Friday, November 29, 2019

The Dj Essay Essay Example

The Dj Essay Paper The Dj Essay, Research Paper The DJ About fifteen years ago a culture was born. In Europe a new type of music was being created. Something new, something fresh. A music fueled by throbbing beats over rattling bass. This is electronic music. The mastermind behind this whole up and coming culture was and is the DJ. In the past five years have become more and more popular everyday. Some people who are not aware of this music or this culture might argue that being a DJ is not a serious profession for various reasons. Throughout this paper I will prove these notions false. As support I will provide the history of the DJ, what exactly it is, insight from various DJ’s and much more. It all began about fifteen years ago. In towns in Europe people started throwing secret parties, small parties more of a social event to party and have fun. At these parties there would DJ’s spinning early electronic sounds and dancing. Not too long after that word started to spread and more and more people wanted to â€Å"party†. So the people throwing these parties sought out bigger places to have these parties that could accommodate more people. We will write a custom essay sample on The Dj Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Dj Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Dj Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It grew so fast that secret information phone lines were created to prevent problems with the authorities. Over the next few years more and more people grew to love these parties for the music and the overall atmosphere. Also more and more electronic artists started to surface. As popular as these events were the truth is without the DJ none of it would have been possible. In the early nineties this growing underground movement started to form slowly in the United States and other countries. These parties soon took on the name of â€Å"raves†. In Europe these raves grew constantly. Soon there were raves being thrown with five to ten thousand people in attendance. Soon thereafter we started to see not only the growth of a music and culture but also a new industry. There started to be more and more electronic artists surfacing everyday. The technology increased very fast every year more new equipment allowed new creative boundaries to be broken. Soon the DJ slowly started to become more of the focal point of these â€Å"raves†. DJ’s started to be the attractions of these raves instead of just a place to have fun. The DJ’s started to make names for themselves along with this came different styles of DJing. One of the first styles of electronic music created was house music. This music quickly moved into nightclubs and raves. Soon thereafter many different styles of electronic music were born. Such as, break beat, drum and bass, hard house, trance, progressive trance, big beat, and happy hardcore(www. clubdance. com). DJ’s started to specialize in certain types of electronic music. Some started to consider themselves not just as DJ’s but also artists. The music became more about expression and unity. In a recent documentary drum and bass artist Roni Size says(Better Living Through Circuitry) â€Å" When I step behind the tables at a party it’s more than just playing tracks for a group of people. It’s like my goal to take these people to a place they have not been before. To create a mix that is so unique and intense that takes the audience and puts them all into a new place together. It’s an art form! † As you can see by this statement these DJ’s take their jobs seriously. Soon DJ’s started to not only put out many mix cd’s but also they started producing their own tracks. I think that this was a great breakthrough in this type of music. Over the past few years some of the best electronic albums put out have been by DJ’s. DJ’s soon started to go on their own tours, playing venues that rock bands play at. They were not only playing at these venues but also selling them out at the same time. Perfect evidence of this comes from a book The Ambient Century, â€Å" Dance music exploded into a phenomenon that seemed to have no end. As the music mutated, new forms were thrown up by the year. Ambient House and Ambient Techno were mind balming responses to the intensity of the club culture. Trip-hop and Drum and Bass were UK black variations of what was originally an innovation by black Americans. Rock music absorbed House and Techno, and DJ’s and electronicists began to tour and act like rock stars. As one century tipped into another, dance music was still a primary source of interest and creativity as Trance, a futuristic blend of technology and House and Techno, became a chart-topping, globe girdling sensation†( Prendergast pg 367). Another great more specific example of this is Paul Oakenfold as written in Last night a DJ saved my life, â€Å" When Paul Oakenfold plays records in a club, every person on the dance floor will be facing him. Just like they’d face a rock band on a stage. There’s not much to see: a baseball cap maybe, a studious face leaning into a pair of headphones, some minimal arm movements as he slides in another flawless mix. Occasionally he might throw his hands up in excitement, smile out in response to a particularly grand track, or share a wink with some energetic fan, and when he does, there’ll be a sea of hands aloft, a breakout of waving and grinning, an ocean of smiling dancers mirroring his every gesture. For he is a superstar†( Brewster pg 384). Along with these tours came annual festivals. Huge festivals every year with sometimes over a hundred thousand people in attendance. Some of these are Love Parade and Gatecrasher( www. loveparade. com)( www. gatecrasher. com). Just like any music industry this one soon started having conventions. The biggest one is the Winter Music Conference( www. wmcon. com). This usually includes anybody and everybody in electronic music. A three day long festival including a showcase of the new gear and equipment and the best talent in the music performing. In Europe now DJ’s are becoming bigger than rock stars. They walk down the street and people flock. DJ’s like this are Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox and John Digweed( www. yahoo. com). So now that you have a brief background on the history of DJ’s you might wonder what different types of jobs are available out there for DJ’s. Well first of all there is the kind of DJing I have been mainly focusing on that is the rave DJ. There are also many opportunities for work these days in night clubs all over the world. The night club industry now is becoming a very large industry. Some are saying even more so that the days of Studio Fifty-Four. Also there are a lot of jobs as mobile DJ’s. These DJ’s usually work for a company. These companies do parties, weddings, and all sorts of special events. On a cruise I went on last summer I met a mobile DJ that works out of Houston. He said, â€Å"Even though I have a degree in Communications I cant beat the amount of available work and the money of being a DJ. I can pull in 60,000 to 70,000 a year if I work hard. † This alone shows how in need