The Invention of the Cell Phone

Have you ever imagined the world without cell phones!? How do you think it has affected the world today? The cell phone allows people to communicate with other people anywhere in the world with anyone they want at anytime. How you use the cell phone is what makes it a positive or negative impact on you, society, and the environment. A man named Martin Cooper invented it; he invented it because he wanted people to be able to carry their phones where ever they wanted. He invented it on April 3rd, 1973 in a Motorola Factory. A cell phone is that it is actually a radio, an extremely sophisticated radio, but a radio nonetheless. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, and wireless communication can trace its roots to the invention of the radio by Nikolai Tesla in the 1880s. It was only natural that these two great technologies would eventually be combined. The first cell phone weighed 2. 5 pounds, had a talk time of 35 minutes, took 10 hours to charge and had no display. Technology takes up a big factor of the cell phone, because without technology there would be no cell phone. Cell phones today have a big impact on the environment. Some negative impacts are that they are constantly being thrown into landfill which causes pollution. Also the mercury, arsenic and lead in the phones can poison the environment and impact humans also. Cell phones can have a big impact on society today because individuals have become overly reliant on cell phones to help with everyday memory functions. Also very high levels of technology have been placed in cell phone which has caused them to be quite expensive. Some positive impacts are that people a can easily communicate with other people faster than like a letter, or a telegram. Also the average cell phone last about 8-12 months and people with replace cell phone after cell phone. Those cell phones that are constantly replaced end up in landfills. SO u can see how society connects to the environment. With all of the information I have provided you with you could infer what life would be like without cell phones, it could be better without the pollution, but bad without the easiness of communicating with anyone and anywhere.

Specialization in Undergraduates

Brady Brajavich Specialization: does it belong in higher education? Some say yes, because it creates much more intelligent individuals in their respective fields. Others say no, because without the liberal arts, individuals will lack the necessary skills to succeed in today’s work environment. Both sides have well supported arguments, and often when one begins to think they’ve made a decision on which they agree with, they are swayed the other way. After reading, â€Å"Should Undergraduates Specialize? † by Patrick Allit, and, â€Å"Liberal Arts: A Practical View. by Mark Jackson, I have formed my opinion and what I feel like is a suitable answer to the question above. I believe that students should have a choice. If they feel like they’re ready to dive into what they know they want to do, let them. But if the student feels like they aren’t one hundred percent sure, they should be able to take a wide variety of courses that allow them to eventually choose a major to specialize. Patrick Allitt is the author of the essay, â€Å"Should Undergraduates Specialize? † In this essay he compares and contrasts his own experiences in college with those of his college-bound daughter.By comparing the two, he provides evidence to his belief that having the option to specialize as an undergraduate will benefit students. This is shown in his conclusion, â€Å"Students with the right frame of mind thrive on studying diverse subjects until they’re ready, sometimes at age twenty or older, to make a stronger commitment. But let’s get rid of the idea that liberal arts is for everyone. America’s commitment to equality and to universal education is noble and invigorating. But it shouldn’t mean that one size fits all† (Allitt 7).Here Patrick is summarizing his essay, and essentially says that liberal arts may benefit some students, but there is a certain percentage that would prefer to get busy with their ma jor and specialize. Mark Jackson, a graduate from the University of Cincinnati, thinks that all students should take some liberal arts courses to supplement their professional education, but not because they are forced too, but because they want to. Jackson wrote his essay on why he thinks students, â€Å"†¦question the reasoning behind a liberal arts education† (Jackson 233).Jackson stands behind the belief that educating students on why a liberal arts education is important is just as vital as actually teaching them the liberal arts. He says that, â€Å"If educators really want to increase the number of liberal arts courses that each student takes, they must first increase the popularity of such studies† (235). In other words, no student wants to take a class that they don’t see a point for taking. He backs his statements up by using personal experiences. Jackson explains how he had an argument with his high school counselor because he didn’t want to take a third year of Spanish. I was an A student in Spanish II, but I hated every minute of the class†¦ I told him that I took two years of a foreign language so that I would be accepted to college, but that I did not want to take a third year† (234). In response to his argument, his counselor would reply that he needed to be a â€Å"well-rounded student†, which is exactly why Jackson is so adamant in his reasoning. In relation to that response, Jackson wraps up the essay by saying, â€Å"It is difficult to persuade some college students that becoming a better person is an important goal of higher education.Many students want a college education so that they can make more money and have more power† (235). To finish, he reiterates his point; if students don’t see a point in the taking the course, they won’t want to sign up for it. In the two preceding essays, the two authors give their arguments on where they think specialization belongs in t he education system. Allitt states that having a choice on whether or not to specialize as an undergraduate, and not deal with the liberal arts can be a benefit to students.Jackson believes that students should want to take liberal arts courses, and that if educators want students to do so, they have to do a better job of explaining why they are important and making the courses more attractive. A point of common ground for the two authors, based on the previous statements, is that specialization is important. Without it students will be at a disadvantage. There isn’t an exact point of disagreement between Allit and Jackson. They both outline the pros and cons throughout their essays. That being said, there are differences.Allit is more in favor of specialization, â€Å"The early specialization†¦enabled us to learn one discipline really well, to become far more deeply engaged with it than was possible for our American counterparts† (Allitt 6), but at the same time, understands why a liberal education can be beneficial, â€Å"Its (specialization) great and equal drawback was that it forced some students to choose too soon, before they were ready† (6). Jackson thinks that students should want to take liberal courses to complement their vocational studies. Towards the end of his essay, Jackson ays that, â€Å"Students who want to make the most of their college years should pursue a major course of study while choosing electives or a few minor courses of study from the liberal arts† (Jackson 235). I believe that students should have an option to specialize. Being able to dive right in as an undergrad can be hugely beneficial, and allow a student to separate themself from the rest of the competition. The liberal arts can do the same thing. Specializing brings depth of knowledge and a different, higher level of understanding, while the liberal arts allow students to increase the width of their knowledge. The irony of the emphasis bein g placed on careers is that nothing is more valuable for anyone who has had a professional or vocational education than to be able to deal with abstractions or complexities, or to feel comfortable with subtleties of thought or language, or to think sequentially† (Cousins 31). Jackson used this quote in his essay and I absolutely love it. If I had to back up my opinion with any one statement, this would be it. Vocational education is useless without being able to think abstractly and think on the go, while being able to think abstractly and on the go is useless without a vocational education.Personally, I’d take Jackson’s advice: go right into professional studies, but take classes I felt would make me a more attractive hire. I say that because the reason why I’m in college is so I can get a good-paying job to support myself and one day a family. In order for me to do that, I’m going to have to do all I can to distinguish myself from the group. The u niversity has the intention to do that, but it’s damn near impossible for them to know what is best for each individual student. All of my academic career, I’ve been told that I was being prepared for college, and I was, but now I want to put those tools into practice.Being told what classes to take, and what classes will make me a better student isn’t letting me use what I’ve learned, and is suppressing my ability to make my own decisions. In essence, we’re big kids now. We should have to and want to make the big kid decision on whether or not taking a GEO 106 class will benefit us. Guidance is always welcome, and without the help and suggestions from our advisors we’d be lost, especially as freshman, but that doesn’t mean I should have to take a class that won’t help me achieve my life goals. But some students don’t have the know-how or motivation to take necessary liberal classes, so the university has to force studen ts to take them. † My roommate made this point to me while we were talking about my essay, and I imagine there are many others that feel the same way. My response is this, if a student has yet to take responsibility of his or her own academic career, are they really deserving of a degree? If they can’t make their own decisions on something as simple as which supplementary classes to take, how are they going to function once they hit the real world?Or rather when the real world hits them? Another fantastic argument brought to my attention was: how are students that choose to not specialize right off the bat going to keep up with the ones that do? At this point in every student’s life, we need to stop thinking of us as a whole. We are individuals, and just because Rafiki doesn’t know what to do with his life doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer. I firmly believe that college marks the beginning of adulthood and the toned-down real world, which me ans that we all as students need to take more responsibility for our own lives.Specialization: does it belong in higher education? I say yes†¦ as long as it is balanced with proper liberal courses. Specialization can give a student essential skills and an intense education that can help them get the edge on someone else competing for the same job, and the liberal arts only increases one’s attractiveness. For all those naysayers out there, I just ask you respect what I have to say, to take my views into consideration, and, as the noble Andre 3000 once said, â€Å"Lend me some suga. I am your neighbor. †

Project Planning & Control - Project Management Coursework

Project Planning & Control - Project Management - Coursework Example The EAC project is viable and is likely to run into specific risks that are not easy to factor into the project management. The same applies with the possible opportunities the project is likely to meet in its course. As such, the Gantt chart will lack the two figures, which are vital since the project managers must always be on the outlook for either the risks or opportunities since they both influence the success of the project. Risks and opportunities are uncertain factors often considered by project managers but they cannot factor in either in the project (Roeser, 2013). The uncertainties in the two arise from the magnitude and nature of their effects on the project. As such, project managers can only anticipate risks and handle them based on the prevailing factors. In retrospect, project management requires a degree of versatility in order to enable the project managers consider the two factors and change the nature of the project based on the influence of either the risks or the opportunities they face at various stages. The Gantt charts alongside show project process. They illustrate the project schedule as different activities occur at various stages. In doing this, he charts show the relationship among the activities. Key among the activities shown in the chart is project preparation and the WBS activities. Additionally, the charts portray the computation of both the pessimistic and optimistic showing their expected start and end

