destructive. â€Å"This position is based on a conception of faiths considered as timeless in order to maintain its purity and integrity. Without overlooking the manipulative and deceptive purposes of the mass media, it should not be forgotten that this same a temporal concept is used by those wh o make use of the fantasy of the media to communicate very effectively the fantasy of their own â€Å"gospel†. Second, according to Neil Postman (6), any religious celebration in the media requires an environment invested with certain sacrality. To do this certain rules of behaviour are needed which are denied by the circumstances in which a religious programme is watched.People eat or talk or distract themselves with other activities and the way of behaving required by the religious celebration is lacking. But there is more – for Postman, the screen is saturated with profane happenings, associated with the world of commercialism and entertainment. In a way it supposes that religion can be successful on television only if it offers what people want, which presumes the trivialisation and emptying out of content. In this respect, we should accept a certain kind of warning against mass media because their manipulative intentions are more obvious.But this complex reality m ust not lead us to believe that a retreat to more traditional forms will simply provide us with the possibility of avoiding all contamination in communication. Has the Christian community always been unpolluted? Since when have only angels preached from pulpits? Third, Giorgio Giradet(7), an Italian Waldensian pastor, believes that one can find an alternative to extreme positions like the total rejection of Muggeridge, or the marked optimism he finds in the â€Å"electronic church† and in Pope John Paul 11.For him, that alternative has to take five things into account: (a) the importance of the media in a context that includes technical, financial, political and cultural aspects; (b) that using an electronic medium, like it or not, is a political act; (c) doing everything possible not to isolate the medium from reality; (d) preventing technical questions from alienating the medium from reality (problems of quality, montage, etc. ); (e) encouraging public participation, forest alling passivity.He concludes: â€Å"The struggle for and insistence on possible and sensible use of the media of mass communication centres in the end on reflection about the church. † We have to accept that in our world today mass media are more and more becoming the most important source of information and entertainment for us. We also need to recognise that they can play a significant role in encouraging participation in the search for a more just and peaceful world. ( http://www. religion-online. org/showarticle. asp? title=273) . The above article was put forward by Carlos A. Valle.What he tried to convey was just that media can bring about a huge rate of impact on people’s minds regarding religion. For instance, if we take the case of youth, these are the group which are more addicted to media nowadays especially internet and these category are the same group which has less knowledge of religion so they depend more on media in order to get different aspects and details regarding religion and the religious issues. As we all saw during the ayodhya issues, most of the society were kept updated with all the matters on media which clearly shows that media is the only medium which keeps the whole globe one.But as every matter has its negative and positive side . religion and media has also has its positive and negative side too positive| negative| Religions can reach many people who may not otherwise be reached via the media. This can be very important in helping people understand a faith and its traditions and beliefs. | The media can sometimes be used to encourage stereotyping and discrimination n against certain religious groups. E. g. the Islamic faith is now believed to be terrorists, due to the 11th September 2001 event. In the modern world, it is important to have a better understanding of those around you — it helps generate harmony and peace. | Usually the media broadcast the most controversial stories as they know they will most likely get a response the most outrageous the headline is. Therefore this can cause a disagreement between religions. | Prejudice often comes from ignorance, so the media can be used to combat this. Go onto the Internet, and type in a search for a named religious tradition. You'll find official websites, which can give you actual view of that tradition. The media can also be a source for blasphemy, for example The Last Temptation Of Christ, was boycotted and picketed by Christian groups when it first appeared in British cinemas. | Christianity and Islam are both missionary religions. There is a religious duty to spread their understanding of God and his laws, and to bring more people into the religion. The media is a good way to spread their message further, faster. | It can be seen as a source of corruption, as there are many anti-religious sites. This could be a source for persuasion and may affect the most easily peer pressure — young teenagers/ young adults. For many peo ple who aren't able to attend their own place of worship as often as they would like to, the religious broadcasts bring it to them. | It can raise issues of hypocrisy within religious texts and cause arguments and sometimes in extreme cases violence. | The media can be used to bring communities together and families together especially during special religious days. The media can be used to inform religious believers the special ceremonies taking place in areas close to them, allowing the religious community to come together and support the cause or celebrate the event. | | (http://wiki. nswers. com/Q/How_is_Religion_portrayed_in_the_Media) the above table focuses on the positive and negative side of the role of religion on media. It is usually unrealistic to expect the mass media to persuade individuals to adopt an innovation. At best, the media can bring about behaviour change indirectly but not directly influencing them to much extend. Nowadays religion and politics is also getti ng mixed up. Their relation is like blood and body. Different people interpret the correlation of religion and politics in different ways and this at times has resulted in lot of conflicts too.Media too has its own way of interpreting religion and politics. Nowadays major effort are put up in bringing religion close to media rather than bringing media close to religion and there are also efforts being made in order to eliminate the differences between the two. An article in http://religionmeetsnewmedia. blogspot. in/ on Tuesday February 07, 2012 has reported the launch of the New Media, Religion ; Digital Culture Studies Website. This clearly shows the advancing methods and ideas inorder to bring religion and media together and avoid conflicts between them.This way a peaceful world can be developed. Media as such as a very much role in the diffusion of innovation. 