Mind Control The Media Aims To Influence People Media Essay

Mind Control The Media Aims To Influence People Media Essay In our era, almost all advertisement and information tools contain images. Since most images appeal to our emotions rather than to our reasoning, they can hide the truth and divert our attention by arousing our feelings towards a certain cause. They can manipulate the public opinion, mold our attitudes and transform our vision of reality. They are teaching us how to be, more than our own parents and teachers do: they tell us how to observe and instruct our vision in what a flaw is and whats normal (Bordo 2006). Because they require less effort and concentration, the idea that reside behind the images is easily transmitted to our thoughts. Thus, they permit an instantaneous acquisition of divulged information, dissuade others and confuse their perception of what is right and wrong. And since nearly everyone rely on the media to inform them, it can easily mislead us. By simply switching on the television, an endless collection of images is set before your eyes and glide through your neurons to implant a standardization of what true beauty is (Lemayian, 2005). Nowadays, body image is becoming very important in our society, and it is particularly amplified by the media. How to interpret your body 101 is becoming a global requirement (Bordo, 2006). Furthermore, among the many methods used by the media to transform the image into an ideal one, the most common is the edited photo. On the billboards publicity and press, retouched photos are almost everywhere, imposed by a company that makes the body image an ultimate reference. With software such as Photoshop, body image can be completely changed. The commercial of the Dove Evolution video translates well these practices. Dove Evolution is a one minute clip directed by Tim Piper where we see an ordinary woman accompanied by a makeup artist sitting on a chair. A fixed plane then comes closer to her face and film the process of her transformation. This womans hair and make up are done, and her picture is retouched digitally. Then the background turns into a billboard ad where the face of this woman that was made perfect, catches the eye of many group of girls passing by. Most of the time, the image of beauty promoted by womens magazines is that of the thinness and youth. Similarly, cinema and television are promoters of unattainable beauty. For instance, many actresses are obliged to loose weight in order for them to be allowed to participate in the film. Moreover, in the movie The Devil Wears Prada which is directed by David Frankel, the star Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, a talented writer who has recently graduated, was admitted as a co-assistant in one of the most superb fashion magazine firm, and was compelled to loose a lot of weight. In addition, the other co-assistant (Emily Blunt) was dieting because she was supposed to accompany the editor of the magazine (Meryl Streep) to a fashion show in Paris. And after being complemented on her thin looking figure by the new co-assistant (Anne Hathaway), she claims that the effective diet that got her into this skinny looking figure is to eat nothing at all, but a tiny chunk of cheese only if she felt li ke she was going to faint. Therefore, the audio-visual media is constantly imposing the compulsion of being thin which could cause several health problems (such as anorexia and bulimia) for the brain-washed girls during their pursue of the perfect body. For instance, three years after the media was introduced in Fiji, 11 percent of the girls were forcing themselves to vomit in order to stay thin (Bordo, 2006). Conversely, media can also lead to obesity. And that is because advertising is constantly promoting unhealthy consumption, and encouraging food products that are not recommended in a balanced diet. A company named Ofcom carried out a research in 2004 into television commercials concluding that they have a reasonable direct influence on childrens choice of food (Boyce 2006). Additionally to the fast food, most of the ads market for drinks that are very minimal in nutrients such as coffee, soda and energy drinks, and snacks that are very high in saturated fat and carbohydrates, but very low in proteins and vitamins (such as chips and chocolates). Moreover, the ABC health news states that, according to a research concerning the adolescents of age ranging from 12 to 17, the obesity was growing by 2% for each hour of TV watching. In addition, Kuribyashi et al., 2001 conducted a study in which the types of food that are commercialized were compared during two period of time: between the ph ase of peak viewing by children and the phase of peak viewing by adults. It was learned that there were more food advertisements screening throughout the morning childrens program with increased recurrence and larger consumption of the total program duration than food commercials shown