Domestic Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Domestic Terrorism - Essay Example For instance, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) reported that as of 2010, there were more than 1000 hate groups in America (Bjelopera, 2013). Furthermore, political polarization in the US has been intense in recent years, and there has been a widespread distrust in the government. These are some of the factors further contributing to the growth of domestic terrorists in the US. Although domestic terrorism is a threat, international terrorism is more dangerous to the general American public. This is because most of the domestic terrorists use non-violent approaches that do not directly cause harm to the American public. For instance, animal rights extremists use what they call ‘direct action’ which mainly involves protests and other resistance activities. In addition, non-violent criminal activities involving fraud and cyber-terrorism are also used by domestic terrorists, and these do not necessarily cause direct harm to the public (Bjelopera, 2013). However, for international terrorists, their main aim is usually to kill and cause maximum damage. For example, the 911 attack left more than 3000 dead and property worth billions of dollars destroyed. No domestic terrorist activity can ever get close to

Success of Islam Essay Example for Free

Success of Islam Essay Islam word means peace literally, surrendering of the wills i. e. for the sake of God loosing oneself and for the pleasure of God surrendering one’s own pleasure. 1400 years before through the Holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the message of Islam was revealed. It was sent down by the angel Gabriel (pbuh) and in the Holy Quran it was preserved. The best features of the earlier scriptures are said to be recorded in the Holy Quran, which is a guarantee that’s Divine without any interruptions or errors. Unity of God is the primary message of Islam, only one is the creator of this world and only he is worthy of worship and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is His Messenger and we all are its servants. A person who believes in these is a true Muslim. Other beliefs of a Muslim are in the revealed Books of God, God’s angels, belief in all the prophets from Adam to Jesus (pbuh), in the Day of Judgement and in God’s Verdict. There are five main pillars to Islam or you can say five main duties to perform, these are of being a witness to the Unity of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as His Messenger, prescribed prayers observation, the payment of Zakat, in Ramadhan keeping the fasts and performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. Every person is born pure is what the Islamic beliefs say. God has given the human beings a choice to seek its pleasure through charity, faith and prayer and also a choice between good and evil is what the Holy Quran says. In God’s image mankind is created, says Islam and in order to attain nearness to Him mankind needs to fill in the attributes of God on a human level. Worshipping God and treating all of His creatures with compassion and kindness is what’s the main message of Islam. The rights of the needy orphans and old parents are clearly stated in the Holy Quran. 1400 hundred years ago the rights of women were safeguarded when the world was in complete darkness about liberation. The principles and rules of Islam are universal truly and have stood the test of time and the teachings of Islam also encompass every situation that’s imaginable. Neglecting the bounties of nature that are lawful is not indicated by Islamic virtue. Leading a healthy life is what it encourages, living our life with the qualities of kindness, honesty, charity, patience, politeness, courage and chastity. Basically Islam has all the guidance code for the individuals as well as communities as a whole. As time changes and time passes the messages of Islam are indisputable as the entire message is derived from the Holy Quran and the Hadith and Sunnah. Regardless of the human changes it is easily adaptable in actual fact though it may appear rigid to the eye. The spiritual path is open to all is what Islam teaches. Through sincere and earnest worship any individual can seek nearness to God if he/she believes in One Creator, establishing a relationship with the Almighty is central. A positive message like this fills the heart with courage and hope (Azam). In more than 50 countries of the world there are 1. 5 billion Muslims worldwide. The fastest growing faith in the world is Islam with its beautiful message reaching in the far corner of the earth to millions. To a merchant family the Holy prophet was born in Mecca. At the age of five he had been orphanage. To become a caravan manager he grew up and married widow rich women eventually who was his employer as well. He began to experience the visions inspired by Allah in his middle years. The Holy Prophet had believed that even though Allah had revealed himself through Moses and Jesus in parts through Hebrew and Christianity the final of the revelations were given now to him. On the basis of which the followers were to live were contained in the Quran which were the guidelines for mankind sent down as revelations to the Prophet. The teachings of the Prophet formed the basis of the religion Islam which means the ‘submission to the will of Allah’. Everything in this universe and the universe itself was created by Allah Almighty himself. For an everlasting life the humans must subject themselves to the will of Allah. The followers of him were called Muslims which meant â€Å"practitioners of Islam† Prophet Muhammad set out to convince the people of Mecca after the revelations were received. Many of the people at first thought of him as insane whereas some other people feared that the attacks of him on the corrupt society would disturb and social and political order. At the time of the failure of the Meccan’s in making people accept the religion the Holy Prophet along with his close followers migrated to Yathrib which was later renamed Medina (city of the Prophet). The holy Prophet had been invited to that town by some prominent residents over there. The Holy prophet soon had begun to win the support of the Medina people and other Bedouin tribes in the countryside surrounding it. He then formed the first Muslim community by these groups. There was no separation seen by the Muslims in the social and political authority, as to them the submission to the will of Allah was seen as submission to the Prophet Muhammad. The Holy Prophet then soon became a political and religious leader. By his military and political skills he was able to put together a reliable military force, with whom he had returned to Mecca in 630, to the new faith converting the city and the townspeople. Across the Arabian Peninsula Muhammad’s ideas began to spread quickly from Mecca and within a short period of time it resulted into both the political and the religious unification of the Arab society (Spielvogel, 64). For the balancing of the individual and the spiritual life of an individual the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has provided guidance. The guidance of the Holy Prophet Muhammad was accepted by all Muslims and they were interested more in the spiritual and individual activities of the founder than his activities as a new social order founder. The success of the Prophet as the movement leader having worldwide implications can be explained by two aspects, spiritual being the first and the other being material. Generally accepted by the religious scholars and the other Muslims the first aspect holds that Prophet Muhammad was chosen as a Prophet by Allah and his success was divine. The second one which had been used and embraced by the historians and the western researchers believe that it was the distinctive leadership skills and the charismatic personality of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that had helped in the success and also the success was believed to be the result of historical and experimental motives. The ideal personality and the historical personality were both aspects of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that were regarded as the models of Islam. Both of these models require different research and analysis methods to be examined carefully, they do not contradict each other. With the existence of his great individual skills he lived a simple life which had been witnessed by other people. The life of the Holy Prophet would not have been considered a perfect model for humanity in the Holy Quran if this was not true. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was sent as a guide to the wide variety of people with different emotional, aspirational and moral needs, with the mental and spiritual maturity that he possessed embraced the social and individual needs of these people and helped them in solving their problems. The depth and breadth in his policies were applied to all the societies and individuals with enormous human nature range with great sensitivity. In the social, political and economic fields Prophet Muhammad was the first Prophet and leader to put his policies into practice. To the sublime quality of the Prophet such implementation of the guidance and the leadership mission was a testament. Contrary to the Mecca situation, during Hijrah, the Prophet’s political aspect and his presidential status in particular for a state newly found had emerged. Along with his religious guidance his political leadership, the establishment of the relationships between the Muslim society and the other groups had started to grow importance. The holy prophet did not gain power or became the ruler of median at the time of Hijrah but acquired the control on the city when he had defeated his enemies in Mecca and the other places when people of Medina who had accepted Islam came to join him. Several years before the demise of the Holy Prophet the political leadership of the Holy prophet became undisputed with the subsequent developments when most of the Arabian tribes had accepted Islam. Therefore, it had been seen that under his ruling a wide political unity had been developed. The personal skills, the highly developed wisdom, his diplomacy as a ruler, his understanding with other people and his tactfulness cannot be separated from his success even if the conditions were said to be in his side always. The good behavior of the Holy prophet and his politics and leadership skills played a great role in the success besides the attractiveness of Islam and the fact that Islam responded to the needs of the Arab states religiously and as a social system (Abdul Rahman,25). Under the leadership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the political structure of the Arabian Peninsula changed with the quarter century. Due to the efforts of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) the Arabs had become a nation, first who were living as nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. Rotting in terms of these concepts a new moral and social order in the society was also formed by the Prophet besides struggling heavily with the dominant religion, institutions and the social concepts. The superiority concept that was believed to exist since birth was ended by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) besides his elimination of the social injustice, tribal animosities and the inequalities. The artificial obstacles that tend to separate an individual from the society were also removed by him. A society that was based on affection, fellowship and cooperation was founded by him. The misbehavior toward women and the killing of girls was also stopped by him. The status of women was raised to such an extent by the Prophet that from the oppressive obedience rule they were made to share their lives with the men and had mutual amount or responsibilities and rights. The women were allowed to have their legal professions; they could purchase detached residences and spent their money on whatever they wanted. The old perceptions which did not treat or regard women’s as independent individuals were eliminated and he had invalidated the provisions in the field of family law of women. Steps to abolish slavery were taken by the Prophet (pbuh). After a short period of time as a matter of fact the liberated slaves began to outshine their masters in different fields like scholarships arts etc. In the tenth year of Hijrah as the entire Arabia had come under the Islamic rule and the Medina regions became Islamic state provinces the people from the Prophet’s tribe were assigned these provinces to administer. Through merit and personal ability these people were assigned the provinces. In recalling the people who were incompetent and assigning the provinces to the more skilled workers the Prophet was never hesitant. A person who was well skilled and well informed would not be assigned the work if he had issues with overcoming the task. From the values of nobility, class, tribal superiority and wealth the value of faith was more essential in administration. According to their personal capacity everyone was given the opportunity to achieve. It is hence seen that only the competent believers were assigned by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) (Malise,43). The act of consultation was one of the indispensible actions he employed in administration. On the issues of significance he consulted leading believers and took their opinions. The decision he used to make was enact to the decisions formed by these consultants even if it contradicted his own opinions (Ozel). The Holy prophet possesses some great leadership qualities which played a major role in the success of Islam at the time of the unification of Arabia. The Holy Prophet when received his first revelation, he with fear was trembling. Of the great responsibility he was fully aware of the great responsibility being given to him. He could only confide about this was to his wife Khadija as he was so fearful. The confidence by which the Holy Prophet took Hazrat Khadija in confidence was remarkable. Regardless of the prevailing norms it reflected his inner strength and confidence in judgment. At that time he trusted and respected his wife for her support something which was very rare at that time. The Holy Prophet’s deep humility was also reflected. He only preached to his family and close friends in the start, true to his humility. He was completely aware of the fact that this would completely turn his community upside down but would transform it for the better. He took the risk of dividing his community with great courage. His desire was to save the community and not destroy it (Khan). The followers of the Holy Prophet used to carry out all the orders of the Holy Prophet without any kind of hesitation as they all had blind faith in him and if they were asked to plunge themselves in the river of fire they were also ready to do that but the Holy Prophet never adopted any of the methods that were dictatorial. At times when the Holy Prophet received no instructions from Allah he used to consult his companions about the issue and respected whatever views they put forward and considering those he took his decisions. To the advice of his companions in the battle of Badr about choosing the camping grounds, taking military action against the enemies, how the prisoners should be dealt with etc were all left to the companions. He also consulted his companions at the time of the battle of Uhad about whether to attack the troops from within the city of Medina or from outside of Medina. On the Battle of Ahzab and Tabuk also he consulted his companions (Hart). The Holy Prophets kindness and tolerance, his anxiety in seeking the forgiveness of its community’s sins, he giving so much of importance to his companions and all his consultations with them were all main factors that had contributed to the great influence and wonderful exercise over his companions. The maximum qualities of leadership were all that he himself possessed. Like firmness, boldness, determination, no fear of any consequences of an action, bearing criticism, delegation of the powers in accordance to their abilities, giving importance to others, flexibility in his personal matters, emotional and practical talents, modesty, humility, contentment, simplicity, dignity, elevation of manners and great interest in the organizing of human resources (Mutahhari). At the disposal of humanity a complete program and a code of comprehensive laws had been placed with the raising of the Prophet of Islam. The teachings and laws implementation of Islam would ensure the happiness and the prosperity of the human beings in this as well as the next worlds. When the Quraish saw Islam as a threat they started torturing the Holy Prophet and all of his followers. But in spite of the unbearable hostility and suffering they were firm on their belief and held fast on their faith. When the news of the success of Islam reached the Quraish in general and the Umayyad in particular they with the Jews conspired to uproot the Muslims. Treachery was widespread and the Holy Prophet who had never yielded a weapon had to defend Islam by the force of arms. From the battle of Badr commencing a series of the battles were being fought in which the community had defended itself successfully. The Muslims remarkable achievements were primarily due to the outstanding leadership qualities of just one man- the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his teaching and explicit faith in Islam. By the same spirit his followers were also imbibed, which had carried them across the continents and inclined them against the two mighty empires, as the Muslims armies marched on were swept aside (Lodi). A successful prophet was Muhammad and a statesman who in brief span of 21 years went from the visionary of persecution to the ruler of Arabia. It was his success that made Islam a powerful tool for the providence and the second largest religion in the world. So the success of Islam is great due to the skills of the Holy Prophet which lead it to become a widespread strong belief religion (Cromwell).