the world is of DJ’s. So now that you have a good idea of the history of DJ’s and what jobs are available you might be wondering what it takes to be a good DJ. Well this question all depends on whom you ask. So I have collaborated different idea of what a good DJ is. First of all a good DJ has to know the music he is spinning. Not only does he have to know it like the back of his hand but also they have to have a love for the music. Without the love and passion for this job then it changes from an art form to just playing music. A good DJ has to have knowledge of the crowd and how to work them into frenzy. Many different little skills are all combined together to make a great DJ. DJ Tony Humphries who has worked professionally since 1977 and has been a major influence on his peers in New York City, speaks from an underground perspective on a good DJ: â€Å" DJ’s have to understand the concept of programming. How to break a record. How to play with records, repeat intros, lengthen breaks, endings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦There is an art to programming your set†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The DJ who plays all his hottest records in a row is not doing his job right. You can’t play all your best material all at once because you want to save some of it for later in the evening. The DJ does not into that power record the same way the crowd does. You are supposed to be separate from the crowd. You’re supposed to be into exposing them to new material. So, what you do is play a track, followed by something new and then you back it up with something they know and like. It’s like a train ride. The crowd becomes trustworthy that you will come back with something they like. It’s the fifteen-minute game. About every third song, you give them a well known song. After one hour, the crowd has been exposed to ten new records. That way, you please yourself and the crowd. Larry Levan was great at this. The most important thing to remember is that musical content, how you program, is more important than actual mixing skills sometimes†( Fikentscher p38). As you can see there are many different things that a DJ has to know. Another view of a good DJ was taken from a book called Last night a DJ saved my life, â€Å" At its most basic DJing is the act of presenting a series of records for an audience’s enjoyment. So at the simplest level a DJ is a presenter. This is what radio DJ’s do, they introduce music. However the club DJ has largely abandoned this role for something more musically creative. To become a good DJ you have to develop the hunger. You have to search for new records with the insane zeal of a gold rush prospector digging in a blizzard. The essence of the DJ’s craft is selecting which records to play and in what order. A great DJ should be able to move a crowd on the most primitive equipment. More than anything else, it’s how sensitively a DJ can interact with a crowd. A good DJ isn’t just stringing records together, he’s controlling the relationship between some music and hundreds of people. A good DJ is always looking at the crowd, seeing what they like, seeing whether it’s working or not; communicating with them, smiling at them. And a bad DJ is always looking down at the decks and just doing whatever they practiced in their bedroom†( Brewster pg 9). As you can see it’s not as easy as it might first appear a lot of time and dedication to gain the knowledge.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Childrens Day in Japan and Koinobori Song

Children's Day in Japan and Koinobori Song May 5 is Japans national holiday known as, Kodomo no hi Ã¥ ­ Ã¤ ¾â€ºÃ£  ®Ã¦â€" ¥ (Childrens day). It is a day to celebrate the health and happiness of children. Until 1948, it was called, Tango no Sekku (ç « ¯Ã¥ Ë†Ã£  ®Ã§ ¯â‚¬Ã¥  ¥), and only honored boys. Although this holiday became known as, Childrens Day, many Japanese still consider it a Boys Festival. On the other hand, Hinamatsuri (㠁 ²Ã£  ªÃ§ ¥ ­Ã£â€šÅ ), which falls on March 3rd, is a day to celebrate girls. Childrens Day Families with boys fly, Koinobori é ¯â€°Ã£  ®Ã£  ¼Ã£â€šÅ  (carp-shaped streamers), to express the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong. The carp is a symbol of strength, courage, and success. In a Chinese legend, a carp swam upstream to become a dragon. The Japanese proverb, Koi no takinobori (é ¯â€°Ã£  ®Ã¦ » Ã§â„¢ »Ã£â€šÅ , Kois waterfall climbing), means, to succeed vigorously in life. Warrior dolls and warrior helmets called, Gogatsu-ningyou, are also displayed in a boys house. Kashiwamochi is one of the traditional foods that are eaten on this day. It is a steamed rice cake with sweet beans inside and is wrapped in an oak leaf. Another traditional food is, chimaki, which is a dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves. On Childrens Day, there is a custom to take a shoubu-yu (a bath with floating shoubu leaves). Shoubu (è â€"è’ ²) is a type of iris. It has long leaves that resemble swords. Why the bath with shoubu? It is because shoubu is believed to promote good health and to ward off evil. It is also hung under the eaves of homes to drive away evil spirits. Shoubu (Ã¥ °Å¡Ã¦ ­ ¦) also means, materialism, warlike spirit, when using different kanji characters. Koinobori Song There is a childrens song called, Koinobori, that is often sung during this time of the year. Here are the lyrics in romaji and Japanese. Yane yori takai koinoboriOokii magoi wa otousanChiisai higoi wa kodomotachiOmoshirosouni oyoideru Ã¥ ±â€¹Ã¦   ¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£â€šÅ Ã© «ËœÃ£ â€ž é ¯â€°Ã£  ®Ã£  ¼Ã£â€šÅ Ã¥ ¤ §Ã£  Ã£ â€žÃ§Å"Ÿé ¯â€°Ã£  ¯ 㠁Šçˆ ¶Ã£ â€¢Ã£â€šâ€œÃ¥ ° Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€žÃ§ ·â€¹Ã© ¯â€°Ã£  ¯ Ã¥ ­ Ã¤ ¾â€ºÃ© â€Ã©  ¢Ã§â„¢ ½Ã£  Ã£ â€ Ã£  « æ ³ ³Ã£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£â€šâ€¹ Vocabulary yane Ã¥ ±â€¹Ã¦   ¹ - rooftakai é «ËœÃ£ â€ž - highookii Ã¥ ¤ §Ã£  Ã£ â€ž - bigotousan 㠁Šçˆ ¶Ã£ â€¢Ã£â€šâ€œ - fatherchiisai Ã¥ ° Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€ž - smallkodomotachi Ã¥ ­ Ã¤ ¾â€ºÃ£ Å¸Ã£  ¡ - childrenomoshiroi é  ¢Ã§â„¢ ½Ã£ â€ž - enjoyableoyogu æ ³ ³Ã£   - to swim Takai, ookii, chiisai and omoshiroi are I-adjectives. There is an important lesson to learn regarding terms used for Japanese family members. Different terms are used for family members depending on whether the person referred to is part of the speakers own family or not. Also, there are terms for directly addressing members of the speakers family. For example, lets look at the word father. When referring to someones father, otousan is used. When referring your own father, chichi is used. However, when addressing your father, otousan or papa is used. Anata no otousan wa se ga takai desu ne. 㠁‚㠁 ªÃ£ Å¸Ã£  ®Ã£ Å Ã§Ë† ¶Ã£ â€¢Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ¯Ã¨Æ'Å'㠁Å'é «ËœÃ£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£  ­Ã£â‚¬â€š- Your father is tall, isnt he?Watashi no chichi wa takushii no untenshu desu. ç § Ã£  ®Ã§Ë† ¶Ã£  ¯Ã£â€š ¿Ã£â€š ¯Ã£â€š ·Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£  ®Ã© â€¹Ã¨ » ¢Ã¦â€°â€¹Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- My father is a taxi driver.Otousan, hayaku kite! 