GLOBUS ENTERPRISES YEAR END BALANCES Assignment

GLOBUS ENTERPRISES YEAR END BALANCES - Assignment Example $81,200 and it is believed that it should be allotted either in attractive investments or transferred to retained profit account. The current ratio of 2.37 shows that the company has sufficient funds for fulfilling its liabilities and it should consider about decreasing the amount of current assets to a significant level so that there is proper balance between the assets and liabilities of short term period within the organization. This balance between the assets and liabilities would prove to be useful for the business in the long term and allow the organization to gain competitive advantage. The net working capital is an important indicator about the proper allocation of a company’s current assets and it is used to review the financial health of the company for one year. Considering the working capital of Globus Enterprises which is $86,800, it is a clear sign of the organization that it is in effective utilization of the company’s resources. It shows that the company has a positive working capital and has appropriate amount of liquid cash to meet the immediate monetary requirements of the business. Positive working capital for the business is a highly advantageous position for the business. Businesses require capital for expansion and other investments and positive working capital would assist the business in accomplishing such goals. It has to make sure that its working capital ratio is grown in an upward direction in upcoming years so that it does not have to face any sort of financial problem and it can smoothly run its business operations. The figure also ensures that it is able to pay off its current liabilities without any difficulty and it can even bear any expense required for the prepayments with convenience. Globus Enterprises has debt to equity ratio of 1.1 which is a good sign of the company’s internal health. For every organization, the ideal ratio is in between 1-2 and the company’s figure

Some botanists argue that in some cases the extraction of starch from Essay

Some botanists argue that in some cases the extraction of starch from sago palm is an easier alternative to traditional agricult - Essay Example One conclusion drawn from the research include the idea of using traditional sago palm as a source of starch proves to require more research before it can be implemented at a wider scale. According to Ellen, â€Å"†¦because variability in ecology, management, methods of working, and productivity are intrinsic to all individual sago-harvesting populations, it is, therefore a crucial parameter in understanding its adaptive features as a mode of subsistence and a source of food.† There is therefore a need for further study of the sago palm before it can be used as a substitute to traditional sources of starch. Another conclusion drawn from the research is that the skills and procedure needed in the extraction of starch from sago palm is more like â€Å"deliberately socially transmitted knowledge† (Ellen). This means that in order for one to perfect the extraction process, there must first be a knowledge of the culture that produces it, for sago extraction in the Pacif ic Islands and Southeast Asia is clearly interwoven in the culture of the people involved in it. Is this an interdisciplinary study? Explain your answer.   Ellen’s study is one which is interdisciplinary in nature. The reason is that the process of starch extraction from the traditional sago palm required the author to delve into the culture of the people of South Central Seram in Indonesia, who first developed the process. Without a knowledge of how the people incorporated the starch extraction process in their culture and without enough information on the traditional steps in starch extraction undertaken by the Seram natives, perfect use and further development of the technology would be impossible. Moreover, Ellen mentions a little bit the impact of the utilization of sago palm trees on the environment and the ecological balance of the area. Ellen’s study therefore combines biology, ecology and anthropology. Why is the number of structural components of the extrac tion apparatus not necessarily a gauge of the complexity or efficiency of the process?   The number of structural components of the basic extraction apparatus does not determine the efficiency of the process because the apparatus â€Å"can be modified and elaborated in numerous ways† depending on the overall desired result of the extraction process (Ellen). For example, the troughs can be arranged in many ways or more troughs can be added depending on what the priority of the extraction is, such as maximizing the amount of extracted starch. It is clear that no matter how many variations are done in this part of the process, the principle is still simple. What basic principles had to have been known to develop the technology?   Among the principles that need to have been known before the technology can be developed would include the seven core operations of sago extraction itself: â€Å"cutting, excavating, pounding, pressing or filtering with water, sedimentation and dra ining† (Ellen). Without a knowledge of such basic operations, one would not be able to exactly determine which part of the starch extraction technology needs the most improvement and development in order to maximize yield. Moreover, owing to the fact that sago palm starch extraction requires an interdiscipli

Write a 4-page paper on the issue of GENDER and SEXUALITY in America Research

Write a 4-page on the issue of GENDER and SEXUALITY in America film - Research Paper Example This distorted stereotypical image is common in the American film â€Å"Sex and the City† and the stereotypes are portrayed under different themes as indicated below. The outline of the research will be under four different themes and each theme is going to show explicitly how the gender stereotypes are brought up in the film and the impact of those stereotypes on the characters. writer, Samantha is in the public relations business, Miranda is a lawyer and Charlotte is an art dealer http://www.hbo.com/sex-and-the-city/index.html. The film takes us through the daily lives of these women and it has several gender stereotypes. The stereotypes are however not on the four women only but also on the male characters in the movie. These stereotypes are in careers and relationships and what is expected of the men and also on the women. All these will be discussed below under the different sub titles and the gender stereotype pointed out. This is about being homosexual or heterosexual and the gender stereotype surrounding this orientation. Charlotte has a fashion designer male friend who is gay and a relationship with Carrey’s gay friend who is also into fashion and even cross dresses. This does not appear favorable to Charlotte’s friend and even makes it hard for them to be intimate in public. The stereotype comes in where the gays in the film are portrayed to appear to be only in fashion design and not in other careers. This is a way of making them appear feminine whereas it is a fact that not all gay men are feminine in nature. This is a gendered stereotype because when it comes to lesbians (like the one Samantha was dating at a point in the film, no one seems to categorize them with being in a particular career or expect them to behave in a feminine or masculine manner.) This makes the gay male in the community be stereotyped with everyone expecting them to be in the fashion industry and not in any other job. They are also expected

Contemporary Business Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Concept of Money and Its Creation - Essay Example This paper illustrates that for many centuries since the invention of money as an alternative medium of exchange from the old system that used barter trade, the medium has revolutionalized financial systems. Without the invention of money, one would wonder whether we would have the current financial institutions. The use of money eased the process of making payment and purchasing of items. The process of creating money is often a misunderstood phenomenon. Although many studies show that there are two main institutions tasked with the process of money creation, the process involved in creating money without the manual paper consideration is elusive. The two main institutions involved in the creation of money are the financial banks and the government.It is estimated that about 97% of the money created originates from the banks while only 3% comes from the governments. Using the United States as a case study in describing and assessing the effects and effectiveness of qualitative easin g would provide a platform on how to stabilize economic growth. The narrow form of money is the most common medium of exchange. It is the form of money in circulation within any economy. It consists of coins and notes as well as sight deposit. The site deposits belong to accounts whose owners can make withdrawals without attracting penalties. The narrow form of money is corroborative indicators for the spending regimes. In fact, the form of money used in carrying out most of the day-to-day transactions of services and goods are the narrow form of money. Therefore, narrow money is the main form of exchange involving the monetary value. The zero maturity money is the sum of coins and notes on hold by the private sectors (the non-bakers). For instance, employers pay their employees either by cash or cheque. Besides, these companies used the same form of money to pay and offset their expenditures. Unlike the broad form of money, the narrow form of money gives a clear outlook on the asse ts employed as the medium of exchange.

American Women of Science Since 1900 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Women of Science Since 1900 - Essay Example The paper will compare their roles during those times with the recent times. It will also dwell the factors linked to rise or fall in the involvement of women in Mathematics. Role of American Women in Mathematics in Twentieth Century Mathematics refers to a theory of application of symbols and numbers in the calculating of measurements, shapes, patterns, and spatial relationships. Mathematics is applicable in a variety of ways and acts as the foundation for science, social science and applied sciences (Wayne 134). However, the status of women in the field of Mathematics have been affected by a perception that math’s is difficult. American women of the ancient times viewed Mathematics as a subject that was dependent on a person’s talent and not on education (Marx & Roman 1185). This affected the female child education in America, as they did not show any interest in the subject due to the negative perception they had of it. However, the trend of women’s involvemen t in Mathematics began to change between 1970s and 1980s when a feminist reform movement started advocating female child involvement in math’s education. The movement was also geared at abating gender biases in America’s classrooms so that early female child education in Mathematics could be given priority. ... With intense advocacy and enlightenment, the figure of female mathematicians started improving, which saw other women also earn doctorate degrees in Mathematics. The women included Anna Johnson Weeler (1910) and Olive Hazlett (1915). However, the figure was still low as it was estimated that only 5.53% of women had earned doctorate degrees in Mathematics by late 1961. The figure remained low for the entire twentieth century (Wayne 134). It is worth noting that despite the perception about American women in relation to Mathematics, some of the earlier women stood strong and contributed a lot to the field of Mathematics (Marx & Roman 1185). This was evident during the post World War II where American female mathematicians Grace Hopper and Margaret Butler worked passionately at the military and government digital computer development, Mina Rees dealing with at the military jet rocket propulsion applications and high speed computers (Wayne 134). After the end of World War Two, Evelyne B. Granville was honored as one of the first black women in the United States to earn a doctorate degree in Mathematics. The contributions made by these women were so evident that it became apparent that women could as well play a role in the field of Mathematics, science, and engineering just as their male counterparts (Wayne 134). Comparison with their Role in Recent Decade Statistics from the past decade shows that women’s involvement in the field of Mathematics has improved tremendously. For example, a survey conducted in 2006 revealed that the number of women who had earn doctorate degrees in Mathematics and statistics stood at 29%, which was an increase of about 25 %