Risks in Social Networking Sites

Risks in Social Networking Sites A social network is a map of the relationships between individuals, ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds. Virtual communities are built around affinity and similarity. Social networking sites allow people to gather online around shared interests or causes, like finding people who live nearby or who are in the same age range. It is also one of the most popular Internet activities among teenagers. Friends are everything to a teen. New technologies in the last few years have provided opportunities for teens to make cyber friends in addition to their real world friends. These sites allow teens to design their own personalized page on the Internet, much like an interactive scrapbook, that can include their favorite music clips, their choice of background designs or wallpaper, photos, favorite quotes and any other information about themselves and anyone else that they wish to include. The websites combine many Internet features into one: personal profiles, blogs (web logs like an online diary or journal), places for photos and videos, the latest news in pop culture about music groups or hot new products, opinion polls, user groups, and more. Some of the most popular social networking sites for teens include MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo. Social networking websites have potential for both negative and positive consequences. These are public websites. Which means people of all ages, interests, and backgrounds have access to them. Due to the information sharing nature of these sites, teens face on critical and dangerous problems caused by using their personal information from others. There are many positives things about these websites when used appropriately. Creation of a personal web page can be a very creative outlet for a teen. Frequent entries into an online blog can give teens practice in writing and expressing their thoughts and opinions, which would improve their communication and language skills. Through using technology, teens are learning how to play with and use large amounts of data and information. Teens are also learning skills needed to build a website and use other technologies. Some other positive facts of the social networking websites are that people who share the same interests interact. They make these site a meeting point. They share school research documents and develop artistic talents and experiments with other forms of content creation. While most of this online interaction is just for fun, there are dangers for teens. While todays teens may be more digitally savvy than their parents, their lack of maturity and life experience can quickly get them into trouble with these new social venues. On the other hand, abusing of the social networking websites occurs harassment, tormenting, or sexual advances. Some criminals locate person with only his/her last name and town. To protect the teens from these online predators we need to look into the reasons why like these sites. Why are teens so attracted to social networking websites? 1. Consider the world in which todays teens have grown up. The media has made very public the personal lives of well known people from entertainment, sports, and political circles. Celebrities live out their lives in the limelight. Other examples are TV reality shows many of which are popular with teens. As mentioned earlier, friends are everything to a teen. As todays teens are growing up, they view the Internet as a place to hang out just as real world places are. Using the Internet to connect to friends they know in person and to make new friends is a natural step its just another way to communicate. Todays teens are a self-publicizing generation. It is natural for them to put information out there. A normal developmental task for teens is figuring out their identity. For example, it is typical for teens to try on different identities through their clothing and hairstyle choices. Designing a webpage complete with favorite symbols, quotes, and pictures can also be viewed as a way to try on an identity, test an image, and get feedback from others. 2. These sites expose teens to the world. They enable teens to access people living anywhere in the country or in foreign countries, as well as their peers from school. Its a place where they can create and showcase who they are and also keep tabs on all of their friends. Unless under a hidden view or setting, profile pages are open for all to see. But teens love social networking sites because its their space. There is a sense of empowerment attached to controlling a piece of their own world and this is typically a world where parents are not present. Privacy and Security Issues in Social Networking There are very serious privacy and safety issues with regard to social networking sites. Anyone worried by privacy issues on social networking sites should ask themselves the question: is the next generation even going to be bothered by online security? A survey in the U.K. has discovered that 25% of teenagers have either hacked or attempted to hack their mates Facebook accountsdespite four out of five of them admitting that they knew they were doing wrong. Most of the 1,150 under-19-year-olds, who were questioned anonymously, said that they tried to crack their friends passwords for fun. Some 21% said that they hoped to cause disruption (as Facebooks founder Mark Zuckerberg allegedly did at Harvard). A successful hack, however, was harder to manage than the kids had envisaged, with 82% saying they hadnt succeeded. As regards Facebook and privacy issues, theres been a fair amount of keyboard pounding. The problem, its implied, is with Zuckerbergs company ethos as he strives to eke as many dollars as possible out of the site. However, perhaps there is some meat in the argument that kids are less bothered about what actually constitutes a persons right to keep his private stuff just that. Tufin Technologies, the firm that commissioned the study, claims that it demonstrates that kids needed educating about what is and isnt acceptable with online privacy. Playing around with computers and trying to understand the system can be leveraged for good and bad purposes, said Reuven Harrison, one of the co-founders of Tufin. Theres a fine line at which point it becomes something bad. Children dont always understand where that line is. Risks associated to the use of social network services identified up to now include the following: The notion of oblivion does not exist on the Internet. Once stored it stays there forever. Data, once published, may stay there forever, even when the data has been deleted them from the original site, there may be copies with third parties. Additionally, some service providers refuse to speedily comply with user requests to have data, and especially complete profiles, deleted. The misleading nature of the community. If users are not openly informed about how their profile information is shared and what they can do to control how it is shared, they may by the misled into thoughtlessly sharing their personal data they would not otherwise. The very name of some of these sites like MySpace creates the illusion on the web. Free of charge may in fact not be for free. Many social networking providers make money by selling user data such as email to service providers for marketing purposes, e.g. for (targeted) marketing. Traffic data collection by social network service providers, some providers have an ability to collect and record every single move by a user. Some details like IP address are given to third parties for advertising. Note that in many jurisdictions these data will also have to be disclosed to law enforcement or secret services upon request, including maybe also foreign entities under existing rules on international cooperation. For many of the social networking site user data are only the thing they have to make profit. So they use it to maximize their profits. Giving away more personal information than we think. For example, photos and, social graph functionalities popular with many social network services do reveal data about the relationships between different users. Misuse of profile data by third parties: This is probably the most important threat potential for personal. Depending on available privacy settings profile information, including pictures are made available to the entire user community. And very little protection is present against copying any kind of data from profiles. Law enforcement agencies and secret services are other entities. Possible hijacking of profiles by unauthorized third parties. Use of an insecure infrastructure. The introduction of interoperability standards and application programming interfaces to make different social network services technically interoperable entails additional new risks. Social issues Cyber-Bullying by Teenagers Should society be concerned? Many teens argue that rating is harmless fun. Fun it probably is, but whether it is harmless only time will tell. Teachers, lecturers and professors could find themselves unknowingly the subject of ribaldry, criticism, victimization or worse. Potential exists for slander and defamatory suggestions, if ratings are accompanied by gossip. Social Networking and Harassment The internet has had a reputation for being a platform for online bullying. Sometimes cyber-bullying has involved student to student situations. Sometimes harassment issues in the workplace have found their way online and teens have been targeted by online predators. Teenagers have found themselves giving statements to the law about bullying allegations, now this could affect teachers too. Online Bullying Health Issues for Teachers Stressed teachers, who are sometimes trying to give of their best in difficult circumstances, could be subjected to additional emotional and psychological trauma. Teenagers can be cruel in their humor and comments could be misleading, inaccurate, or derogatory, with scope for invention and exaggeration. Some would not realize that an online campaign of uncomplimentary performance ratings, ridicule or even threats might have negative consequences for teachers well-being. Laws Pertaining to Social Networking Sites The two most important statutes to consider when discussing the legal liabilities and obligations of the social networking sites are Section 512(c) of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 512 Section 512(c) removes liability for copyright infringement from websites that allow users to post content, as long as the site has a mechanism in place whereby the copyright owner can request the removal of infringing content. The site must also not receive a financial benefit directly attributable to the infringing activity. Section 230 Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes website from any liability resulting from the publication of information provided by another. This usually arises in the context of defamation, but several courts have expanded it to cover other sorts of claims as well. Thus, if a user posts defamatory or otherwise illegal content, Section 230 shields the social network provider from any liability arising out of the publication. Websites that, in whole or in part, create or develop contested information, on the other hand, are deemed content providers that do not benefit from the protections of Section 230. For example, MySpace.com attempts to restrict the ability to view underage profiles by preventing older users from accessing them. In effect, the web site filters the content based on answers provided during registration to ensure that only minors of certain ages can view other profiles from that age group. This would almost certainly qualify as meta-information under the Roommates.com decision, and would bump MySpace out from under the protection of Section 230. State Laws In addition to these federal statutes, several states have enacted or proposed laws that would create requirements for social networking sites, particularly in regards to monitoring the presence and activities of sexual predators using the sites. For an example, the North Carolina state senate recently passed a bill requiring that parents and guardians register with a social networking site and verify their ages before their children can sign up for an account. This is to counter the difficulty in verifying the ages of minors, who usually lack credit cards or other sources of information concerning their ages. That bill still requires approval from the North Carolina House of Representatives. Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) The New Problem of Sexting Sexting refers to sending a text message with pictures of children or teens that are inappropriate, naked or engaged in sex acts. According to a recent survey, about 20 percent of teen boys and girls have sent such messages. The emotional pain it causes can be enormous for the child in the picture as well as the sender and receiver often with legal implications. Some social networking sites attract pre-teens even kids as young as 5 or 6. These younger-focused sites dont allow the same kinds of communication that teens and adults have, but there are still things that parents can do to help young kids socialize safely online. In fact, when it comes to young kids, the law provides some protections and gives parents some control over the type of information that children can disclose online. For sites directed to children under age 13, and for general audience sites that know theyre dealing with kids younger than 13, theres the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It requires these sites to get parental consent before they collect, maintain, or use kids information. COPPA also allows parents to review their childs online profiles and blog pages. Cultural Issues Teens chose to go where their friends are. So they dont randomly select their friends, they connect with people who are like them. This is known as homophily in the sociological concept of which highlights that birds of a feather stick together. By the time most teens join MySpace or Facebook, they already know someone who is on the site. They are attracted to the site because of the people there. MySpace came out as the first and quickly attracted young adults. It spread to teenagers through older. Facebook started at Harvard and spread with in before spreading more broadly. First within Harvard, then to other colleges, then to companies, then high schools, and then the whole world. MySpace came first and many teens chose to embrace it. When Facebook came along, plenty of teens changed to it as the new thing. In doing so, some chose to leave MySpace, while most simply maintained two profiles. Yet Facebook did not simply take over MySpace. In May 2009 comScore reported that MySpace and Facebook had roughly equal numbers of unique visitors. In choosing between the two sites, teens marked one as for people like me, which suggested that the other was for the other people. Teens use social categories and labels to identify people with values, tastes, and social positions. As teens chose between MySpace and Facebook, these sites began reflecting the cultural frames of those social categories. Health Safety Issues Health and safety on the internet applies to the mental health of an individual rather than the physical. For example the use of social networking site Facebook is associated with issues of cyber bullying and peer pressure. Solutions Teen Users of social networks 1. Be careful Think twice before publishing personal data (specifically name, address, or telephone number) in a social network profile. 2. Think twice before using your real name in a profile. Use a pseudonym instead. Note that even then you have only limited control over who can identify you, as third parties may be able to lift a pseudonym, especially based on pictures. Think of using different pseudonyms on different platforms. 3. Respect the privacy of others Be especially careful with publishing personal information about others (including pictures or even tagged pictures), without that other persons consent. Note that illegal publication especially of pictures is a crime in many jurisdictions. 4. Be informed Who operates the service? Under which jurisdiction? Is there an adequate regulatory framework for protecting privacy? Is there an independent oversight mechanism (like a Privacy Commissioner) that you can turn to in case of problems? Which guarantees does the service provider give with respect to handling your personal data? Has the service been certified by independent and trustworthy entities for good quality of privacy, and security? Use the web to educate yourself about other peoples experience with the privacy and security practices of a service provider you do not know. Use existing information material from providers of social network services, but also from independent sources like Data Protection Agencies, and security companies. 5. Use privacy friendly settings Restrict availability of information as much as possible, especially with respect to indexing by search engines. 6. Use different identification data (e.g. login and password) than those you use on other websites you visit (e.g. for your e-mail or bank account). 7. Use opportunities to control how a service provider uses your personal (profile and traffic) data. E.g. opt out of use for targeted marketing. What parents can do Learn what your teen is doing on the Internet. One way is to ask your teen to help you with doing a task on the web. Help teens know what is appropriate to put on the web. They have the web knowledge but you have life experience. Be clear about what is not safe to post on the web: full name, address, specific places they go, phone numbers, ethnic background, and anything else that would help someone identify or locate them. Remind your teen that strangers and people they dont want accessing their information have the ability to do just that. Once something is posted on the web, it is no longer private. Stress that the rules of social networking sites must be followed. There are age limits on most sites. Establish limits on how much screen time your teen has including time at the computer, watching TV, or playing video games. Invite your teen to show you his/her web page. Give him/her a day or two of warning before looking at it. Some teens may rethink what they have posted. Consider joining the same website your teen is on and setting up your own profile. That way your teen will be able to look at your profile and you will be able to ask to view his/her profile. Knowing this, teens will be much better at self monitoring. Conclusion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Bullying and other threats which young users inflict upon each other may be more likely to arise than threats from adults. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Much is known about potential risks, but more research on the nature and extent of harm actually experienced by minors online is needed. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Parental involvement in their childrens online activity is important, but principles of privacy and trust should dictate how parents help children to stay safe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Education and awareness are the most important factors in enabling minors to keep themselves safe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry self-regulation is the preferred approach for service providers to meet public expectations with regard to the safety of minors. Legislation should not place burdens on service providers which prevent them from providing minors with all the benefits of social networking. However, available safety measures vary greatly from one provider to another and mandatory minimum levels of provision may need to be established. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ There are a number of resources for learning how to guide youth, and program leaders can direct parents to them. One Internet watchdog, Parry Aftab, has several websites with advice tailored for parents, police and the youth themselves. One of them, WiredSafety, contains a guide to staying safe in online social networks.

My High School Locker Essay -- Descriptive Essay, Descriptive Writing

"Here's your locker combination. Just go right down that hall," said Mrs. Breech pointing toward the sophomore hall. I walked into the sophomore hall so that I could find my locker and make sure that my combination worked. I turn the shiny black dial right to 27, left to 49, right again to 32. Clicking at each number, the lock clicked once more as I lifted the small silver latch. I was ecstatic that my clean, creamy white locker had the correct combination. That would make my life a lot easier when school started in two weeks. Â   On the first day of school, my locker is still clean and radiant in the fluorescent hall lighting. Gradually books accumulate on the bottom shelf, and syllabuses and lists of rules fill the top shelf. My cousin's large grey sweatshirt, complete with a cigarette burn hole, occupies the hook. Eventually these are joined by a myriad of assignments, which are prone to flying out if the door is opened. One day, on the top shelf, an odd green spot appears. There's moss growing in my locker. Â   The second quarter has begun and the huge amount of clutter in the ...

Describe the Initiatives Which Influence

E6- Describe the initiatives which influence the provision of challenging environments for children (5 marks) There are different types of international, national and local initiatives which influence the provision of challenging environments for children. An example of an initiative is the Forest Schools. ‘A Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning’ http://www. forestschools. om/what-happens-at-a-forest-school/ Forest schools can influence the provision of a challenging environment, as the teachers can take the children in small groups every week to the local woods to have a better understanding of the outdoor environment and it’s linked to the curriculum. By doing this it enables children to be able to be in a safe environment when exploring and having adventures so they can see what things they can do when they go into the woods next time.It can also help children with problems such as language problems as this allows the m to speak about the experience they are having which can then be taken to the classroom and then it could be turned into a story to help the child. When going into the woods it helps to cater the behaviour for the problem children and it also teaches children when they can and can’t mess around.It also focuses on the fundamental aspect of the Forest School innovation educational approach. The Forest School provides ways for meeting learning objectives while developing practical life skills and encouraging child-initiated learning, which is observed and assessed. Lots of young children prefer to be outside than in the classroom environment because they can find it more exciting and they might pay more attention. Word Count- 240

Inspirational New Years Quotes

Inspirational New Years Quotes Many choose New Years as the time to turn over a new leaf. Smokers vow to kick the foul habit. Some decide to change to a new and improved lifestyle. Habitual spendthrifts decide to mend their ways. And most people who enjoy eating unhealthy food  latch on to the latest dieting fad. New Years symbolizes the birth of hope and the renewal of life. Below are New Years quotes from famous people- and others not quite so famous- that are inspirational enough to help you find your calling. Youll find many of the quotes to be uplifting, with a few tongue-in-cheek thoughts included in the mix. Making a New Start If you are supercharged about making a glorious new beginning this New Years Eve or New Years Day, its a good time to consider creating your New Years resolutions. Pick your favorite peeve and resolve to get rid of the bad stuff. Give up whining and take charge of your life. Thats what the folks in this section recommend through their pithy sayings. Jay Leno: New Years Eve, where auld acquaintance be forgot. Unless, of course, those tests come back positive. Hal Borland: Years end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Edward Payson Powell: The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming 12months! Ringing in the New Year Each new year is like a rebirth, a chance to begin again, or as Oprah Winfrey said, a chance to get it right. Read these quotes and let yourself be inspired to be let go of the old and, essentially, start fresh, and begin a new life. George William Curtis: The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows. Hartley Coleridge: The merry year is born like the bright berry from the naked thorn. Oprah Winfrey: Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. John Burroughs: One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. Looking Ahead As the new year begins, dont just look backward: Look ahead. Imagine what your life will be like 20 years from now, as the famous writer Mark Twain said. The choices you make in the new year may affect and direct the course of your life for years, or decades, to come. Mark Twain: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. G. K. Chesterton: The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul. Benjamin Franklin: Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Edith Lovejoy Pierce: We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Years Day. Ellen Goodman: We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.