during prime-time adult programs in the evening (Kuribyashi et al., 2001). This demonstrates how the televised media is exploiting the minds of young innocent children who can be easily manipulated by attracting images of any product. For instance, the Great School organization declares that the food and beverage industry spends more than ten billion dollars targeting children and youth through television advertisements, special promotions and attractive packaging. Not surprisingly, the Kaiser institution in Calif, reported through a research from Europe and the U.S., that the childrens obesity was significantly reduced when the duration spent on television was decreased, since they will become more e ngaged in physical activities and less exposed to the scheming food commercials. The media also aims to influence people in order to make them behave and react in a given direction. We can therefore say that the media is commanding our opinions in order to pilot our way of life; an aspect of stereotyping is employed in the media. Additionally, the use of stereotypes facilitates the goal of the producers because it allows the audience to easily remember and identify a certain character in the motion picture industry. The facet of media stereotyping is also reflected on our lifestyles. For example, in a movie or a series, a family is often represented by a father, a mother, two children and a dog. The mother cleans, takes care of the children and makes sure that the dinner is prepared when the father comes back from work. Stereotypes are used in cartoons as well, such as the amiable grandfather of Pinocchio, the wicked stepmother in Cinderella, and Dexter who is a smart kid featured as a nerd with no social life. All these characters represent, among many others, t he familiar stereotypes assimilated by the children. Moreover, by shaping hostile stereotypes, the media can help maintain or develop the rejection of a social group by another. For instance, William Drummond, an academic journalist professor in the University of California at Berkeley and co-author of a current study on the situation of the African-American male in California states that the negative stereotype that many people have of African-American men is caused to a significant degree by the media: broadcasting media convey the lead in relating young African-American males with aggressiveness, lawlessness and violence. The most widespread stereotype about African-American men is that they engage in drug abuse in disproportionate numbers. In the report, Drummond reported statistics from a U.S. Justice Department survey that show only 6 percent of African-Americans had used cocaine in their lifetime, and that the great majority of respondents 65.5 percent had used it fewer than 11 times. Among white respondents, 10.6 percent had used cocaine in their lifetimes, with 62.3 percent of those respondents saying they had used it fewer than 11 times. Conclusively, the media possess a certain type of control over our minds; they play an imperative role in the public opinion. Its ubiquity and diversity therefore affects the entire population, and is fostered by globalization in todays society. The danger is that we are in a society that is governed by images and economy: the information is increasingly being diffused under the hidden purpose of financial profit and not for the simple function to share and inform. The information is then manipulated to become more prejudiced, and ends up by losing all its meaning. Therefore, it is crucial to try to withdraw ourselves from the subjective impact that is implanted in the media, and think about its veracity before considering it. In order to fight against the self-control by the media, the audio-visual apparatus should be utilized to broadcast and elucidate the deceits and hazards that are promoted by media.

Chinese martial arts Essay

Shamis: Way to Shaolin is a traditional dance performed by the Kung Fu Monks of Shaolin. Dance exists in many forms and can fulfil different functions: ritual, social or artistic. This particular dance fits into the ritual and artistic function. When performed and practised, ritual dance serves a strong function in sustaining the life of people through the culture and its procedures. Artistic dance is performed to be looked at and to entertain onlookers. The work itself can also be a means of expressing ones thoughts and feelings (Snook.B, 2004, p47-49). This essay will prove that the ritual function is most predominant in Shamis: Way to Shaolin. The ancient collection of Chinese martial arts referred to as Shaolin Kung Fu was created by a Buddhist Monk called Bodhidharma or Tamo who attempted to teach the monks of Shaolin the discipline of Zen meditation. They were not physically capable for the rigorous regime so he then continued to create a series of exercises to build up their health and increase their stamina (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 