3. Religion, media and society. Religion, media and society is always linked together. Nowadays the society is mostly in formed with the religious aspects and issues through the media . so their linking is inevitable. As stated in an article: The replication of a study first carried out in the 1980s that examines coverage of religion by major TV channels and newspapers (UK).Analyses cover all forms of religion (popular religion, spirituality and new religions as well as conventional ones) and the „secular sacred? (e. g. freedom of expression, the value of equality, and human rights as sacred concerns). A key finding is that coverage of Islam has almost doubled, but Islam is generally framed as a problem in relation to terrorism, extremism, attitudes to women, or failure to integrate. Christian identity is presented as ‘under threat', particularly in right wing and tabloid media, because of political correctness and the equality agenda.Strong atheist and secularist voices have emerged since the 1980s, though their media portrayal is contentious. Identity issues are commonly presented in the media, but there is frequently a difference between media Portrayals and the self-identities of religious and secular groups. Equality, multiculturalism and discrimination continue to be discussed. Their treatment needs to be understood within the editorial context and rhetorical style of the newspaper or TV channel in which they appear. ( http://www. religionandsociety. org. k/uploads/docs/2011_05/1306247842_LINDA_WOODHEAD_FINAL_REPORT_MAY_2011. pdf ; research conducted by Kim knott. ) This article is all about the link between religion media and society. Religion has both positive and negative side within the society as well as within the media. In some cases through media we come to know about the different ways in which religious places helps the poor and the needy and in other way we come to know about the different war and fights in the society regarding different religion or among different religion through media.An article by the national institute of health states that â⠂¬Å"One side effect that has noticed by the National Institute of Health (PA-04-115), and is currently being studied further, is a reduction in cases of HIV and AIDS in areas that have received help by faith-based religions. The school of thought is that the focus on family and values around sexuality of these religions are causing people to be more cautious and use protection. † (http://www. studymode. com/essays/Effects-Religion-Society-160822. tml) But as we all know that we have come across lot of instances when religion has led to wars and ultimately death of millions. For example, the thirty years war in holy roman empire between the protestants and Catholics ; crusades in holy land, Europe between Islam and Christian ; Lebanese civil war in Lebanon between Sunni, Shiite, Christian. These are the few instances in which religion has led to war. But nowadays if there was no existence of media the youth may not be aware of all these. In this busy world no one is bothered to know all this.But still due to the existence of media the youth and the people of the present generation are very well informed about all these issues Nextly we can talk about the religion terrorism which is very well talked in media nowadays. A major trend seen nowadays is that all the religious conflicts are justified by the person who starts it. They have justification for all the violence they start. When religion goes bad that is dangerous and media in a way causes awareness to the people regarding this matter too. But it has its own negative point of view also. One such example is the al Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001. he Sept. 11, 2001, al Qaeda attacks highlighted just how dangerous a mix terrorism and religion is. This perception has been solidified by the series of terrorist strikes that have been launched since – whether by al Qaeda or its affiliates – as far a field as Bali, Spain, and Saudi Arabia. All these attacks highlight the threat posed by Isla mic terrorists in particular. However, while, they reflect a wider phenomenon of Muslim extremists resorting to terrorism in pursuit of their aims, they are but the (as yet) bloodiest expression of a phenomenon which extends far beyond Islam. (http://studies. agentura. ru/centres/cdi/explaining1/) The place of media in the modern society is rising tremendously that people prefer to get information more preferably from some source of media mainly internet. What is religion, its issues and related all matters are now more dependent and available from media. 4. My views and opinions regarding media and religion: As from all the above listed studies it is very well clear about the impact of media on the society and impact of religion on the society and thereby media and religion also gets linked up.As we all know that almost all newspapers has a columns which report religious aspects ( exceptional case like left front parties), Times of India carries a particular column ( like speaking tree) which is themed for Hindu linings. Even we can take the case about a particular newspaper which is named â€Å"The Hindu† even though it has nothing to do with the Hindu religion and this particular paper has a side for religion which reports and keeps updated with the various religious aspects occurring around the world.Even nowadays the new age guru s is promoted by the media itself . from all these it is very well understood the role of media in promoting religion and related superstitions and matters. It is the only medium which can reach millions of people at the same time and in a modern era people are more dependent on media. The adoption of internet and other media by the youth as led to much better diffusion of innovations and with better understanding. Religion has now become a thoroughly mediatised experience and the interconnection of media and religion depends on the society.As we all know that religious institutions and individuals are now very well influe nced by the media. We can tell that in a way lot many of them exist only because of the media impact. This is why some times the wrong religious practices are often questioned by the media and they always have to face the danger from media and this is one of the reason too that some of the religious institutions or individuals are opposing media at times. Among all the media, internet is the newest and most popular medium affecting the religious aspects in the present era. If

