General Hideki Tojo: war criminal Essay

World War II is one of the events in the modern history of mankind which is looked upon with mixed reactions considering what was lost and was created because of this war. This was a showdown not just of superpowers, but also of the most influential leaders in different countries. One of these leaders is Hideki Tojo of Japan, who led the country and its soldiers in the Pacific theater of operations during World War II versus Allied forces led by the United States. This was a set of many different battles, which, on a whole, was deadly and costly for both camps. Many would say that General Hideki Tojo was just a man doing his job consistent with the political, economic and military directions of the country. Like any other soldier and leader, Tojo was expected to make decisions that will appear harsh and inconsiderate to human life, but is this really the truth? Many dare challenge this. They believe that just like any other individual, Tojo always had options and choices and he was never forced to just one course of action that he did not wanted or approved. The truth is that he has options. How he selected his own course of actions especially during World War II speaks a lot about how Tojo is the archetypal villain and evil, in consideration to this man’s values as reflected in his goals, ambitions, actions and perspective. Bringing a villain like General Hideki Tojo to trial for his evil during World War II is a case that will be strongly supported by many different important reasons and justifications why such accusations are real and suitable for some like Tojo. These reasons and justifications would be laid out, spread and explained to ascertain Tojo’s undeniable complicity and role in atrocities and undesirable actions during World War II. Hideki Tojo’s trial regarding his military and political actions during World War II will feature the discussion of several different proofs that will establish Tojo and his role in these atrocities and unacceptable acts even during war time. There are four important aspects that serve as proof to establish Hideki Tojo’s acts of atrocities and unacceptable war time behavior during World War II. It led many people to believe that he was indeed the villain that endangered and put to slaughter not just the lives of the enemy but lives of his own men as well. The first proof of Tojo’s evil is his influence and active, conscious and direct role in the hostile imperialism of Japan. Tojo is described as â€Å"one of the most aggressive of the Japanese imperialists (Keegan, Wheatcroft 291). † Of course, history will show that no effort at expansion and imperialism is not without violence. The fact that this is expected, it does not mean that Tojo and his imperialist expansion-related violence, crimes and hostility will be accepted. On the contrary, if Tojo was indeed in favor of humanity, he should have learned from the lessons of the past like the imperialist tendencies of Europeans in the past. He should have seen this could result to death and bloodshed. He should have never subjected his people and other people in such condition wherein death and destruction is the main result. However, the self-centered, greedy and power hungry Tojo moved forward with his dreams of expanding by controlling other countries and territories through the use of military force. This resulted to the death of many people, Japanese and non Japanese alike. It was a deadly and lethal combination. Tojo had access to power and was war hungry. He looked at war as a necessity for Japan at the time, which is disputable even today (Benford 119). â€Å"Tojo has assumed for himself the three posts of prime minister, war minister and chief of army staff and was totally responsible for the conduct of the war and was determined that only war could bring Japan what it rightfully deserved (Benford 119). † Wohlstetter expressed the importance of this development (Wohlstetter 324). â€Å"Tojo has thus concentrated enormous power in his own hands, far more than any Premier of modern times. He is jingoistic and anti-foreign, particularly anti-Russian. He has strong pro-Axis leanings (Wohlstetter 324). † History has dubbed the attack on Pearl Harbor as an ignominy which will go down in history books as a dastardly act that will be continuously frowned upon. Because of the style and approach, Japan, and particularly Tojo, who was Prime Minister at that time (Gudykunst 276), took in this particular incident. It resulted to the deaths of many individuals; many of those are non-combatants and innocent civilians. The attack on Pearl Harbor is considered as one of the most evil of all forms of attacks during war time history and in World War II. It is an unforgettable and unacceptable act on the part of the Japan. If this is the case, then what does this say about the people who conceived and planned and executed it, among the many high ranking top brass of Japan to approve it is Tojo? It is Evil, pure evil. â€Å"Tojo ordered Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and then led his nation in war for three years (Weston 182). † It is one thing to cause death in the battlefield, but it is another to resort to killing even non combatants and civilians just to inflict damage to the enemy and to help one side come closer to victory (it is explained this way because even though Japan’s attack was a serious blow to United States, Japan, in the end, did not win). In this event, Tojo resorted to a Machiavellian thinking. He believed that the end justifies the means. However, in the end, it was completely unfortunate that despite the sacrifices used as a means, they still were not able to achieve the ends. In this perspective, how will the sacrifice of men be seen, considering the failure to achieve the objective? Tojo’s military leadership that resulted to the deaths of many soldiers did not automatically make him an evil leader. What made him an evil leader is the fact that he did not conducted himself accordingly. His actions are often irrational to the point that it is immoral and unethical even during the state of war among nations. Pearl Harbor is an excellent example of this condition. Tojo’s hands are stained with the blood of the innocent, people who should have not been directed and accorded with hostility. They are nonetheless victimized by a man whose evil has become legendary – and heavily criticized – even before World War II would end with Japan accepting defeat eventually. The evil of Tojo is not just limited to Pearl Harbor. As a powerful and influential man who directed military actions during World War II, Tojo is responsible for the lives of men. These were military and non-military people that were hurt or killed throughout World War II in places that Japanese soldiers and soldiers controlled and conscripted by Japan operated in. It is no secret that after World War II, investigations about many different war crimes resulted in the surfacing of information regarding the presence of these atrocities. Even though this are undertaken by Tojo’s underlings, it was Tojo who is responsible in grooming and managing men who should know how to handle themselves admirably during war. Tojo’s lack of that same sense reflected in how his followers acted. As they say, the actions of members reflect the characteristics of the leader. Tojo is evil because he was directly or indirectly responsible for the acts of atrocities committed during the duration of World War II in places Japan controlled or fought in. Soon, investigators were able to fully judge beyond reasonable doubt that responsibility for war crimes rests on the shoulders of Tojo, for which the punishment is death. In the end, Tojo was arrested, and proven as a war criminal (Benford 119). For the enemies of Japan during the World War II, it is easy for them to say that Japan and its leaders are bad because of their acts of hostility towards them (Japan’s enemy). The real extent of evil inside a man is not found in how he treats his enemies, since hostilities are expected between and among enemies. The true evil is found in how a man appreciates the lives of the man that follows him and how he uses the faith and trust that his followers give him. It is in this last aspect of the proof of Tojo’s evil that one can truly see that Tojo is not evil in the eyes of his enemies, but is evil in consideration to what he had his men undergo, do and suffer. The achievement of an imperial domination which was close to impossible and was something that Japan as a country wanted but what the selected few desired for themselves. These individuals include Tojo. In analysis, Japan and its position economically and politically at that time allowed them many other options. For one, the battle was in Europe among old and new enemies. The reason why it spread in Asia and the Pacific is because of Tojo’s megalomaniac tendencies that endangered the lives of many men, not to mention the deaths of thousands and even millions of others as well. It is not easy to look of Hideki Tojo without bias, and why not? His curriculum vitae, during World War II, is proof of his responsibility in the military actions that resulted to death, destruction and acts of atrocity, among others. History and related literature gave Tojo many different titles besides the one’s he officially owned at one time, titles which he earned because of his actions. For example, he was described as â€Å"supreme war lord (Butow 440)†, and not just military leader. Notice the impact that the writer was going for when using the term â€Å"war lord† in consideration to what was being implied and how the writer was trying to describe Tojo more accurately and vividly with the use of such term. Evans described Tojo as â€Å"an arch enemy (Evans 329)† and placed Tojo alongside other unpopular megalomaniac who was also responsible for death, destruction and atrocity including Hitler and Mussolinni. He was described as standing side by side and among the most hated men during that time. â€Å"During World War II, the three most hated men in the world were Hitler, Mussolini and General Tojo Hideki (Weston 182). † Hill believes that he was an aggressor similar to Hitler (Hill 86). â€Å"Hitler and Tojo were planning every imaginable step and they had jointly executed a policy of world aggression (Hill 86). † Works cited Benford, Timothy B. Pearl Harbor Amazing Facts! Utah: American Book Publishers, 2001. Butow, Robert Charles Joseph. Tojo and the Coming of the War. California: Stanford University Press, 1961. Evans, David. Ramblin’ on my mind: new perspectives on the blues. Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2008. Gudykunst, William B. Communication Yearbook. California: Routledge, 2002. Hill, Richard F. Hitler attacks Pearl Harbor: why the United States declared war on Germany. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003. Keegan, John and Andrew Wheatcroft. Who’s who in military history: from 1453 to the present day. London: Routledge, 1996. Weston, Mark. Giants of Japan: The Live of Japan’s Most Influential Men and Women. New York: Kodansha America, 2002. Wohlstetter, Roberta. Pearl Harbor: warning and decision. California: Stanford University Press, 1962.