2). The exercises were both physiological and physical; the â€Å"goal being to control the body through the power of the mind† (The History of the Shaolin Monastery, 2008, para 1). The martial arts were developed out of necessity as the monks had to defend the monastery from thieves who tried to rob them of their treasures (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 3). Today, Shaolin Kung Fu is still practised and used for self-defence, health, fitness, character development, spiritual cultivation and life enrichment (Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu, ND, para 3, 4 and 6). The ritual function is clearly the most predominant function in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin, because of the great history and meaning of Shaolin Kung Fu to the Buddhist monks and the way it is performed. The dance components in Shamis: Way to Shaolin clearly fulfil the ritual function of dance due to the culture and beliefs represented. The dancers are all male Chinese Buddhist monks and they are wearing traditional outfits. The orange robes are dated back centuries and were originally chosen because of the dye available at the time. They are meant to symbolize simplicity and detachment of materialism (Exotissimo, 2010, para 1). The dancers are respecting themselves and others as they all bow together at the beginning of the performance and stand in a meditation position on one leg before dancing. The thin, wooden poles used in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin are martial art weapons used for defence. The monks are representing themselves as warriors protecting their beloved monastery which is part of their history. This is realised as the stage is representing the outside of their monastery with large doors opening outside to steps which lead downwards and have 2 Chinese statues guarding them. The movements of the Shaolin monks are also very sharp and aggressive. They shout â€Å"HA! † loudly together on particularly strong movements as a warning signal and to show it is their territory and monastery. This is a characteristic of ritual dance as the performance is portraying a function. The dancers engage themselves entirely on the performance using immense concentration and focus. Repetition, a characteristic of ritual dance, is used as the monks repeatedly twirl their poles and bang them on the ground. The ritual function is most predominant as the Buddhist monks are dancing for themselves for enlightenment as well as for their culture and beliefs. There are also dance components that fulfil the artistic function of dance within Shamis: Way to Shaolin. It is choreographed and performed onstage for an audience. The dance begins with a loud gong and then fast-paced, traditional music is played which is whistling and chiming. The music is played to assist the audience in understanding and enjoying the performance. The monks mostly all dance together in sync at the same time, the majority of the time in a 3 straight lined formation facing the audience. This is an artistic element because the dancers have practised their routine so that it would be appealing to watch. A smoke machine is used when the male dancers enter onto the stage and go down the steps which provide levels within the performance. Levels are again used during the dance because they are regularly leaping, crouching and jumping. At the end most of them go to either side and sit while watching 2 monks fight dance with poles in the middle. These components are all used for the benefit of the audience and the overall effectiveness of the dance. Therefore the dance is also clearly fulfilling the artistic function. The ritual and artistic functions are seamlessly combined in this dance. The artistic function includes music, formations, cannons and levels. The ritual function is more complex representing their culture and beliefs with the dancers being Buddhist monks, wearing traditional outfits, doing meditation and Martial Arts/Kung-Fu etc. Together the two functions create an unforgettable production with the ritual being the most predominant. Bibliography Exotissimo Blog (December 21, 2010) [online] Why do Buddhist monks wear orange robes and shave their heads? http://www. exotissimo. com/blog/buddhist-monk/ (13/03/2013) DVD Shamis: Way to Shaolin. 2001. (Live show video recording) South Australia, IMS Entertaining SA. Schaffhausen Book Snook. B, (2004) Dance Count Me In, McGraw – Hill PTY LTD (p47-49) Shaolin Kung Fu History (date unknown) [online] ChinatownConnection. com http://www. chinatownconnection. com/shaolin-kung-fu-history. htm (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu (date unknown) [online] General Kung Fu Aims http://www. shaolin. org/general/kungfu-aims. html (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Mystical power of Shaolin Kung Fu (2008) [online] The History of the Shaolin Monastery http://www. shaolinmonksinmalta. com/ (date accessed 2/03/2013).