㠁Šçˆ ¶Ã£ â€¢Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£â‚¬ Ã¦â€" ©Ã£  Ã¦  ¥Ã£  ¦- Dad, come quickly! Grammar Yori より is a particle and is used when comparing things. It translates into than. Kanada wa nihon yori samui desu. ã‚ «Ã£Æ'ŠãÆ'ۋ  ¯Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£â€šË†Ã£â€šÅ Ã¥ ¯â€™Ã£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- Canada is colder than Japan.Amerika wa nihon yori ookii desu. ã‚ ¢Ã£Æ' ¡Ã£Æ' ªÃ£â€š «Ã£  ¯Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£â€šË†Ã£â€šÅ Ã¥ ¤ §Ã£  Ã£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- America is larger than Japan.Kanji wa hiragaba yori muzukashii desu. æ ¼ ¢Ã¥ ­â€"㠁 ¯Ã£  ²Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£ Å'㠁 ªÃ£â€šË†Ã£â€šÅ Ã©â€º £Ã£ â€"㠁„㠁 §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š - Kanji is more difficult than hiragana. In the song, Koinobori is the topic of the sentence (the order is changed because of the rhyme), therefore, koinobori wa yane yori takai desu é ¯â€°Ã£  ®Ã£  ¼Ã£â€šÅ Ã£  ¯Ã¥ ±â€¹Ã¦   ¹Ã£â€šË†Ã£â€šÅ Ã© «ËœÃ£ â€žÃ£  §Ã£ â„¢ is a common order for this sentence. It means the koinobori is higher than the roof. The suffix ~tachi is added to make the plural form of personal pronouns. For example: watashi-tachi, anata-tachi or boku-tachi. It can also be added to some other nouns, such as kodomo-tachi (children). ~sou ni is an adverb form of ~ sou da. ~ sou da means, it appears. Kare wa totemo genki sou desu. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã£  ¯Ã£  ¨Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¥â€¦Æ'æ °â€"㠁 Ã£ â€ Ã£  §Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- He looks very healthy.Sore wa oishisouna ringo da. 㠁 Ã£â€šÅ'㠁 ¯Ã£ Å Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€"㠁 Ã£ â€ Ã£  ªÃ£â€šÅ Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£ â€Ã£   Ã£â‚¬â€š- That is a delicious looking apple.Kanojo wa totemo shindosouni sokoni tatteita. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã¥ ¥ ³Ã£  ¯Ã£  ¨Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£ â€"ん㠁 ©Ã£  Ã£ â€ Ã£  «Ã£  Ã£ â€œÃ£  «Ã§ «â€¹Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£â‚¬â€š- She was standing there looking very tired.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Sales and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sales and Marketing - Essay Example mportant factor among qualification, skill, knowledge and experience Fig 1: Factors important for graduate employment (Source: Author’s Creation) The responses from the respondents indicate that experience and skill matters the most in case of employment in the marketing and sales. Knowledge and qualification count only as the third and fourth important factor. The justification is that experience and skill set matters the most since the ability to close deals and ability to negotiate and bargain does not come from knowledge or qualification. It can be gained only through hands on experience. These factors matter in the area of hard core sales although there are certain areas like developing the marketing mix and promotional mix or choosing the pricing strategy, which can be gained from knowledge and qualification. Another important factor that needs to be pointed out is the fact that the sample is taken not from a few particular institutions only. The institutions that are co nsidered for the creation of the sample have institutional ranks that are comparable to each other. So some form of homogeneity has already settled in the sample due to which the views and opinions can have degree of bias, although it has negligible effect on the outcome of the analysis. Secondary research Andrews and Smith (2010) conducted studies with the data obtained from the employment board of both developed and developing countries. The studies indicate that companies that employed graduates as relationship manager or marketing officers in the sale and marketing domain. They gave more preference to experience and skill set of the students. Although exceptions are observed where more preference is given to knowledge and qualification but only to those who graduated from reputed and well...The developing countries on the other hand represent vast untapped markets with little product and service penetration. Thus, there is immense chance to carry out massive sales and marketing activities in areas like insurance, banking services as well as products like cell phones (Das, Quelch and Swartz, 2000). The career opportunities are found in both client side marketing roles as well as agency side marketing roles. The client side marketing roles which have strong job opportunities are marketing assistant, marketing officer, marketing executive and junior marketing assistant. These are entry level jobs in the sales and marketing roles. In the agency side the roles which are offered are market research positions, account management positions and public relations officer positions (David, James and Arthur, 2011). The roles mentioned in the agency side are mainly strategic in nature, so the graduates who have more knowledge and qualification in comparison to skills and experience are given more preference.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Process-Analysis Essay on How to Ask Someone Out

Process-Analysis on How to Ask Someone Out - Essay Example In order to prepare to ask someone out, it is important to get to know that person a bit better first, perform random acts of kindness for them, and gauge their opinion of you before you ask them out.The first step in asking someone out is to get to know them beforehand. The reason for this is simple—you will be able to see what their personality is like and also you can judge whether he or she would be a waste of your time or not. The purpose of learning more about their personality is to that you can figure out if the other person will be compatible with you. Too many people take the plunge without realizing that it would never work out due to a personality clash. From this point, you can decide whether to push ahead with your plans or not.The second step to ask someone out is to be noticed by them. There is no point in asking someone out if they don't really know who you are because they will likely say no. Try to get their attention by performing random acts of kindness fo r them, but don't go overboard because otherwise, it will look like you are trying too hard. Getting the right balance is crucial because this will either help them to catch your attention or it will turn them right off you.The final step of the process to ask someone out is to figure out if there is a chance for a connection or not. This can only be done once all the other steps have been completed because there will be moments when you can see what a potential relationship will look like. If you feel that there is a high chance of receiving a successful response, then go ahead and ask your crush out. If, however, you don't feel like you will receive a positive response then either go back to one of the previous steps and try again or simply move on from that person.