Leed Certification Essay

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is both a professional certification in sustainable building practices, and a grading scale on a structure’s environmental impact and sustainability (USGBC, 2008). A LEED certified professional is recognized as having completed the required course of curriculum in LEED and has successfully passed the LEED Certification exam. This allows a LEED certified professional to be able to work with colleagues of the construction industry in all aspects of a project to develop a LEED certified structure. Using LEED ensures a structure to be designed and built with the utmost attention to detail to assure that the structure is as environmentally friendly as possible. LEED Rating Systems exist for every area of the construction industry and range from the interior finishes of commercial buildings right down to resource consumption and health risks of residential structures (USGBC, 2008). The LEED certification exam covers the entirety of the LEED AP Handbook as well as several industry standard construction practices. The exam and handbook together will run almost $700 for a non- USGBC member to take and nearly $600 for members of both the USGBC and GBCI to take (GreenBuild, 2008). The exam is very rigorous and the study time required to take the exam is substantial. Most people take about 2 months of 20 a week study time to prepare for the exam (GBCI, 2008). Contrary to popular belief, becoming LEED Certified is not something that a person achieves, but it is the building that achieves it. The process of LEED certification has five different categories that insure that the build is a â€Å"green† building. There are five categories that are taken into account when building a LEED certified structure. They are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. This means that if all of these categories are met the building will be considered Green. It sounds easy, but is not that simple because there are different stages of being certified. The building is then, as the USGBC website says: â€Å"LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures. All certified projects receive a LEED plaque, which is the nationally recognized symbol demonstrating that a building is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work. † (GBCI, 2008). The way that professionals achieve the ability to certify building is through attending LEED specific classes that are offered on the USGBC website. The USGBC’s website provides many different ways to become an accredited LEED professional. The first way is through online courses that are self-paced learning. The second way is through in house seminars. The online option offers three different classes to help increase an individual’s knowledge. The first course is the 100 level, awareness. This course is highly recommended for anyone who wants to take the more advanced 200 or 300 level courses. This course introduces a person to the principles of Green building and also serves as a base in which the person is able to build off of. The next Level of LEED certification is the 200 level, Understanding. In this level the person begins to take courses that deepen their knowledge of LEED and Green building. The first course on this level is the Essentials of LEED Professional Accreditation. This course was developed for people getting ready to take the LEED Accredited Professional exam. The next two just help the person understand Green building even more. They are LEED for Homes Program Review and LEED for General Contractors/Construction Managers. The third and final level, 300 Level: Application & Implementation offers several courses that offer courses that make the student apply their knowledge to real life situations and it challenges them to apply what they learned in the 200 level (GBCI, 2008). There are many different benefits that you can achieve by being having a LEED Certification. It proves to many people that you have achieved your environmental goals. Having a LEED Certification means that you have many government incentives, marketing benefits, and increased property values, which can help, boost the presses interest in your current project. Building green can also greatly reduce the cost to construction managers and tenants (USGBC, 2008). There are four different levels of certification that you can achieve. These are: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each level has its own special incentives to it. To gain a higher ranking you must accumulate credits. To accumulate credits you must have certain standards in your projects that benefit the environment. These consist of sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality (GBCI, 2008). Green Buildings can help the earth in so many ways. Being certified means that you build more environmentally friendly, which means that building green friendly can reduce the negative effect buildings and operations have on the environment. Also green building greatly decreases the chances of fire, explosions, spills or splashes. Building green also reduces health problems such as allergies. Finally, if you’re building green it calls for green cleaning. This means that the products used in cleaning these green buildings are also very environmentally safe. For example a stain on a carpet is taken care of with a mild cleaner. This not only protects the environment but can also help protect the furnishings in the long run (USGBC, 2008). Commissioning is a prerequisite of the LEED process. Commissioning involves an outside team of individuals that is not part of the design and construction team. The area of responsibility is to ensure compliance of â€Å"fundamental building elements and systems† with the LEED guidelines. The estimate commissioning cost is to be in the range of 0. 5 percent to three percent of construction costs (DCD, 2008). LEED has certain requirements on architects and engineers because these designers must assess how a project could best attain certification and prepare the design and specifications to reflect these additional requirements. In either case, participating in the LEED process adds time and effort to the design and specification phase of a project. The estimate is that traditional design costs range from eight to twelve percent of construction costs, and then the additional design costs for green buildings are in the range of 0. 4 percent to 0. 6 percent of the total construction cost. A significant weigh down of the LEED system is the need to document compliance with the various criteria in order to submit a package to the GBC for review and a decision on certification. This requires the establishment of a tracking and reporting system, which is often performed by a LEED consultant, rather than the design and construction team itself, and the tracking down of information that otherwise is not standard practice in specifying or sourcing systems and materials. The estimate of documentation and application fees as a percentage of total construction costs were found to be; the costs averaged 0. 7 percent of construction costs with a range from 0. 05 percent for a very large project to 3. 8 percent for a very small one (DCD, 2008). Where is LEED certification taking the construction industry? So far, businesses and governments worldwide are taking advantage of going green and looking into LEED. Several LEED certified buildings have already been built, but the future for green buildings is just now getting started. The past decade in green building has been a revolution in the construction industry and has no indication of a slow down. With numerous grants available for LEED projects by Governments and green organizations, LEED certified buildings are becoming more realistic and within reasonable costs to construct. We are just in the dawning of the â€Å"green age† and things are just starting to catch on with LEED. With new technologies, techniques, and equipment being invented all of the time, going green is becoming easier faster (Botelho, 2007). As for the future of the LEED industry, Governments are now starting to place requirements on construction projects to comply with their green specifications. Sometime in the future, every building constructed will have to meet Government specified codes that pertain to LEED. All of this is for the benefit of the environment and aims towards a better and healthier Earth (Botelho, 2007). In conclusion, LEED is taking the industry in a new direction and could someday be the standard for building any structure. Most professionals support the idea and there should be a take-off for green building in the near future. As for the cost, it ends up paying for itself over a period of time. LEED is proving more and more reasons why the construction industry needs to start adapting to the green future.

Influence of Internet on Students Essay

The influence of internet is uniformly shared by all the age group of the society in spite of being young or old. But the school and college students under the age of 20 are more involved in INTERNET. They have become active users of social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, and Twitter. Even though these social networking sites have restricted the use by users under the age of 18, there are currently millions of users who overcome this age group restriction and join these sites. The over use of such social networking sites make the younger generation addicted to these sites. As a result, they become less interested in School and College activities and start to lag behind in studies. They are online 24 hours which indeed cause health problems because they do not get enough sleep. They are also crazy about downloading new films of Hollywood and Bollywood which indeed causes problems for film producers as their income gets reduced. There are countless sites in internet through which we can download movies for free. Other than movies, they also download and view content which are not appropriate for their age which makes them addicted to PORN and other vulnerable stuff. They become addicted to these at such young age, which creates problem for them in future. As the activities of youth on internet are not monitored, they do not need to fear anything to misuse the contents available on internet. Also they join bad forums and get involved in hacking and stuff like that which makes the mind of the young reader enslaved to such stuff which takes a lot of effort to recover from. The new generation is enslaved to the world of internet. They destroy their youth by sitting in front of the PC all the time. They do not even trend to go out even for shopping. They do not know the joy of playing outside. In spite of going out and play, they sit at home in front of Pc or gaming consoles such as play station and play violent games which are violent in nature. It is high time that they started thinking about the problems internet is creating on students and restrict the over use of internet.

