Smart Netphone Case Study free essay sample

Case study: Smart’s Netphone  © VisionMobile 2011 1 Case study: Smart’s Netphone About VisionMobile VisionMobile is an industry analysis and strategy firm. We offer research reports, executive workshops and strategy at the crossroads of telecoms innovation and software economics. VisionMobile Ltd. 90 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9RZ +44 845 003 8742 www. visionmobile. com/blog Follow us: @visionmobile About the sponsor This case study is sponsored by Red Bend Software, a key partner behind the launch of the Smart Netphone. VisionMobile has retained full editorial control of this study. License Copyright  © VisionMobile 2011. All rights reserved. Feedback? For comments, feedback and more information: [emailprotected] com Disclaimer VisionMobile believes the statements contained in this publication to be based upon information that we consider reliable, but we do not represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Opinions expressed are current opinions as of the date appearing on this publication only and the information, including the opinions contained herein, are subject to change without notice. We will write a custom essay sample on Smart Netphone Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Use of this publication by any third party for whatever purpose should not and does not absolve such third party from using due diligence in verifying the publication’s contents. VisionMobile disclaims all implied warranties, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. VisionMobile, its affiliates and representatives shall have no liability for any direct, incidental, special, or consequential damages or lost profits, if any, suffered by any third party as a result of decisions made, or not made, or actions taken, or not taken, based on this publication. Also by VisionMobile Mobile Industry Atlas | 4th Edition The complete map of the mobile industry landscape, mapping 1,350+ companies across 85+ market sectors. Available in wallchart and PDF format. www. visionmobile. com/maps Contents Key takeaways The Smart Netphone Behind the scenes: the making of Netphone Building on WAC technology Short tail strategy The agile telco: What other operators can learn from Smart 3 4 5 7 8 8  © VisionMobile 2011 2 Case study: Smart’s Netphone Key takeaways Smart Communications operates in a 99% pre-paid market with average revenues per user (ARPU) of only $4. Yet, it offers one of the most sophisticated service portfolios across most global operators. Offered services include mobile payments, streaming TV and a maps service. The Netphone is a bold attempt by Smart to bring smart devices and services to the mass market. The initial Netphone device is a rebranded, revamped ZTE Blade projected to launch in July, 2011, priced at an expected 120 -$140. From 2012, the Netphone will expand to feature phones at lower price points. The Netphone features a range of operator-developed apps, including prepaid balance check, unified chat, sender-pays email, connected address book, global directory, social radio, and Smart Money. The phone also comes bundled with applications from local service brands with whom Smart has established revenue share agreements for Netphone-initiated transactions. The Netphone represents a major effort for the operator, involving an internal team of 300 staff, plus tens of business partners across six countries. It aims to increase service usage in the mass market, and generate additional revenues by enabling partner transactions, such as shopping and food ordering. The Netphone uses a software update technology that can update the platform and applications continually over the air. Such updates allow the operator and its business partners to extend service reach and reduce development costs. The differential update technology reduces network bandwidth usage during updates. When it ships in July, the Netphone is expected to be the first phone that builds on the WAC (Wholesale Applications Community) specifications. On top of the WAC runtime, Smart has added its own Looking Glass technology for advanced device and network integration. In developing the Netphone, Smart has used an ‘agile’ development process. Rather than following the traditional RFI/RFQ ‘waterfall’ software procurement process, Smart has established joint operational and RD teams with its suppliers . The teams iterate continuously on the Netphone applications through three-month cycles of development, testing and user feedback. Initial rollout goals are modest, with Smart planning to sell 200,000 Netphones by the end of 2011, with plans to address the mass-market with sub-$100 phones in 2012. We believe that Smart’s Netphone offers three important lessons for the operator community. First, Smart has focused on its core services (messaging, address book, and mobile money), leaving all other applications to business partners. Second, rather than use the traditional RFI/RFQ software procurement process, Smart has pursued an ‘agile’ development process with three-month develop-learn-fix cycles. Third, over-theair software updates mean new services can reach Smart’s entire base of deployed Netphones faster.  © VisionMobile 2011 3 Case study: Smart’s Netphone Smart Communications: sophisticated services in an unsophisticated market Smart Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of PLDT (the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company). PLDT is the leading fixed line telecoms provider in the Philippines, having been established for over 80 years. As the wireless division of PLDT, Smart Communications has 46M wireless subscriptions, which puts Smart within the top-20 operators globally by number of subscribers. In the Philippines, Smart has just over 50% market share. It competes with Global and Sun Cellular in a market that’s nearing saturation, with 88% mobile penetration at the end of 2010. Smart has a record of service innovation that is akin to what operators in North America and Europe have achieved in more developed markets. Smart has one of the widest service portfolios among global mobile operators, including mobile payments, mobile banking, money transfer, mobile streaming TV, maps, push email and propositions for niche segments (e. g. MomsClub). Data services currently make up just over 50% of Smart revenues, as of Q1 2011, with the majority coming from the one billion SMS texts being sent each day. Smart Money, a service that allows users to pay for goods by transferring money from their bank account, was launched in 2001, and counts more than 8. million customers. However, like many operators in developing economies, Smart is in a low-ARPU, prepaid market. Some 99% of Smart subscriptions are pre-paid, with the blended, pre-paid ARPU reported at just 169 pesos ($3. 9 USD) in Q1 2011. Overall wireless revenues for Q1 2011 were 21 billion pesos ($486 million). Faced with decreasing ARPU in a competitive market, Smart has embarked on a handset-led strategy to increase its revenues by bringing over-the- top services to the mass market of pre-paid customers. The Smart Netphone The Smart Netphone presents a new series of mobile phones and tablets developed by Smart, aimed at bringing smart devices and services to the mass market. The first device expected to launch in July, 2011 is a rebranded, revamped ZTE Blade. This is the same handset that has been rebranded by Orange UK as the San Francisco and priced at 99 GBP (around $160) without contract, and not dissimilar to the Vodafone Smart handset by Huawei priced at 90 EUR (around $130). Although Smart has not announced pricing, we expect its Netphones to target image-conscious, affluent Filipinos willing to spend an estimated $120-$140. VisionMobile 2011 4 Case study: Smart’s Netphone Smart plans to launch flagship aspirational handsets in 2011, followed by devices across a wider spectrum of price points in 2012. Given that 70% of phones sold in the Philippines are priced below the $100 mark, this is the critical price point that Netphones will have to hit. â€Å"[The Netphone] is a strategic move to define what you do after voice and text. † Orlando B. Vea Chief Operating Adviser Smart Communications A full line-up of Netphones will launch on Android 2. (Froyo) handsets from ZTE and Huawei, with feature phone handsets to follow at lower price points. The phone follows widget specifications from the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) initiative, in addition to Smart’s Looking Glass technology stack, described later. The Netphone comes with a suite of widget-like applications on the phone’s home screen that provide access to Smart and partner services: Balance Check for prepaid users, which comprise 99% of Smart’s subscription base Unified Chat, allowing users to message their contacts with emoticons and video animations. Chat integrates with Yahoo Messenger and Facebook Sender Pays Email, which follows the SMS cost paradigm, but adds richer emoticons and video expressions to the messages Connected Address Book, which integrates the user’s address book with Gmail and Facebook contacts Global Directory, which integrates local Yellow Pages, and lists all users who use the Netphone (subject to privacy settings) Social radio, which lets users share an FM station with a friend and tune into it in parallel Smart Money, a service that allows users to pay for goods directly from their bank account or credit card Emergency app, which offers one button calling to a doctor or other contact that can be assigned by the user Partner apps like Jollibee (the number one fast-food chain in the Philippines), which allows users to browse the food menu, check out special offers, and order and pay for food delivery, directly from their phone. Behind the scenes: the making of Netphone The Netphone is not just an experiment for Smart. â€Å"It’s a strategic move to define what you do after voice and text,† according to Orlando B. Vea, Smart Communications’ chief operating adviser, and founding member of the company. The Netphone represents a major effort for the operator, with a team 300 staff developing the phone series over the last 18 months, together with an array of tens of partners across six countries.  © VisionMobile 2011 5 Case study: Smart’s Netphone As a phone series, the Netphone hits several firsts: it’s the first phone to be based on WAC widget specifications (see next section); it’s the first fully customized handset from a mobile operator in an emerging economy; and, along with the Orange San Francisco and Vodafone Smart, it’s one of the first attempts to sell smartphones to prepaid users. Since the concept phase almost two years ago, the Netphone series has had several design goals: Besides increasing own service revenues, the Netphone generates revenues by enabling partner transactions. For example, Smart gets a percentage of the revenue from every Jollibee fast food delivery transaction. a price point that customers can afford; around 70% of the phones in the Philippines are priced under $100 ease of use; the phone had to be extremely easy to use, appealing to voice and text users accustomed to feature phone menus services bundled; the Netphone had to come pre-bundled with communication and partner services that differentiated the phone the phone series had to support Smart’s evolving service strategy, rather than just the services included at handset launch The Netphone has been designed with tangible revenue goals as well. Besides increasing own service revenues for Smart, the Netphone generates revenues by enabling partner transactions. For example, Smart gets a percentage of the revenue from every Jollibee fast food delivery transaction. In designing the Netphone, Smart knew it faced a formidable challenge. In the Philippines, the average lifespan of a phone is five years compared to three years in Indonesia and around six months for a high-end Android phone. That meant that Smart needed to come up with an evolving consumer proposition that stays relevant and fresh over time. Smart’s design team knew that offering an inexpensive data phone was not enough. They needed to build on existing usage paradigms beyond voice and text. The Netphone uses the address book as a cornerstone for connecting into social networks and partner services, as well as for chatting and texting. Smart lined up several partners to realize the Netphone concept, including ZTE and Huawei (handsets), Qualcomm (Android chipset platform), IBM, Oracle, Huawei (back-end integration) and Red Bend Software (software management over the air). According to Smart, a key design decision has been using a software update technology that allows the Netphone platform and applications to be updated continually over the air (OTA). With the OTA update technology, Smart can minimize the runtime age of the WACbased platform runtime, ensuring that its Netphone applications run on the latest version of the platform. This addresses a common challenge faced by mobile application developers, who must port new applications to older runtimes. For example, about 25% of active Android handsets run on platform versions that are more VisionMobile 2011 6 Case study: Smart’s Netphone than 18 months out of date, according to Google data released in May 2011. Similarly, 20% of existing Apple 3GS devices ha d not yet been upgraded to the latest platform version two months after the introduction of iOS4, according to app analytics firm Localytics. In the case of the Netphone, the runtime is updated continuously across the life of the device. Computational delta technology is used to deliver updates that are a fraction of the size of full application or widget packages. The OTA update technology is similar to firmware over the air (FOTA) updating, but works at a component level. Thus, it allows OEMs to decouple their own applications and user experience from the underlying Android firmware base, which opens the door to agile differentiation on Android by both OEMs and network operators. Note that the same over-the-air update technology can be used across incremental runtime updates, Netphone application updates, as well as the entire Android-based firmware. Moreover, the OTA software management solution allows Smart and its partners to target the entire installed base of Netphones, by remotely installing applications posthandset-launch rather than waiting for users to discover these applications on their own. Updates can be also scheduled during quiet periods, so that they don’t clog the network. Building on WAC technology The Netphone series includes the first phones based on specifications defined by the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC). Launched in February 2010, WAC is a cross-operator initiative aiming to develop a cross-device platform and app store framework to drive operator services. Since its foundation, WAC has amassed 34 operator members and 39 other partners, bringing in a total of over $10 million in annual funding. Smart has a seat on the board of directors of WAC, alongside Vodafone, ATT, China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo and other major telcos. The Netphone represents an important breakthrough for an industry initiative that has been criticized for its slow device rollout. For Smart, WAC represents an industry-endorsed software platform on top of which its partners can build HTML-based applications (also known as widgets). Moreover, widgets are familiar to a broad base of web developers, who are accustomed to HTML or JavaScript development. On top of the WAC widget specifications, Smart has layered its Looking Glass, a device and network technology umbrella that implements the array of Smart services on the Netphone. On the device side, Looking Glass includes technology that WAC does not yet cover, such as over-the-air software updating (based on OMA DM SCOMO standard) and additional access into device capabilities like FM radio. On the network side, the Looking Glass technology umbrella provides access into Smart’s services, such as connected address book, advanced messaging, email integration, location-based services and Smart Money. Smart’s network APIs extend the GSMA One API specifications by adding XMPP for advanced messaging, billing payment, and SIMencrypted (DUKPT) transactions.  © VisionMobile 2011 7 Case study: Smart’s Netphone Short tail strategy Smart is an atypical innovator—a top-20 mobile operator in a region dominated by prepaid subscribers. Rather than take the conventional route of long-tail apps on Android, Smart’s app strategy has three tiers: 1. ‘Massively relevant’ services such as voice and emotive messaging, which Netphone has developed in-house An RFP or waterfall development process clearly wouldn’t work here. † Alex Ibasco Chief Innovation Officer Smart Communications 2. ‘Significantly relevant’ services s uch as food, healthcare and media, where Netphone apps are developed by leading brands in the Philippines market 3. ‘Uniquely relevant’ services, where Smart is planning to adopt a long tail strategy open to all web developers With the launch of the Netphone, Smart has invested heavily in its own ‘massively relevant’ services as well as ‘significantly relevant’ services from business partners. â€Å"We are partnering with established businesses in the Philippines that have existing brand relationships to end users. The Netphone becomes a platform from which those partners can reach the Filipino consumer, and from which Filipinos can interact with their favourite brands,† according to Alex Ibasco, chief innovation officer at Smart. The agile telco: What other operators can learn from Smart Many telcos have ventured into the world of handset software to deliver their own services and differentiated user experience. The most well-known examples are Vodafone (Live! , VFX, VSCL, 360), Orange, Verizon and, of course, DoCoMo. Smart also has had a tradition of developing services in-house, including Smart Money and its own airtime pre-loading solution. Yet, Smart has taken a different approach from most operators. That approach offers three important lessons for the operator community. First, rather than deploying own-brand services exclusively, the operator has focused squarely on business partners with established consumer brands. It has allowed brands to deliver local consumer differentiation, and to share revenue on transactions. In so doing, it has provided brands with an additional channel to consumers. Second, the operator has used an agile development process. Rather than set specifications in stone at the beginning of the project, Smart’s featured Netphone applications have been iterating continually through a cycle of development, testing and user feedback. Moreover, rather than use the traditional RFI/RFQ ‘waterfall’ software procurement process, Smart has established joint operational and RD teams with its many suppliers for Netphone, and has adapted the software specifications during the course of the Netphone project. The project has already cycled through four iterations, averaging once every 3 months. Another iteration is planned before launch. â€Å"An RFP or waterfall development process  © VisionMobile 2011 8 Case study: Smart’s Netphone clearly wouldn’t work here,† comments Ibasco, who has been a key proponent of the Netphone project since its inception. Third, the over-the-air software update mechanism allows Smart to deploy new features and updates throughout the lifetime of the device. It also allows Smart to extend its addressable market for new services to the entire base of deployed Netphones, not just the most recent line-up of handsets shipped. Initial rollout goals are modest, with Smart planning to sell 200,000 Netphones by the end of 2011. Assuming Smart can hit sub-$100 price points in early 2012, it has a chance to rapidly ramp up these volumes, and address a substantial portion of its 46M subscriptions base. For now, the operator community is looking at the Smart initiative with anticipation; Netphone marks the latest telco attempt at innovating in the era of software, by building on both the telco (WAC) and software (Android) worlds. .  © VisionMobile 2011 9 knowledge. passion. innovation.