Case project Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project - Case Study Example Joint venture (JV) is the new business entity created by conclusion of the partnership with the existing company. As owner of 51 % or more of each of joint venture, Fort McKay First Nation of directors of every corporation whose role is to oversee management of company and ensure that company achieves profit targets. Each joint venture was established as the independent company that is controlled independently from administration of first nation. Fort McKay moved auger drilling , rotary drilling and coring Laskey services that are used exploration, development , drilling sand bench, and environmental and geotechnical surveys . Fort McKay geotechnical features set devices and geotechnical sampling programs and environment. Fort McKay also provides water-carrier fleet , watering of roads and services in place washing equipment . Bobcat services , including drilling and installation of small pillars are also available. Providing staff knew about Fort McKay, the well-trained technicians and technologist’s security. They hold technical certificates for access to industrial sites and local and appropriate software. Company is pleased to announce that our list of experienced drillers profile sand screw experience 45 years and older. Fort McKay strict security control program and losses. Our staff is committed to safe work practices , including extensive protocols FLRA and received the Certificate of Recognition (COR) , in partnership with health and safety . Our performance information security registered in service of the document management company. Management Structure This apparatus as well describes the abstruse training to advice user’s admission the abilities categories that best clothing them , allowance new career advance . Fort Mckay Abilities 2000 strategy was an abundant abstraction for recruitment (Longo 2004). Fort Mckay supply mission requires abundant humans who are bright, artistic and energetic, and accept the afterward meanings: Integr ity and honesty. Passion for barter , ally and technology. Accessible, admiring with others, and committed to authoritative them feel better. Alertness to yield on big challenges and see them through . Self- analytical , analytic and committed to claimed and cocky -improvement. Responsible for commitments , after-effects and superior to barter , shareholders, ally and employees. Fort Mckay uses two types of training for their advisers : On the job training area new advisers apprentice from added accomplished colleagues . This blazon of training is based primarily on the convenience in the abode . Off -the- job, area advisers amend their adeptness and apprentice something added in adjustment to advance their top superior achievement . This blazon of training is done in the classroom, and it is an approach of practice. The aboriginal adjustment is a Fort Mckay , even if the aggregation requires all advisers accept to yield refresher courses . Notice alertness is actual important for t he company. After training, the aggregation focuses on the development of people. Development of advisers with the adeptness already accepted to advice the abiding needs of the business such as the development of account that accord to a college position in adjustment to advance abundance and admission profits. Diversity is an allotment of the adeptness of Fort Mckay and a set of programs. Both were created in adjustment t

Perspectives on Adult Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Perspectives on Adult Learning - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  race and ethnicity were largely ignored in most of the literature despite its increasing significance during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. On the contrary the racial and ethnic minorities continued to be largely ignored through laws that essentially aimed at desecration of public schools as well as other public institutions that offered adult education. Historically education in the North American and European states have focused on offering education and developing learning modules with key emphasis on the majority adult learners that comprised of white population, while ignoring the other races. Such blatant discrimination and colorblind attitude toward adult education and learning has been deeply embedded in the social structure of the Western world.This discussion declares that  the adult learning modules began incorporating crucial issues aimed at the growing multicultural population thus indicating its acceptance and ackno wledgment of the growing diversity and the need for inclusive education. Since the concept of multiculturalism entailed and presupposed the domination of one particular race, in case of the Western world - the majority White population; the key aim of the post globalization adult education system was to include the beliefs, perspectives and cultural context of the racial minorities and ethnically diverse population.

Southwest Airlines Essay Example for Free

Southwest Airlines Essay Southwest Airlines (SA) was founded in 1971 after a careful market analysis. Its founders believed in a low cost strategy. Through the Wright Amendment, which not only prohibited any air carrier from offering direct service into Love Field from any place beyond Texas and the four contiguous states of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico, but also made more difficult the life of passengers coming from outside theses states and forbid the advertising to flights coming from Love Field, the competition made SA adopt a differentiation strategy. Which factors became crucial to the success of this company since its beginning? SA chose airports that were underutilized but were close to metropolitan areas. There was a main reason for the Aircraft choice, and its entire fleet of Boeing 737’s. It was a fuel-efficient fleet, and standardized, making the maintenance easier. Low cost fares, frequent and on-time flights, 15-minute gate turnarounds, high aircraft use and point-to-point routes gave them great advantage over their direct competitors (Continental Airlines, American or United Airlines). SA also chose to fly to secondary airports and not to have connections with other airline companies. With the increasing success of SA, its competitors started to try to replicate SA’s strategy. But the cost structure was not what gave SA the main competitive advantage in the market. The most important attribute was the human capital and the work environment where workers performed their tasks. SA’s Human Resources Department, called â€Å"The People Department†, had a huge impact on employees and on their way of working. â€Å"Employees are the Customer† of the Department. The following statement explains what the company’s philosophy was: â€Å"By recognizing that our people are the competitive advantage, we deliver resources and services to prepare our people to be winners, to support the growth and profitability of the company, while preserving the values and special culture of SA†. To provide work quality, employees had to be satisfied and happy with their jobs. Thus, the image and attitude that the crew showed to passengers would be welcomed. They would be more attentive to the passengers’ needs and consequently increasing their confidence to continue to choose SA as their preferred airline. Consequently, the corporation recorded a low number of complaints showing its notable performance. All employees were aware of their importance within the company to achieve the main objective, which was customer orientation/satisfaction. But they had other functions inside the company. Employees were also called for decision-making process, for the recruitment process, to give opinions about SA’s strategy. As such, not everyone entered SA’s workforce. After a long and complex process of selection and interviews, those chosen had the characteristics that would fit SA’s culture better. Once inside the company, they turned into company’s real assets, they became part of SA family. It was the main objective for each employee to make SA a successful company over time. Once SAs success was achieved rapidly, the major competitors implemented the same strategy, adapting it to their business environment. However, they noticed that they did not achieve the outlined goals. The most obvious explanation was the existence of cultural differences within each company. Their employees, the way they were organized and the vision that each one had was also different. Here SA had full advantage. It was not only the first move advantage in its strategy but also the fact that its employees found themselves working on and to their family. As I believe the main competitive advantage of SA relies on its unique organizational competence, I do not consider any of the above reasons a serious competitive threat for SA. However, SA should not rely on past successes and ignore its competitors. SA should always be looking back to its history and business lessons in order to remain an industry leader through supporting its culture and maintaining the focus on the people, even when and after Kelleher leaves the company.