A teaching assistant work Essay

A teaching assistant works alongside a class teacher in a primary or secondary school. All over Europe, they have different names, such as : ‘aides’, ‘classroom assistants’, ‘learning support assistant’, but the moment the most common one is the one used at the beginning of the sentence.(Study Topic 1) In present, their role is extremely important, and it is hard to imagine things as easily as they run now without their help, especially because there is a big deficit in the number of teachers in primary schools. Skilled teaching assistant bring a very valuable contribution to pupils achievement within the learning environment. Unfortunately I started working in a school later than I should have, but I feel as every experience I’ve been through led me to this. I volunteer as teaching assistant 3 days a week, and in the rest of the time I look after two children, aged 9 and 5 years old, that attend the school I work in. My job description involves certain things, such as assisting the teacher by supporting the pupils during the teaching of the curriculum and always working under the direction of the class teacher. Because I am all the time surrounded by children, I can assist the children and understand their learning needs.(K.U 1.1) My prior job inside the classroom is to listen to the children, respect and value them. Even though I haven’t been working for too long with them, the pupils in my classroom already gained respect and confidence in me, and I can see how slowly, with my help and of course, the teacher’s , they are gaining the sense of independence, which is extremely important for a child developing. I’m helping by ensuring they have access to the curriculum at all the times, and by using plenty of praise and rewards. I make sure that all the children participate fully in every lesson, by reminding them of teaching points made by teacher and help them organise and participate in appropriate play activities or games. Most of the times I’m working with pupils in Year 3, but sometimes I’m in Foundation Stage. In the Year 3 (7-8 years), I encourage the pupils to work independently when the case and to try to manage their own reading. I’m also always encouraging them to use the library independently, as I am with the pupils in Foundation Stage, which need to be encouraged to develop their independent learning skills. They have to learn to take turns and speak and follow simple written instructions. I need to make sure that the pupils are able to make choices about books and to persuade them to learn independently. In both cases I am always trying to teach the pupils to use information from various sources and to complete all tasks set in a given time. I have to be aware at all the times of the school’s policies, for example in the case of children protection, the school has a member of the staff who is responsible for child protection matters, a Child Protection Policy and certain procedures to deal with any child protection issues arising(K.U 1.2). Another important matter that I must always keep in mind are the policies regarding bullying, as unfortunately, is a very common problem in schools all over the world. In order to provide support for the school, I must attend all the staff meetings and training sessions and to make sure that I’m in constant process of acquiring the full range of skills and knowledge needed to satisfy job requirements, especially as I come from a foreign country. It is also very important that I, as a teaching assistant, I understand my roles and responsibilities in relation to school’s policies and insist that the pupils conform to the standards detailed in the school’s policy in behaviour, and if necessary, take measures to isolate (conform the policy of behaviour) a disruptive child from the rest of the class. As stated in the title, my most important role is to provide support for the teacher, and a very important way of doing that is by participating in meetings with parents and carers, where I have to listen, support and  discuss issues sensitively with them, whilst providing them an accurate feedback (K.U 1.7) Participating at these meeting is a real delight, as I can analyse the other teachers and teaching assistants and I can improve, as a teaching assistant. One of my jobs is to listen what the children have to say. ‘Pupils can provide valuable feedback so we do need to invite them to tell us what they think.’ (E111 Reader 1, Chapter 4, My history of helpers). So far, the feedback I have received from the pupils has been very helpful, even though in certain moments I’ve been disappointed by what I heard. Thanks to this and also to the feedback received from the colleagues, I was able to realise where I have to improve. (K.S 4.3) I have to help the teacher plan the weekly programme and sometimes , I have to supervise the class and maintain good order and keep the pupils on the task. I have to promote the home school partnership and to ensure an appropriate learning environment. At the moment I am dealing directly with 2 teachers, offering them full support any time when required. Luckily, they are aware of the fact that between us it’s a co-dependent relationship, where I need them and they need me. (P.S 3.3) all the time I am in direct contact with the other professionals from the school and mostly with the other teaching assistants. Every afternoon I have to set out , prepare and tidy the equipment. During classes, I must monitor and evaluate pupil’s responses to learning activities and I must provide accurate feedback and reports to the teacher. In order to provide support for the curriculum, the school got me involved in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT ) area, even though the teachers I work with are computer literate, but this is a subject that I am very interested in. Every day I must make sure that the equipment is working properly and I must ensure that the teacher has some non-computer work handy in case something goes wrong with the power or with the computers. The past experience is essential when working with children, with special needs or not. Not only that most of the schools are looking for