Review of The Skin of our Teeth essays

Review of The Skin of our Teeth essays The Skin of Our Teeth was a thought provoking and entertaining production. First the Ice Age, been there done that, learned nothing. The great flood, been there done that, learned nothing. A world of war and fighting, been there done that, learned nothing. These are the points Thornton Wilder worked so hard to get across. The human race as portrayed by the Antrobus family has been there and done that, yet have learned nothing and keep repeating the errors of the past over and over again and ends with the idea that we don't know what is to come. From Sabina, the flirty maid to the comical pet dinosaur and mammoth, who are kept as family animals, the play is a great production for all audiences. The costumes were perfect for the play, they were time appropriate as each act progressed and added to helping with setting the time and place of the play. During the final scene when the family comes back together after the war, the clothing is burnt and very dirty looking, it was very appropriate for that portion of the play. Lighting and sound was great. The props could have been a bit more realistic during Act II and III, the plywood furniture wasn't exactly correct for the time. The destruction of the furniture and books during Act III were appropriate and fit well. At the opening of the play when Sabina first enters onto the stage and it appears as if someone is missing their cue, it was very believable. I was beginning to wonder what was happening, and then the voice over says tells her to stall and she did a great job of portraying that an actor/actress was missing. The actors/actresses all spoke very clearly and lines were all clearly understandable. My favorite performer was Sabina; she was very realistic and stayed in character throughout the entire play. She played the role of flirtatious maid, pageant winner and back to classical maid without skipping a beat, all t...

The Views of the Man Who Ended the Cold War essays

The Views of the Man Who Ended the Cold War essays The Views of the Man Who Ended the Cold War Gail Sheehy. The Man Who Changed the World- The Lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Mikhail Gorbachev. Perestroika- New Thinking for Our Country and the World. The two books that I am critiquing are about Mikhail Gorbachev and his political policies. The first book is called The Man Who Changed the World- The lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev by Gail Sheehy. The second is Perestroika- New Thinking for Our Country and the World by Mikhail Gorbachev. Gail Sheehys book is a biography of Gorbachev from birth until present times, and it really helps in understanding the second book, Perestroika, which is about Gorbachevs political policies that turned the Soviet Union upside down. These books complement each other very well. The Man Who Changed the World is a well-covered look at Gorbachevs life- his roots, his early life, and how he rose into power. It gives some reasoning as to why he is not the typical Russian Communist Party leader. The most startling fact I discovered about Gorbachev is that he is not technically Russian. Both sets of his grandparents were Ukrainian Cossacks. Cossacks were much like the pilgrims were to early America. The Cossacks were groups of people who had escaped from oppressive conditions and migrated north in search of religious and political freedoms. Gorbachev had rebel blood from the very beginning- and was far from the typical submissive Russian peasant farmer. These people formed their own towns and tried to become self-sufficient in Russias mother-land in the south. He was born in 1931, during the heart of the Great Depression, and during some of the worst times that Russia was to experience. Stalin was basically creating a state sponsored famine with the way he was managing the countrys food supply, and the strict rules the people had to abide by. He would take all of their food away for the slightest becau...

Fungi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fungi - Essay Example Strains of two fungi, according to Enserink (2005:p.1531), called Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, have been found to kill mosquitoes. Several different strains of each fungus exist, and there is one to kill almost any insect species, says Christiaan Kooyman, who studies locust control using fungi, at Benin (as quoted in Enserink, 2005: p.1531). Kooyman adds that since mosquitoes are increasingly becoming resistant to chemical pesticides, new control tools such as biopesticides are necessary. Among the major groups of microbes, fungi and viruses are well known for causing dramatic epizootics (epidemic animal disease) resulting in rapid decline of insect populations (Hokkanen (Ed.). 2003: p.15). These agents, used for classical biological control, are expected to establish themselves in the environment, persist to survive and grow, and increase in density in response to increases in host population density. Dynamic interactions between the pathogen, insect host and environment influence the epizootics, and the efficacy of mycoinsecticides (Esser; Lemke, 2001: p.111). consumption, is not required as in infection caused by other entomopathogens such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses (Mukerji, et al, 2001: p.39). According to Kinghorn; Turner (1992: p.178), entomopathogenic fungi invade their hosts by direct penetration of the insect cuticle, a process that is likely to involve both mechanical pressure and enzymic hydrolysis. Another desired attribute is host-specificity (Eilenberg, et al, 2001, quoted in Hajek, et al, Hokkanen (Ed.). 2003: p.16). Whether organisms other than the target hosts remain unaffected by the fungal infection continues to be under research. Fungi infect a broader rangeof insects than do other microorganisms. The host ranges of some of the fungi, like Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae are very broad, and encompass most of the

Teaching Strategies for Students that are Mental Retarded Essay

Teaching Strategies for Students that are Mental Retarded - Essay Example The mutilation of students who are mentally disturbed in reading skills of comprehension display differences in accordance with their disability level. Many people do not see the possibility for such students (mentally retarded) to learn writing and reading skills. The problems of these students are evident in the dimension of reading comprehension. Appropriate methods of teaching have become suggested to help students conquer these difficulties. The major areas in which mentally retarded students experience difficulties are finding the textual components in their reading and associating these components. The reasons for these difficulties as suggested include lack of repeating strategies, memory problems, short attention span and problem in transferring the leant work (Iskdogan & Kargin 3). Strategies One of the reading comprehension technique taught is story map. It is the representation of some section of or the entire story and how fundamental components of the story are linked t o each other in the form of graphics (graphical form). It is also a technique of constructing a schema, which involves teaching the relationships of sections of a story with each other to the person who reads, and providing the necessary components of the story in a schema so as to draw the attention of the individual who reads. The purpose of this method is help students build the story about the fundamentals of the story in their minds with no use of the visual material given as a story map after a certain time. The technique is also meant to improve thinking structures, which provide text comprehension. This method (story map) is effective in separating the information which is significant and insignificant in the story, providing active participation, activating foreknowledge, predicting, directing students, and transferring data into long term memory (Iskdogan & Kargin 4). The didactic approach is another strategy of teaching. This is based on games and exercises. Modern commun ities of researching and teaching agree that learning is effective, despite the philosophy or educational model used, when students get involved in games and exercises. In accordance with the socio-cultural theory, learning is majorly a social process. The most effective practices of education should be constructed upon all the ways in which people are specifically gifted at getting information kinds and causal patterns. Games and exercises are all about interactions with other persons. The interactions of the mentally disturbed students with each other will help them understand and improve their relations with others, and also learn from them. Children acquire most of their knowledge through others, and that knowledge occurs outside school settings such as museums, toys, televisions and other artifacts, or even different games activities like playing soccer, doing athletics, and playing chess (Reis et al 3). Traditionally, the main learning form has been the known teacher directed learning or guided learning. This is where the teacher or trainer makes all the appropriate decisions and the student follows him or her. In such a model of learning, the teacher decides about the learning goals, the strategies of learning, ways of measuring outcomes, and deals with judgment, results and feedback. The other two types of learning experiences are experiential and action learning. Serious awareness have become made on the benefits of new

Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education Local plagiarisms Essay

Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education Local plagiarisms - Essay Example Therefore many institutions have laid out guidelines and rules concerning these vices, and even stipulated the penalties for anyone who does not comply. The issue of intertextuality is addressed, which involves the author borrowing and transforming a text or a reader referencing one text in reading another one. Transgressive intertextuality involves the breaching of acceptable borrowing practices. The interpretation of the concept of improper intertextuality varies from one lecturer to another, according to interviews conducted on lecturers from various disciplines. The reasons for this disparity include the unique expectations and practices of each discipline. The results of these interviews showed certain areas where students experienced problems in citing sources. These include poor paraphrasing, students’ identities as the authors, improper understanding of common knowledge, information contained in many sources such that it is difficult to pinpoint its source, and the uni que expectations and practices of each discipline. Therefore it is suggested that there should be a different definition of inappropriate intertextuality for each discipline in order to address various disciplinary perspectives. This paper seeks to evaluate how the problem of plagiarism and collusion is viewed and attempts to curb it in various academic institutions. The paper mainly focuses on the lecturer’s views about transgressive intertextuality in various disciplines like the humanities, history, languages, engineering, law and fashion. The paper has successfully tackled a number of issues. The lecturers’ responses mostly comprised of their own personal interpretations of intertextuality and the experiences that they had encountered while dealing with their students, therefore they were able to give a picture of the real situation that was taking place in the institutions. The paper also highlights the opinions about transgressive intertextuality in various disci plines; therefore the students can get to know what is expected of them in writing academic papers in their respective disciplines (Worton and Still 1991). Suggestions are also given on how to deal with transgressive intertextuality. The lecturers who were interviewed gave details about how they had punished the culprits and other steps that they had taken to reduce the misconduct. The study also highlights the future repercussions of indulging in plagiarism and collusion. Some of the interviewees expressed the feelings of anger and sympathy for those students who were practicing plagiarism because they felt that they were jeopardizing their careers. Cases of plagiarism can also lead to termination of grants. According to Maier (2011), plagiarism tarnishes the professional reputation of an individual and may make it hard to secure a job in the future because the prospective employers may view you as dishonest and lazy, and therefore not fit to work for them. The study also clarifies that it is not possible to treat the issue of transgressive intertextuality in the same manner across all disciplines because different disciplines have varying demands. For instance, a history student is expected to come up with an account from an existing text while a literature student tries to interpret and react to written works. Therefore any copying in literature is not tolerated while historians do not deal with it severely because they understand that students will always use other peoples work in writing

Cultural artifact about Korean War in 1950 Essay

Cultural artifact about Korean War in 1950 - Essay Example d into a full-blown war pitching the USA against international communism, considering that North Korea was a USSR backed territory, while South Korea was pro-west (US Department of State n.p.). While the Korean War of 1950 has not been publicized like the Vietnam and the Second World Wars, it remains the bloodiest war that was fought for a short period, yet claimed more civilians’ lives than either the Vietnam or the World War II. The war occurred during a period of heightened tension between the USA and the Soviet Union in Cold War. Thus, despite the fact that the Korean War was a war between the North and the South Korea, it remains the height of the Cold War tension. Thus, the Korean War of 1950 impacted the world by changing the world map through the creation of two sovereign states from the Korean peninsula, increased the Cold War tension globally by posing the threat of the outbreak of World War III and elevated the logistical, weaponry and equipment status of the Chines e military. The Korean War started on June 1950, through the aggression of the North Korea against the South Korea, after its troops crossed over the boundary between the two territories, and took the war the South Korean soil. The tension between North and South Korea had been there for long before the war. In addition, there was international interest in this conflict from the onset of the separation of Korea into the north and the south, considering the fact that China and Japan had previously shown interests in controlling the Korean territory (Naval History and Heritage Command n.p.). Russia had also fought with Japan for the control of the Korean territory, but Russia was defeated in this war in 1910, after which Japan Annexed Korea as its colony, and ruled it until the end of World War II. The separation of South Korea from North Korea had occurred in 1945, when the foreign interested parties resolved to have Korea separated along the 38th parallel as a temporary measure, until a

Project two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project two - Essay Example This has however become much better than ever, women have started enjoying equal rights and have equal power as their counterparts. Feminism is a very important concept that must be thrown light upon when gender conflict is being talked about. Feminist aims at providing women more power and more rights than ever seen before. There are several feminists fighting for the rights of women all across the globe. Respect is also another important factor for which the feminists are consistently fighting. Gender conflict has made us understand how people enjoy preferential treatment and how the inferior strive for parity in the society. Race conflict is also quite similar to gender conflict, some people consider that their race is superior and others are inferior to them, this is certainly beyond the pale. Having a level playing field in the society is essential to facilitate growth; an ideal society always provides a level playing field. â€Å"Rae Lesser Blumberg developed a theory emphasiz ing women’s degree of control of the means of production and the distribution of economic surplus.† (Blumberg) Blumberg’s aimed at explaining the position of women relative to men in almost all types of societies. These societies included the earliest societies to the late twentieth century. This theory discussed some really important aspects like economic power of women, importance of women in the society, economic power of women in the society, sexual stratification so on and so forth. â€Å"Sexual stratification, Blumberg argues, is ultimately driven by the degree to which, relative to men, women control the means of production and the allocation of productive surplus or, in Marxian terms, â€Å"surplus value.† Such control gives women  economic power  that, in turn, influences their level of political power, prestige, and other stratifying resources. In Blumberg’s view, sexual inequalities are â€Å"nested† at diverse levels: Male-fe male relations are nested in households; households are nested in local communities; and if a society is sufficiently large to reveal a coercive state and a system of class stratification, household and community are nested inside of the class structure that, in turn, is lodged within a larger state-managed society. This nesting is important because women’s control of economic resources can be located at different levels, and the level at which their economic power is strongest influences the power that women can command at the other levels of social organization.† (Feminist Conflict Theory) Macro level control and micro level control are some important aspects which must be paid attention to. A woman is ought to enjoy power in a household if she contributes immensely to the income of a household, she will have a say in micro aspects of the household as well if she can contribute towards work and family income. Similarly a woman who is not able to earn and contribute to wards the household income will not enjoy as much freedom and control as a woman who can earn and support her family. Financial freedom is extremely important for a woman to be considered powerful enough; only a powerful woman can make decisions and can stand against oppression. Economic power at a macro level facilitates women in getting political as well as coercive power in the society. The economic power of women is consistently on the rise; this is the time of transition. This period of transition is perceived as a major

Vietnam War from 1945 to 1975 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vietnam War from 1945 to 1975 - Essay Example The implications of US involvement will also be presented, including the domestic response which followed. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a more vivid understanding of the US and its involvement in the Vietnam War, taking note of all the controversies and the implications of the War. Body The Vietnam War came about because of the conflict between France and Vietnam in 19501. France occupied the Indochina region during the mid-1800s and went on to rule the region until 1954 when it was defeated in the first Indochina War. China then recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the government of which was declared by Ho Chi Minh. Vietnam was later divided based on the provisions of the Geneva Convention and North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China and South Vietnam by the US2. President Eisenhower at that time utilized South Vietnam to counter communism and with American funding with the military leader Ngo Dinh Diem using such funds to abuse t hose who opposed him and his victims included college students, monks, and suspected communists3. Diem also claimed that North Vietnam was trying to take over its territories and this resulted in conflicts and violent confrontations4. North Vietnam was very much determined to fight until the opposition lost the will to fight. During Kennedy’s term, guerrilla tactics were also employed by the US military along with the deployment of US troops and helicopters into the region. Diem was later overthrown and caused much chaos in South Vietnam. The war continued to escalate under Johnson’s term with additional troops deployed and bombing raids carried out5. Communist Vietnam was also persistently supported by China and Russia with both parties determined to drag out the war. This caused division within Vietnam, with anti-war and pro-war factions creating a greater momentum for the communist parties. Possible negotiations between parties were further halted when Nixon ordered even more aggressive attacks via air raids6. North Vietnam was also persistent in its fight and the war raged on until 1975 when Saigon was captured and Vietnam was reunited under communist control. The US pulled out its troops in 1973, but still persisted in aiding South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon. In 1975, after 25 years of fighting and significant losses on both sides, the war ended7. The primary reason for US involvement in the Vietnam War was its concern on communist countries expanding their territories and possibly having more power in Asia8. For this reason, arrangements were set up with France, for the latter to establish a non-communist rule in the south9. Due to American influence, national elections in the south were stopped because of fears of a communist win. This angered Ho Chi Minh who then launched a guerrilla war in the south, but the US knew that it did not have the power to intervene due to international law restrictions with Russia naturally vetoing the U S10. Support for the south was then made through military equipment and troops, but the Vietcong proved to be more effective in its guerrilla warfare. The government of South Vietnam was about to collapse when the US decided to send in its troops11. The US used the Domino Theory to justify its actions. Based on this theory, one communist victory would likely lead to a communist takeover in the Indo-China region and in other parts of Southeast Asia where the US had political and

Cultural artifact about Korean War in 1950 Essay

Cultural artifact about Korean War in 1950 - Essay Example d into a full-blown war pitching the USA against international communism, considering that North Korea was a USSR backed territory, while South Korea was pro-west (US Department of State n.p.). While the Korean War of 1950 has not been publicized like the Vietnam and the Second World Wars, it remains the bloodiest war that was fought for a short period, yet claimed more civilians’ lives than either the Vietnam or the World War II. The war occurred during a period of heightened tension between the USA and the Soviet Union in Cold War. Thus, despite the fact that the Korean War was a war between the North and the South Korea, it remains the height of the Cold War tension. Thus, the Korean War of 1950 impacted the world by changing the world map through the creation of two sovereign states from the Korean peninsula, increased the Cold War tension globally by posing the threat of the outbreak of World War III and elevated the logistical, weaponry and equipment status of the Chines e military. The Korean War started on June 1950, through the aggression of the North Korea against the South Korea, after its troops crossed over the boundary between the two territories, and took the war the South Korean soil. The tension between North and South Korea had been there for long before the war. In addition, there was international interest in this conflict from the onset of the separation of Korea into the north and the south, considering the fact that China and Japan had previously shown interests in controlling the Korean territory (Naval History and Heritage Command n.p.). Russia had also fought with Japan for the control of the Korean territory, but Russia was defeated in this war in 1910, after which Japan Annexed Korea as its colony, and ruled it until the end of World War II. The separation of South Korea from North Korea had occurred in 1945, when the foreign interested parties resolved to have Korea separated along the 38th parallel as a temporary measure, until a