Aegon Group International: Change Management Strategies

Aegon Group International: Change Management Strategies INTRODUCTION TO THE CHOOSEN ORGANIZATION: AEGON Group (AEGON N.V.), an international provider of life insurance, pensions and other long-term investment products. Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, AEGON has around 40 million policyholders and approximately 28,000 employees around the world. It has assets, including all revenue-generating investments, of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬405 billion ( £348 billion).* AEGONs mission is to help customers secure their long-term financial futures. AEGON has three main established markets: the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Recently, AEGON has expanded its international presence, pushing into new growth markets in the Americas, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. At present, AEGON has businesses in more than 20 markets across the globe. AEGON has a clear, well-defined strategy, aimed at creating long-term value for all the companys stakeholders. Committed to its core businesses (life insurance and pensions), AEGON seeks profitable, sustainable growth and pursues a multi-channel approach to distribution to give customers access to products and services in the way that best suits them. AEGON was created in 1983 the result of a merger between two Dutch insurance companies AGO and Ennia. And many of the companies who form AEGON have a long history. For example, in the United States, Monumental Life based in Baltimore has been insuring people since 1858, while in the United Kingdom, AEGON (a brand name of Scottish Equitable plc) has been in existence since the early 1830s. *Source: AEGON N.V. quarterly results, 30 September 2010 TASK 1; EXPLORE THE BACKGROUND TO CHANGE AFFECTING THE ORGANIZATION. (A) IDENTIFY A RANGE OF MODELS OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND EXPLAIN THE ANY THREE OF THESE MODELS IN DETAIL. McKINSEY 7-S MODEL: The McKinsey 7-S Model was created by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman whilst they were working for McKinsey Company in 1978 (12Manager, 2007. According to this model there are seven different factors that are a part of the model: Shared values Strategy Structure Systems Style Staff Skills Shared values are the centre of the model because it is what the organization believes in and stands for, such as the mission of the company. Strategy represents what the company plans to do react to any changes of its external surroundings (Recklies, 2007). The structure refers to the organizational structure of the company. Systems are the portion of the model that represents the procedures, processes and routines that characterize how the work should be done. Staff is quite obvious in the fact that it is a proper representation of who is employed by the organization and what they do within the organization (12Manage, 2007). Style signifies the organizational culture and management styles that are utilized within the organization (12Manage, 2007). Skills indicate the abilities and competencies of either the employees or the organization holistically. LEWINNS CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL: This model was developed in early 1950s by Kurt Lewin a psychologiest. Lewin recognized following three stages of change (Syque, 2007), Unfreeze Ttransition Refreeze The majority of people tends to stay within certain safe zones and is hesitant of change (Syque, 2007). These people tend to become comfortable in this unchanging environment and become uncomfortable when any change occurs, even if it is a minor one. In order to overcome this frozen state, we must initiate an unfreeze period, which is done through motivation (Mind Tools, 2007). Motivation is important in any organization, even when it is not changing. The transition period is when the change is occurring, which is a voyage and not a step.. The transition period takes time because people do not like change. At the end of the transitional voyage, comes the next stage: refreeze. This is the stage where the company once again becomes stable. Kotters Eight Step Change Model; According to this model there are eight steps that must be followed for successful change. Step One: Increase urgency for change Step Two: Build a team for the change Step Three: Construct the vision Step Four: Communicate Step Five: Empower Step Six: Create short term goals Step Seven: Be persistent Step Eight: Make the change permanent The first step is to create urgency for change. This means that we have to convince the employees that this change is necessary for the company to survive. This also means that we must communicate that the change is achievable without any detrimental effects on their jobs. The next step is to build a team for the change, which has to be of some respected employees within the company. The third step is to construct the vision, which will show clear direction to how the change will better the future of the company and their jobs (Rose, 2002). The fourth step is to communicate this vision. In order for the vision to work it must be fully understand by the employees, which means that it is necessary for the leaders of the change group to follow this vision. The fifth step it to empower the employees to execute the change. It is still important that the management follow the same guidelines as the employees are too. By creating short term goals, we assist the employees to accept the chang e by showing them progress. Rewards are very important at this step also. The seventh step is about persistence because we should influence more change even after the short term goals are met or the original plan for change will cease and die (Rose, 2002). The final step is to make the change permanent by moving fitting it into the companys culture and practices, such as promotion (Chapman, 2006). (B) IDENTIFY AND LIST THE FACTORS THAT ARE DRIVING YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZATION TO CHANGE, AND SUGGEST AN APPROPRIATE MODEL OF CHANGE FOR YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZAITON WITH REASONS FOR SUGGESTING THE MODEL. In case of AEGON UK following are the deriving forces for organizational change. Financial restructuring in the United Kingdom. Growth in population and changes in demographic attributes. Cultural diversification in the UK. Changes in social dimensions of the United Kingdom. Evolution of political orientation and policies. Increase in the domestic purchasing power. Institutional and policies neglect regarding the financial products. High competitiveness and consequent challenges. Deficient Management practices. Inefficiency in processes. In the personal opinion of the researcher the best choice of change model that should be applicable in case of AEGON UK is Kotters Eight Step Change Model. The researcher believes this is the best choice because it is simple mode. Researcher thinks in this way because it fully prepares the employees of the company before the vision is even created, which means that the actual transition will be much easier in the long run. There are fewer disadvantages to this model than others. Overall it is the best fit for most companies because substantial change is needed for the divisions because its history. This will also help ease the transition because the division has quite a history compared to the rest of the company, so people are not as set in the ways, as they would be if the division had been around longer. (C) IDENTIFY THE VALUE OF STRATEGIC INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES AND WHAT INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES WOULD YOU APPLY IN INTRODUCING CHANGE INTO YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZATION; There is no question that some form of strategic planning is key to an organizations future performance. However, there are several challenges to implementing this type of planning in an organization. Large group interventions are one set of methods for addressing these challenges. In case of AEGON UK strategic planning implies planning for the long-term. The time frame associated with this type of planning is from three to five years into the future. Due to this timeframe, there are several challenges associated with long-range planning. These include: creating a plan that is breakthrough in its orientation rather than more of the same, getting all stakeholders to commit to the organizations strategies and to follow through on implementation of critical activities, and decreasing cycle time in the planning process. In todays world, organizations cannot afford these challenges. To survive, they must be able to quickly create, deploy, and implement breakthrough strategies that help them to continually anticipate and meet current and future customer requirements. In doing so, they must be able to align all internal and external resources around the plan. This sort of orientation necessitates approaches to strategic planning that involve all employees and stakeholders in the planning process and a planning process that can occur within a shortened time frame. The researcher will prefer to adopt Large Group Interventions Technique to address the proposed change in the chosen organization AEGON. LARGE GROUP INTERVENTIONS: Over the past 20 years, a number of large group intervention techniques have emerged that more quickly effect large-scale change. As such, they have been effective tools in dealing with some of the issues associated with strategic planning. These intervention techniques include: Design, Participative Design, Simu-Real, Work-outs, and Open Space Technology. As summarized in the book, Large Group Interventions, by Barbara Benedict Bunker and Billie Alban, these approaches allow organizations to involve anywhere from 30 to hundreds, if not a few thousand, individuals in working together to accomplish a common outcome. They may come together for a single day or multiple days or events. In the process of working collaboratively, the organization can more quickly achieve what Kathleen Dannemiller has coined one heart and one mind-a key factor in organizational alignment. These approaches have several defining characteristics. They are best used when: Time is of the essence. The issue is complex. The purpose of the intervention is clear. There is committed and involved leadership. Benefits can be reaped from stakeholder involvement and ownership. A design team that is representative of the whole is engaged to develop the content and process pieces of the intervention as well as its follow-up, support, and communications plan. Real work occurs during the event. Large group interventions have been used successfully in diverse industries hence the researcher believes this type of strategic intervention technique will be effective for AEGON UK. TASK 2 UNDERSTAND ISSUSES RELATING TO STRATEGIC CHANGE IN THE ORGANIZATION (A) DISCUSS THE GENERIC BACKGROUND TO CHANGE THAT EXISTS IN TODAYS ECONOMY, AND THE SPECIFIC DRIVES THAT MOTIVATED YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZATION TO CONSIDER CHANGE. World appears to be integrating economically, politically and culturally. Irrespective of the national boundaries huge developments in information, communication and technology has taken place. Ownership patters of corporate sector all over the world have become more complex like joint ventures, cross-border acquisitions etc. Global strategies have emerged in the production of goods and services, distribution and management of labour. These have had an immense impact on business activities. The world economy is now more closely interlinked and the finance has become a global resource. In the current economic circumstances organizations are facing both external and internal forces that ultimately make change unavoidable. External forces such as new work force demographics; changing expectations about quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction; and new technologies are dramatically affecting the operating environment in organizations globe wise. Internally, financial limitations, the condition to do more with less, cross-functional groups, mergers and acquisitions and empowered employees all influences organizations position to compete in the global marketplace. Outsourcing, automation, best practices, downsizing, globalization, repositioning, re-engineering, and all other such terms refer towards change to your work force. It does not matter how do you define this change the fact is that challenge to the organization is inevitable; balancing the demands and hopes among the stakeholders including customer, employees, management and shareholders. Without balance, an organization risks an anxious work force that may yield declining output. The magnitude of the success of the organization depends how an organization decides to motive, correspond and incorporate change into the work force. So we can say that change is a process not an event. In the corporate world, when any or all of the factors such as; environment, technology, task, structure or people are altered fully or partially, the phenomenon is called as change. Whenever in the corporate environment deriving forces and restraining forces are not in equilibrium, there is a need for the change. In case of the AEGON UK there were many deriving forces that caused the background of change in AEGON UK. AEGON UK was although was bearing international repute but still it didnt had band awareness by the name of AEGON in the United Kingdom. The philosophy of the financial services products that were being sold by AEGON UK or its competitors were quite difficult to understand by the potential customers. Life expectancy in the United Kingdom has increased in the recent years so people can expect to be retired for longer age and similarly many individual never think it worthy to plan about their retirement properly, on the other hand there was a derive from the government to reduce dependency on the state in old age so there was a need to make a social awareness among the people for the benefits of having the financial products sold by the AEGON UK to secure there future because benefit of these investments usually realised in later years. AEGON was not well recognised in the areas ot her than pensions. Above stated reasons are the few of those that lead management to introduce change in the corporate structure and strategy of the AEGON UK Limited. (B) CONSIDER THE IMPLICAITONS IN TERMS OF RESOURCES, FOR YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZATION IF IT FAILED TO RESPOND TO THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC CHANGE. Human and other Capacity Requirements The human capacity and skills required to implement the strategy, current and potential sources of these resources. Also, other capacity needs required such as internal systems, management structures, engaged partners and Network NOs and POs, and a supportive legal framework etc. Financial Requirements The funding required implementing the proposed management strategy, current and potential sources of these funds, and the most critical resource and funding gaps. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategy What risks exist and how they can be addressed. Estimate of Project Lifespan, Sustainability, and Exit Strategy How long the strategy will stand implemented, after how long and why strategy will require modifications (if feasible to do so), and how it will ensure sustainability of the corporate objective achievements. Strategic Change Management Plan may only be considered complete when these components have been defined, at least in broad terms. As the project moves into change implementation, several of these components are then defined in more detail and tested in reality. TASK 3 DEVELOP SYSTEMS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND INVOLVING OTHERS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGE (A) IDENTIFY THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZATION AND PROPOSE SYSTEMS TO INVOLVE THOSE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PLANNING OF CHANGE. Stake holders are the people who are directly affected by the decisions of an entity. Stake holder may be internal (management, employees etc.) or external (government, suppliers, banks, media, shareholders etc). Different stake holders have different expectations from the organization. In the process of change, stake holders can be involved in a number of ways suck as; Involve them in problem solving. Keep them up to date of standing towards corporate objectives? Take actions on feedback received by them? Mobilize the correct resources at the right moment to recognize the implementation plan? In order to involve the stake holders to the process of change the new chief executive officer of AEGON carried out the following actions; Simplification of Financial Services; for the purpose of involving the customers to the process of change the Chief Executive Officer of AEGON adopted a customer focused approach. The CEO simplified the ever complex financial services in terms of their understanding and it was now made very simple to understand. Now the customers know that what they are investing into and what return their investment is expected to yield at the end of the contract. Earlier customers have always been confused between the complex calculations. Now the customers are happy because they dont need any financial interpreter to understand the ins and outs of the products offered by the AEGON. Workforce Development; An-other very important stake holder of the organization is the employees. These are actually the people who are practically responsible for to make the change process successful or not. Before implementing the change the new CEO took the employees in confidence and brief them about the fact that what AEGON stands today and what AEGON wants to stand in the future and he also address the forces reasoning this change. Next step is to develop the new skilled required to implement the change, the CEO introduced job rotation which involves progression from one job to the other job. Hence it provided individual employees with a coherent career path. CEO also arranged a Management Development Programme in collaboration with a leading management college for the training of the workforce. Creating Distinct Market Place; To refresh the brand identity of AEGON into the minds of the people the CEO carried out an external promotional campaign to highlight the relationship between the locally famous Scottish Equitable and AEGON. Also the CEO spoke to the media stating the reasons for the change and how the change will be useful for the stakeholders. (B) ANALYSE AND EVALUATE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THESE SYSTEMS. The systems stated above in part (A) were used to involve the different people into the process of change. The need for this change was actually those external and internal forces that were affecting the performance of the AEGON. The AEGON business was not going well due to a number of key issues. Due to those issues the Chief Executive Officer had to bring some changes into the line of operation and the way of operations by AEGON. The Chief Executive Officer related this change programme being fully customer focused and associated this whole change project with certain behaviours which are; think customer; embrace change, encourage excellence, act with integrity, decisive action, work together, learn and grow relate and communicate. The employees were trained about these behaviours by a leading management institute. Another reason for this system of change relating to the problem that AEGON was facing was that the consumers were not aware about the products and services provided by AEGON. The customers had always been confused about understanding their investment policy. They had never been able to make comparison among the services provided by AEGON neither about the possible outcome if they invest into them. As to the reaction of the fact the Chief Executive Officer simplified the description of the product to the extent that every person could understand and calculate the financial flows regarding the products offered by AEGON. This strategy really worked and AEGON have a very positive response from its customers. The other system that the Chief Executive Officer developed was to train the workforce. First the employees were addressed about the need for the change and the possible proposed changes and before implementing the change it is very essential that the workforce is capable enough to perform their duties into the new environment. For the purpose workforce was developed with rotating job descriptions and Management Development Programme was conducted by a leading management college to train the employees about how to respond to the change. Finally the Chief Executive Officer had to respond to the most vital reason for the change that is the fact that AEGON was trading under many different trade names into the same geographical location. This was the greatest reason because of which AEGON had not taken a distinct market place despite of such a historical background and multinational presence. The CEO for the purpose spoke to the media and addressed the whole situation, besides that many others measures were taken to establish a brand position, for instance Scottish Equitable was changed to AEGON Scottish-Equitable representing the repute of the local company and the brand of AEGON similarly external promotional campaign was incorporated into the system. (C) EXPLAIN HOW WOULD YOU DEVELOP A CHANGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY WITH THE KEY STAKEHOLDERS. Stakeholder management is critical to the success of introducing change in the organization .The more people are being affected by change, the more likely it is that your actions will impact people who have power and influence over your projects. These people could be strong supporters of your work or they could block it. Stakeholder Management Strategy is an important discipline that successful people use to win support from others. It helps them ensure that their projects succeed where others fail. Stakeholder Analysis is the technique used to identify the key people who have to be won over. You then use Stakeholder Planning to build the support that helps you succeed. The benefits of using a stakeholder-based approach are that: The opinions of the most powerful stakeholders to shape change implementation at an early stage. Not only does this make it more likely that they will support you, their input can also improve the quality of your project Gaining support from powerful stakeholders can help you to win more resources this makes it more likely that your projects will be successful By communicating with stakeholders early and frequently, you can ensure that they fully understand what you are doing and understand the benefits of your project this means they can support you actively when necessary By anticipating what peoples reaction to your project may be, and build into your plan the actions that will win peoples support. (D) WHAT WOULD BE YOUR STRATEGY FOR MANAGING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN THIS ORGANIZATION? The researcher has developed following strategy for managing resistance to change in the AEGON. There will be a workflow process in order to achieve results for mutual benefits for employees and organization. There will be an Authority Process in order to direct behaviour in the interests of the organization and its participants. There would be a Reward and Penalty Process to induce people to behave in a way required by the interests of the organization and its participants and / or to behave in a way making associated activity possible. There will be a Perpetuation Process to maintain, replenish, and make adequate the quantity and quality of social and natural resources utilized by the organization and its participants. There must be an Identification Process to develop a concept of the wholeness, uniqueness and significance of the organization. This is usually accompanied by efforts to select and define clearly understood emotionally toned symbols, concepts, or other such factors which will help individual participants identify the uniqueness of the organization as a whole, which in turn automatically helps to define the uniqueness of the organization in the larger environment in which it is embedded. There will be a communication process to provide for the exchange of information, ideas, feelings and values etc utilized in all activities to the stake holders. There must be an evaluation process which establishes criteria for and defines levels of utility and value for people, materials, ideas, and activities and which rates them and allocates them to these levels. TASK 4 PLAN TO IMPLEMENT MODELS FOR ENSURING ONGOING CHANGE (A) IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE MODELS FOR IMPLEMENTING CHANGE THAT SUITE YOUR CHOSEN ORGANIZAITON. Model for change refers towards the overall strategy to incorporate change into the organizational environment. A model of change is usually implemented into the following steps; Access the necessity of change Forming a powerful alliance Creating an idea for change Communicate the vision Remove barriers Incorporate the change into organization The Chief Executive Officer implemented the same model to incorporate change into the organization. The CEO realised the need for the changed and he came to know that company is not doing well as compared to its competitors, the legislative restriction of price has decreased the profitability lack of brand awareness getting worst and difficulty of the customers understanding the soul of the services offered by the AEGON were the factors that required an immediate change into the organization at a large scale. It was what AEGON was at the moment. The CEO conducted a SWOT analysis of the firm. After getting the situation the CEO decided to develop a new behavioural framework for the staff which was known as 8 behaviours framework and also arranged managerial training for the workforce. The CEO further addressed to the stakeholders of the organization to communicate his vision to them by simplifying the financial services, developing a workforce and arranging a brand awareness campaign. The CEO also spoke to the media about this change process and the reasons for the change. Hence model implemented by the CEO of AEGON UK brought about considerable positive change to the organization and gave it a new line of direction towards the desired goals and objectives. (B) HOW WOULD YOU IMPLEMENT THIS MODEL IN CHOSEN ORGANIZATION WHAT IMPROVEMENTS DO YOU EXPECT TO ACHIEVE BY IMPLEMENTING YOUR CHOSEN MODEL AND HOW WOULD YOU MEASURE THESE? The plan for the change was implemented into the various steps such as discovery phase to analyze where the AEGON is right now, where it wants to be and what actions are required to meet the objectives set by the Chief Executive Officer to become the best long term saving and protection business into the United Kingdom. Discovery phase revealed the reasons for changes and weaknesses and strengths of the organization. After the discovery phase the next step was to involve the appropriate stake holders into the process of change. The chief executive officer involved various stakeholders in different effective manner as discussed previously. The CEO further redeveloped the organizational behavioural framework and arranged the training of the staff members. The outcomes of the efforts made by the CEO were extremely encouraging and rewarding for the company. Before the change there was confusion among the people about the recognition of AEGON but after the heavy promotion of the brand AEGON with Scottish-Equitable created a more reliable image of the AEGON into the minds of the people. Further to that the brand carried a new more powerful and prestigious look as AEGON Scottish-Equitable. The behaviour of the employees changed altogether, now they behave with more customer focused approach. Now the employees are concern to provide useful and relevant services to their existing and potential customers and the organization is always doing its level best to do what is really important to their customers. By the change into the structure of AEGON now the customers are being offered more choices of services. AEGON launched new and ground-breaking products like the 5 for Life annuity has facilitated to change the way in which consumers can look at their retirement income. AEGON providing the levels of return promised and being responsible for any risks associated with doing so it provides more certainty about levels of income for the consumer. In short as the result of the change implement by the CEO of AEGON the company rebuilt its brand reputation, became more customer focused, started to provide more innovative products and became more popular among the consumers and ultimately the business has grown to a gigantic extent. In order to become more customers focused the new Chief Executive Officer decided to develop a new organizational behaviour framework to support the brand values of AEGON. Behavioural framework is the structured pre-defined codes of behaviour how the individuals working within the organization are suppose to behave among themselves and to the people outside the organization. Presence of the behavioural framework gives rise to the similar behavioural and ethical values of all the individuals at all levels with in the organizational. Behavioural framework developed by the AEGON was mainly focusing 8 behavioural values which are; THINK CUSTOMER; EMBRACE CHANGE; ENCOURAGE EXCELLENCE; ACT WITH INTEGRITY; DECISIVE ACTIONS; WORK TOGETHER; LEARN GROW; RELATE COMMUNICATE As the part of their strategy AEGON also undertook an audit to look at the two aspects which were the internal position of the company and how AEGON was positioned internally into the market respectively. The audit revealed that AEGON was firmly positioned within the market. Its workforce was known for their considerable expertise, innovation and clarity of communication. The external audit also helped to determine where AEGON was placed in relation to its competitors. This audit provided a very important vision to the decisions that were needed to initiate the change process.