Strategic Analysis of Waitrose in Grocery Market by Using Strategic Essay

Strategic Analysis of Waitrose in Grocery Market by Using Strategic Management Model and Theory - Essay Example The U.K retail market seems to be on the maturity stage of its lifecycle, however, growth is still quite prominent. The market is on its verge to a 15% growth in the next 5 years (IGD, 2010). Economic dynamics such as rising interest rates and consumer prices, house prices as well job insecurity are only few of a plethora of factors affecting firms in this sector (IGD, 2010).The new government following the election in May, 2010 also seems to bear impact by way of its proposed contractionary fiscal and monetary policy which could mean tough times for the high end markets. Waitrose- the company The company has its roots in 1904 when it was founded by Waite, Rose and Taylor (Waitrose, 2011). It was acquired later by John Lewis (an established partnership); hence, it was not until 1955 that the first Waitrose supermarket was born (Waitrose, 2011). At present the company has a strong foothold in the European market with 243 stores in Wales, Scotland and England, employing more than 37,00 0 people (Waitrose, 2011). The company claims to offer value for money along with convenience shopping. It targets the affluent segments of the market and is a high end store and follows a differentiation strategy (Randall & Seth, 2011). Thus, the company offers high quality, high priced products (Randall & Seth, 2011). ... aitrose does not follow the lead of its competitors and, instead, has always reflected itself as a premium quality brand, focusing on product quality rather than price (Randall & Seth, 2011). Furthermore, the company, under the umbrella of the John Lewis group, has projected itself as a socially ethical and responsible entity by sponsoring events such as â€Å"Fair-trade Bananas† and â€Å"Bag for life† (Cohen, 2010). SWOT Analysis Strengths: The company was an industry first in introducing the Quick check, self-scanning technology in its stores which reflects upon its innovative strategy and focus on delivering superior customer value (Jones & John, 2011). Furthermore, the company works under the umbrella of the John Lewis group which has given it enormous advantage in terms of economies of scale and established links with suppliers. The company was amongst the first to develop its line of own brands; it houses over 16,000 brands under its own name (MarketWatch: Global Round-up, 2009). Furthermore, the company won another industry first by winning the award for Organic food. Weaknesses: The company’s own label brands constitute almost 55% of its product mix. Thus, it is highly dependent on its own brands and ought to stock other brands (Jones & John, 2011). Furthermore, the company’s expansion opportunities are limited due to present coverage of its retail outlets. The company also has potential unfilled gaps in the market that it isn’t catering to and is positioned quite farther away from its 4 main competitors including Tesco, ASDA, Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s as well as Marks & Spencer. It has been positioned as a premium end brand and is perceived as too expensive compared to its rivals which is one of the major factors behind its low market share (3%). The

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Corporate Finance - Essay Example Marks & Spencer like TESCO celebrates its 125 glorious years from an ordinary penny bazaar to one of the leading retailers in UK. In 1884 Michael Marks, who was a Russian-born Polish refugee, established a stall at Leeds Kirkgate Market. (â€Å"History of Marks and Spencer†, 2009) Later on a partnership with Tom Spencer a cashier from IJ Dewhirst acquired premises and marked the transition of a new business. Both Tom and Spencer died after then. (â€Å"History of Marks and Spencer†, 2009) TESCO Plc diversified its market operations in varied products and services. It store-types includes, Extra, Superstore, Metro, Express and Tesco.com. Store offerings include food-retail, non-food retail, petrol stations and home-living range. TESCO Personal Finance includes Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Home Insurance, Travel Insurance, Motor Insurance, Savings Accounts, Personal Loans, Secure Investment Bonds and Online Mortgage Finder. (â€Å"Major Products and Services†, 2004, p.12) Telecom services are hoping to make a definite mark in the industry. To get access of the huge customer base worldwide TESCO has been successful in selling a broad range of products via internet through TESCO Direct. (â€Å"Annual Report and Financial Statements of Tesco†, 2009) M&S deals in clothing for men and women, entertainment and travel accessories, food and wine products, kids-wear, household goods, home care products, air-care products, electronic equipments, Insurance products, loan schemes, savings & investment products, etc. (â€Å"Yours M&S†, 2009) TESCO values its customers. ‘Customer Question Time’ forum and online feedback panel ‘Shopper Thoughts’ helps to provide important feedback from the customer base. (â€Å"Annual Report and Financial Statements of Tesco†, 2009, p.32) Latest introduction of feedback technique through mobile phone, e-mail or comment card called ‘Fizzback’ and understanding of customer choices through ‘Clubcard’. (â€Å"Annual Report and Financial

Discuss the opportunities and difficulties associated with reusing Essay

Discuss the opportunities and difficulties associated with reusing decommissioned offshore installations for generating renewable energy - Essay Example Decommissioning solutions in accordance with the UK legislation concerns about safety and security of the environment, legitimate uses of the sea and support all the economic considerations whenever required. By definition, renewable power sources are those that do not require any fuel as their energy is replenish naturally. There is no constraint on their siting, therefore, because of any requirement to transport fuel rather, the location of the power unit is usually determined by natural features (DoEn, 1988). A basic constraint underlying some of these limitations is the impracticability of storing electricity on a large scale. However the renewable sources require nuclear fusion and fission power plants for the small masses of fuel required, so they can be conveniently sited on the coast with direct cooling for their steam condensers from seawater. Coal-fired power stations, on the other hand, require the transport of very large quantities of fuel and therefore tend to be near coalfields, with air-cooling towers for steam condensation and with makeup water from rivers. Tidal and wave power schemes must of necessity be on the coast or at sea: wind systems, because of their large area requirement, may well be sited offshore. Geothermal plants will probably not be economic for power production but may supply hot water for community heating; this is unlikely to be economic over long transmission distances and so the schemes will be confined to local 'hot dry rock' regions. Solar heating wou ld probably not involve distribution, but would be constrained to direct production and use in buildings in the south of England where there are more hours of sunshine (Peak Energy, 2006) Decommissioning Standards Opportunities Reusing Decommissioned installations is an opportunity in itself that conforms with technicalities like sea-bed clearance, removing installations as and when required, dealing with wastes, observing and analysing remains and monitoring and maintaining a decommissioned site. The Decommissioning Program instead of removing or doing 'from the scratch' installation, abides to the rule of removing partial installations which not only saves time and efforts of the developer but also helps him maintaining a particular standard. In this context the Government is providing full technical support to the renewable energy installation sector by not enforcing any excessive burden onto those who have been declared liable to protect the users of sea and environment. Government provides opportunities to the renewable energy sector to support IMO (International Maritime Organisation) to get along with a standard that conforms to the Removal of offshore installation and structures the Exclusive Economic Zone. In order to protect the Marine environment, the Government is keen to provide full guidance for the offshore oil and gas installations in compliance with the OSPAR Convention (December 2006, Guidance Notes for Industry) which includes support in the form of documents on offshore wind farms. Cost Reduction Reusing decommissioned offshore renewable energy has enabled the BPEO (Best Practicable Environmental Option) to provide least damage to the environment by cutting down the excessive costs in the long and short run. In this way risk is reduced using safety standards of navigation.