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Emphasis Of English Perfect Tenses In Academic Writing Essay - 1

The Emphasis Of English Perfect Tenses In Academic Writing - Essay Example Simple present conveys what is happening nowadays only. Simple future would give an expectation of something that is going to happen in the future at once. Basically, all of the simple tenses tell about something would happen one time either in the past, present, or future. (Azar, B., 2002) Past, present, and future perfect tenses give the action a long time of occurrence. Consequently, they give they action completion of the proceeding. Present perfect expresses an action that happened in the past and something still present of it nowadays. Past perfect couriers when the action happened in the far past and somewhat from that action stayed until the near past. Finally, future perfect articulates the action in the future and states something that will stay further as caused by the action. Overall, perfect tenses have two points that give the action completion of the proceeding. ( Azar, B., 2002) Recently, studies argue that the simple past should be used instead of the perfect tense in Media, the use of Perfect tense in police reporting media case was subject to objection as was thought to be inappropriate. (Ritz, M A., 2010) The objection over the use of present tense is of standard and non-standard English. Different websites and different writers wrote about the situation in the same content, but strangely not provided evidence for how the use of present tense is not valid according to the linguistic rules. The reporting should be evident and should have a straight approach, the argument described in the perfect tenses are not evident and evoke predictions, which is why termed as non-standard. But for the better knowing it is not necessary for the perfect tense to be unbounded only. The perfect tenses are not only progressive but can be bounded while being continuous; it entirely depends on the use made.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Sex Ratios Of India

The Sex Ratios Of India Indias growth story has been incredible. The stock markets are doing well. Corporate India is optimistic about India being able to sustain the current growth rate for a considerable period of time. Indian companies are making their presence felt through cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Services and manufacturing sectors are booming. Growth in agriculture may be sluggish as compared to the other sectors, it growing nonetheless. Urban India believes that India is going to surpass the United States of America in a span of fifteen years. However, fundamental problems like malnutrition and corruption still plague our country. But the urban, educated, middle class are not affected by malnutrition and have learnt to live with corruption. There is one problem besides corruption and malnutrition; which is prevalent across all sections of the society and all of them all guilty participants in making this problem a widespread one. The urban, educated, middle class; despite being educated, do not seem to realise the long term effects of their actions. This problem, if unchecked, has the potential to apply the brakes on Indias growth. The birth of a boy child is celebrated, while the birth of a girl child is, well; tolerated. And sometimes, the girl child is killed even before she is born. Sex ratio is the number females in a geographic region per 1000 males. Most developed economies of the world (except China) have healthy sex ratios, with more number of females than males 1. A sex ratio 952 females per 1000 males is considered healthy. The national average as per the 2001 census is 933. Delhi has a modest 915 according estimates in the year 2009 2. As per the 2001 census, Rajasthan averages 922, while Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh average 964 and 978 respectively. Kerala being the most literate state also has the healthiest sex ratio of 1058 per 1000 males 3. However states like Punjab has a dismal sex ratio of 795 per 1000 males, which is alarming 4. The state of Maharashtra too is a cause for concern. With more working women being visible in Maharashtra, there is a misconception that Maharashtra is better off, but facts state otherwise. The juvenile sex ratio is 869 girls to 1000 boys, as on March 2010 11. If India has to continue on the growth path, the burgeoning menace of female foeticide cannot be ignored. But is the common man on the road concerned? No. Why? For one, the common man believes that it is not his problem; but of the feminists, the NGOs, the government, and so on. For another, he believes that the problem is societal, not personal; and hence it cannot affect him. (The common man I am talking about is a reference to the numerous people I have met so far in my life. Gender imbalance is the least of their problems.) Is the problem societal? Crime against women is on the rise and the increasing imbalance between males and females will aggravate it 5. A survey conducted by Jagori, based in Delhi concluded that women face harassment in public places on a continuous basis 6. Since most of the cases of harassment go unreported, the awareness of the magnitude of the menace is abysmally low. An article written by Kalpana Sharma, No girls please, were Indian, (The Hindu, 29 August 2004) calls this problem an epidemic with huge social costs associated with it. My understanding of the articles I have referred to is that gender imbalance would lead to an increase in restlessness among men. Women would become easy targets to vent their frustration. Is the problem personal? We Indians have developed a very wrong mindset. Unless a problem affects us personally, we do not seem to bother. Should women care? Women craving for sons, who have never faced harassment should realise that even they can be vulnerable. Should men care? States like Punjab and Haryana are facing a very grave situation. Due to their heavily skewed sex ratios, there are not enough brides for the grooms within the community. A study notes that 20% men may remain unmarried 6. Another study notes that marriage has beneficial effects on health and survival, with men reaping maximum benefits. Therefore, men run the risk of shorter life expectancy 7. Why is that we do not want daughters? Daughters have always been considered as paraya dhan. Parents consider having a daughter as an expense, a luxury they cannot afford. Taking care of her, educating her, and marrying her off to a suitor, all require huge sums of money. Any property she inherits or assets that she creates go the family she marries into. Families who own large pieces of land have owned such lands for generations. Such families would always want their first child to be male for the purpose of inheritance and keeping the land within the family. Even today marrying off a daughter is considered the biggest responsibility a parent can possibly have. Fears for her sexual safety and security make parents to marry off their daughter as early as possible. Why is that we want sons? The answer is dowry. Though the practice of dowry is made illegal in 1961, it is an open secret that the practice is prevalent even in 2010. We have men in the south proudly telling each other that they have a market value in the marriage market 9. There are men among the rural folk who consider getting married simply to rake in dowry and use it to fund their businesses. Dowry in todays world has taken many convenient forms like a fully furnished apartment, high-end electronics, a four-wheeled vehicle, and huge sums of money. The trend of son preference cuts across socio-economic factors like caste and economic status 6. As a result, dowry related harassment is rising. Other than financial concerns, there are other benefits in having sons. India is a patrilineal society. Sons continue the family lineage (gotra), while daughters lose their gotra of birth and join the lineage of their husbands. This essentially means that sons are the only legitimate descendan ts in the system. Therefore, sons are a source of prestige for a family. As a consequence of these deep seated norms, girl children under the age of 5 face severe neglect in terms of nutrition, immunisation, and clothing. They also face discrimination with regard to schooling. Sometimes female infants are killed within a few days of their birth. With the advent of technology, the trend of sex selective abortion or female foeticide has risen to unprecedented levels. Thirty years ago, these methods were not known. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act (PNDT) Act prohibits doctors and clinics from using pre-natal diagnostic techniques, such as scans, to determine the sex of a foetus. First offenders would face a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 and repeat offenders would risk a five-year imprisonment and a 50,000 fine. The act also prohibits any advertising for diagnosis facilities. The act notwithstanding, the awareness of sex selective abortions were popularised with the mushrooming o f unregistered, illegal, small clinics by advertising the benefits of sex selective abortions through messages like It is better to pay a small amount today for a sex-selective abortion than a larger amount later for your daughters dowry. The government, on its own, has not been effective in enforcing the act. The government has a myopic take on the issue. Since this issue cannot be treated as a plank to garner votes, the long term after effects of sustained gender imbalances on demography are not being considered seriously 10. All hope is not lost. Many NGOs have launched sting operations, such as luring doctors into revealing the sex of a foetus. While often receiving wide publicity, these initiatives are proving somewhat less effective for legal reasons, as proof of criminal wrongdoing is often difficult to establish. But they nonetheless have had an unmistakeable impact on clinic operators in some areas, who have come to realise that the Act can be implemented by non-official entities. Other than stings, NGOs have been also been instrumental in spreading awareness through campaigns like Save our daughters, Laadli 1 million signature campaign, FADA movement by Deepalaya, Jatha campaign by Jagruti, and recently, the programme Santulan by the Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, to name a few. Actress Gul Panag has taken up the cause in Chandigarh and has partnered with a city based NGO called Samsher Singh Foundation to fight female foeticide 8. Notwithstanding these initiatives, at a personal level, we must spread awareness of the issue. A growing India not only needs to debate on fiscal deficit and current account deficits but also on the daughter deficit. The issue needs to be talked about more often to make it relevant all the time. Changing the mindsets of a billion people will not happen overnight. The youth and newly wed couples need to be sensitised about the issue. I advocate certain fundamental changes in the way we think to bring about the change. The urban, educated, middle class can be targeted first with these ideas. After there is a considerable change in the mindset of the middle class, these ideas can be trickled down to the grassroots. The primary problems of lineage, inheritance, and girls being treated as paraya dhan need to be addressed. The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gives women equal rights of inheritance of land and property. This empowers the women economically and treats daughters as equal financial providers. Second, sons are no more providing for the parents during their old age. Sons are moving out of their ancestral homes, are staying away from their parents and are starting families of their own. Parents of sons are also not assured of constant personal care from their sons in their old age. Now in such a context, it does not matter if the parents have sons or daughters: they are going to stay away anyway due to a variety of reasons and they will be playing roughly equal roles when their parents need them. Third, the concept of a patrilineal society needs to be done away with. The very notion that a daughter would be part of another family after marriage should be erased. Daughters, not jus t sons, can also be considered as legitimate descendants. The children of the daughter need not be thought of as children of another family. In the United States of America, a child can take the surname of either parent. Though it is not a norm here in India, the government is not stopping us from doing so. Now with respect to dowry, young men need to be sensitised about the issue. They need to be told that the fact that they are proud to have a market value is detestable. They need to be taught that it is unethical to think of dowry as an opportunity for instant money. Traditionally, parents of the girl perform her wedding and bear all the expenses. This has to change. Parents of the boy should also shoulder the burden of performing the wedding and share the expenses with the parents of the girl; it is after all the wedding of their son, what is the shame in bearing the expenses of their own sons wedding? Better still, the boy and the girl should be made accountable for the expense s incurred. It their own wedding, why make their parents shoulder the entire responsibility for the expenditure? The fundamental assumptions which would make these changes work are that the urban, educated middle class are liberal in their mindsets, love their sons and daughters roughly equally, and have inflated egos. By hitting on their egos, by enquiring about their capability to fund their own sons wedding, these changes can be driven home. It would too naive to think that by making these changes, we would quickly achieve a healthier sex ratio. These changes are easier said than done, because they are too radical. Even the urban, educated, middle class would find it difficult to digest and assimilate these changes because the existing norms have been around for centuries. Small successes should be celebrated and propagated. It would take years for these changes to provide material results. Eventually, when these changes produce results, one cannot rest because these changes will still have to trickle down among the rural and poorer sections of the society. For India to be an economic superpower, all sections of the society should have a healthy sex ratio within their communities. It is a long and arduous journey ahead. (I have quoted references for most of the facts, results of a survey or study, and certain opinions by authors like Banashri Savanoor and Kalpana Sharma stated in this article. Everything else is either a culmination of my readings on the subject or purely my personal opinion. I shared my ideas on this subject with my colleagues where I worked and they appreciated them. Their feedback was that these ideas are logical, but making it practical would be very difficult.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_sex_ratio http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Delhi-sex-ratio-takes-a-nose-dive/articleshow/6555979.cms http://www.iloveindia.com/population-of-india/sex-ratio.html http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=20..280810.aug10 http://legalserviceindia.com/article/l292-Female-Foeticide.html http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-120929-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html http://www.economist.com/node/16789152 http://www.bollywoodworld.com/bollywood-news/gul-panag-to-fight-against-female-foeticide-110519.html I have drawn such a conclusion from my personal experience. I hail from Hyderbad, and it is common knowledge that certain communities like the Reddys, and the Gouds are known for their exorbitant dowries. The talk of a market value for men started during my college days. It was one of the most discussed topics in most circles. When I graduated and started working in Mumbai, there was a small Telugu community within the workplace, and I was shocked to hear the term market value, again; among older men. The very notion of a human being, man or woman; being treated like a commodity enrages me. I have been reading up on this topic from quite a long time and has become close to my heart. That is why I have chosen this topic. My views on the bias against the girl child and the PNDT are a culmination of my readings on the subject. Facts and advertisements for the clinics have been taken from PC-PNDT Handbook for the public, http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6HYPERLINK http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6sublinkid=58HYPERLINK http://pndt.gov.in/index2.asp?slid=6sublinkid=58sublinkid=58 . The views on the government are entirely personal. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/as-law-crawls-maharashtra-sex-ratio-drops-more/649580/1