15 Amateur Mistakes You Can Make During Your Internship

15 Amateur Mistakes You Can Make During Your Internship You’ve scored a summer internship. It feels like a vacation! You’ll be in a cool place, it will look good on your resume, and you’re not getting paid, so you don’t have to worry too much about being perfect and distinguishing yourself. Right? Wrong. At least the last point. Just because it’s only an internship doesn’t mean you shouldn’t treat it like a job. In fact, you should use this time to set the bar for your new professional life- and set it high. That means not falling victim to some easy blunders. Here are the 15 biggest mistakes interns can make- and how to avoid them.1. OversharingYou may think this one part of your personality is super interesting and funny. Or your intense obsession with your [insert hobby]. But these topics are much better kept to your friends and relatives. Spare your employers and co-interns.2. ComplainingYour internship is not the time to air your complaints and grievances. It is a time to shut up and l earn. Remember, you won’t be there long, and the good impression you make here could pay off big time over the course of your career. Whatever gripes you have,  hold on to them(if possible). Don’t become a problem employee before you’re even hired.3. Making assumptionsIf you don’t know something- make sure to ask. The last thing you want to do is assume (makes a** of ‘u’ and ‘me’) you know what to do and end up doing the wrong thing. You won’t look like an idiot for asking. You will look like an idiot for not asking and then screwing up.4. Not being proactiveNot taking initiative might be the worst mistake that you could make. As an intern, your only job is to distinguish yourself as eager and proactive and as a future asset to that company/field. Act accordingly. Don’t just wait for someone to give you a task- find something useful to do without being asked or coached.5. Treating the office like your placeOnce yo u leave the office for the day, don’t go back. Don’t show up drunk, and don’t sleep there. This shouldn’t have to be said; just never do it.6. Ignoring boundariesRudeness is never okay. No job is beneath you. You are an intern. You don’t get to make chummy jokes with the CEO, no matter how nice she is. Know your place. Be respectful. Do your job. And leave your ego at the door.7. Cutting and runningIf you’ve accepted an internship, shown up, and started working. You’re now stuck there. This isn’t speed dating. Keep your commitments. And don’t make anyone have to scramble to replace you when you leave them high and dry. Burning bridges is not something you can afford to do at this very early stage in your career.8. Working for freeOnly take an unpaid internship if you absolutely have to. Otherwise, you’ll end up feeling exploited- or worse, going into debt to feed, house, and insure yourself.9. Wearing inappropriat e clothingDress for the career you want, not the job you have. T-shirts and scrappy clothes just won’t cut it–no matter how casual the office. Make sure to act like a grown-up if you want to be treated (and paid) like one.10. Communicating poorlyMake sure to say what needs to be said at the right time. Answer emails in clear and punctual fashion. Communicate your needs to avoid being misunderstood- especially when asking for favors. Be respectful and concise. And don’t talk circles around your point, particularly if it’s a controversial one.11. Not sweating the small stuffGrammar, punctuation, formatting†¦ these things matter. And make sure you never misspell someone’s name. Take the extra three seconds to double check the spelling from their email address.12. VacationingAt most, your internship is four months. Don’t try and take a two-week vacation. You don’t need one. Do your job and do it well, and vacation when it’s do ne. Summer or no summer. Have fun in your evenings and weekends instead.13. Being lazy or disrespectfulThis should go without saying. Don’t be late, don’t shirk work, don’t be rude, don’t be annoying. Don’t be cheeky and take long lunches thinking no one will notice. They will. Work hard and be courteous, rather than obnoxious.14. Lacking professionalismThis is a professional opportunity. If you play your cards right, you could set yourself up for real success. Don’t risk blowing your chance by treating this like a whimsical little stint. Treat it instead like your first job and act as though you could be fired at the end of every day if you don’t prove your mettle.15. Not being presentIf you’re sent an email, or asked a question, or given a task, don’t fade into the background. Don’t disappear. And don’t fail to respond. Answer respectfully in the affirmative, get the job done quickly and well, and remembe r: you are an intern. No job is beneath you. You are there to learn.

Ground Chocolate & Co. Marketing Plan Research Paper

Ground Chocolate & Co. Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example The paper describes the main strategies of "Ground Chocolate & Co." GROUND Chocolate & Company considers diverse promotional channels that would foresee the marketing and promotional efforts outreach the maximum number of individual from the market segments. Since the company practices premium pricing, most of the people from the target market are aged between 20-40 and mainly middle class educated individuals with knowledge on the global health concerns. Both vegans and diabetics, who make a crucial market segment, can safely consume our products. Therefore, they are considered in our promotional strategy. Various quality chocolates we produce require different raw products and expertise. Due to this aspect, it is only relevant and fair to price differently in order to meet the incurred costs of production. Our profit margins are fair. Therefore, our consumers receive fair prices according to their tastes and preferences. All our products are of high quality. Prices vary from the purest grounded chocolate to the raw bars. Our fair prices are exhibited on the wraps to enable our consumers make choices appropriately and according to their preferences. In any case, the cost incurred will surely worth the taste of our quality chocolate bars. Be ready for a completely new chocolate experience with GROUND Chocolate & Company products. We have the most flexible and considerate pricing plan that is concerned with the equity needs of our target markets. Given the high quality of our products, we do not price cheaply, but affordable.