Vietnam War from 1945 to 1975 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vietnam War from 1945 to 1975 - Essay Example The implications of US involvement will also be presented, including the domestic response which followed. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a more vivid understanding of the US and its involvement in the Vietnam War, taking note of all the controversies and the implications of the War. Body The Vietnam War came about because of the conflict between France and Vietnam in 19501. France occupied the Indochina region during the mid-1800s and went on to rule the region until 1954 when it was defeated in the first Indochina War. China then recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the government of which was declared by Ho Chi Minh. Vietnam was later divided based on the provisions of the Geneva Convention and North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China and South Vietnam by the US2. President Eisenhower at that time utilized South Vietnam to counter communism and with American funding with the military leader Ngo Dinh Diem using such funds to abuse t hose who opposed him and his victims included college students, monks, and suspected communists3. Diem also claimed that North Vietnam was trying to take over its territories and this resulted in conflicts and violent confrontations4. North Vietnam was very much determined to fight until the opposition lost the will to fight. During Kennedy’s term, guerrilla tactics were also employed by the US military along with the deployment of US troops and helicopters into the region. Diem was later overthrown and caused much chaos in South Vietnam. The war continued to escalate under Johnson’s term with additional troops deployed and bombing raids carried out5. Communist Vietnam was also persistently supported by China and Russia with both parties determined to drag out the war. This caused division within Vietnam, with anti-war and pro-war factions creating a greater momentum for the communist parties. Possible negotiations between parties were further halted when Nixon ordered even more aggressive attacks via air raids6. North Vietnam was also persistent in its fight and the war raged on until 1975 when Saigon was captured and Vietnam was reunited under communist control. The US pulled out its troops in 1973, but still persisted in aiding South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon. In 1975, after 25 years of fighting and significant losses on both sides, the war ended7. The primary reason for US involvement in the Vietnam War was its concern on communist countries expanding their territories and possibly having more power in Asia8. For this reason, arrangements were set up with France, for the latter to establish a non-communist rule in the south9. Due to American influence, national elections in the south were stopped because of fears of a communist win. This angered Ho Chi Minh who then launched a guerrilla war in the south, but the US knew that it did not have the power to intervene due to international law restrictions with Russia naturally vetoing the U S10. Support for the south was then made through military equipment and troops, but the Vietcong proved to be more effective in its guerrilla warfare. The government of South Vietnam was about to collapse when the US decided to send in its troops11. The US used the Domino Theory to justify its actions. Based on this theory, one communist victory would likely lead to a communist takeover in the Indo-China region and in other parts of Southeast Asia where the US had political and

Ma in Management †Strategic Analysis Module Essay Example for Free

Ma in Management – Strategic Analysis Module Essay SAA 1 – Evaluating the Suitability of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet’s existing strategy can be characterised as low price/low value added (route 1 on the strategy clock) concentrating on Luton and Liverpool hubs (not the main UK airports) and targeting routes with little direct competition from other airlines (which builds up elements of access and variety based positioning). EasyJet exploited the major environmental change that resulted from the initial liberalisation of the EU airline market. The attractiveness of this â€Å"low cost† strategic group within the market has brought in new competitors (like BA’s GO) so the industry structure is changing. EasyJet’s decision to buy new aircraft and open new routes can be seen as an attempt to pre-emptively protect and build on their current position. The deals with Geneva airport and TEA also allow them to exploit an EU â€Å"open skies† agreement with Switzerland if finalised using the same strategic approach. The strategy is largely expanding upon existing capabilities in operating a low cost airline. Expanding the fleet of aircraft potentially offers cost efficiency advantages in terms of economies of scale and scope across a bigger number of routes. Standardising on new Boeing 737-300s and 737-700s should also help minimise operational costs as well as the purchase economies from the deal (discounts). Other parts of the value chain are also consistent with this low cost approach – headquarters at Luton rather than a more expensive location (although not mentioned in the illustration the HQ is pared down to a minimum to reduce overheads. Aircraft maintenance is also contracted out). As EasyJet is privately owned then the massive increase in gearing implied by the financing of new aircraft is perhaps less unattractive to investors than would be the case if the company was public. Ideally, it would be helpful to have more information on EasyJet’s current value chain and its capabilities to deliver the â€Å"low cost† approach. The big strategic issue to be resolved is the extent to which their current positioning is defensible if they start to expand – with risks from competitor reaction, perhaps from airlines previously unaffected by their strategy and the capabilities of EasyJet to deliver the same strategic approach on five-times the scale. SAA 2 – Evaluating the Acceptability of Easyjet’s strategy The risks of the new strategy are related to the extent of expansion – both strategically in terms of their ability to deliver on a bigger scale (a five-fold expansion of operations) and financially in terms of the impact of long-term gearing (loans from the banks). Their existing capabilities in this type of business (they were one of the first in Europe) and the potential use of equipment trust certificates to re-finance the purchase at a later date might help. There are few details about the potential returns in the illustration, but this seems to be an expanding sector in which EasyJet already has an established position. It seems to make strategic sense in terms of both protecting their existing position and creating the potential to exploit new opportunities (Switzerland) but more information on projected passenger volumes and revenues would help in assessing both returns and risks (e.g. ROCE, NPV, payback and break-even). As a privately owned airline then the number of key stakeholders is at least reduced by not having shareholders, Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the owner and chief executive. However, the banks are going to be particularly interested in the company given their exposure in terms of gearing – though they should be supportive providing the revenue flows increase as planned! Given the leanness of the organisation then the employees are likely to have a strong input. Governments are likely to be supportive of EasyJet’s approach as it encourages competition – though some may have closer ties to â€Å"national flag carriers† who are potential competitors. SAA 3 – Evaluating the Feasibility of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet has built up experience as a successful â€Å"low cost† airline and the proposed strategy is an extension of existing capabilities. The cultural web of the organisation is also not likely to see major changes and create problems of managing implementation. The question is whether the system can be stretched into a five-fold expansion. The expansion into Switzerland, with the deals with Geneva airport and TEA, including the switch to Boeing 737s, would seem to be strategically sensible given the potential â€Å"open skies† agreement. The alliance, with an option to acquire TEA, should also offer synergies whilst reducing the risks of further stretching the existing EasyJet system. Financing is a major issue for this strategy – the cash flow for the aircraft deposit and long-term bank loans may indicate adequate financial resources, but conclusions depend upon an examination of this part of the deal in terms of impact on the company’s capital structure (gearing) and cash flow projections. Given the banks have leant the money then some judgements can be implied but, in practice, this would be a critical part of the overall strategy evaluation.