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparing Steppenwolf and the Teenaged Girl Essays -- Comparison Compa

Parallels Between Steppenwolf and the Teenaged Girl  Ã‚   To be a teenaged girl means many things in this modern society. There are numerous expectations set for the average sixteen year old female: she must be pretty, popular, thin, preferably intelligent, but not too intelligent, and she must subjugate her will to the group. This world has a tendency to shun females who are too independent, who seek too much power, and who attempt to break from the stereotypical female mold. I have personally experienced this spurning, especially from my peers. There exists a dichotomy somewhere in my own soul, a rift between that which I am expected to be and who I really am. Harry Haller, in Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf, experienced a similar predicament. He was torn between the life of a socially acceptable, "decent" man, and the primal, lupine nature of the Steppenwolf. I find myself caught between wanting to be a socially acceptable, "popular" girl, and being the independent, intellectual, and strong person that I actually am. There are a number of parallels between Haller and I, each further proving that the dichotomy of the Steppenwolf and the division within myself, the teenaged girl, are of the same essence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often in my life I have felt trapped by the boundaries and expectations that those around me have set for how I ought to behave, think, and feel. Here in suburban America, these boundaries are often set by peers and family, as well as by the media and celebrity figures. The expectations that they have set often dictate ideas that, deep down, I greatly disagree with. One of the most prominent of the ideas is that my worth is reflected in my outward physical appearance. In this world which has declared war on th... ...conditioned self and the true self. She both wishes to be accepted and to be set free from the group's expectations. She wants the perfect body and face and yet realizes the lack of importance therein. Harry Haller, in the end, could not completely understand the game of life, but understood that the willingness to play and the eagerness to sort through the inner self are what really matter. I have realized that, in the end, I must learn the same lesson. The road ahead will not be easy, just as Harry's journey was long and arduous. Fear and fleeing are no longer options, though. It is an archetypal, inherent knowledge within each human being that self-knowledge is key to a true existence, and both the Steppenwolf and the teenaged girl realize the importance of this expedition. Works Cited: Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1990.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Cultural Oppression Essay

Both African Americans and Asian Americans have suffered racial discrimination, slavery, persecution, difficulty in receiving citizenship even though their children were born in the United States and challenges in demonstrating their cultural identity. They experienced difficulty in classifying themselves as purely American because of their outward appearance. Moreover, they always tend to feel insulted that white Americans will always judge them by stereotypes, not by what they really are. African Americans have suffered dual consciousness in the United States, always struggling to receive social and economic equality, both as a Negro and an American. Although political equality has been granted to African Americans, they still suffered inequality in terms of achieving social and economic wealth. The effects of cultural oppression on African Americans have put them at high probability of suffering continued hindrances to achieve societal empowerment and affirmation. However, the richness of African cultures that place importance on collective lifestyle has helped African Americans to be accepted in the United States. Asian Americans were pressured to learn how they could assimilate themselves into different cultural society in the country. The cultural oppression suffered by Asian Americans has helped them to establish their own community in order for them to become self-sufficient. The impact of the Eastern philosophies, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, on Asian culture has helped families to become paternally oriented and hierarchical. The notable reason why some Asians have the tendency to avoid debate and discussion or to appear indecisive is because of these philosophies that teach them principles of harmony, balance and peace. This Asian culture has provided them to act in a positive way and to learn the importance of having self-knowledge about how others behave towards them. Reference Information on Specific Cultural Groups. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from http://education. byu. edu/diversity/culture. html.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Compare three pre-20th Century poems about London Essay

I am going to compare three very different poems about London. The first poem is ‘London’ by William Blake, written around 1800. ‘Upon Westminster bridge’ is the second poem , by William Wordsworth, again written around 1800. The third poem by Mary Ann Evans in the mid-19th century is called ‘In a London drawing room.’ William Blake was a man of strong opinions, he was a strange person who painted horrific art and walked around naked in his garden. He was a strict Christian and wrote hymns. People disliked him for his strange ideas and strong criticism of what he felt was wrong. William Wordsworth lived in the Lake District, and wrote poems about where he live; the countryside. Whilst visiting London he wrote a poem about what he could see from Westminster bridge. Mary Ann Evans lived in London she was a tomboy by the name of George Elliot. Her father was a vicar. She moved to London to live a more interesting life. Working for a printing company she realised how mistreated women were. The story behind ‘Upon Westminster bridge’ is:- London looks very beautiful. You’d be sad not to be impressed. It’s about what Wordsworth sees from Westminster bridge. His theme is simple; He likes what he sees. London has a very different theme: William Blake lives in London and can’t stand it. The story is very simple the poet wanders through London’s streets thinking about what he sees. In a London drawing room also has a simple story; Mary Ann Evans is in a drawing room looking out into the street. Her theme is much more complex She talks about how London through this window is dull, grey and boring. When she says this she actually means that’s how she feels inside and expresses it through her poetry. ‘Upon Westminster bridge’ is a sonnet because it has fourteen lines praising London’s beauty, it has only one verse. It has a regular iambic rhythm all the way through: Giving the poem a joyful sound. There is no regular rhyming pattern but some lines rhyme. London uses quatrains which means it has four equal lines into four verses. London has a regular and joyful rhythm, which is ironic because of its sad message. The rhyming follows an ACBD pattern (‘A’ rhymes with line ‘C’-‘B’ rhymes with line ‘D.) ‘In a London drawing room’ has no verses, twenty lines which have each ten syllables in them. There is no regular rhythm, because of the regular enjambment. â€Å"Cutting the sky with one long line of wall Like soled Fog: Far as the eye can stretch.† The enjambment causes lines to run into each other. There is no rhyme a tall in the poem. There is a lot of figurative language in ‘Upon Westminster bridge.’ â€Å"wear The beauty of the morning; silent bare,† This a personification because the city wears the beauty of the morning like a dress. â€Å"The river glideth at his own sweet will:† In line twelve names the river a ‘he’. This poem has a lot of imagery, one of them mentions valley, rock and hill, putting the picture of the valleys, hills and rocks on the horizon. In a London drawing room too uses figurative language, â€Å"The world seems one huge prison-house and court,† this is a similar because the world seems to be like a prison-house. A metaphor would be, â€Å"Cutting the sky with one long line of wall,† this is calling the row of houses a wall cutting the sky. The figurative language in London are, â€Å"The mind-forg’d manacles I hear.† Means the people in London believe they are in manacles. The metaphor at the end of the third verse is about the old war soldiers begging outside wealthy houses, â€Å"And the hapless soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down palace walls.† In ‘Upon Westminster bridge’ most of the ‘play on words’ are to keep the rhyme and rhythm in a pattern. London plays on words quiet a lot compared with Upon Westminster bridge. At the end of the first verse there is an element of alliteration, â€Å"Marks of weakness. Marks of woe,† woe is a much more powerful word to use than sad plus it alliterates with weakness. The second verse uses ‘in every†¦.’ Four times to get the point that this is serious across more strongly. † The mind-forg’d manacles I hear,† is an alliteration of the letter ‘M’. On the last line, the last two words are marriage and hearse (car that carries a coffin) this is called juxtaposition; because marriage is associated with beginning and hearse is associated with the end they are opposites. This is an interesting way to end the poem. The only real play on words in ‘in a London drawing room’ was the last line because the three last words are the only positive words (colour, warmth and joy) in the whole poem but just before it says ‘with lowest rate of’. So they might be positive but she’s saying there is no colour, warmth or joy. I feel London is the most effective poem. This is because I like the irony in the rhythm and rhyme which sounds happy but its meaning is sad. I also like the Juxtaposition in the last line ‘Marriage hearse’. He uses clever words and sentences to put down London. I don’t like ‘In a London drawing room’ because it drags on so as to lose its meaning. ‘Upon Westminster bridge’ I quite like because its cheerful but I still prefer the way ‘London’ is written because it uses good words and clever poetry.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Story of Space Chimps

The Story of Space Chimps It might come as a surprise to learn that the first living beings to fly to space werent humans, but instead were primates, dogs, mice, and insects. Why spend time and money to fly these beings to space?   Flying in space is a dangerous business. Long before the first humans left the planet to explore low-Earth orbit and go to the Moon, mission planners needed to test the flight hardware. They had to work out the challenges of getting humans safely to space and back, but didnt know whether or not humans could survive long periods of weightlessness or the effects of hard acceleration to get off the planet. So, U.S. and Russian scientists used monkeys, chimps, and dogs, as well as mice and insects to learn more about how living beings could survive the flight. While chimps no longer fly, smaller animals such as mice and insects continue to fly in space (aboard the ISS).   The Space Monkey Timeline Animal flight testing didnt begin with the Space Age. It actually started about a decade earlier. On June 11, 1948, a V-2 Blossom was launched from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico carrying the first monkey astronaut, Albert I, a rhesus monkey. He flew to over 63 km (39 miles) but died of suffocation during the flight, an unsung hero of animal astronauts. Three days later, a second V-2 flight carrying a live Air Force Aeromedical Laboratory monkey, Albert II, got up to 83 miles (technically making him the first monkey in space). Unfortunately, he died when his craft crash-landed on re-entry. The third V2 monkey flight, carrying Albert III launched on September 16, 1949. He died when his rocket exploded at 35,000 feet. On December 12, 1949, the last V-2 monkey flight was launched at White Sands. Albert IV, attached to monitoring instruments, made  a successful flight, reaching 130.6 km., with no ill effects on Albert IV. Unfortunately, he also died on impact.   Other missile tests took place with animals, too. Yorick, a monkey, and 11 mouse crewmates were recovered after an Aerobee missile flight up to 236,000 feet at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico. Yorick enjoyed a bit of fame as the press covered his ability to live through a space flight. The next May, two Philippine monkeys, Patricia and Mike, were enclosed in an Aerobee. Researchers placed Patricia in a seated position while her partner Mike was prone, to test the differences during rapid acceleration. Keeping the primates company were two white mice, Mildred and Albert. They rode to space inside a slowly rotating drum. Fired 36 miles up at a speed of 2,000 mph, the two monkeys were the first primates to reach such a high altitude. The capsule was recovered safely by descending with a parachute. Both monkeys moved to the both at the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC and eventually died of natural causes, Patricia two years later and Mike in 1967. Theres no reco rd of how Mildred and Albert did.    The USSR Also Did Animal Testing in Space Meanwhile,  the USSR watched these experiments with interest. When they started experiments with living creatures, they primarily worked with dogs. Their most famous animal cosmonaut was Laika, the dog. (See Dogs in Space.) She made a successful ascent, but died a few hours later due to extreme heat in her spacecraft.   The year after the USSR launched Laika,  the U.S. flew Gordo, a squirrel monkey, 600 miles high in a Jupiter rocket. As later human astronauts would, Gordo splashed down in the Atlantic ocean. Unfortunately, while signals on his respiration and heartbeat proved humans could withstand a similar trip, a flotation mechanism failed and his capsule was never found. On May 28, 1959, Able and Baker were launched in the nose cone of an Army Jupiter missile. They rose to an altitude of 300 miles and were recovered unharmed. Unfortunately, Able did not live very long as she died from complications of surgery to remove an electrode on June 1. Baker died of kidney failure in 1984 at the age of 27. Soon after Able and Baker flew, Sam, a rhesus monkey (named after the Air Force School of Aviation Medicine (SAM)), launched on December 4th on board the  Mercury spacecraft. Approximately one minute into the flight, traveling at a speed of 3,685  mph, the Mercury capsule aborted from the Little Joe launch vehicle. The spacecraft landed safely and Sam was recovered with no ill effects. He lived a good long life and died in 1982. Sams mate, Miss Sam, another rhesus monkey, was launched on January 21, 1960. Her  Mercury capsule attained a velocity of 1,800  mph and an altitude of nine miles. After landing in the Atlantic Ocean, Miss Sam was retrieved in overall good condition.   On January 31, 1961, the first space chimp was launched. Ham, whose name was an acronym for  Holloman  Aero  Med, went up on a Mercury  Redstone rocket  on a sub-orbital flight very similar to Alan Shepards. He splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean sixty miles from the recovery ship and experienced a total of 6.6 minutes of  weightlessness  during a 16.5-minute flight. A post-flight medical examination found Ham to be slightly fatigued and dehydrated. His mission paved the way for the successful launch of Americas first human astronaut, Alan B. Shepard, Jr., on May 5, 1961. Ham lived at the Washington Zoo until September 25, 1980. He died in 1983, and his body is now at the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The next primate launch was with Goliath, a one-and-a-half-pound squirrel monkey. He was launched in an Air Force Atlas E rocket on November 10, 1961. He died when the rocket was destroyed 35 seconds after launch. The next of the space chimps was Enos. He orbited Earth on November 29, 1961, aboard the  NASA  Mercury-Atlas rocket. Originally he was supposed to orbit the Earth three times, but due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties, flight controllers were forced to terminate Enos flight after two orbits. Enos landed in the recovery area and was picked up 75 minutes after splashdown. He was found to be in good overall condition and both he and the  Mercury  spacecraft performed well. Enos died at Holloman Air Force Base 11 months after his flight. From 1973 to 1996, the Soviet Union, later Russia, launched a series of life sciences satellites called  Bion. These missions were under the  Kosmos  umbrella name and used for a variety of different satellites including spy satellites. The first  Bion  launch was Kosmos 605 launched on October 31, 1973.   