Developing an Auger (Earth Drill) one stage Gearbox System. A Dissertation

Developing an Auger (Earth Drill) one stage Gearbox System. A comparing study between two planetary gears systems, spur and h - Dissertation Example On the other hand the helical gearbox design would require output bearings of 7309 BE while input bearings of 7209 BE. The gearing materials were found out best to be AISI 304 while the casing ought to be created from cast iron. Cost comparison shows that spur gearbox is much cheaper especially because of the lower cost of the ring spur gear in comparison to the ring helical gear. Therefore the spur gearbox design was chosen as the optimal configuration for the current problem at hand. Summary In order to determine the best possible solution for a gearbox for an auger earth drill an extensive investigation was carried out. The investigation was begun with a literature review of the relevant means to transmit mechanical power such as belts, shafts, torque converters, mechanical couplings and gears. Given the relative advantages of gears in terms of power and speed scaling as well as the cost, it was decided to stick with gears to power an auger earth drill. The commonly used gear type s which are spur and helical were dealt with in detail to understand their operational perspectives. Bevels gears were also investigated but rejected early on. Epicyclical gear trains were investigated in greater detail to achieve a functional yet compact gearbox. The three configurations possible which were star, solar and planetary were all looked at in detail. Given the gearing ratio of 5.4 to 1, the planetary gearing system was found to be most suitable and was thus used as the prime choice. It was also decided to perform a comparison between a spur planetary and a helical planetary gearbox to find out which one was better. The gear based calculations were carried out and the number of teeth was found culminating in the perfectly matching gearing ratio. The gear sizes were determined using the overall dimensions of the gearbox as a constraint. The number of planetary gears was chosen as three based on its load sharing and geometrical properties. Lubrication investigation was als o carried out in detail to find out a lubricant suitable for the gearbox. Bearing selection was carried out for the gearboxes (both the spur and helical gearboxes) based on their individual requirements. The types of bearings available were investigated at length in order to discern the best possible choice. Materials for the various parts of the gearbox were also considered in detail to discern the best possible choices. This was followed by the evaluation of spur gearbox and helical gearbox design based on cost as cost was considered as an important factor. The stress analysis of the gearbox components produced satisfactory results which indicated a large operating margin for the gears involved. Images The maximum and minimum stress levels are already pretty clear in this image and other images that I have sent you. The images are always going to be the same as the gearbox under investigation is the same. The yielding strength of the material is 550 MPa and the stress levels are a pparent on the picture. FOS FOS (Factor of Safety) is a measure used to indicate the relative resilience of a component to failure during normal operation. Generally the FOS is calculated by dividing the material’s own yield stress with the maximum available stress levels.

Book Review on The Consolations of Philosophy Essay

Book Review on The Consolations of Philosophy - Essay Example While cultural shock and temptation to conform is the plight of international students, appreciating one’s identity, friendship, positive attitude towards pain, and keeping oneself entertained is all what one needs to live a happy and fulfilled life. Epicurus, a Greek philosopher, puts the idea of friendship into perspective when he attaches his happiness to it. He notes that while he had adequate wealth and lavish house, his happiness was a product of the company he entertained rather than his wealth. He thus created a habit of eating together with his friends. In the same vein, most international students are a privileged lot with money or scholarships that accord them lavish lifestyles. However, their happiness cannot be derived from wealth or material property, but instead from congenial company with friends. Epicurus’ philosophy against pegging on wealth as a source of happiness may be reinforced by Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher, who asserts that â€Å"a man’s peace of mind does not depend on Fortune.† Therefore, international students should endeavour to create a new clique of reliable friends in the earliest convenience. They should further relish doing things together including eating. Culture shock is a real experience that any person in a foreign country undergoes or lives through in their initial months. Michel the Montaigne, One of the most influential writers when talking about people travelling in foreign lands notes that, â€Å"Once out of their villages, they feel like fish out of water, clinging to their ways and cursing foreign ones.† This is a difficult period that is characterised by homesickness and tendency to stay secluded. In order to help such students cope with the new culture, most colleges and universities have devised induction programs. However, Socrates sounds warning bells against the idea of conforming to new systems without questioning their logic. Arguing from his experience