Media Essays Media Fiction Fact

Media Essays Media Fiction Fact Media Fiction Fact ‘Media portrayals of law, be they fiction or fact, are inevitably distortions of reality’. Discuss with reference to the module’s readings and, if relevant, illustrate with specific examples drawn from the seminars Introduction ‘I think we can say that the public’s attitude to the criminal justice system is greatly, probably dominantly, affected and influenced by what they read in newspapers, hear on radio, watch on television and, now of course, see on the internet. In other words the media’. As the noted legal journalist, Marcel Berlins explains, the media has become a powerful and significant source of legal information and a means by which individual perceptions about the law are formed and shaped. The concern however, is that the media is also capable of persuading people to adopt and endorse notions about the legal system that are based on ‘misconceptions, false facts or prejudice’. By using various images and sounds the media is able to influence the public’s reaction to legal issues, and convince the public to accept the media’s distorted perspective. The question then becomes whether all media representations are a distortion of reality or whether the media is also capable of accurately portraying the law. Information and representations become distorted when they are presented in a manner that is misleading and inconsistent with their original form. The case of Caesar Barber is a clear illustration of media’s ability to present the law in a manner that falls within the definition of distortion. Caesar Barber commenced a class action lawsuit against various fast food restaurants for failing to inform the public about the harmful risks associated with the consumption of fast food. Although, the aim of the lawsuit was to raise public awareness and attempt to make large corporations legally accountable for their ‘pervasive deceptions’, the media, in an attempt to attract readers, used various tactics to undermine the importance and socio-legal implications of the case. Various newspapers and reputable journalists used catchy phrases, humorous pictures and witty headlines to give the story an entertainment quality and create market value. According to some commentators, the media must resort to these theatrical antics and dramatic techniques in order to retain its ‘mass appeal’. As Margaret Thornton notes, the media are forced to present distorted images of the legal system in order to secure ratings and retain its power and influence over the public: ‘Accurate portrayals, such as the American TV series, Paper Chase, which was located in a law school, have had to be withdrawn because of their unpopularity. Similarly, the exploration and explication of legal doctrine are considered to be too dull and complex for popular media’. Thus, as a business, the media responds to market pressures by employing various tactics to attract consumers including using misleading headlines and false images to incite emotional responses. It is precisely because the media picks and chooses what to focus on, that they inevitably misrepresent the law and blur the line between fact and fiction. Events are defined as being fictitious if they are untrue, imaginary or based on a false belief. Although the term ‘fiction’ is usually equated with the imagination, fictitious events can include real people and experiences, but are primarily viewed as a form of entertainment. In contrast, a fact is usually equated with truth and reality and is defined in law as ‘a thing that is indisputably the case’ or ‘the truth about events as opposed to interpretation’. The distinction between fact and fiction is fading as reality is becoming more fictionalized through the media’s use of narrative devices such as metaphors. It is the media’s ability to present their version of the story in a realistic manner that makes it difficult for the public to discern the truth. Although there is strong support for the argument that ‘media portrayals of the law, be they fiction or fact, are inevitably distortions of reality’, the real issue is whether this is indeed a cause for concern. Many media critics are concerned that the media will inevitably undermine the public’s confidence in the judiciary, lawyers and the legal system. This anxiety is founded on the idea that the media is the chief or sole source of legal information, and that audiences are incapable of resisting media influences in formulating their opinions about the law. The aim of this paper therefore, will be to explore the relationship between the media and the law, and examine the ways in which the media distorts the law through representations of reality based on fact and fiction. The last part of the paper will be devoted to examining whether or not the media’s ability to misrepresent the law is indeed as problematic and worrisome as it first appears. Relationship between the media and the law The media and the law are inextricably linked in a number of ways. Firstly, the media is the subject of legal discourse. Lawyers, judges and policy makers are constantly involved in the regulation of different forms of media such as the radio, television, newspapers, and the internet. Media regulation has become an important legal issue and attempts have been made to develop rules restricting media content and to determine who should have control over the production of media forms. Secondly, the law and media are connected through media communications about the law and legal events. Whether it is an advertisement for a law firm, a reality courtroom programme, a newspaper article on a current legal event, or an internet blog on a controversial legal issue, the media is a constant source of legal information. Although the law is probably most visible in highly institutionalized places such as the courts, law firms and police stations, it is also present through media representations of crime and justice. It is through media portrayals of law that the relationship between the law and media manifests itself. As Sheila Brown states, ‘By depicting the processes of law and justice within the dramatic conventions of reality TV, courtroom soap opera, the voyeurism of human interest, and the aesthetics of visuality, media culture and the law sometimes appear to become indivisible domains’. The relationship between the media and the law is further strengthened by the fact that both are present in our everyday lived experience. A common sense approach to understanding the concept of the ‘everyday life’ suggests that it is ‘the routine act of conducting one’s day-to-day existence’. Based on this view, the everyday is simply a representation of individual experiences that impact on the formation of one’s opinions and identity. Since the everyday life is interwoven into human experience it is both patently obvious and hidden because it is often ‘taken-for-granted’. As Austin Sarat and Thomas R. Kearns note, quoting from Schutz and Luckmann’s Structures of the Life World, ‘The world of everyday life is consequently man’s fundamental and paramount reality†¦It is the unexamined ground of everything given in my experience†¦the taken-for-granted frame in which all the problems which I must overcome are placed’. The law is representative of the everyday life because it is an integral part of our daily routine and plays a significant role in various aspects of our life such as our family, career, community and education. From filing for divorce, to claiming sexual harassment in the workplace, or to suffering an injury at the hands of a drunk driver we encounter the law on a daily basis in its various shapes and forms. It is precisely because the law is an integral part of our every day experience that it becomes a dominant source of knowledge that ‘helps shape experiences, interpretations, and understandings of social life’. However, because the law is a component of one’s daily routine and habits, people are generally unaware of the law’s influence over their daily experiences and conceptions of social life. The same principle can be said to apply to the media. Like the law, the media penetrates our daily lives, helps formulate our understanding of social reality, and its influence and power in shaping individual perceptions of the world is frequently ignored. Thus, the media are often viewed as both entertainers and an ‘agents of socialization’ who play a significant role in shaping the public’s understanding of the law and legal processes. As a dominant source of legal information, the media is often viewed as the primary means by which the law is able to become a part of the everyday life. The media educates the public about lawyers, judges and criminals and provides its own perspective on what the law is and how it works. It is the media’s ability to ‘teach us about ‘the law’’ that has led legal scholars to critically examine the relationship between the media and the law. The concern is that the media’s use of sensationalized headlines not only misinforms the public by presenting distorted images of legal reality but also undermines the public’s confidence in the legal system. Media distorts legal reality On January 25, 2007, one of the BBC news headlines read, ‘Risk of suffering crime ‘rises’: The risk of becoming a victim of crime in England and Wales is rising for the first time since 1995, figures suggest’. Anyone reading this headline would automatically be under the impression that, according to official figures, crime is on the rise and is a serious issue in England. The problem with this headline and other newspaper reports about crime is that it does not accurately reflect the reality of criminal behaviour. Statistical evidence produced and gathered by the Home Office indicates that contrary to the BBC report, ‘violent crime has fallen or remained stable since 1995’. Furthermore, any rises in crime can be attributed to procedural disparities arising from the number of crimes reported and recorded by the police in any particular year. Although the text of the BBC article makes reference to these findings, noting that the increase in crime is still lower than the total percent recorded in 1995, this information is contained further down in the text of the article. Thus, the large number of readers who merely skim newspaper headlines will be misled into thinking that the general level of crime in England is increasing. This suggests that what the media chooses to focus on can give rise to public misconceptions about the criminal justice system. The question then is if the media has such a large impact on people’s perceptions about the law, then why do they insist on distorting representations of crime? People generally use their spare time to engage in activities that are both relaxing and fun and that help them unwind from the stresses of everyday life. During these leisurely moments, people generally watch television, listen to the radio, surf the internet, or read the newspaper. In this way, the media is often viewed as a pastime, as both a source of entertainment and a means by which one is able to distract oneself from the complexities of life. As McQuail states, ‘The media are often sought out precisely as an alternative to and an escape from reality’. What people seem to forget during their leisurely pursuits is that the media is still a business, whose primary goal is to sell the product of entertainment and information to its consumers. The media is subject to various market pressures and as such its principle objective is to generate profits by using a variety of techniques to attract consumers. Since the media’s principle objective is to sell its product, the media is not focused on representing a true pattern of what is going on in the world. As was seen with the BBC news headline, the media use various marketing tools such as sensationalized headlines to attract its audience. Events are only reported in the media if they resonate with the public and attract viewers. As is noted by McQuail, â€Å"The simple fact that the mass media are generally oriented to the interest of their audiences as ‘consumers’ of information and entertainment can easily account for most of the evidence of reality distortion†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. A clear example of media distortion is the fact that the press only concentrates on a small number of criminal offences which include serious crimes such as murder and sexual assault or celebrity crimes. As is noted by Thornton, ‘The dramatic potential of criminal litigation is overwhelmingly preferred, in which everything is biased and distorted for dramatic effect. Within the crime show genre itself, violent crimes are disproportionately over represented’. Although these types of cases matter, they often leave the viewer with misconceptions regarding the general level of crime. The recent British Crime Survey indicates that in 2006/2007 the total number of domestic burglary crimes reported by the police was 292.3 thousand compared to the 19.2 thousand reports of crime that constitute serious violence against the person such as homicide or serious wounding. Although the threat of being a victim of burglary is higher than that of homicide, the media tend to focus its reports on violent crimes because the seriousness of these types of offences triggers an emotional response in the viewer thereby increasing media productivity and profits. This type of slanted reporting leads the public to grossly overestimate the amount of serious violent crimes, in relation to all other crimes. As Berlins notes in his lecture, ‘I suppose what I’m saying is that the media, in its totality, does probably irreversibly convey a distorted view of the state of crime and punishment, that therefore in turn, the public, which takes much of its information as well as its attitudes from the media, holds misguided views on the subject’. Thus, while the media only reports that which will give rise to public emotion, the public, who view the media as a primary source of legal information, uses these reports to formulate their own views about the criminal justice system. The danger is that this type of reporting will erode the public’s confidence in the legal system. As Garapon notes, ‘by placing us under the jurisdiction of the emotions, the media are in fact distancing us from the jurisdiction of the law’. Public confidence in the legal system and the judiciary is an important issue. A lack of confidence in state institutions, and in particular the court system, may lead to a form of vigilante justice. For instance, when Sarah Payne, an eight-year old girl, was sexually assaulted and murdered, the News of the World’s tabloid made a plea for the public endorsement of a law that would allow the public access to a sex offender registry. After the tabloid ran this report, vigilante groups began attacking the homes of families they mistakenly believed were pedophiles. Thus, if the public, through media portrayals, is under the impression that violent crime is on the rise or that the courts and police are not doing enough to keep criminals out of society, then they may attempt to take justice into their own hands. A regular pattern across all research in this area suggests that the majority of the public does not have confidence in the courts particularly in relation to sentencing. Mike Hough and Julian Roberts conducted a study on the sentencing trends in Britain and found that ‘judgesreceived significantly more negative evaluations than any othergroup of criminal justice professionals. The public systematicallyunder-estimate the severity of sentencing patterns, and thisis significantly related to attitudes to sentencers’. This lack of confidence appears to