Models for Community and Individual Health Promotion Assignment

Models for Community and Individual Health Promotion - Assignment Example He as an individual might decide to help them, but such a behavior as smoking is a very addictive behavior which requires one to have the will of taking the necessary measures to quit smoking. This is a process that is not expected to be smooth running, but as long as the victim is willing then it will be easy to him or her stop the behavior (Edberg, 2010). One of the community models used to support health behavior is the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. It is easy for people to prevent themselves from getting sick by taking precautionary measures like washing your hands before eating or even after visiting the toilet. Some of the major diseases that really affect people and can easily kill; diseases like cancer, diabetes, cannot be easily screened, and one needs help from specialists and to then know how to cure it. For this reason, a community takes the initiative to educate its people more about this disease, their symptoms and where to get help from incase you are infected (Orleans, 2008). The Stage Change model helps one know that it is only you who has the full control of your life and that one is willing to leave a positive and healthy life. One can give you advise, and even avail the best clinics for you in order for you to for instance quit smoking but unless you are willing this is not possible (Gochman, 2011). This theory appreciates the spread of word and information in that, information can reach a lot of people and be helpful to the community. This is through schools, churches and such like places (Gochman,

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 29

None - Essay Example is a custom for the clergy in this mainstream to have special attires whose resemblance is that of their Master, Jesus Christ as well as serving as a sign of humility (Pastoor 331). These ought to be in long gowns besides a headpiece or veil that covers their entire heads signifying humility as per the Jesus’ mother (Pastoor 331). Based on Catholic traditions, women and men bear varied behaviors and tasks to play both in the church as well as in the entire society, hence each to dress differently. The nuns dressing marks the first implication of how their behavior and the roles they play vary from the men’s activities and manners, to second them in their duties. This is especially in the church whereby nuns participate only in undertaking lesser tasks like helping to give out communion but not conducting mass service. It is good or useful to identify a person from his or her physical appearance. For instance, Catholic Church leaders have different roles to play besides which when they are physically unique makes it easy for their followers to know well where to seek assistance. Greek Orthodox monks and the Amish use dress for similar purposes. Describe the dress of each group and how it fits into their lives. Do you see any important differences in terms of appearance and/or social function? The women ought to wear long dresses besides covering their heads with shawl when going to the monastery as a sign of respect to the holiness of the place (Boase 94). The monks mostly dress in black colored cassock referred to as Raso that has remained unchanged since Byzantium period up to date (Boase 94). In most cases, Amish wear homemade clothes sewn by the women. Their clothing styles motivate humbleness as well as separation from the world turning them being comprehensive peacekeepers and discouraging conflict for whatever reason. They have a simple way of dressing in which they avoid ornamentation. Men dress in straight cut suits in which their coats have no

Economics Regulation and Market Structures Essay

Economics Regulation and Market Structures - Essay Example Economic regulation affects new companies who want to enter into a market. This reason why new competitors are affected is that they may not be able to enter into a market due to this form of regulation. Social regulation deals with exact social problems such as toxic waste, produce safety, employee safety, and prejudice (â€Å"Social Regulation†). Social regulation exists because in the 60s and 70s the government established regulatory agencies to handle a wide variety of social problems. The entities affected by social regulation include local businesses and citizens. Businesses may have to have a plan to deal with social problems, while citizens may have their rights restricted in terms of what they can purchase. A natural monopoly occurs when a firm can fulfil the market demand for a good or service at a cheaper price than all other competitors (â€Å"Natural Monopoly†). The reason why natural monopolies occur is because sometimes a market can only support one produ cer. According to economic theory, firms can attain monopolies because of unique raw materials, technology, or other factors. An example of a natural monopoly is the gas industry. It is uneconomical to build new infrastructure so just one set of infrastructure is built. This results in company having total control of the market (Pieterz). The antitrust laws attempt to order business to compete fairly.

Race to the Top Strategy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Race to the Top Strategy - Coursework Example In his time in office, President Obama has provided unparalleled support for the education system in America. The Race to the Top Strategy was enacted through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009) formulated to sustain job creation, stimulate economic growth and invest in important sectors such as education. The ARRA acts as a foundation for education reforms by supporting strategies which lead to better results for students, long-term benefits for schools and increased effectiveness. The â€Å"Race to the Top† education program provides funds to K-12 public school systems to improve the education system in general (White). The ARRA allocated $91 billion to the program whose main objective was to act as an incentive to encourage states to make positive developments in education (White). These developments include improving high school graduation rates, making significant student achievement and ensuring that students are well prepared for accomplishments in college and in their careers. The following criterion is followed when awarding funds to schools in all states: Formulating and employing high standards and quality assessments The administration encourages states to work together towards a system of conventional academic principles that prepares students towards a college education and careers (White). These are used to assess the students’ thinking skills and critical knowledge. Hiring and retaining good teachers and leaders in schools The program emphasizes on teacher assessment, retention, and compensation to promote and reward efficiency (White). This means that public schools are being pressed to relate teacher compensation to student examination scores. Maintaining data systems that improve instruction and informed decisions The objective of the program is to make data easily accessible to all stakeholders. A data-based approach to assessing the curriculum is effective and minimizes teacher and school district discretion in a ddition to local preferences and state differences (White). Demonstrating and maintaining education reforms The administration aims at advancing collaboration among all stakeholders in the education sector to close achievement gaps and improve students’ performance. The Race to the Top Strategy is in two phases. The first phase started in October 2009 and 10% of the funds were allocated to an initial group of states in 2010 (Colorado the Official State Web Portal). The second phase award proposal for 90% of the funds was in spring in the year 2010 (Colorado The Official State Web Portal). The implementation will take place over a four year period and is expected to improve the overall education system in America. Differences between the Race to the Top Strategy and previous strategies by past Presidents: Bill Clinton and Bush school reform strategy The main difference between Obama’s and Bush’s educational reforms lies in the strategies adopted by the two presid ents. President Obama’s signature education strategy is Race to the Top that is based on the allocation of funds using the test scores of students.

The Structure of the United Nations Essay Example for Free

The Structure of the United Nations Essay The structure of the United Nations is based around its charter. The charter of the UN defines six main organs of the new world body, each with specific tasks and functions. The six main organs are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council, International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. The General Assembly has the right to discuss, debate, and make recommendations on a range of subjects pertaining to international peace and security, including human rights, international law, and peaceful arbitration between disputing nations. General Assembly is the only part of the United Nations that represents all 193 member states, each of which has one vote. Votes taken on important issues require a two-thirds majority of Member States. The General Assembly may elect the nonpermanent members of the Security Council and other bodies such as the Human Rights Council. Also it considers reports from the other four organs of the United Nations, assesses the financial situations of member states, and approves the UN budget. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It can recommend the use of a blockade or other financial impositions for any nation that is deemed as breaking international law. If these do not work, then the Security Council can call on the United Nations to use military force to enforce its will. The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting of five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. The permanent five are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The remaining Security Council members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Each member of the Security Council is given one vote and the votes of nine members are needed for action to be taken. All five permanent members have to agree with the course of action, which is called the veto power. The main task of the Economic and Social Council is to promote and improve the economic and social well-being of those living in the member states. This council deals with human rights and seeks to develop a greater understanding of cultures throughout the world. It basically covers the health, education, economic, social and cultural issues and the promotion of the position of women in the world. Economic and Social Council also consults with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), thereby maintaining a vital link between the United Nations and civil society. Economic and Social Council consists of 54 members elected by the General Assembly, one-third retiring after every three years. Retiring members are eligible for immediate re-election. All decisions of the Council are taken by a majority of those present and voting. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted by States and give advisory opinions on legal questions referred by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. The International Court of Justice is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the General Assembly and the Security Council. It may not include more than one judge of any nationality. The Members of the Court do not represent their governments but are independent magistrates. All members of the United Nations have to agree to abide by the decisions of the ICJ.