The Effect Of Television On Children Young People Essay

The Effect Of Television On Children Young People Essay Educators hoped that TV would serve as a window of knowledge for children. They hoped that it would broaden their knowledge by exposing them to various learning experiences, and help them learn about different cultures. Educators thought that TV would play a vital role in preparing preschoolers physically and psychologically for school. In contrast, today the effect of television on children has become a growing concern to many educators due to its effect on childrens behavior, health, and cognitive development and learning. We do not deny the TV holds many benefits to children if used properly and under adequate supervision of adults. Yet, we cannot deny its negative effects of TV. In this article we will talk about the negative effect of TV, and how it affects children, while on the same time mentioning its positive effects. We will first discusses the amount of time children spend in front of their TV sets, We will then move talk about how TV affects childrens behavior, health, cognitive development, and learning. We will also try to highlight the reasons behind children spending extended hours in front of their TV sets. Finally, we will try to suggest some solutions to this issue and how can we mitigate the negative effect of TV on children. The Amount Of Time Children Spend In Front Of Their TV Sets Children in their early developmental stages are very fragile and vulnerable physically and emotionally .they fail to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong and could blindly accept what they see on TV as facts upon which they base their future judgments. Children often like to imitate other and of Ten do so with what they view on TV without being able to identify the consequences of their actions. We need to realize the harm this device could do to children in order to be able to modify the way we view the role TV plays in childrens lives .we need to acknowledge the fact that children view TV more than any other media. We also need to realize that children use TV for fantasy, diversion and instruction. Children who are spending extensive hours in front of their TV sets are shield from the outside world. They fail to interact emotionally with other. A parent may walk in the door after being all day away at work and their daughter or son will not even left their eye to see them or run to them because they are so consumed by watching TV. The younger the children are the more effected they are because they fail to distinguish between fantasy and reality, and learn by observing and imitating. Television has become a major part of our childrens lives .From the time they wake up until the time they fall asleep their tiny little eyes are glued to the television screen. In most of the households TV has taken up the role of a nanny in the house, not mentioning that it has also become a major source of knowledge for children. How many times have we asked kids where did you learn that from? And the answer was from the TV.Zimmerman and Christakis in their research Childrens Television Viewing and Cognitive Outcomes they mention that toddlers at the age of 3 watched TV at an average of 2.2 hours daily. While from ages 3 to 5 years the average increases to 3.3 hours daily. (Zimmerman Christakis, 2005) A shocking article titled TV Hurts Kids Of All Ages, Studies Say on CBS news revealed how early children begin watching TV on regular basses The first study finds that 40 percent of infants are regular TV watchers by the time they are 3 months old. By the time they are 2 years old, 90 percent of children regularly watch TV. In most cases, it doesnt seem to be a matter of parents using the TV as a surrogate babysitter, but rather parents truly believe that shows aimed at tots will somehow expand their minds, language skills and cognitive abilities, the study found. (Johnson, 2007) Violence Behavior Children are often left in front of the TV for extended hours in front of the TV without supervision to view all types of programs regardless of the fact that those programmes do not suit their age groups. Many of these programs are full of violent and aggressive scenes that affect children negatively. It either reinforces aggressive and violent behavior in them, or plants fear into those little hearts. Children who are often subjected to violent behavior tend to form violent behavior .they tend to be hostile and aggressive towards their peers and fail to relate in a social mannar. In Norway, a 5 year old girl was severely harassed by her friends following the viewing of a particular television series. (Lemish, 2007) TV violence could also aggravate fretfulness and dreadfulness in children who are exposed to it. A survey of more than the n 2,000 elementary and middle school children revealed that heavy television viewing was associated with self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. (Wilson, 2008) First before further talking about how TV violence affects childrens behavior lets first define what violent behavior refers to. Violent behavior could be defined as any type of intentional behavior to harm others physically or emotionally which means it could be verbal or physical. (Lemish, 2007) So, where does violent behavior come from? The ground approach in sociology quarrels that children acquire various behaviors by copying authority figures in their lives, through positive reinforcement. Children repeat behaviors that are positively reinforced, and refrain from behaviors that are negatively reinforced. Children may imitate violent behavior they witnessed ages ago, which means they carry in their long term memory.TV in turn, is a rich source of violent behavior. Violent behavior may be found in not only action movies, but also in childrens movies and cartoons. Lets take childrens movies like the HULK or cartoons like Ben Ten and even as basic cartoons like Tom and Jerry .just one look at the chineese animated cartoons like Conon will let you realize the amount of violence on TV. Yet, we do not generalize this issue. There are many educational and other specialized programmes or cartoons for kids. For example: sesame street, teletubbies, or Dora. There is no doubt that educational TV programs have a positive effect .in a landitudal study by Wright et. al (2001) educational viewing (particularly Sesame Street) was related to letter word and number skills, vocabulary, and school readiness for children. (Muarry, 2007). verbal violence is another form of violence in children is widely spreading and the main source for it is TV programs .in her book Children and Television (A Global Perspective) Lemish refers to studies on this issue Studies that measured the frequency and types of various forms of violence on television in various countries have re- affirmed the international scope of this phenomenon (Lemish, 2007) TV violence could also aggravate fearfulness and dreadfulness in children who are exposed to it. Children my for various types of phobias and fears from things they view on TV especially at night this would be most evident in forms of nightmare or fear to sleep alone .This is mostly due to the wide imagination that children posses. A survey of more than the n 2,000 elementary and middle school children revealed that heavy television viewing was associated with self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. (Wilson, 2008) Affects on Health Another effect of television on children is health related. The fact that children sit idle in front of the TV for hour can lead to health issues like obesity. Some studies have pointed that watching TV by children may not cause obesity directly but it indirectly keep children from indulging in other outdoor activities that enhance their metabolism. (Dixon, 2007) .the impact of advertisement on children and their diet is great. Food and beverages advertisements directed to children have constantly been criticized for influencing childrens nutritional choices. We will often find kids watching TV and gulping down packets of chips and popcorn that are full of saturated fats that contribute directly to obisety, malnutration, and mineral deficiency and sometimes anemia. Grossbart eals onand Crosby (1984) found that childrens snack preferences were influenced by the types of food they saw advertised. Children who saw commercials for sugared snacks and cereals were significantly more likely to say they preferred highly sugared products than children who saw public service announcements for wholesome foods or children in a control group. Those who saw a pro-nutrition TV program chose sugared snacks than the control group. Number of studies point out to the relation between obesity among children and extensive viewing of TV .studies referred to the impact of ads on children food preferences. It showed that 98% of the foods advertised are rich in sugar and salts and are viewed by children between ages 2 to 11. (Gonzà ¡lez, 2010) recently many studies link early TV viewing to development of ADD Attention Defect Disorder /ADHD Attention Defect Hyperactive Disorder in children at later stages The study revealed that each hour of television watched per day at ages 1-3 increases the risk of attention problems, such as ADHD, by almost 10 percent at age 7.. (Center, 2004). The affect of advertisement also extends to children being exposed to Alcohol and smoking.They grow up viewing these practices as part of being social and often end up consuming alcohol or smoking by the time they reach adolescence. , Mr. Balls said a study by Alcohol Concern revealed a spike in television drinks advertisements between 4pm and 6pm, when many children watch. (Henry, 2007) Learning and Cognitive Development The most alarming effect amongst all is the effect of television on childrens learning and development. Unfortunately, the effect of TV does not stop at learning; it also effects childrens development making it a major concern for parents and educators. There have been some indications that television further effects childrens language development preference .As children grow their TV habits Change. Childrens mental capabilities, life style, and individual impact TV use as well as the socio-cultural context. The amount of time spent on TV has always been a major concern. Cross-sectional studies show that viewing generally increases during the preschool years and peaks in early adolescence (Muarry, 2007) How often do we find children preferring watching TV then reading? Reading to them is a strenuous monotonous task. TV is a two sided tool on one side it enhances creativity, and on the other it discourages it. There is relationship between performance in school and viewing TV. Research found that spending time watching TV affect the academic grades. Children who had television sets in their bedrooms scored significantly lower on school achievement tests than children without TVs in their bedrooms. Therefore, instead of doing homework or reading the child will replace by watching TV. According to Dr. Senay a studies reveal that teenagers in the age of 14 who view TV for 3 hours a day form problems in their academic achievement ,and in turn are less likely to join collage later (Johnson, 2007) Moreover, TV has an impact on childrens behavior and attitudes. It raises their awareness to the issue of stereotypes raised by the TV. It also directs them towards gender biases in the way women are portrayed. Also pushes them towards developing poor habits like smoking and alcohol .on TV smokers are often successful people, not mentioning that hoe alcohol is a major requirement for socialization and relaxation. (university of michigan health system, 2010) Why Do Parents Allow Their Children To Use TV Abusively? The question that may rise in the readers heads may be why do parents allow their children to do so? Besides what e the parents of infants thinking when they subject them to these entire negative affects! The truth is that parents are not fully aware of the effect of television on their children. Some deliberately place their children in front of TV sets assuming they are stimulating their senses, or other parents who fall for the add gimmicks regarding the educational programs. Dr. Senay advises parents to discourage to exempt toddlers from viewing to. It is more benifitital for children to develop their sensory and motor skills through interaction with parents and their surrounding environments (Johnson, 2007) Solutions .There are many measures that could be taken to reverse the affects of television on children however the most important and first step is spreading awareness. From all information we reviled we found that the main reason why parents allow their kids to view so much TV is due to lack of awareness. Awareness on this issue could be spread on the media itself like CBS did by interviewing Dr.Senay on TV. It could also done by children health care centers by spreading broachers on the topic or holding small workshops at the centers to inform parents on the effects of television on children. There are much parents can do to mitigate the effect of TV on children. The first step parents can take is to control the amount of TV their children view. This could be done by replacing TV with other fun activities that allows kids to stimulate their senses and engage with the outdoor environment. Parents will find their kids growing attached to them and relating to them instead of sitting glued to the TV sets. In Households where childrens rooms have TV set. A wise idea would be to get rid of them. These TV sets will only isolate the kids from the rest of the family .in other words they do more harm than good. However the most important step parents can do is to monitor the childrens use of TV. There are many TV sets which allow parental control. They enable parents to restrict certain content and programmes while also restrict the time. Parents by no means should allow their children to view TV without supervision, or purchase movies or cartoons without them ensuring that it I fit for them to view. There are many measures that could be taken b y governments such as controlling the advertisements that are aired during the time it is supposed that the most viewers are below 18. They could also monitor the content of TV programs and movies for violet and inappropriate content. The governments need to at times take extreme measures with TV channels and broad casts companies that fail to keep their content free of violent unhealthy and harmful content. In conclusion we have reviewed the many affects of TV on children. We talked about the long and extensive hours children spend in front of their TV sets. We then discussed how TV is responsible for violent and aggressive behavior in kids.whe also discussed how it also opens the door for verbal violence in children. It also is a reason for children forming fears and phobias. Furthermore, we moved to illustrate the effects of TV on childrens health. We revealed how many studied showed that TV was responsible for obesity in children because it keeps them from practicing and taking part in other activities, TV totally blocks those children from the outside world. Latter on we shed light on how TV effects childrens cognitive devlopment.TV affects childrens speech and discouraging them foe indulging in important activities like readin.TV simply makes reading look as a boring and monotones activity for children. We also mentioned how some studies link TV to ADD and ADHD. Furthermore we refe rred to studies that extensive viewing of TV lessens childrens eagerness to join collage as adults. Likewise we also showed how TV effected those childrens moral judgment they fail to distinguish right actions from wrong ones simply because media becomes the criteria by which they crate their moral compass. Then we move on the explaining the reasons behind parents allowing their children to use TV abusively. We showed how it all mostly is result of lack of awareness. Finally we suggested some solutions that will help do some damage control on the part of parents. We also mentioned how the government could play a vital role in controlling abusive content from appearing on TV sets. We truly help that we were able to shed light and divert attention to this issue. Were talking about children here as adults we are obligated to make the right choices for them and keep them out of the way of harm.