Later missions carried pairs of monkeys.  Bion 6/Kosmos 1514  was launched December 14, 1983, and carried Abrek and Bion on a five-day flight.  Bion 7/Kosmos 1667  was launched July 10, 1985 and carried the monkeys Verny (Faithful) and Gordy (Proud) on a seven-day flight.  Bion 8/Kosmos 1887  was launched September 29, 1987, and carried the monkeys Yerosha (Drowsy) and Dryoma (Shaggy).   The age of primate testing ended with the Space Race, but today, animals still fly to space as part of experiments on board the International Space Station. They are usually mice or insects, and their progress in weightlessness is carefully charted by the astronauts working on the station.   Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The company structure of Ford and Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The company structure of Ford and Toyota - Essay Example Each center was self-sustaining with its own functional staff, planning group, etc" (Multi-Project Management 2005). Ford has poorer teamwork which influences productivity and efficiency of work. In Ford, leadership is centralized with one person while in Toyota leadership is potentially shared among members (Toyota Home Page, 2007). In Ford, the group's purpose is set in response to organizational directives; also, the group measures its effectiveness by individually meeting the stated objectives. In Toyota, the group's purpose is set in response to both organizational directives and a shared group mission, and the group produces one collective work product (LaFasto and Larsen, 2001). The structure of both companies is defined as a 'lean enterprise system'. Mass production is organized around smaller units and subgroups. Both Toyota and Ford have matrix organizational structure. The decentralized decision-making that exists is likely to be more rapid, more efficient in the choice and pricing of new products and processes, more perceptive in the recognition of opportunities emerging from technological and market trends, and more accurate in its assessment of the competence of specific firms to explore these opportunities. In both companies, it is possible to distinguish functional and product departmentalization. Product departmentalization is organized around product lines. Functional departmentalization is organized around such unites as finance and marketing, technology and HRM (human resources management). In both Toyota and Ford, the product is the result of a large measure of collective effort (LaFasto and Larsen, 2001). In addition to each member's individu al accountability, the group also has mutual accountability. In Ford, the small group is a subsystem within the larger organization. As such, it is subject to the same forces as the larger system. The behavior of one group member affects all of the others. Influencing behavior carries beyond the face-to-face meeting. Individual members interact "off-line" in settings other than meeting rooms (Stacey, 1996). The main forms of work coordination include informal and formal communication, and standardization. There are no great differences between Toyota and Ford, because of the nature of business and production processes. Standardization is achieved through rules and procedures, work requirements and production standards (Goris et al 2000). The systems approach to organization and management also gives recognition to the importance of groups in influencing behavior at work. Span of control is a vital part of both organizations. In Ford, a manager supervises about 8-10 employees while in Toyota a manager controls 7-8 employees. As professional decision-making is decentralized, the centre keeps control through a new regime of regulation, performance management and quality control. Tactics and organizational politics depend upon corporate and national culture (Gleason, 1997). In Toyota, Japanese management style and national traditions have a major impact on politic and tactics. The tactics a nd organizational politics are based on ideas of strict codes of values and collective will of the groups. Direct cooperation and support from the top are the main tactics utilized by Toyota's management. Ford follows American management style based on

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Violence and Aggression in Sports is Because of the Media Research Paper

Violence and Aggression in Sports is Because of the Media - Research Paper Example A conclusion will hence be drawn as to the validity and weight of the thesis of the essay and a possible means of reducing violence and aggression in sports suggested. Introduction Violence in the field of sports is the physical and verbal actions executed during, around or directly linked to a sports event that are over and beyond the stipulated guidelines of fair play (Atyeo, 2000). This may be a boxing match, football, martial arts or even wrestling. These acts can and to include intentional assault of opposing players, abusive language and gestures towards referees. Threats also constitute violence. The violent and aggressive behavior witnessed in sports is as a result of the content of media coverage. Media (print, televised, audio and networked) has in the past swayed opinions, created and advanced perceptions and supported/ instigated different actions from the public they reach. However, it is worth noting that the media sometimes promote violence in sports unintentionally th rough live coverage. For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) of Northern America is characterized as lenient and supportive of gross misconduct, such as fighting between players. Hockey fans are entitled to watch the matches and the media is there to facilitate and satisfy this desire but its failure to censor occurrences of physical fights has in the past resulted in instances of violence perpetrated by the fans. ... the role media has played in fostering and fuelling acts of violence and aggression by sports enthusiasts and fans before, during and after sports events proving that the media coverage actively leads to and causes violence and aggression in sports. Discussion Giulianotti and Armstrong (2003) state that, â€Å"Modern day sports violence has its roots in western countries and was widely linked to the broadcasting of games on television sets† (p. 6). Popular belief suggests that initial cases of violence were directed and conducted by the working class individuals in an attempt to reclaim the various sports events which were primarily reserved for the rich and affluent members of the society. A decade later, similar incidences of hooliganism sprung up in more countries in Europe. The main reason the media creates and showcases sports violence and aggression is for the purposes of profit maximization through increased viewership and purchase of magazines and newspapers. The socie ty we live in is such that negative reports such as violence, deaths and accidents, during events attracts a considerable amount of public attention as opposed to more informative topics such as economics, healthy living, reforms among others, and the media utilizes this to its advantage. It is for this reason that the media will capitalize on every single opportunity that presents itself to report of violent incidents in sports events, with some glamorizing them and the perpetrators either with or without the knowledge that by doing so, they are just helping to polarize fans depending on their club loyalties. Children watching and reading the reports grow up knowing or thinking that violence in sports is something, which is normal and with such a trend, hooliganism in sports will never be