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror Introduction The fight against terrorism has taken many forms, which include the United States setting up a Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay Cuba. The prison has been in the spotlight, and controversies about how it is operated have increased every day. The prison was set up to reduce terrorists attack, but the purpose is worth assessing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is overwhelming evidence, which suggests that the prison has been used to deny individuals several rights. This essay seeks to show how illegal the rules that govern the prison are. With much elaboration, the violations of key civil liberties and the denial of the writ of habeas corpus will be highly discussed in this essay (Terry, 2008). The search for evidence to show several individuals rights have been violated will embark on a clear understanding of the writ of habeas corpus. The procedure governing the application of habeas corpus and how it has been violated can be identified upon extensive comprehension of its origin. There are various rules that regulate the administration of the writ of habeas corpus. The writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendium, has focused on protecting individuals against denial of the right to personal liberty. The writ has its origin in England’s Common law. The writ was administered in the Kings Bench Division in England. In the recent years, many of the American lawyers trace the writ back to the period after the Second World War, whereby the prisoners detained after the State courts raised constitutional issues conforming to violation of their personal liberty (Foley, 2008). The historical use of the writ of habeas corpus has been to defend civilians against false detention by the state. It was invoked in situations whereby the executive wing was detaining individuals without letting the judicial due process take effect . At later stages of the writ, the mechanisms of the writ substantially changed to encompass two civilians in a dispute. It was also clear that the representatives of the detainee were free to exercise the writ by petitioning court. Habeas corpus is an order that the court issues to the custodian of the prison to appear, and state the basis of the detention showing its legality. The invoking of the order takes effect if the prison custodian has materially failed to show cause for detention. The failure means that the body of the detained must be produced in court, and the court subsequently releases the detained. It is the right of the detained to sue the State or any other party involved in detention for damages to compensate him/her for false detention (Jackson, 2010). Disobedience of the writ by the prison custodian amounts to contempt of court, and the custodian is sentenced accordingly. Habeas corpus is a constitutional right, which is the only remedy that the Constitution of t he U.S. has expressly provided. Article 1 Section 9 Clause 2 provides that the writ of the habeas corpus must not at any material time be suspended. The only exception whereby the writ may be denied is in cases of invasion or rebellion causing unrest and threatening the public safety (Foley, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Congress has powers to confer the courts broader jurisdiction than the constitutional requirement. The protection of the American citizens against the State’s detention is the vital role of the writ of the habeas corpus. The main rules governing the usage of the writ of habeas corpus are jurisdiction, substantive rules and procedural rules. This right is a constitutional right which ought to be enjoyed by all Americans and non-Americans provided one is on the United States soil. The American hypocrisy in the fight against terrorism has b een illustrated by the existence of Guantanamo Bay. The American government has used war on terrorism to deny terrorism suspects the right to personal liberties. The Guantanamo Bay justice system seems well planned to infringe people’s rights. The first question that every reasonable person asks when Guantanamo Bay is mentioned is why the American Government would establish a prison in another place instead of having it in America. The answers may be many, but the strategy was to take the detainees out of jurisdiction the American Constitution, courts and the right to habeas corpus (Jackson, 2010). In every detention made in Guantanamo Bay, it is clear that the detainees are outside the confines of the American Constitution. The new justice system at the Bay is to the effect that attention is put on the dealing with the terrorists without due observe of the rules of a sound justice system. In many instances, the detainees taken to Guantanamo Bay are citizens of other countrie s and America hence the American Government seems to have violated many rights so as to alleviate terrorism. It has become hard to ascertain the rules that the tribunal in Guantanamo Bay used to guarantee individuals arrested their rights. The capturing of the wrong people and getting the wrong ways of gathering information has made it too hard to fight terror. The American officials at Guantanamo Bay have continuously used undisciplined and inhuman means to collect information (American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, 2012). The wrong investigative methods used by the Guantanamo Bay officials have been extremely ineffective in identifying the actual terrorists. There is ample evidence, which shows that one of the methods used to get information is torture. The rules