Money Saving Tips for College Students Essay Example for Free

Money Saving Tips for College Students Essay As for any college student the usual expenses of; school, personal life, food, entertainment, and leisure activities is enough to make you broke or for most of us, in debt. It is Thursday night and the weekend is here but your wallet is full of bank receipts and there is not any cash to been found. Your friend just told you the agenda for the night which involves; dinner, pre-game, party, and then night club. Chances are your staying in for the night unless you have a hidden supply of cash under your bed. This type of scenario is all too common for most college students, which is why I am going to explain in detail how to save and manage your money more effectively. With becoming better educated on how to manage your money properly you will be shocked at the amount of cash you can save. The following tips will help you to save money in the following areas of your college expenses; money management, organization of money, personal life, decision making, jobs, entertainment, leisure activities, food, dating, tuition, and books. Learning how to manage your money and having the proper knowledge on which banks to use with your money is an important part on saving your money. The following bullets will explain in detail on how to effectively manage your money: 1) Track your expenses – By tracking your expenses for 2 weeks to a month will allow you to have a better understanding where your money is going. Are red bulls at the 7-11 and a cappuccino at Starbucks 4 times a week actually needed? You will tend to realize the amount of money wasted on small items that are not necessary. Just by tracking your expenses you will begin to manage your money more effectively. To keep better and more organized track of your money, using a notebook or quicken are great tools to being better organized. Having good records prevents you from spending what you do not have and from over drafting your account. 2) Budget your money – The best way to manage your money over a period of time is to create a budget. Take the time to sit down and look at your incomes and expenses. Examples of income are scholarships, paycheck if working, loans, money saved throughout summer and money from your family. Examples of expenses are books, food, rent, bills, tuition, and entertainment. Create a list of your incomes and expenses, and then decide a way to budget your money from either week to week or month to month. It is important to pace yourself when putting yourself on a budget. If you spend all of your money in the beginning of the month, you will be stuck eating leftovers from the cafeteria for the last week. In addition, it is important to provide yourself with money for leisure and entertainment. You are a college student, it is refreshing to buy yourself something new or have a good time every once and a while. Putting your money on a budget will help you to manage your money very effectively. Remember, you don’t always have to spend the amount you budget yourself. Also, planning ahead is essential when you are properly managing your money. If you know that soon you will be going on a vacation, paying your car insurance, or just an expensive weekend; placing aside $50 a week is more reasonable than coming up with $400 at once. 3) Choosing a bank – Join a credit union. Credit unions are set up as non-profit so they do not charge those high interest rates and hidden fees as, for example, a Bank of America would. Also, look into online banking, this makes for a fast easy to use way of banking. ) Credit Cards – The most helpful tip that I can give to a college student would be to stay away from credit cards. Do not fall into the traps of free giveaway sign up booths, those guys trying to sign you up are only trying to take your money. The reality is that credit card companies see college students as suckers. That is why credit companies swarm campuses and make getting a credit card so easy. These credit companies also charge a high interest rate on these cards. The average interest rate is 18%; this means you will have to pay back an additional 18% on whatever you may purchase. The higher the interest rate, the harder it will be to pay off your bill. It is like a chain reaction that will just continue to bury you in debt. As you can only afford to pay off the minimum, the interest continues to gain as the bill continues to rise. To avoid this, it is important to avoid the temptations that come with having a credit card and to also try to make more than the minimum monthly payments. Although, having a credit card for emergency situations and to build up your credit for the future can be very beneficial. However, for college students reaching for that Visa can be a very hard habit to break. In addition, credit companies will give you a credit line well higher than what you may need. They may set you at a $5,000 credit limit, when you may only be able to afford $1,000. Just call the credit company and tell them the price you would like your credit line set to. With having a credit card it does not mean you can buy whatever you want. It is important to be realistic and to understand what you can and cannot afford. Most expenses tend to occur in the beginning of the school year. To plan accordingly for this, saving money while working your summer job would help to cut the cost of initial expenses. When coming back to school, books and various items for your apartment/dorm are going to be quite costly. To cut cost on buying books, it is often cheaper to buy books offline or off a friend. Buying books online can be easy and up to half the price that it would be in the bookstore. One downside to buying books online is the amount of time it can take for shipping, so be sure to place your order as early as possible. You may also have some friends who have had the same classes before you, buying a book off a friend who is not going to use it anymore can save you a good amount of money. With having the power of the credit card, it is important to keep a focus on what is important. You want to keep your expenses to either academic or personal essentials. It might seem as if the new PS3 is just the item to place on your credit card, but I can assure you it is not. If this may seem as an essential to you then place aside money each week to save and buy that PS3 with cash. When purchasing anything remember cash is king. For most college students; the pressures of going out on the weekend, taking a girl out to dinner, having the latest technology, and still trying to save money can be quite the challenge. Now remember, you’re in college and on your own now, you don’t have your mother yelling at you to brush your teeth before bed or to clean your room. This is an opportunity for you to begin working on your self-discipline. Having your life in order and maintaining a clear head are two things that college students tend to lose sight of. Making the right decisions when it comes to your personal health and responsibilities is an important part of self-discipline. Within this section of personal life I will relate how staying active, eating healthy, nd enjoying your social life can help you to better manage your money. Everyone is in college to better their future and to get prepared for the real-world, but just as any college student, you want to make the best out of your time here. 1)Staying focused and active – Living in dormitory or even in a house with eight roommates, you become very susceptible to catching different illnesses. By staying active and working out or excising several times throughout the week, your immune system will become stronger and fight off most illnesses. Staying in good shape also helps with increasing self-confidence, energy throughout the day, and keeping your mind active and positively focused. In college it is easier to gain the weight than it is to lose if you fall into the outside pressures of drinking, eating fast food, and sleeping all day. With keeping the self-discipline of staying focused and active it helps to keep a clear head which in return will help you to decide what expenses are important and what is a waste of your money. 2)Healthy diet To stay fit and keep your body in good shape, your diet is just as important as your workout. By going to the grocery store once a week and purchasing vegetables, fruits, meats, beverages, and carbohydrates can help you to save close to an additional $50-$100 a week. Not only is cheaper to purchase food at the grocery store but it is much healthier than ordering out or eating fast food. To cut the cost on buying groceries, divide the cost by you and your roommates, buy and share the food. In addition, you will receive more for your money when you purchase weekly groceries. To get the best prices for quality products, look through the newspaper ads for each supermarket and plan out where you can save the most money. Cut back on buying junk food, it is often expensive and is not healthy. If you do decide to eat out, college towns often have restaurants where you order and serve yourself, this cuts on the cost of leaving a tip. The only problem that some college students might have is that they do not know how to shop at the grocery store or how to cook the food. This is where it might be helpful to make a phone call home and get some instructions from your mother. For those that can cook and shop at the grocery store, this is a great way to get more for your money as well as maintain a healthy diet. )Social life – This is often times confused for the reason as to why you are in college. While it may be easy to fall into the trap of going out every weekend and living the party life it is essential to keep focus as to why you are in college. You are here to get an education and better yourself, not to blow all your money on partying and fail out. This is where the significance of self-discip line and managing your money properly should take first priority. Everyone likes to have a good time and enjoy themselves, it is important to keep things in moderation. Learn to limit your vices or â€Å"stress-relievers† (as some college students say) such as, beer, cigarettes, and etc†¦ These vices can be expensive and costly to your health as well. By keeping to your budget and using the allotted amount you give yourself a weekend you can enjoy yourself and still save money. Here are a couple tips on how to keep the expenses of your weekend nights to a minimum; †¢Have a meal before you leave to go out. Leaving the house/dorm hungry can cost you a lot of money that you may not have. †¢Leave your debit card and wallet home. Only bring the money you can afford for the night and your id. This will help to fight the temptations of buying unnecessary items, especially if you are under the influence. †¢If you have friends that have an unlimited bank account and spend lots of cash, try to avoid them and hang with friends that relate to your financial status. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to enjoy yourself in college. The following is a list of inexpensive activities and entertainment for any guy or girl student who is looking to save money and enjoy their social life as well; †¢Newspapers offer listings of inexpensive or free events that are going to take place in your city/town †¢ Going to matinee movies School events, such as sporting events or clubs †¢Spend a day at the local park, go for a walk or fly a kite †¢Bicycle rides with a friend †¢Spending the afternoon baking and relaxing †¢Grab a couple friends and play sports at the school gym †¢Coffee shops often have free local bands play at night †¢Afternoon flea market †¢Depending on the season, apple or pumpkin picking for Halloween, Christmas shopping, Easter decorating or designing eggs, etc†¦ †¢Art gallery Student newspapers often give listings of free events or activities that are taking place around campus †¢Play video games with friends, create tournaments and play for bragging rights †¢Get involved in intramural sports †¢Ladies usually get into clubs for free and get drink specials †¢Go to bars with no cover charge and that have drink specials Throughout college you are going to meet a number of different people, some you will like more than others, and for those you do, you may find yourself taking him or her out on a date. Now for most people, saving money and dating are two notions that don’t connect. For most, on a first date you try to impress and give off the perception that you are not broke or even worse, cheap. To the disbelief of many, dating does not have to be expensive to be impressive, entertaining and unforgettable. Remember, you are trying to stick to a budget and with all other expenses it is challenging enough. The following bullets will explain how to have fun on a date without spending all your cash. †¢Mother Nature – It is all around us everywhere we go, natural scenery is different at every campus and usually the beauty goes unnoticed. A great idea for when the weather is nice is to take him or her down to Narrangansset or Newport and go for a walk on the beach. Take a walk around city blocks and stop somewhere there is nice view overlooking the city. Take time to find these spots at which ever campus you are, this can be extremely cheap and give quality time to build a better relationship. †¢Picnic A picnic in the local park is always a great idea. Bring sandwiches and beverages, it shows that you took the time to actually prepare something. This costs minimal as to what you spend at a restaurant and can be taken almost anywhere. Depending on the mood you are trying to create, you can make a picnic either casual or romantic by adding a few extra accessories. †¢Sporting events – If you get so lucky to find a woman who is interested in sports, this is a great opportunity to either play a sport together or to watch a sporting event at your school. This also allows you to spend quality time with one another as well as have a good time while saving your money. †¢Experience culture and history – In this city there a number of historical buildings, museums, art galleries, cultural centers and landmarks that are either very cheap or free. Often times, there are exhibits that are off campus that have reduced or free admission for college students. This is good for a date on a more intellectual level and gives time to get to know each other as well as the area you are in. †¢Dinner at home – For those of you who are culinary skilled, this is a great opportunity to impress your date and to save the cost of going out to eat. To make the date more interesting, cook the meal together and combine ideas. After the meal, this is a chance to hang out and watch a movie or play a game. This is a great date idea to impress and really have a good time. Miniature golf/go karts – This makes for a great afternoon date and adds a little excitement. Racing each other and fooling around on the race track provides a fun time for one another. In miniature golf, a friendly competition allows to make things more exciting and to fool around. †¢University events – In the school paper, there are listings of events that are taking place for the following week. Usually events are free or reduced admission, which includes concerts, art exhibits, guest speakers, and plays. This can make for a quality date as well as save you money. †¢Coffee houses – Stop at a local coffee shop to relax and have conversation. Coffee is much cheaper than a meal at a restaurant and provides the relaxed atmosphere to get to know each other better. Also, order a dessert and splitting it provides for a romantic experience. Making Money I’ve saved the best for last. If you can master even one of these, you’ll have a head-start on your friends. Master all four, and you’ll be on the road to wealth. No kidding. †¢Spend less than you earn. Don’t earn much? Then don’t spend much. If your spending and income are roughly even, you have two choices: earn more or spend less. When I was in college, I worked as many as four jobs at once. This gave me a lot of spending cash. (Unfortunately, I didn’t do a good job with the spend less part of the equation. ) †¢Be an outstanding employee. Good work habits can pay enormous dividends, leading to recommendations and contacts that you can use after you’re out of school. Several of my classmates turned work-study jobs into launching pads for future careers. †¢Start your own business. Can you install a hard drive? Can you strip a computer of spyware? Can you perform minor car repairs? Do you have a pickup truck you could use to haul furniture? Are you a passable guitar player? Charge cheap rates and exceed expectations. Word will spread. When you’ve built up a customer base, you can raise your rates a little. This is an awesome way to make money. Learn to invest. Find a discount broker and begin making regular investments. Sharebuilder is a great choice for college students. It costs only $4 to make a scheduled stock purchase, and you can invest any amount of money, even $20. Don’t obsess over the details yet. You can worry about high returns and low fees later. Right now the most important thing is to develop the investment habit. (Ad: Buy Stocks for $4 at ShareBuilder. Ten years from now, you’ll thank yourself. If you can find a way to invest $1000 a year for the next ten years, you can set yourself up for life. Organization and Planning Save your receipts. Put them in a shoebox under your bed if you must, but hold onto them. You’ll need to be able to compare them with statements at the end of the month. And some you’ll need to keep for several years. Guard your vital stats. Don’t give out your social security number or your credit card info except to known and trusted sources. Pay your bills on time. Basic advice, but it’s surprising how many people lose track of things. If you pay your bills as they arrive, you won’t have to worry about forgetting them. Tuition Expenses †¢Try looking for scholarships. You may think that youre no longer eligible for scholarships since youre a college student, but this isnt true. Your school or other foundations may offer scholarship programs that can save you loads of money on college tuition. For further information you may want to try www. findaid. org or www. college-scholarships. com. †¢Shop around for student loans. Just like choosing a credit card company, you should try going to different banks to see what types of interest rates are available. You may want to choose the type of loan that begins charging you interest after youre finished with collegenot the type of loan that charges you interest while youre in school. Other Expenses †¢Shop around for a reasonable cell phone plan. Try to find a plan that works best for the type of calls you make the most. Do you call your family or friends most often? Do you need a long distance plan? Do you text message often? †¢Try filling your prescriptions at your schools health center. Sometimes campus health centers will fill your prescriptions for a fraction of the cost of a regular pharmacy. See a doctor on campus. If you feel sick, you may want to consider seeing a doctor or a nurse practitioner on campus. These services are often free. †¢Bike, walk or take the bus to school. These alternatives may help you save money on gas and alleviate some of the stress you may experience trying to park on campus. †¢Go to the on-campus gym. Access to this gym equipment is usu ally free. If you want to take group classes, however, be prepared to pay a fee. http://www. getrichslowly. org/blog/2006/08/30/27-money-tips-for-college-students/