Rate of Reaction :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

Rate of Reaction Coursework Aim: To investigate how temperature affects rate of reaction. Introduction: I am going to investigate how temperature affects the rate of reaction of hydrochloric acid with calcium carbonate. This is the reaction that will take place: Hydrochloric acid + Calcium Carbonate à ¨ Calcium Carbonate + Water + Carbon Dioxide The rate of reaction can be measured in various different ways: * Using a balance you can check the mass before the reaction and then after the reaction has taken place. Then check the change in mass. * You can also use the method of obscuring a cross with sodium thiosulphate and time which cross becomes invisible first. I am going to use a syringe to measure the amount of carbon dioxide given of at regular intervals. This is because it is accurate as the smallest division on it is 1ml. The important variables are: * Temperature – if it is increased the reaction as the particles will have more energy. * Number of calcium carbonate chips – if there are a lot of chips more carbon dioxide will be formed. * Amount of acid – if there is more acid the rate of reaction will be faster. * Surface area – if the chips have a larger surface area then the rate of reaction will be faster. Prediction: I have chosen to investigate the affect of hydrochloric acid on calcium carbonate chips. I predict that as the temperature of the acid increases so will the rate of reaction. This is because for two substances to react they have to have a successful collision which means the have to collide with a minimum amount of energy which is called the activation energy. This diagram shows how the particles will react with each other with the minimum amount of energy (activation energy): The higher the temperature of the acid the faster the acid particles will be moving around as they’ll have more energy and there will more collisions. This energy will also allow there to be more successful collisions and so more carbon dioxide will be formed in smaller amount of time. Therefore the rate of reaction will be faster. This diagram shows the reaction of particles with more energy from the heat: I can also predict that the shape of my final graph of rate of reaction and temperature will look like this: From this graph I can predict that as I increase the temperature by 10 °C the rate of reaction will double. Apparatus: 1 Bunsen burner Calcium Carbonate chips Hydrochloric acid 1 Syringe 1 50ml measuring cylinder 1Heatproof mat 1 Wire gauze 1 Conical flask 1 Beaker filled with ice 1 Thermometer 1 Clamp I chose to use the syringe as it has small divisions to help me make Rate of Reaction :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation Rate of Reaction Coursework Aim: To investigate how temperature affects rate of reaction. Introduction: I am going to investigate how temperature affects the rate of reaction of hydrochloric acid with calcium carbonate. This is the reaction that will take place: Hydrochloric acid + Calcium Carbonate à ¨ Calcium Carbonate + Water + Carbon Dioxide The rate of reaction can be measured in various different ways: * Using a balance you can check the mass before the reaction and then after the reaction has taken place. Then check the change in mass. * You can also use the method of obscuring a cross with sodium thiosulphate and time which cross becomes invisible first. I am going to use a syringe to measure the amount of carbon dioxide given of at regular intervals. This is because it is accurate as the smallest division on it is 1ml. The important variables are: * Temperature – if it is increased the reaction as the particles will have more energy. * Number of calcium carbonate chips – if there are a lot of chips more carbon dioxide will be formed. * Amount of acid – if there is more acid the rate of reaction will be faster. * Surface area – if the chips have a larger surface area then the rate of reaction will be faster. Prediction: I have chosen to investigate the affect of hydrochloric acid on calcium carbonate chips. I predict that as the temperature of the acid increases so will the rate of reaction. This is because for two substances to react they have to have a successful collision which means the have to collide with a minimum amount of energy which is called the activation energy. This diagram shows how the particles will react with each other with the minimum amount of energy (activation energy): The higher the temperature of the acid the faster the acid particles will be moving around as they’ll have more energy and there will more collisions. This energy will also allow there to be more successful collisions and so more carbon dioxide will be formed in smaller amount of time. Therefore the rate of reaction will be faster. This diagram shows the reaction of particles with more energy from the heat: I can also predict that the shape of my final graph of rate of reaction and temperature will look like this: From this graph I can predict that as I increase the temperature by 10 °C the rate of reaction will double. Apparatus: 1 Bunsen burner Calcium Carbonate chips Hydrochloric acid 1 Syringe 1 50ml measuring cylinder 1Heatproof mat 1 Wire gauze 1 Conical flask 1 Beaker filled with ice 1 Thermometer 1 Clamp I chose to use the syringe as it has small divisions to help me make

Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 7

The next evening I gazed contented at the sun setting over the harbor. Miss Molly hadnt exaggerated: The girls at her house were hospitable. For breakfast Id had one with long, corn-silk hair and bleary blue eyes. I could still taste her wine-laced blood on my lips. Damon and I had spent the day wandering the city, taking in the wrought-iron balconies in the French Quarter–and the girls who waved to us from their perches there–the fine tailor shops with bolts of sumptuous silk in the windows, and the heady cigar shops where men with round bellies struck business deals. But of all the sights, I liked the harbor best. This was the citys lifeblood, where tall ships carrying produce and exotic wares entered and exited. Cut off the harbor, you cut off the city, making it as vulnerable and helpless as Miss Mollys girl had been that morning. Damon gazed out at the boats as well, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. His lapis lazuli ring glinted in the fading sunlight. â€Å"I almost saved her.† â€Å"Who?† I asked, turning sharply, hope swelling in my chest. â€Å"Did you sneak off and feed from someone?† My brother kept his eyes on the horizon. â€Å"No, of course not. I meant Katherine.† Of course. I sighed. If anything, last night had made Damon more malcontent than ever. While Id enjoyed the company and the sweet blood of a girl whose name I would never know, Damon had retired to a room of his own, treating the establishment as if it were simply the boardinghouse it pretended to be. â€Å"You should have drunk,† I said for the hundredth time that day. â€Å"You should have taken your pick.† â€Å"Dont you understand, Stefan?† Damon asked flatly. â€Å"I dont want my pick. I want what I had–a world I understood, not one I can control.† â€Å"But why?† I asked, at a loss. The wind shifted, and the scent of iron, mixed with tobacco, talcum powder, and cotton, invaded my nostrils. â€Å"Feeding time already?† Damon asked wryly. â€Å"Havent you done enough damage?† â€Å"Who cares about one whore in a filthy brothel!† I yelled in frustration. I gestured out to the sea. â€Å"The world is filled with humans, and as soon as one dies, another appears. What does it matter if I relieve one wretched soul of its misery?† â€Å"Youre being careless, you know,† Damon grunted. His tongue darted out of his mouth to lick his dry, cracked lips. â€Å"To feed whenever you feel like it. Katherine never did that.† â€Å"Yes, well, Katherine died, didnt she?† I said, my voice much harsher than I meant it to be. â€Å"Shed have hated who youve become,† Damon said, sliding off the fence and standing next to me. The scent of iron was more pervasive now, curling around me like an embrace. â€Å"No, she would have hatedyou,† I retorted. â€Å"So scared of who you are, unable to go after what you want, wasting your Power.† I expected Damon to argue, to strike me even. But instead he shook his head, the tips of his retracted canines just visible between his partially open lips. â€Å"I hate myself. I wouldnt expect any different from her,† he said simply. I shook my head in disappointment. â€Å"What happened to you? You used to be so full of life, so ready for adventure. This is the best thing that has ever happened to us. Its a gift–one thatKatherinegave to you.† Across the street, an old man hobbled past, and then a moment later, a child on an errand rushed by in the opposite direction. â€Å"Pick one and feed! Pick something, anything. Anything is better than just sitting here, letting the world go by.† With that I stood, following the iron and tobacco scent, feeling my fangs pulse with the promise of a new meal. I grabbed Damon, who lagged a few paces behind me, until we found ourselves on a slanted lane out of range of the gaslights. What little light there was gathered onto a single point: a white-uniformed nurse, leaning against a brick building, smoking a cigarette. The woman looked up, her startled expression turning into a slow smile as she took in Damon. Typical. Even as a blood-starved vampire, Damon, with his shock of dark hair, long lashes, and broad shoulders, caused women to look twice. â€Å"Want a smoke?† she asked, blowing smoke into concentric circles that blended with the mist in the air. â€Å"No,† Damon said hastily. â€Å"Come on, brother.† I ignored him, stepping toward her. Her uniform was spattered with blood. I couldnt stop staring at it and the way the rich red contrasted to the stark white. No matter how often I had seen it since changing, blood continued to awe me with its beauty. â€Å"Having a bad night?† I asked, leaning next to her against the building. Damon grabbed my arm and started to pull me toward the lights of the hospital. â€Å"Brother, lets go.† Tension coiled in my body. â€Å"No!† It took a swat of my arm to toss him against the wall. The nurse dropped her cigarette. The ash sparked, then extinguished. I felt the bulge of my fangs behind my lips. It was just a matter of time now. Damon struggled to his feet, crouching low as if I was going to strike him again. â€Å"I wont watch this,† he said. â€Å"If you do this, I will never forgive you.† â€Å"I have to get back to my shift,† the nurse muttered, taking a step away from me, as if to run. I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me. She let out one short yelp before I covered her mouth with my hand. â€Å"No need to worry about that anymore,† I hissed, sinking my teeth into her neck. The liquid tasted like rotting leaves and antiseptic, as if the death and decay of the hospital had invaded her body. I spit the still warm liquid into the gutter and threw the nurse to the ground. Her face was twisted in a grimace of fear. Stupid girl. She should have sensed the danger and run while she still could. It hadnt even been a hunt. Worthless. She groaned, and I wrapped my fingers against her throat and squeezed until I heard the satisfying crack of bone breaking. Her head hung at an unnatural angle, blood still dripping from the wound. She wasnt making any noise now. I turned toward Damon, who stared at me, a horrified expression on his face. â€Å"Vampires kill. Its what we do, brother,† I said calmly, my gaze locking on Damons blue eyes. â€Å"Its whatyoudo,† he said, taking off the coat around his shoulders and throwing it over the nurse. â€Å"Not me. Never me.† Anger pulsed like a heart at the very core of my being. â€Å"Youre weak,† I growled. â€Å"Maybe so,† Damon said. â€Å"But Id rather be weak than a monster.† His voice grew strong. â€Å"I want no part in your killing spree. And if our paths ever cross again, I swear I will avenge all of your murders, brother.† Then he spun on his heel and ran at vampire speed down the alleyway, instantly disappearing into the swirling mist.

Accutane essays

Accutane essays When talking about accutane, not many people are aware of what it is. Accutane is basically a Vitamin A derivative given as an oral medication for the treatment or significant cystic acne (Kunin 1). It was developed in 1982 and used to clear up severe acne. You may have some severe side effects while taking this medication. Many dermatologists give this prescription to patients who have tried prescription medicines, over the counter medicines, and face washes but all of them have failed. Some vitamin A preparations like Retin A can help keep glands clear to a point. More advanced cases require oral medications. They help control the bacteria but they have anti-inflammatory properties, which are really whats most important. A lot of people wonder how this medicine works. Nobody is 100% sure of how it stops acne, but it does. It does reduce the size of the sebaceous glands. Now there is some question as to whether sufferers of acne have particularly large sebaceous glands, or whether they are being shrunk smaller then they should. Being a Vitamin A compound, it promotes the regeneration of skin cells. Unfortunately this not only improves the standard of your skin, but also causes flakiness. It also has some anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits, that prevent skin infections and reduce swollen spots, said Kunin (1). Birth defects are the most serious consequence of taking Accutane. Accutane will only affect a developing fetus. It will not effect any reproductive organs. A lot of people worry about this and decide not to take it, but it doesn't effect having children in the future. You shouldn't get pregnant while on Accutane or 30 days after taking Accutane. It can cause head or heart problems in a developing fetus. The FDA and a respectable dermatologist will insist that any woman or teen capable of having children be on 2 methods of contraception, and have one ...