of the American judicial practices have been profoundly ignored. The lawless system of operation started during the Bush regime, and it aggravated after the September 11th Twins Towers bombing whereby the event suggested use of all means to combat terrorism. Guantanamo Bay is said to be a chain of illegal prisons opened by President Bush in a panic to deal with the threat of terrorism. Abusive military interrogation and torture was continuously used in these prisons. The maximizing of secrecy and facilitating extrajudicial detentions has been a serious human rights abuses (Terry, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Guantanamo Bay, the writ of Habeas corpus has been substantially ignored, and individuals who are presumably innocent are tortured hence surrendering false information in fear of their lives (Resnik, 2010). The spirited fight to give the American people and others detained in Guantanamo Bay was witnessed in the Supreme Court decision in the case of Boumediene v. Bush whereby the Court stated that detainees in Guantanamo Bay had a right t o access the United States Courts for remedies. In the highly celebrated part of the decision, court invalidated the legislation seeking to suspend the right to habeas corpus to non-citizens. In the reasoning of the Court, such a move by the Congress was unfair and unjust since the detained prisoners had a right to a fair hearing. The Congress was said to act beyond its mandate by seeking to legislate so as to deny individuals’ their right to access justice. From the said time when the verdict was delivered, there have been numerous legislations challenging false detention in Guantanamo Bay (Fallon Meltzer, 2007). The executive is said to have become uncontrollable after the event of the September 11th bombing whereby lack of respect to inherent rights was witnessed. The arbitrary arrests by the executive security operatives continued to torture people and detain them in Guantanamo Bay for years. The aforementioned ruling is thought to have been a stride in safeguarding the personal liberty of the persons detained in Guantanamo Bay. The ruling was thought to act as a relief, but it is reported that many individuals are still tortured and detained illegally without being given a chance to talk to their relatives or access legal representation in the tribunals or any court of law (Foley, 2008). The different conflicts presented in challenging the false detention of individuals at the Guantanamo Bay have not been resolved in any way, and the vice is still continuing. In addition to the United States opening other prisons, such as Bagram in Afghanistan whereby false detention and torture is the order of the prison, habeas corpus has received greater challenges. The jurisdiction issue has made the vice continue in other prisons. The writ of habeas corpus can only be issued by the court. There are several Bills by the Congress after the landmark ruling in the case of Boumediene v. Bush. The Bill among other things seeks to have a narrow interpretation of the ruling in the case of Boumediene. The habeas corpus writ though expressly guaranteed by that case the Congress sought to restrict judges from invoking it. The proposed legislations have substantially sought to limit the judge’s power to inquire about the legality of a detained person (American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Legislations by Congress also seeks to restrict district judges from exercising the powers they have, and government should be given the final chance to assess the evidence before a prisoner is ordered to be released. The state’s interests in the detention of individuals in Guantanamo Bay have been further enhanced by having stringent rules, which govern the issuing of the writ of habeas corpus. However, it faces political changes and the battle between the judiciary, executive and the Congress has been at the expense of the suffering detainees in Guantanamo Bay (Hafetz, 2011). There are many individuals who have faced their death before the court has intervened. The application of the Constitution right of habeas corpus has faced hurdles despite the clear importance demonstrated by different rulings. The erosion of the writ of habeas corpus is not to be considered in isolation of other factors since its violation paves way for the infringement of other civil liberties. T he presence of state power in denying individuals their constitutional rights is shocking. The use of the said State power is witnessed in the United States national security policies. The very security policies designed to protect the citizens are consistently taking them (American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, 2012). Conclusion The writ of habeas corpus is a fundamental constitutional right that focuses on giving the detainee the right to personal liberty whenever it has been illegally taken. The war against terrorism and the opening of Guantanamo Bay have been a significant avenue whereby individual‘s personal rights have been violated. Various Supreme Court’s rulings have challenged false detention stating that individuals detained in Guantanamo Bay have a right to challenge the false imprisonment. The rules governing the writ of habeas corpus have proved to be rigid in denying an individual the right to habeas corpus. It follows that the Constitution rig ht of habeas corpus has been ignored and limited by legislations under the guise of fighting terrorism. References American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. (2012). Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror. Web. Fallon Jr., R. H., Meltzer, D. J. (2007). Habeas Corpus Jurisdiction, Substantive Rights, and the War on Terror. Harvard Law Review, 120(8), 2031-2112. Foley B.J. (2008). Guantanamo and Beyond: Dangers of Rigging the Rules. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 97(4), 1009-2007. Hafetz, J. (2011). Habeas corpus after 9/11: Confronting Americas new global detention system. New York: New York University Press. Jackson, A. L. (2010). Habeas Corpus in the Global War on Terror: An American Drama. Air Force Law Review, 65263-288. Resnik, J. (2010). Detention, the War on Terror, and the Federal Courts. Columbia Law Review, 110(2), 579-685. Terry, J. P. (2008). Habeas corpus and the Detention of Enemy Combatants in the War on Terror. JFQ: Joint Force Quarterly, (48), 14-1 8.