emanate from a significant lack of knowledge about how the system works and the levels of sentencing. Since public opinion about the legal system is influenced by media reports about crime, it would follow that the public’s ignorance about the judiciary and sentencing is substantially based on media representations which are largely inaccurate. However, not all media portrayals of the law are entirely unfounded or inaccurate. As Berlins notes, ‘I don’t want to give the impression that most people get most of their information and opinions from bad fiction on the telly. After all, television also gives us some very good, informative, sober documentaries’. However, Berlins goes on to state that while there are accurately depicted representations of crime and justice in the media, viewers tend to not be interested in these shows and they are usually ‘withdrawn because of their unpopularity’. The Media distorts the law regardless if they represent the facts or fictions The issue then is whether the media is incapable of producing legal narratives that are based on facts and not fiction. Recently, the L.A. Times, a predominant American newspaper, released the story of Mychal Bell’s guilty plea in the ‘Jena Six’ case. In the ‘Jena Six’ case, six black teenagers, including Mychal Bell, were accused of assaulting Justin Baker, a white teenager, at their highschool in Jena, Louisiana. The media claimed that the assault resulted from a racially-motivated incident at the highschool, where three white students hung nooses from a tree that black students were allegedly prohibited from sitting under. Mychal Bell was the only member of the ‘Jena Six’ group who was charged with attempted murder. Bell’s charges were subsequently reduced and after pleading guilty to a second-degree battery charge he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The public viewed Bell’s prosecution as being ‘excessive and racially discriminatory’ particularly in comparison to the way white offenders were treated in similar offences. The L.A. Times’ coverage of Bell’s guilty plea sensationalized the issue of racism while at the same time omitting relevant facts relating to Bell’s sentence. Although the L.A. Times story appears to set out the true facts of the story in relation to Bell’s sentence, they overlook the fact that Bell had a previous criminal record. Previous convictions on an offenders record is considered an aggravating factor that the court will take into account when determining an appropriate sentence. Thus, as one commentator notes, the L.A. Times, in addressing the issue of whether the sentence was excessive and racially-motivated, should have noted that information concerning Bell’s previous convictions was a factor in the sentencing decision: This is a story about whether a criminal prosecution of young black males for a violent crime was too harsh. Any responsible story addressing that topic would fully describe the perpetrators’ criminal histories especially histories of similar behavior. This information is absolutely vital to assessing whether his treatment at the hands of law enforcement was unnecessarily harsh and by not mentioning his priors, the paper implies to most rational readers that he has no criminal history at all. Assuming the aim of the L.A. Times report was simply to inform readers of recent developments in the ‘Jena Six’ case, this example demonstrates that by focusing on certain facts, at the exclusion of others, the media is able to create a fictional reality which substantiates its own hasty judgments. A local reporter in Jena, Louisiana, commented on the media’s coverage of ‘Jena Six’ and highlighted several myths reported by the media noting: ‘The media got most of the basics wrong. In fact, I have never before witnessed such a disgrace in professional journalism. Myths replaced facts, and journalists abdicated their solemn duty to investigate every claim because they were seduced by a powerfully appealing but false narrative of racial injustice’. Among the number of facts the media neglected to report was that evidence given by both witnesses and defendants showed that the noose incident, which took place three months prior to the assault of Justin Baker, was not only a prank against a group of white not black students, but was also unrelated to the attack. Thus, the media, by picking which facts to report and by drawing unsubstantiated correlations between various facts, have presented a distorted picture of this case. Although, the facts presented by the media in the Jena Six case are in and of themselves true, the manner in which they are presented leads to a blurring of the line between fact and fiction. It is for these reasons that the media is generally charged with presenting a ‘flawed and distorted version of the law’. As Richard Nobles and David Schiff note, ‘the media misreads law for its own purposes. This misreading has the capacity to generate what, within the media itself, are described as ‘crises of confidence in the administration of justice’. Distinguishing between fact and fiction has become a difficult task for media consumers. Fictional events are becoming more realistic through various television programs that dramatize the law and the judicial system such as Ally McBeal and People’s Court (UK). These television shows impose a conceptual ‘reality’ that viewers can identify with. How then is it possible for a viewer of these types of programmes to be able to distinguish between fact and fiction when the real object of these shows is to provide neither? According to J. Street, the distinction between fact and fiction is not one that can be discerned by simply watching these shows but is rather a skill that must be learned. The idea that the line between fact and fiction is becoming more and more difficult to discern is not something that is recent or that has emerged with the introduction of reality TV. The media has always used various tools to impose a certain amount of ‘fictionalization’ on ‘real’ issues. In addition to using sensationalized headlines and twisting facts by playing on words, the media also uses metaphors as ‘an expression of categories of reality’. Metaphors are used in media crime reporting in order to present complex legal issues in a clear and straightforward manner that makes them more ‘real’ and easy for an audience to relate to. Metaphors such as ‘justice is blind’, ‘war on terror’, ‘cold-blooded murderer’, ‘lawyers are leeches’ and ‘if it doesn’t fit you must acquit’ are used by the media to represent a particular angle on a legal story by relating that perspective to human experience. For example, the metaphor ‘lawyers are leeches’ will impress upon anyone who has had a negative experience with a lawyer or who has had to pay an excessive amount for legal representation. The media is able, through the use of these metaphors to paint a certain picture for the viewer that they are able to connect with because the ‘values and emotions’ attached to these metaphors resonate with the everyday. As Brown notes, ‘What gives such metaphors their resonance is not actually their ‘distortion’ of reality; it is their proximity to experience’. Metaphors, however, can also distort representations of the truth in crime reporting. For example, the metaphor ‘justice is blind’ is used to signify the fact that the judiciary is an impartial and independent body whose job is to apply the law equally and fairly to all persons regardless of class, race or gender. However, what is lost in this metaphor is that justice is not always adversarial and can be achieved through alternative methods to dispute resolution such as mediation and negotiation. Nevertheless, even if the media generates a fictional story, by using metaphors ‘taken from the real world’ the media is able to connect with the public. As a result, metaphors do not necessarily have to be accurate in order for the media to be able to unite with the public through common experience. Another way the media is able to connect with the public in disseminating information about the law is by turning ‘readers or viewers into judges, providing them with all the material necessary for them to make the judgments themselves’. The facts, legal issues and judgments surrounding court-room type shows are introduced to the viewer as the media sees it and as such, there is no room for mediation, argument or debate. The media trial is presented in a story-like fashion like any good novelist, the media tailors the sequence of events and uses characters, imagery, and symbolism to guide its viewers into reaching a pre-determined judgment. By setting the stage and employing various theatrical tools, the media falsely leads its viewers into believing that the outcome of the media trial corresponds with their own opinions about the law and justice. Although the media is able to provide instantaneous justice, by compressing the complexities of a legal proceeding into a 30 minute clip, the media ignores the fact that ‘a trial is an extremely complex and sophisticated device’ and that just and fair decisions are reached only through careful consideration of all the facts, evidence and testimony. Thus, media trials have the ability to undermine the role of the judiciary and the public’s faith in the legal system, by impressing upon its viewers the belief that justice is easily ascertained without deliberation. Garapon elaborates on this point stating, ‘The trial is able to control the way in which the facts are presented, proved and interpreted. On the television, however, a ‘construction of reality’ is implicit and thus directly experienced and thus escapes both examination and discussion’. Hence, as Garapon further notes in ‘preferring seduction to reasoned argument’, the media are able to display a version of the truth ‘at the expense of truth itself’. Although the media’s main role is to entertain, the media is viewed by the public as a major distributor of legal information. Since the media uses various dramatic techniques to relate information regarding the law to its viewers, the public is generally unaware that the media simply has no regard for whether or not the information they are relaying is true or accurate. It is in this way that the distinction between fact and fiction becomes harder for the public to discern. The public adopts the media’s conception of legal reality and as a result views the law in a negative light and loses confidence in the criminal justice system. This is not to suggest that all media content is based on false assumptions or inaccurate facts, but more often then not accounts of the law are misapprehensions of the truth. Is there a valid reason for concern over distorted media portrayals of the law? All research in respect of the effect media has on popular conceptions of the law suggests that media portrayals of the law, whether they are based on fact or fiction, present a distorted version of legal reality. As noted earlier, the media’s power to distort the law and present fictions as legal truths causes anxiety in the legal community. Again, the concern is that media misrepresentations about the law may destroy the public’s faith in the legal system. The administration of justice and the independence of the judiciary are important values that safeguard the fundamental rights of every individual in society. Without these principles, justice, fairness and equality would cease to exist and society would revert back to a state of war where everyone fends for themselves. The media, as the voice of public opinion, ought to be troubled by the role they play and the influence they have in undermining the public’s confidence in the legal system. This is particularly so when examining the media’s power over the public from an effects-based approach. The effects model suggests that media users are like sponges in that they simply absorb media content without any reflection or analysis. This is disconcerting given that some researchers have suggested that information from the media and other sources are absorbed into the mind and filed into ‘bins’ and that when making ‘heuristic judgments’, people extract the information from these bins and ‘often fail to consider that the information extracted could be from fictitious sources’. Based on this approach, individuals who have not learned to decipher between fact and fiction, are in danger of formulating erroneous beliefs about the law that are based on stereotypes, half-truths and clichà ©s. On the other hand, it can be argued that because viewers and readers are generally ‘media-savvy’ they are cognizant of the media’s power to mislead and as such do not rely on media generated content about the law when making value judgments about the legal system. As Lieve Gies notes, ‘Most individuals are sufficiently ‘media-savvy’ to be aware that newspapers and television cannot always be regarded as the most reliable or authoritative sources of knowledge. People are capable of detecting the media’s deceptions and distortions, which means that they are not prepared to put all their eggs in the media’s basket’. Thus, instead of ‘simply absorbing the televised message like a sponge’, viewers and readers are able to ‘decode’ media communications and attach entirely new and different meanings to the media text. The idea that media users are capable of scrutinizing media content and are actively engaged in the construction of their own reality is based on the active audience approach to understanding media effects on the law. According to the active audience approach, media users are not merely cultural ‘dopes’ who submit to the media’s power without reflection and examination. A concern raised by advocates of the active audience approach is that media effects studies overlook the fact that audiences are able to maintain their own independence and views when engaging the media. Instead, research in this area generally starts from the presumption that ‘the media is to blame’. As is noted by David Gauntlett, ‘The problem with much media effects research, however, is that researchers have jumped straight to the second stage investigating the media and its possible ‘effects’ without even bothering with the first one, namely checking whether any notable suspects have in fact been affected’. Stuart Hall’s analysis of the media further suggests that any content received by viewers and readers through various media forms is hollow and meaningless until the viewer or reader ‘deciphers the text and assigns meaning to it’. Hall’s reception analysis model suggests that readers and viewers consciously refuse to give into media influences and instead attach their own set of values to the information being conveyed through media texts. However, as Gies points out, ‘The potential blind spot in reception analysis is that it may still end up giving the media too much preponderance and ignore other influential sources of knowledge’. Nevertheless, the thrust of the argument in both the active audience approach and the reception analysis model is that the media’s powers to shape one’s understanding of the law will vary depending on the meaning that one attaches to media messages which is dependent on one’s cultural perspective one’s class, race and gender. As is noted by Gies, ‘In constructionist analyses of media culture, it is the socio-cultural background of people, and not the media products they consume, which is seen as a more reliable predictor of how they construct social meaning’. For instance, in Canada, the majority of the images presented on the television depict a Western conception of reality. Since Canada is an ethically and culturally diverse country there are many citizens who have differing cultural perspectives and identities. It is therefore dif