experienced teachers and teaching assistants, but it is very difficult to keep up when not experienced. Fortunately for me, I have a wide experience related to working with children, even though it’s not in United Kingdom. I started working part time in a kindergarten when I was 14 years old, and even though my attributions weren’t so many in the beginning, it really helped me understand the way children develop and sometimes I was able to see the world from their point of view. By the time I was 18 I was working full time, one on one with the classroom teacher. Kindergarten is a very important experience as it can be considered the child’s first experience in school, and I tried to help them get the most of it. In the same time I’ve been working as a babysitter in my spare time, and my most important experience was volunteering in a centre for children with special needs. First of all I learned that it is important to listen to what children have to say, even without asking, and to respect their opinion. I think it’s amazing how children learn from constructive play. One of the most important things I did with the children in the past was helping them learn how to resolve their problems and improve their social skills, and this is one of the things I’m still doing, I’m always trying to help the pupils gain confidence and developing. Working as a waitress helped me gain my own confidence while working with the other people. Just like in my previous jobs, I am working in a team, along two other teachers directly, but also with the secretary. According to Belbin, there are nine different roles which team members play are based on their personalities, ways of thinking: completer/finisher, coordinator, implementer, monitor/evaluator, plant, resource investigator, shaper. specialist, team worker. (Nigel Belbin, Belbin Reports). In my case, I am definitely a team worker, with strict responsibilities. Although I would like to say that I am 100% effective in school, the truth is that I have my own strengths and weaknesses that impact my  effectiveness. Unfortunately, I have a big disadvantage, as the school system in United Kingdom is new to me, but I’m willing to develop and learn as much as I can. The first thing I am doing is to have a good attitude and take initiative whenever I can. I have to improve my skills, and one of the most important one is the communication skill. I’ll be more effective in my role if I’ll learn first of all to be a good listener and if I’ll be careful with my writing skills as well (emails, messages). Even though at the moment it is not absolutely necessary, I have to work on my leadership skills. â€Å"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Dwight D. Eisenhower Developing my skills in order to improve my effectiveness is a challenge for me, just like working in British school is. I come from a country where the style of teaching is very strict and rigid, and classes are very formal. At first, I found it difficult to adapt, but at the moment I think being able to compare the two styles of teaching is going to help me improve in front of the pupils. Unfortunately, most of the time the training needs of the non-teaching staff are neglected. â€Å"They are seldom invited to participate in staff meetings or training events, but they can be asked to do cleaning or redecorating during the time set aside for other people’s development.† .(Action Research for Inclusive Education: Changing places, changing practice, changing minds, Forging and Strengthening Alliances, pg 49. ) It’s not the case for me, though, as I have been very well received by all the staff members and the school itself is extremely supportive, trying to help me develop as much as I can. References †¢ The Open University (2005) E111 Supporting Learning in Primary Schools, Study Topic 1; †¢ School Policy of Behaviour; †¢ The Open University (2005) E111 Reader 1, Chapter 4, My history of helpers; †¢ Nigel Belbin, Belbin Reports; †¢ Action Research for Inclusive Education: Changing places, changing practice, changing minds, Forging and Strengthening Alliances, pg 49

Manufacturing Of Fireworks For Dragon Ltd Essay - 917 Words

1 Introduction 1.1 The report is about the two machines that will suit the purpose of manufacturing of fireworks for Dragon Ltd. One is Clayton Ltd, a local company and the other is Kendall Ltd, an Australian company. 1.2 The purpose of the report is to choose the best suited company with which Dragon Ltd. can pursue their project and also can sort out their working capital issues. 2 Overview 2.1 NPV gives explicit consideration to the time value of money. It is used in capital budgeting of project to analyse the profitability of an investment. NPV is used to make accept or reject decisions. If NPV $0, accept the project. If NPV $0, reject the project. IRR is defined as the discount rate which equates NPV of all cash flow of a project to zero. If IRR is equal to or greater than cost of capital, accept the project. If IRR is less than the cost of capital, reject the project. 2.2 Cost Of Capital is the rate of return a firm must be paid on its project investments to uphold value of their shares. NPV helps us to find out either the cost of capital we invest in a project for long term is feasible or not. If NPV 0, cost of capital is acceptable. If NPV 0, cost pf capital is not acceptable. IRR can be viewed as the maximum cost of capital that a project could sustain and remain conventional. The degree of acceptance increases with the increase in IRR. 3 Findings and recommendations 3.1 Attached in the excel sheet 3.2 On the basis ofShow MoreRelatedComparative Study of Pakistan Chinese Cultures13385 Words   |  54 Pagesusually eat Jiaozi or dumplings shaped like a crescent moon display, visiting and greeting, Yangke dancing, lion and dragon dancing, holding temple fairs and many other great folklore-inspection events. the New Year. It is celebrated in the first day of a year in lunar calendar, usually between on that special day. As for recreational activities during the Spring Festival are fireworks 7 Comparative study of Pakistan and Chinese Cultures 2013 Lantern Festival Chinese lunar month. It is closely