The eNotes Blog Dear Professor Einstein

Dear Professor Einstein As arguably the most important intellectual of his time, Albert Einstein exchanged letters with powerful contemporaries: fellow scientists, heads of state, dignitaries, philosophers. But what most might not know is that he also corresponded with children around the world.   Thats rightcurious children would write and Einstein would reply, even at the height of his career and influence. Their letters back and forth are touching, honest, often hilarious but also poignant, thanks to the tone Einstein took with every note, never talking down to the children. A selection of these can be found in the book Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einsteins Letters to and from Children, as well as a sprinkling below. In a 1920 response to the question of what he looked like, Einstein wrote Let me tell you what I look like: pale face, long hair, and a tiny beginning of a paunch. In addition, an awkward gait, and a cigar in the mouth †¦ and a pen in pocket or hand. But crooked legs and warts he does not have, and so is quite handsome – also no hair on his hands as is so often found with ugly men. In 1943, a young girl wrote to Einstein about her difficulties with mathematics in school. He encouragingly replied Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater. Best regards Professor Albert Einstein. He also kept the 1951 letter of an brutally honest six year-old: I saw your picture in the paper. I think you ought to have a haircut, so you can look better. And in some special cases, Einstein enjoyed an ongoing correspondence with his young admirers. In 1946 a bright young South African girl named Tyfanny wrote to the professor about her wish to one day become a scientist. Sadly, though, she counts her gender as an impediment: I forgot to tell you, in my last letter, that I was a girl. I mean I am a girl. I have always regretted this a great deal, but by now I have become more or less resigned to the fact. Anyway, I hate dresses and dances and all the kind of rot girls usually like. I much prefer horses and riding. Long ago, before I wanted to become a scientist, I wanted to b e a jockey and ride horses in races. But that was ages ago, now. I hope you will not think any the less of me for being a girl! To which Einstein replied with the best advice of all, I do not mind that you are a girl, but the main thing is that you yourself do not mind. There is no reason for it.

The Origin Of Christianity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Origin Of Christianity - Research Paper Example Davidmann bases the origin of Christianity on what Jesus really taught, whose standpoints are the social laws as they appear in the Torah. Early Christians followed those laws for they protected people from exploitation, subjugation, and enslavement. He observes that this is what Jesus taught. However, he points out that Paul changed what Jesus originally taught and this is what finally Christianity’s official doctrine became. The knowledge was transmuted through scrolls from the biblical archaeology and what was written there constitute the events of the very first time. Davidmann further points that the Pauline ideologies were first resisted and for Christianity to thrive, the later gospel writers had to alter the records in favor of Paul. Using what he calls â€Å"the law of the excluded middle,† Jackson asserts that either Christianity is of divine origin or it is of human origin and not both. Because Christianity claims to be of a sacred design, he focuses on a number of factors that argue for the sacred origin of the religious system initiated by Jesus Christ. Christianity had a remarkable point of beginning. There are no traces of its foundations in Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Greece or even Rome. Towards the spring of A.D. 30, Christianity was nowhere. Christianity was a momentous religious force – not only in the Mediterranean world but also in inaccessible corners of the Roman Empire. Apparently, there is no exact place from where it came, yet gradually, it was everywhere. Nobody knows how that happened. It aroused the resentment of many Jews for the first forty years of its survival until the Jewish economy fell to the hands of the tyrannical Romans in A.D. 70 (Jackson, 1997).