Festivals and Holidays in Bolivia

Festivals and Holidays in Bolivia A festival is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival. Among many religions, a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable. However, the term feast has also entered common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious festival rather than a film or art festival. In the Christian liturgical calendar there are two principal feasts, properly known as the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) and the Feast of the Resurrection, (Easter). In the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican liturgical calendars there are a great number of lesser feasts throughout the year commemorating saints, sacred events, doctrines, etc. For a list of festivals in the USA, please see List of festivals in the United States. Bolivia The annual tradition of Alasitas involves buying tiny replicas of the things you want the coming year, and offering them to the Ekeko, who carries them (literally, the things are supposed to be sown or somehow attached to him) during the year. In Bolivia, Ekeko is a character associated with abundance and prosperity, and he is the central figure in the Festival of Alasitas. This event is based in the city of La Paz, but can also be seen in other cities of Bolivia. Juan Apaza writes about some of the scenes from Alasitas in El Alto Hoy [es]. Alasitas Alasitas is a 3-week long fair that, in La Paz, takes place beginning on the 24th of January and in Santa Cruz takes place in September. Everything is in miniature! This festival originally took place in September throughout the country when its spring time in Bolivia and farmers prayed for a good crop so their harvest would be bountiful. Alasitas is an Aymara festival Bolivia celebrates in reverence of the indigenous god of bounty or abundance called the Ekkekko. Therefore, Alasitas has been called the Festival of Abundance. It takes place at the Parque Urbano in La Paz and the 5th Ring between Tres Pasos al Frente and Cumavi in Santa Cruz. As it grows each year, its location is sometimes moved. Tradition that has spread to other parts of Bolivia as immigrants move around; however, in the Andean regions of the country the date was switched to January to commemorate an indigenous uprising that took place in 1781, let by Tupac Katari. The Aymara have a god called the Ekkekko (meaning midget or dwarf). Hes the god of abundance. They purchase a statue of the Ekkekko which usually has a poncho made of aguayo fabric. The aguayo is the colorful handloomed lambswool or alpaca wool fabric that Aymara women use to carry produce or their children on their backs. During Alasitas, which takes place just prior to Carnaval, everything you can possibly think of is sold in miniature. You can find miniature houses, cars, grocery store products, university diplomas, little tools and kitchen utensils, clothing, even passports and visas. The Aymara purchase in miniature everything they hope the Ekkekko will grant them during the coming year. They then pin these things to his poncho and leave them there as a sort of altar in their homes throughout the year, in the hopes that he will help them acquire these things during that time. When they first pin the miniature things to his poncho they put a cigarrette in his mouth and light it. They then pray to him as he smokes. Sometimes they drink alcohol and toss him a little drop or drop some onto the floor in front of the Ekkekko before drinking from the glass themselves. This, Im told, is because you must always give to the Earth before taking for yourself. Alasitas is a great place to visit as a tourist. Its incredibly interesting. But because it has also become very touristic, you can now purchase just about anything you want at Alasitas in the form of handcrafts and art pieces for tourists. In fact, it has become so popular that artisans come all the way from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil and other places to sell their handcrafts too. You can also find things that are not in miniature like great ceramics and leather goods. Definitely visit this month-long fair if youre in La Paz in February or in Santa Cruz in September. You can sample all kinds of great baked goods and dried fruits. I suggest trying the anticuchos. Anticuchos are like shish-kabobs. Theyre little pieces of meat and potatoes stuck on to a thin metal stick and roasted on an open grill. Prior to handing the anticucho to you, the griller will slather a spicy sauce over it. The sauce is absolutely delicious and is made from peanuts and hot peppers. (Oh! And did I mention the meat is beef heart? Yum.) Alasitas has become one of the best and largest venues for people to sell their goods and handcrafts each year. They sell so well that theyve completely broken with tradition and now sell all kinds of things just for tourists. In addition, what used to be a 10-day fair has been extended to 30 days and they now move to Santa Cruz every year in September and stay a whole month there too. Its rather amusing, really, since most of the people who sell at Alasitas claim to be staunchly anti-capitalist. During the Alasitas Fair devotees buy miniatures of items they would like to own and offer them to Ekeko, the God of Plenty, while the Virgin of La Paz is also honoured. Alasitas is Bolivias festival of small wishes, yearly held in different towns at different times. The largest fair is held yearly in the capital of La Paz, on January 24, when Bolivians buy miniatures representing the material goods they aspire to own and offer them to Ekeko, the God of Abundance. The History of the Festival of Alasitas in Bolivia There is not one conclusive theory about how and where the festival started. In the Aymarà ¡ language, alasitas means buy from me and in pre-colonial times Alasitas was celebrated in September [Bolivian springtime], to ensure a good crop. It is said that the Spanish changed the date to January 24 in commemoration of an indigenous uprising in 1781: the siege of La Paz by Tupac Katari. During the colonisation the Spanish tried to force Catholicism on the indigenous people. They partly succeeded, many Bolivians became Catholics, but in fact the Bolivian religion became a mix of Catholicism and traditional Andean beliefs and rituals. Ads by Google Having Doubts About the LDS Church? Mentoring by former Mormons www.irr.org You Can Make a Difference God wants to work through you. Transformation soul winning helps harvestevan.org/bookstore.html Who Celebrates the Alasitas Fair? Alasitas has become a potpourri where Catholicism is mixed with centuries-old Andes traditions. The main divinity is Ekeko, but Catholic priests give their blessing to the newly acquired miniature goods as well, while simultaneously the Virgin of La Paz is honoured. Whereas the Franciscans focus on the Virgin, the yatiris the local wizards focus on Ekeko; the average Bolivian cares about both. Alasitas is a festival for everybody and celebrated by Bolivians from all levels of society. It is celebrated by the inhabitants of villages, cities and countryside, by the highlanders and the lowlanders, by the indigenous and the criollos, as well as by western orientated entrepreneurs. Who is Ekeko, Bolivias God of Plenty? Ekeko [dwarf in Aymarà ¡] is the household god and it is not unusual for Bolivians to have a representation of this short and chubby, happy-looking fellow in their home. To ensure good luck the statue should be received as a gift and not be personally bought. Ekeko brings wealth into the family and keeps misfortune at bay. To obtain the favour of fortune, Bolivians like to present Ekeko with miniatures mostly made of a sugary substance of products they would like to own. These can be a house, a car, furniture, clothes, an airplane but also food. A miniature passport may be bought if one has the wish to travel, a university diploma in case one wants to study or when graduation is near. Read on   La Paz, Bolivia Forms of Public Transportation The Archaeological Museum in La Paz, Bolivia Three Good Reasons to Travel to La Paz, Bolivia Perfectly copied miniature dollar and euro notes are favoured over local bolivianos in case one wants wealth. Ekeko loves smoking, his statue has a special hole in the mouth to offer him a cigarette. Where in La Paz is La Fiesta de las Alasitas Celebrated? Calle Sagà ¡rnaga is the commercial centre of the indigenous handicraft of miniatures. This is the heart of the tourist centre where thousands of tourists stroll down the alleys in search of souvenirs and to admire the local curiosities of miniatures and other products that bring good fortune. The Bolivians especially come for the latter during Alasitas, and the streets are crammed with locals who need to buy their miniatures replicas in time the blessings will take place around noon and they should be prepared by then. The location of the ritual of blessings may change yearly. It is best to ask at a Tourist Information, or another tourist location such as a hotel, restaurant or museum where the main activities will be held. The Alasitas Festival in La Paz, Bolivia Alasitas is one of La Paz important festivals. On January 24 Bolivians buy miniatures of products they would like to own and offer them to their God of Abundance, Ekeko. This festival gives tourists an insight into the typical Bolivian mixture of Catholicism and local beliefs. Holidays and Festivals in Bolivia Alasitas This is a colourful, happy event tinged with poignancy. At the end of January the streets in the centre of La Paz fill with people from the city and the countryside, many of them in traditional dress, eagerly buying finely-crafted miniatures from street stalls and vendors. The figures represent material goods that the people aspire to own. It might be a tiny automobile or a bag of cement to represent a new home. A miniature passport or postage stamp might secure a dream of travel and tiny banknotes might bring wealth. One of the most popular figurine is Ekeko, The God of Abundance, a popular, generous and all encompassing divinity. At the end of frenzied buying and selling there is a procession to visit the Yatiri, a wizard who blesses all the objects. Virgen de la Candelaria The festival of the Virgen de la Candelaria, in many images, is celebrated on February 2 in various Hispanic Catholic countries, including Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela and Uruguay. The celebrations in Peru and Bolivia are centered around Lake Titicaca, in Puno and the small village of Copacabana. In Bolivia, the Virgen is also known as the Dark Virgin of the Lake, and the Patroness Of Bolivia. She is revered for a series of miracles, recounted in Nuestra Seà ±ora de Copacabana and has another festival on August 5. Normally, Copacabana is a quiet, rural village with fishing and agriculture the mainstays. However, the week before and the day of the fiesta, the village changes. There are parades, colorful costumes, music and a lot of drinking and celebrating. New vehicles are brought in from all over Bolivia to be blessed with beer. People gather for days ahead to pray and to celebrate in a mixture of Catholic and native religions. Bolivian celebrants believe the Virgen prefers to stay inside the Basilica erected in her honor. When taken outside, there is a risk of storm or other calamity. Carnaval de Oruro and Diablada Festival Say Carnaval and what images come to mind? Fantastically and scantily garbed dancers, pounding samba rhythms, parades, incessant revelry? Carnaval de Oruro, Bolivia? In Bolivia, Oruro, Santa Cruz, Tarija and La Paz hold carnavals but the carnaval in Oruro,is the most famous. It takes place for the eight days preceeding Ash Wednesday. Unlike carnaval in Rio where the escolas de samba choose a new theme each year, carnaval in Oruro always begins with the diablada or devil dance. The diablada is a centuries-old ritual surviving unchanged from colonial days. Next are hundreds of devils in monstrous costumes. The heavy masks have horns bulging eyes fangs long hair and in contrast to the frightening masks the devils wear sparkling breastplates silk embroidered shawls and golden spurs. Between the devils groups of dancers dressed as monkeys pumas and insects caper to the music from brass bands, or pipers or drummers. The noise is loud and frenzied. Out of the devil dancers comes China Supay, the Devils wife, who dances a seductive dance to entice the Archangel Michael. Around her dance the members of local workers unions, each carrying a small symbol of their union such as pickaxes or shovels. Dancers dressed as Incas with condor headdresses and suns and moons on their chests dance along with dancers dressed as the black slaves imported by the Spaniards to work in the silver mines. Family members led by the matriarchs in yellow dresses appear in order: first the husbands dressed in red, next come the daughters in green, followed by the sons in blue. The families dance their way to the football stadium where the next part of the celebrations takes place. Two plays begun, as medieval mystery plays, are enacted. The first portrays the Conquest by the Spanish conquistadores. The second is the triumph of the Archangel Michael as he defeats the devils and the Seven Deadly Sins with his flaming sword. The results of the battle are announced the Patron Saint of the Miners the Virgen del Socavon and the dancers sing a Quecha hymn. Although the references to the Spanish conquest and the downtrodden state of the Bolivian peasants are very clear, this festival is based on the pre-Colonial ceremony of giving thanks to the earth-mother Pachamama. It commemorates the struggles of good and evil and the early Catholic priests allowed it to continue with a Christian overlay in an effort to pacify the local natives. The celebration of carnaval continues for days as the diablada dancers break into smaller groups and continue dancing around huge bonfires. Onlookers join the procession at any point and with the consumption of strong Bolivian beer and the very potent chicha made from fermented cereals and corn they get rowdy. Many sleep in doorways or where they fall until they awake and continue celebrating. If you plan to be in Oruro or any of the towns celebrating carnaval, follow the basic safety precautions: Dress comfortably Allow yourself time to get acclimated to the altitude Watch what you drink chicha hangovers are awful! Leave your valuables behind Carnaval de Santa Cruz Refleja el espà ­ritu alegre del pueblo cruceà ±o. Comienza un mes antes con las fiestas precarnavalerasen las que participan todas las comparsas juveniles encabezadas por su Reina. Una semana antes del carnaval se lleva a cabo el minicorso en el cual se realiza la proclamacià ³n de la soberana anual del Carnaval . A partir del atardecer del sà ¡bado y hasta el amanecer del domingo de