Sleight of Hand

Sleight of Hand Sleight of Hand Sleight of Hand By Maeve Maddox A reader asks, What exactly is meant by â€Å"sleight of hand† and how do you pronounce â€Å"sleight†? First the pronunciation: sleight rhymes with light and might. The noun sleight has been in the language since the 13th century. In early use, it meant â€Å"cunning employed so as to deceive† and was often paired with words like strength and might to contrast force with subtlety. For example, in folk tales, weak animals that lack physical strength often prevail over their stronger enemies by means of sleight. Likewise, politicians might seek to obtain their aims â€Å"by sleight† rather than â€Å"by force.† Later, the skills of jugglers were referred to as sleight: The juggler’s sleight, That with facility of motion cheats The eye.- 1850 The phrase â€Å"sleight of hand† is a translation of a French expression: là ©ger de main, â€Å"light of hand.† The French expression refers to the performance of tricks in which nimble action with the fingers deceives the eye of the beholder. The French expression exists in English spelled as one word: legerdemain. â€Å"Sleight of hand† is used literally to describe a magician’s techniques: Because of his familiarity with the illusions of stage magic and sleight of hand, Houdini was particularly adept at spotting the trickery that the so-called psychics and spirit mediums then hawking their services as conduits to the afterlife to the credulous grieving public commonly used. More often, the expression is used figuratively to describe rhetorical techniques used to mislead and shape public opinion: Politicians love pitting us against the rich. It’s a slick political sleight-of-hand where politicians and their allies amongst the intellectuals, talking heads and the news media get us caught up in the politics of envy as part of their agenda for greater control over our lives. [Educational problems] can be papered over by focusing still more blame on teachers and teacher educators rather than the underlying causes. Duncans rhetoric provides a perfect example of this political sleight of hand. The fact that these prisons are modern is not because they are privatised, but because government policy has allowed only the private sector to build new prisons. To conclude that private prisons in the UK boast modern conditions simply because they are privatised is to fall victim to a political sleight of hand. Synonyms for the literal meaning of â€Å"sleight of hand†: adroitness deftness dexterity legerdemain skill Synonyms for the figurative meaning of â€Å"sleight of hand†: deception deceit dissimulation chicanery trickery Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†Expanded and Extended10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing

Truman and his exchanges of messages with pope pius XII and its Essay

Truman and his exchanges of messages with pope pius XII and its consequences - Essay Example In his first letter to the Pope, he stated that he was dully elected and would ensure that the people in the country lived in a peaceful nation. However, in this letter, he insinuated that the nature of the church was to adore politics and war. The president openly expressed his idea of not calling the Pope His Holiness as this was a title that was only befitting God. Since he was not God or anything closer to God, he would only refer him with his official names. At this point, he also stated that the government was principled to ensure that the church would not meddle in the businesses conducted by the government (Muehlenbeck, 45). Therefore, the church would not be involved in the internal affairs of the government. If the government would include the church in their internal affairs, it would be a retrogressive drill. For instance, he stated that Europe was undeveloped because of indulgence of the church in its internal affairs. In addition to this, the president stated that the c hurch was the leader in instigating war, while pretending to spread peace in the country (Devine, 32). The president included a stern warning that was directed towards the church, stating that the great nation would not be duped into accepting the ways of the wicked. These messages were monumental in that they were directed towards making a peaceful coexistence in the American democracy. In this letters, the Pope openly expressed he need to have urgent solutions to the problems that were in the country. In his letters, he expressed the need to have American relief streams that would help the people, in the war and even after the war that had erupted (Dolezalova, Martin and Papousek, 29). In addition to this, the Pope expressed the need to put the national interests a first priority. With this, he meant that they all were to ensure that the war was not extended to other parts of the country. To maintain a peaceful environment, the Pope suggested that the government should explore all the possibilities that could be used (Burleigh, 11). This was also to ensure there was an end to human suffering which was mostly caused by hostility arising from the conflict in the country. With these events, it is evident that the church and the president were not in agreement. The church was in line with making a peaceful existence in the country, while the president was concerned with the church’s indulgence in the politics of the nation. As such, their differences were not contained (Potworowski, 13). This led to a drift between the church and the president, with the president insisting that the Pope had no powers to control the interests of the country. For instance, in a letter addressed to the Pope, the president openly expressed his concerns of the â€Å"catholic culture† and how it could influence the country if it were given the mandate to govern the world again (Gaddis, 28). In his support, the president also inclined the fact that the government would no t spend its hard earned resources in sending young people to help other people. Though he expressed the need for peace in the United States of America, it was sheer irony (Suderman, 32). The president was not doing anything to control the eruption of war, yet he was on the frontline in condemning the church against their indulgence in the internal affairs of the country. In relaying all the letters addressed to the president, the Pope openly

Perspectives on Globalisation and Economic Crisis Essay

Perspectives on Globalisation and Economic Crisis - Essay Example Scholars like Chinn and Ito (2008) have supported this perception in the sense that they often present entirely novel plans to steer the process of globalisation. However, Feenstra and Taylor (2013) state that monetary unions aimed at economic integration were a reality even during the 19th century. According to the authors: â€Å"In monetary affairs the launch of the Latin Monetary Union in 1866 by France, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland (later joined by 7 other countries) could be seen as, if not an early precursor to the Eurozone, at least an attempt to coordinate monetary policy at a transnational level, even if the project was soon undermined by the contradictions of the bimetallic system it sought to defend, and the bloc ended up as a de facto member of the soon ubiquitous gold standard area which began to dominate world monetary affairs after the 1870s.† (Feenstra and Taylor 2013, p. 5) Feenstra and Taylor (2013) further state that the gold standard (as set during the m id 19th century) has served as a platform for ensuring multilateral economic cooperation. Even during the days of colonial rivalries and frequent warfare, leaderships in different countries essentially understood that economic cooperation and intergovernmental dialogue were better avenues for achieving peace and prosperity. European countries were at the foremost in comprehending the importance of such mature financial behaviour although they could not effectively establish peace in their continent unlike today’s European Union. Present day econometric mechanisms of globalisation are also based on mainly economic integration and commercial cooperation. Moreover, geographical situations of different regions as well as geopolitical dynamics play a key role in globalisation simply because it...This paper tries to to elucidate the process of globalization with an objective to explore its economic dynamics with particular reference to the financial markets. It is argued in the paper, that if there is a global economic crisis, then the process of globalization can be affected in various ways. Conversely, regional or country specific economic crises too may obtain a worldwide dimension because of the fiscal dynamics of financial globalization. The gold standard (as set during the mid 19th century) has served as a platform for ensuring multilateral economic cooperation. Even during the days of colonial rivalries and frequent warfare, leaderships in different countries essentially understood that economic cooperation and dialogue were better avenues for achieving peace and prosperity. European countries were at the foremost in comprehending the importance of such financial behaviour although they could not effectively establish peace in their continent unlike today’s EU. As far as the financial world is concerned, it cannot be assumed as synonymous with commerce and industry. Therefore, globalisation with regard to global commerce and industries has its own dimensions with respect to the financial world, or more precisely, the financial or capital markets. A much better comprehension of today’s economic activities is still necessary that can help the international policymakers in finding out that how deficiencies in contemporary financial regulations might set the scene of yet another global economic crisis.