carnaval tiene lugar el deslumbrante Corso en el que saltanalrededor de 300 comparsas. Las mismas recorren las calles de la ciudad al ritmo de bandas y tamborita. En el recorrido el visitante podrà ¡ admirar un marco desbordante de lujo y colorido en hermosas fantasà ­as, impresionantes carros alegà ³ricos que transportan a las reinas, tambià ©n percibirà ¡ el intento por rescatar los motivos regionales y el respeto al medio ambiente. El espectà ¡culo adquiere su mà ¡xima fastuosidad cuando ingresa la reina del carnaval cruceà ±o con toda su corte constituida por los integrantes de la comparsa coronadora. En estas fiestas la mujer es la principal protagonista pues, al estar completamente disfrazada, hace de las suyas escogiendo pareja, coqueteando e invitando a bailar a los varones que asisten a dichas fiestas. El pà ºblico podrà ¡ apreciar que la entrada de los grupos està ¡ dividida en tres bloques folklà ³ricos: regional, nacional e internacional. Tambià ©n participan de esta fiesta conjuntos tà ­picos, entre los que destacan los de la Chiquitanà ­a que entran acompaà ±ados de tamboristas al son de chovenas (ritmo oriental). El frenesà ­ continua el domingo, lunes y martes , dà ­as en que la poblacià ³n baila y se divierte en las calles cà ©ntricas de la ciudad jugando con agua, pintura y espumas, viviendo momentos de total alegrà ­a. Pujllay or Phujllay in Tarabuco, Sucre The Pujllay or Game begins with a Catholic mass in Quechua language it stops then to continue with the party and the rejoicing for the victory of the Battle of Jumbata in a parade of nonpareil coloring, the peasants move to the place where the Pucara is and they dance in circles to its surroundings to the they are of the Tokoros, Pinquillos, Spurs, Bells and Drummers. The Pucara that consists on a support or stairway covered with great variety of agricultural products, besides drinks, breads and others taken place by the peasants of the region. Labor Day or May Day If you are traveling in Latin America on the first day of May, you can expect to find banks, government offices, stores, post offices and businesses closed for the day as people celebrate the Dà ­a Internacional Del Trabajo with parades, demonstrations and other symbols of solidarity with the worker. Bolivia celebrated Dà ­a Internacional del Trabajo for the first time on May 1, 1936. Day of the Worker, or May Day, had already been established in Europe, and would shortly sweep across the Latin American countries. The communist and socialist countries embraced the day, and over time, May Day became associated with those political systems in many non-English speaking countries. In Paris in 1889 the International Working Mens Association (the First International) declared May 1st an international working class holiday in commemoration of the Haymarket Martyrs. The red flag became the symbol of the blood of working class martyrs in their battle for workers rights. The Origins And Traditions Of Mayday Who were the Haymarket Martyrs? They are all but ignored in the history of the United States, who moved the May Day labor celebrations to September. May Day: what happened to the radical workersholiday? The first Monday in September is now the Labor Day holiday, but it has very little to do with the reason for a working mans holiday. This history is detailed in May Day the Real Labor Day. Long before May Day, The WorkersDay, born in the struggle for the eight-hour day came to be, the first of May was a traditional day of feasting, celebrating spring, fertility, romance and more. The Pagan Origins of May Day asks Why did the Labour Movement choose May Day as International Labour Day? Its more that May Day chose the Labour Movement. Unlike Easter, Whitsun or Christmas, May Day is the one festival of the year for which there is no significant church service. Because of this it has always been a strong secular festival, particularly among working people who in previous centuries would take the day off to celebrate it as a holiday, often clandestinely without the support of their employer. It was a popular custom, in the proper sense of the word a peoples day so it was naturally identified with the Labour and socialist movements and by the twentieth century it was firmly rooted as part of the socialist calendar. So now you know why everything shuts down on May 1. Its a good idea to play it safe that day and stay away from parades and rallies that might prove explosive. Gran Poder The merging of pre-Columbian religions and the Roman Catholic faith created a number of religious observations, including the Fiesta del Gran Poder celebrated primarily in La Paz, Bolivia. The event began in the late 1930s with a small number of dancers and is today a huge event. The festival centers around the devotion to Christ as the second person in the Holy Trinity based on an anonymous painting of the Trinity dating from the early XVII century. The three entities were painted withIndian or mestizo features. Though the Catholic church had forbidden human representations of the Holy Trinity, a young novice named Genoveva Carrià ³n took it with her when she entered the Monasterio de la Purà ­sima Concepcià ³n. When the religious order downsized, the painting found its way into different lay hands, finally ending up with Plà ¡cido Là ³pez who lived in the barrio Chijini in la Paz. A small chapel was built to honor the Holy Trinity and then Bishop Augsto Scheifert direct two not-quite-expert artists to paint over the two side figures. They did so, but one, wanting to retouch the eyes, came back one night. When the remaining figure moved its head, the artist fled, but many favors or miracles were attributed to the Christ figure. Devotion grew and in 1939 the chapel was officially named Iglesia Parroquial del Gran Poder. In the years since, the festival of El Gran Poder has grown into an international celebration. Parades and processions with the dark figure of the Christ (see photo), music and costumed dancers honoring cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Of these, La Morenada is the most famous. Held annually at the beginning of June, the Fiesta del Gran Poder is La Pazs biggest street party. Copious amount of local beers and food are consumed. Visitors wanting a place to stay during the celebrations make advance reservations. Columbus Day October 12 (or the nearest Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the Americas as the day Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Dà ­a de la Raza, the Day of the Race. Dà ­a de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive. It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, Not anymore in Bolivia, because the strong feelings about the real situation of native americans on Spaniards Rule. A few historical facts behind the holiday: Cristà ³bal Colà ³n, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly accepted theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He wanted also to prove his calculations of the earths circumference. He was off on his calculations and he didnt find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small fleet of three ships, the Nià ±a, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures. With royal approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a fleet of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor gold in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was awed by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic. For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral and Governor General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in disgrace in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a fourth and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dishonored and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate. Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for bringing the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista. Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Dà ­a de la Raza. Note: It was up to others to name the places where he had landed or to discover the route to China. Amerigo Vespucci named Venezuela afer his native Venice, and Vasco da Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean to the Far East, opening the Spice Route for Portugal. All Saints Day November 1 is celebrated throughout the Catholic world as Dà ­a de Todos Santos, or All Saints Day, to honor all the saints, known and unknown, of the Catholic faithful. Every day of the year has its own saint or saints, but there are more saints than calendar days, and this one major holy day honors them all, including those who had died in a state of grace but had not been canonized. And, to keep things fair, November 2 is celebrated as the Day of All Souls. Dà ­a de Todos Santosis also known as Dà ­a de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Like many other Catholic celebrations, in the New World it was grafted onto existing indigenous festivities to meld the newCatholicism with the oldpagan beliefs. In countries where the Europeans eventually reduced the indigenous populations, by one means or another, the celebrations gradually lost their native meaning and became more of a traditional Catholic event. In Latin American countries where the indigenous culture is still strong, such as in Guatemala and Mexico in Central America, and in Bolivia in South America, Dà ­a de Todos Santosis an important meld of many influences. In Central America, the dead are honored by visits to the their gravesites, often with food, flowers and all family members. In Bolivia, the dead are expected to return to their homes and villages. The Andean emphasis is agricultural, since November 1 is in spring south of the Equator. It is the time of returning rains and the reflowering of the earth. The souls of the dead also return to reaffirm life. During this time, the doors are opened to guests, who enter with clean hands and share in the traditional dishes, particularly the favorites of the deceased. Tables are bedecked with bread figurines called tantawawas, sugarcane, chicha, candies and decorated pastries. At the cemeteries, the souls are greeted with more food, music, and prayers. Rather than a sad occasion, the Dà ­a de Todos Santos is a joyous event. In Peru, November 1 is celebrated nationally, but in Cuzco its known as Dà ­a de todos los Santos Vivos, or Day of the Living Saints and celebrated with food, particularly the famed suckling pig and tamales. November 2 is considered the Dà ­a de los Santos Difuntosor Day of the Deceased Saints and is honored with visits to cemeteries. Wherever you are in Latin America on the first and second of November, enjoy the local holidays! Virgen de Copacabana A religios festival for the virgin of the snow. Mass, folkloric dancing and processions. 5th 6th Virgen de Copacabana Copacabana (La Paz). Celebration for the Virgin of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Dancing, processions, folkloric displays. Virgen de Urcupià ±a or Virgen de Urqupià ±a Festival in Quillacollo (Cochabamba). One of the most important religious festivals in Cochabamba. It is a colorful religious festival with a large mass, folkloric dancing, processions, typical food and the sale of miniature handicrafts. Chutillos The Chutillos festival in Potosi is definitely worth it. Especially the first day with the authentic dances and costumes is marvelous. Virgen de Guadalupe Festivals celebrated in Viacha (La Paz), Sucre (Chuquisaca) and Valle Grande (Santa Cruz), but by far in Sucre is the biggest. A religious festival in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Folkloric dances, bull fights, music, dancing and typical food and drink. San Roque Festival in Tarija, (Although the fiesta day of San Roque is officially on the 16th of August). An 8-day long celebration for the patron saint of dogs, San Roque. Unique costumes, processions, music and dancing. The biggest party and typical of the Tarija region with its unique music style. Each year on January 24 a large marketplace in La Paz, Bolivia, is full of merchants who traditionally call out, Alasitas, an Aymara word meaning buy from me, to potential buyers of their miniature wares. Shoppers can find tiny replicas of just about every kind of object-cars, houses, foods, furniture, clothes, tools, household goods, and, especially, money-and seek those which represent items they would like to have in the coming year. After purchasing the miniature object of ones desire, the next step is to take it to church to have it blessed. Presiding over all this downsized commerce is Ekeko, an Aymara god of material wealth, fertility, and good luck. Ekeko is represented as a portly little man who wears a backpack full of goods and whose arms are stretched out, as if in an attitude of acquisition. Many people keep ceramic figures of Ekeko in their homes for good luck. Maldives The Maldives will hold a Hay festival starting October 14 with the intention of celebrating ideas, conversations and fun. The festival will bring together international and local experts in literature, art, science, drama, music and poetry, according to a statement from the Presidents Office. Maldivian writers including Ogaru Ibrahim Waheed and Fathmath Nahula will join historian and biographer Jung Chang (author of Wild Swans and Mao), novelist Ian McEwan (author of Atonement) and environmental campaigners Montagu Don, Tim Smit, Mark Lynas and Chris Gorell-Barnes. Mauritian-born, electronic fusion artist Ravin will perform and local bands will include Fasy Live. Lectures will also be delivered online by prominent artists, scientists and historians. The Maldives has been a multi-party democracy for only two years and this new freedom has opened up a host of new opportunities both culturally and politically, the statement said. Some events will be held on the Presidential Retreat on Aarah, allowing rare public access to the island. The Hay Festival began in the Welsh book town of Hay-on-Wye in Brecon Beacons National Park in the UK, and has fostered the exchange of ideas for more than twenty years. Hay Festival Maldives will commission a series of lectures to be delivered online by prominent artists, scientists and historians. These will debate environments that are facing transformation over the next one hundred years and what this means for the people living there. Speakers include historian and biographer Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans and Mao, the novelist Ian McEwan, author of Atonement, and environmental writers and campaigners Montagu Don, Mark Lynas and Tim Smit. They will appear alongside Maldivian writers including Ogaru Ibrahim Waheed and Fathmath Nahula. Mauritian-born, electronic fusion artist Ravin provides musical enchantment, and local bands performing include Fasy Live. As well as the live events, Hay Festival Maldives

Peer to Peer Piracy and the Film Industry Essays -- Exploratory Essays

Peer to Peer Piracy and the Film Industry Introduction Each day an estimated 400,000 films exchange hands through the Internet. Movie piracy, once reserved to pirate syndicates and illegal duplication factories, has become a common staple among college students with high-speed internet access. With advanced compression technology, movie files can be transferred across continents in hours and across campus networks in under ten minutes. File-sharing is seen as a victimless crime, but the motion picture industry is expected to lose $3.5 billion this year alone due to piracy. Pirate activities undermine every aspect of the legitimate filmmaking business since legitimate retailers cannot possibly compete fairly with pirate business. Therefore, piracy negatively affects all aspects of film-making including the studios that invest in the film, the distributors, the retailers and foreign and local filmmakers. Economic Impact Intellectual property (TV programs, movies, etc†¦) is an incredible source of growth for the American economy. Intellectual property is not only America’s largest trade export, but it is creating new jobs at triple the rate of the rest of the economy, and is responsible for more than five percent of the GDP. The movie industry alone has a surplus balance of trade, something no other American company can lay claim to. Moviemaking is a risky business, for it is not always profitable. Only one in ten films ever recovers its initial investment from theatrical exhibition. In fact, four out of ten movies never recoup the original investment. In 2000, the average studio film cost had a total cost of over $80 million per film. No other industry in the world risks that much capital to make, finance, produce ... ...ue entertainment in a lawful environment. The attitude of entitlement that many internet users exhibit with regard to internet piracy must stop. The movie industry will not suffer the pillaging that has been inflicted on the music industry by casual pirates. New efforts to prevent piracy are currently being undertaken and they include research to new technologies to prevent piracy and copying, strengthening laws to inflict harsher penalties for copyright infringement, and educating the public about why copyright protection is imperative to economic growth and the negative effects that file-sharing has on the American consumer. Works Cited Valenti, Jack. Thoughts on the Digital Future of Movies, The Threat of Piracy, The Hope of Redemption. Motion Picture Association of American Press Release. 30 Sep. 2003

Policing Worldwide Essay -- Law Enforcement Police

Policing Worldwide The world of policing is one of constant change. As far back as the early days of Peelian police philosophy the missions and goals of police departments have constantly been altered. In our diverse communities and cites worldwide we see police departments engaged in very different forms of policing. Even across the many jurisdictions that operate within our nation we see departments that run at the very opposite ends of the policing spectrum, with some acing in extreme public service roles and others involved in aggressive crime fighting ideologies. These different approaches are all based of what the police identifies as the needs of the community. As constant research is conducted in the field of policing, departments adopt new policies and programs. As new technologies arise they too are incorporated into law enforcement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The New York City Police Department like any other department in the world is constantly changing and adapting its policies to conform to that of new technologies and trends in law enforcement. One of these policies that has been put into use in recent years has been that of a community policing initiative. Finding its roots in police-community relations policies of the 50’s and 60’s, community policing is a philosophy that seeks to form a partnership between the police and the community. Through this bond the community can fully identify its needs and work together with the police to battle crime as well as many other services that do not fall within the traditional roles of policing. All of this is aimed at taking a proactive approach to crime. Its basis is simply trying to work with the community to identify its problems and fixing them before they escalate or lead to crime. Community policing is far different than any other philosophy seen in pol icing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although throughout history, â€Å"there have been sporadic variations in the underpinnings of American law enforcement, its substantively has remained a legal-bureaucratic organization focusing on professional law enforcement (Gaines and Kappeler, 2003 p. 476)†. This legal-bureaucratic set up of the American police department has it as an agency concerned with statistic and numbers. The outputs of policing that include number of arrests, volume of recovered property, number of citations issued, response times and the other stats of policing play a more i... ...mmander is then praised for his success in lower crime. However, I feel that this alienates the police from a community. If the police implement aggressive tactic in an area, the public often perceives this in almost a military sweep. The cops are seen as the bad guys that only come in to arrest the criminals and then go on their way to other high crime areas. If CompStat identified the high crime areas and then used community policing tactics to permanently rid the underlying problems of crime in that  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However the hierarchy of the New York City Police Department chooses to deal with these two new tactics in policing will change the course of our city. I feel that while both valuable tactics, the NYPD should stress its role in community policing. If the police continue to adopt aggressive styles of policing and continue to alienate themselves from the community, they might find themselves being hated by the city they protect. I think that CompStat has been a val uable tool for New York to lower its crime rate, however I think it fosters reactive and aggressive tactics. Unless it is changed or abandoned, the police will continue to widen the gap between themselves and the public.