Cultural Dependency Theory

Cultural Dependency Theory Introduction: There are many reasons to examine the current situation of the world, where a lot of countries are underdeveloped or are developing, and a small portion of the world, which are the Western countries, are relatively rich and developed and rule over the under-developed and developing countries. In this essay, I discuss the Modernisation theory and the Cultural Dependency Theory, how they came into existence and what are their problems. Also, the contributions made by all the countries and trying to develop have not really helped them to a great extent. In this essay, I have also explained why this division is still present and the dependency of the Third World countries on the Western countries. At the end of the essay, I have given the pros and cons of both the theories. International Communication Theory: The Third world countries were highly inferred for development because of the cold war which divided the countries into Eastern countries and western countries. This lasted for more than 50 years. Most of the Third World Nations wanted to avoid the group of countries which had common interest in politics and they wanted to concentrate on getting their population out of the control of the other legal or political restrictions. Third world nations got their name during the cold war which is said to be given by Alfred Sauvy in 1952, who was the French Economic historian. The world was divided between the capitalist first world which was led by the United States, and the communist second world, which was headed by Moscow (Thussu, 2006). The Term Third world was given to the nations who were not included in above mentioned groups (Brandt Commission, 1981; South Commission, 1990) and Asia, Latin America and Africa started a movement of National Liberation. This changed the entire political maps of the world (Thussu, 2006). By 1960, a lot of countries were free from the colonial powers and these new independent states got an opportunity to develop because of International Communication (Thussu, 2006). The New International Economic Order (NIEO) was approved by the UN General Assembly and the UNCTAD, because, the Non-Aligned Movement started demanding fairness in the economy. NIEO had an independent and an egalitarian economic order which was grounded on the principles of equality and was government free which included that, all the members of the country had equal rights to participate in the development process (Thussu, 2006 cit. Hamelink, 1979: 145). The NIEO provided a structure which helped to understand the international relations between the countries based on North-South division. At the same time, New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) also had to be taken into consideration in order to link it with the economic order. The Non-Aligned countries demanded changes in the global economic and informational systems. Juan Somavia, 1976, observed that, The transnational Power structure supported the transnational communication system to develop. This is basically a tool for transmitting values and lifestyles to Third World Countries which provokes the consumption and society which is necessary to the transnational system as a whole. (Somavia, 1976: 16-17) There were a lot of times when the Third World or the developing countries took technical and financial help from the Western or the developed countries as they wanted to use the communication technologies for development. One of the main areas where the developing countries took support from the developed ones was the satellite television. Television was considered to be one of the most powerful and influential medium. It could be used for a lot of purposes like bringing change in the attitudes of the traditional people, educational purposes and modernise societies. Cultural Dependency Theory: Cultural Dependency Theory was emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s in Latin America. It was a criticism of the modernisation theory. This theory was developed in Latin America under the supervision of Raul Prebisch who was the director of United Nations Economic Commission. The main interest in research of Instituto Lationoamericano de Estudios (ILET) which was established in 1976 in Mexico City was to study the Transnational media business, which gave a force to criticise the modernisation theory.(Thussu, 2006) It became necessary to analyse international communication. So dependency theorists directed towards getting a substitute theoretical account (Baran, 1957; Gunder Frank, 1969; Amin 1976). Transnational Communication (TNCs) which was dominated by the North, have control over the governments and over developing countries by setting their personal rules and regulations on global trade which includes dominating labour, market, production and resources. These countries were developing in such a way that the developed countries keep dominating over the developing countries and maintained the need for the developing countries to be dependent on the developed countries (Thussu, 2006). Due to the neo-colonial relationship in which the TNCs controlled the exchange and structure of global markets, the inequality in the south had become wider and deeper whereas the TNCs had strengthened their control over the worlds natural and human resources (Baran, 1957; Mattlelart, 1979, Thussu, 2006). Dependency theorists tried to show the link between modernisation and policies of transnational media (Thussu, 2006). Herbert Schillers idea of cultural imperialism is the most clearly identified one (1969-92). Schiller analysed the links between the transnational business and the dominant states. (Thussu, 2006) The main argument of Schiller was about how the US based transnational corporations weaken the cultural liberty of the developing countries and force them to be dependent on both hardware and software of communication and media. The definition of cultural imperialism by Schiller was, the sum of the process by which a society is brought into the modern world system and how its dominating stratum is attracted, pressured, forced and sometimes bribed into shaping social institutions to correspond to or even to promote, the values and structures of the dominant centre of the system (Schiller, 1976: 9) Schiller argued that new emergent American empire was taking over the European colonial empires like, British, French and Dutch. This was based on the economic, military and informational power. According to him, the US based TNCs are continuously growing and are starting to dominate the global economy. US business and military organisations have got a leading role in the development and control of a new, electronic based global communication system due to the support that economic growth has received from the communication knowledge (Thussu, 2006). USA had the most effective surveillance system as it controlled global satellite communications which was the crucial element in the cold war years (Thussu, 2006). Due to this the dependence on the US increased for communication Technology and investment (Schiller, 1969). All the western goods and services along with the American way of life were promoted when the media programs were imported from the USA which required sponsorship to run . This was a threat to the Southern traditional cultures (Schiller, 1969). He argued in his book, which was republished in 1992 that the domination over the worlds communication of the US increased after the UNESCO failed and the cold war got over. The domination of US over the economy had started decreasing as the TNCs started acquiring important role in international relations changing the cultural imperialism of US into Transnational corporate cultural domination (Schiller, 1992: 39) The other works which show the dominance of the US using cultural imperialism is clearly seen in the Hollywoods relationship with the European movie market (Guback, 1996); US exports television shows to Latin America and influences it greatly (Wells, 1972); Disney comic also have contributed in promoting capitalist values (Dorfan and Mattelart, 1975) and advertising industry has played a role of an ideological instrument (Ewen, 1976; Mattelart, 1991) (cited in Thussu, 2006: 48-49). Oliver Boyd-Barrett noticed one of the most prominent aspects of dependency in international communication in the 1970s as media imperialism. This examines the information and media inequalities between the nations. It analyses the domination of the US over the international media (Boyd-Barrett, 1977). Modernisation Theory: The concept of modernity has become a very general statement. It represents the experience of the western culture on the others. All the global cultures are disapproved to modernity and the concept of cultural imperialism critically evaluates the conclusions in the critique of modernity (Tomlinson, 1991). A philosophical notion in the years after the war was that international communication is an important part in order to modernise and develop the Third world nations. The notion was that international communication can be used to spread modernity among the newly independent countries and that it will help to transform the traditional societies of the developing countries. It was also used to transfer the hypothetical description of economic and political entity of the developed countries.   Modernisation theory is an attempt to provide a support for the development policies which was created by the western countries. These development policies were supported towards the Third world countries which were still getting out of the rule of the stronger countries and were getting independent. This theory is just an attempt to explain the economic under-development of the Third world nations by focusing on the development which can be done with a process which is determined by the societys internal features. Vincent Mosco points out: The Modernisation Theory was meant to reconstruct the international division of labour amalgamating the non-Western world into the emerging international structural hierarchy (1996: 121). Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Simmel and Tonnies and others came up with their own theories keeping in mind the dramatic changes in the European societies due to the modern world. There was an agreement between the theorists which was based on the political spectrum and all of them thought that the world had more than one possible meaning in the capacity to deliver fulfilment and happiness. Modernity was associated with enlightenment and was suppose to free the people from the control of another person or any legal or political restrictions. But modernity failed to deliver complete freedom. Modernisation includes economic scientific and technical development that is very closely related to the capitalist market. But Bermans, in his book All that is solid melts into air talks about the notion of self development. The main aim of his book is to explain that cultural condition of modernity stood still and lapsed during the twentieth century. He also aims to fix the serious problem which was closely linked to the possibilities of dangers along with the enthusiasts and enemies of the modern life which was found during the nineteenth century. (Berman, 1983) According to the Frankfurt School theorists the main issue of modernity was the injustices by the capitalist system or social intolerance by a bigot or of the ideology of possessive individualism (Tomlinson, 1991). Horkheimer and Adorno critiqued the modernisation theory by comparing it with the so called rational institutions. The main task of modernisation theory is to set people free, but the history and past politics show that this theory failed to do their task effectively (Tomlinson, 1991). According the Berman, people living in the twentieth century do not know how to live a modern life and missed of broken the connection between the culture and lives. He describes modernisation as a set of historical processes due to which the experience of modernity evolves. He claims that modernity is one of the most difficult, anxious and uncertain place to live, but ultimately it is the world where people live and people can master the cultures of the place where they live. At one point of time, he mentions about the Third World nations and discusses that the governments of those countries are trying to protect their people from modernisation which is being imposed by the West. He says that if the culture which is being imposed by the west is really not used by the Third World nations then will they consume so much energy? The governments of the Third world nations call the West as aliens. But they do not understand the fact that they are their own peoples energies, desires and cr itical spirit. When these governments say that they do not want the Western Countries to impose any kind of cultures in their nations, they are trying to say that, they have managed to keep the political and spiritual influence on the people. Also they do not realise that once the people become more aware of things going around them, modernist spirit will be one of the first things to be adapted by the people. The governments of the Third World Nations are fighting against each other in order to keep their tradition alive among the people, which had no result at the end. He also says that Third world governments think that they are being enforced upon by the western countries by accumulating a lot of capital or are being forced to break into parts. He suggests that people have to adapt to a place in which nothing can be taken for granted. Media is just one form of medium which helps to spread the experience of modernity. But according to another theorist, Peter Berger, 1974, modernisation is not a one way journey which rectifies human self understanding. He explains this concept with the help of a story of a visitor who visited the villages of Tanzania. People living in these villages belonged to different Tribes but are now living very co-operatively. This was one of the communities which were transferring from tradition to modernity. The visitor asked someone; whether they still practice their personal tribal dances. The answer was, yes, and it is done once or twice a year on any special occasion. He also added that this is done so that it becomes easy for the people to understand one another better. (Berger, 1974).It is clearly seen that there is a process of political-economic which is enforced upon the Third world nations as they are very closely connected with their traditions and colonialism which has become a history for the Western nations and still are in a position to dominate over the Thi rd world nations (Tomlinson, 1991). Castoriadis, 1985, mentions that the West will continue to conquer the world even if it was going to be destroyed materially (Castoriadis, 1985). So when Berman says that the Third World cultures need to be modernised, he means not just in terms of objective structures of the capitalist markets, urbanism, but also in terms of a narrative with a clear beginning keeping in mind the cultures of the west. His view of modernity means that it is full of forces like the dynamic and development forces which means that the Western cultures are being imposed on the Third world nations in order to modernise and develop their countries. But Castoriadis has a different opinion. He accepts individuals have their own priorities and have their personal institutional forces towards modernity. The kind of institutions we develop in order to become powerful does not come from external forces of humanity but it comes from within through the social imaginary (Tomlinson, 1991). Habermass view on modernity is completely different from that of Bermans. Habermas thinks that modernity is a way of making someone poor culturally, whereas Berman thinks that there are forces which drive people towards modernity (Tomlinson, 1991). Cultural Dependency Theory v/s Modernisation Theory: The gap between the ruling and the working class increased which combined with regular recession to create dissatisfaction among the working class (McPhail, 2009). In order to fight for their rights, working class started forming groups such as unions (McPhail, 2009). Stevenson criticised this theory by using the dependency literature which was notable for an absence of clear definitions of fundamental terms like imperialism and an almost total lack of empirical evidence to support the arguments (Stevenson, 1988: 38). A lot of other theorists argued that it did not consider the media form and the role played by the audience (Thussu, 2006). Those involved in a cultural studies approach to the analysis of international communication argued that, like other cultural artefacts, media texts could be polysemic and were amenable to different interpretations by audiences who were not merely passive consumers, but active participants in the process of negotiating meaning (Fiske, 1987, cited in Thussu, 2006: 49). It was also noticed by the theorists that cultural imperialism thesis did not consider issues as how global media texts worked in national contexts, ignoring local patterns of media consumption (Thussu, 2006: 49). Cultural Dependency theory also failed to explain the effects of the cultural products distributed by the US around the world. Also, cultural imperialism failed to give attention to the complexities of the Third World cultures and assumed a hypodermic-needle model (Sreberny-Mohammadi, 1991, 1997). It was also argued that western scholars did not have deep knowledge about the Third world cultures. They had extremely limited knowledge and not being aware of diversities such as race, gender, class, religion and ethnicity. Very few systematic studies have been conducted by the southern scholars on cultural and ideological effects on western media on the audiences of the south (Thussu, 2006).One of the major issues of this theory was that it did not consider the role of the national elites, especially elites living in the developing countries (Thussu, 2006). Modernisation Theory had promised to deliver the social and economic change which failed miserably (McPhail, 2009). Therefore, three other theories were developed which looked at the development communication which were totally different and directed in a different way, which were, Cultural imperialism, Participatory communication and Entertainment-Education Theory (McPhail, 2009). Social and cultural theory does not agree with the core of modernity. Also this theory was criticised to a great degree because of its ideological basis, lack of clarity and it is a subject which is ignorant to many and it fails to exercise good judgement. This theory ignores the external determinants of underdevelopment like the exploitation of the Third world countries when they were being ruled by the Western countries. This theory ignores these factors and assumes that the Third World nations are progressing independently and are becoming modern on their own. In order for the Third world nations to progress they needed help from the Western countries as there was a lot of poverty, inadequate resources, lack of social provisions and political instability in the Third world nations. Modernisation Theory ignores all the disapprovals and expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context which was addressed by the classical theorists (Tomlinson, 1991). In this theory, the traditional cultures, media habits, language, religion of the developing countries were not included, and were totally ridiculed and ignored (McPhail, 2009). One of the clear criticisms on this theory is that the American policy was to commit to free flow the information to the world and all the nations fell into the trap and gave immense support to this statement which was assumed to be true (McPhail, 2009). Scholars from the developing countries argued that the developing countries were not the beneficiaries of this theory, which was meant for them, but the western countries who created it were only getting benefitted out of this theory as it helped the companies to grow and establish in the Third world and could find their new consumers of their products (Thussu, 2009). A lot of people in the Third World remained poor and under developed, even after adapting themselves to modernisation theory and by the mid 70s, they started talking about the passing of the dominant paradigm (Rogers, 1976: 3).Slowly, when the US realised that the Southern nations are looking at them with suspicion, they stopped their free flow of information and became the one at the receiving end which at the end became a one way flow of information (McPhail, 2009). This matter was going to be brought up in the debate of the UNESCO in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the US president, Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher withdrew from UNESCO in order to protest against NWICO. Different opinions resulted in creating two streams, one of which was the outline of cultural imperialism by Herbert Schiller and the NWICO debate and fallout. This resulted in making a particular culture homogenous, that is the American popular culture, which is been mass produced (McPhail, 2009). Due to these reasons, the theorists of modernisation theory realised that this theory needs to be redeveloped (Thussu, 2006). The revised modernisation theory gives greater notice to the local elites (Thussu, 2006). But even in the revised version, western technology remains important. According to Thussu, 2006, Modernisation requires advanced telecommunication and computer infrastructure, preferably through the efficient private corporations, thus integrating the South into a globalized information economy (Thussu, 2006: 46) Despite of all the criticism done on dependency theory, cultural imperialism thesis have been extremely influential in international communication (Tomlinson, 1991; Thompson, 1995). This particular thesis was extremely important and needed during the heated argument during the NWICO debates in UNESCO and other international fora in the 1970s (Thussu, 2006). While criticising this thesis, John Thompson, 1995, concluded that this research is probably the only systematic and moderately plausible attempt, to think about the globalisation of communication and its impact on the modern world (Thompson, 1995: 173). Theorists, who defend this theory, argued that the critics of this theory often take the notion which is totally not in reference to the theory and it is completely abstract (Mattelart and Mattelart, 1998). There were a lot of changes in the debate of international communication which reflected the language of privatisation and liberalisation in the 1990s, media and cultural dependency theories became less eminent but their relevance was very visible all around (Golding and Harris, 1997; Thussu, 1998; Hackett and Zhao, 2005 and Hamm and Smandych, 2005 cited in Thussu, 2006: 50) Boyd-Barrett rightly argues that media imperialism has not included variables, such as gender, media relations and ethnic issues, so it is still a very useful theory to understand of what he terms the colonisation of communication space (Boyd-Barrett. 1998: 157). References: 1. Amin, S. (1976) Accumulation on a world scale: a critique of the theory of underdevelopment. New York: Monthly Review Press. 2. Baran, P. (1957) The political economy of growth. New York: Monthly Review Press. 3. Berman. M (1983) All that is solid melts into air: the experience of modernity. London, verso, pp. 15 4. Boyd-Barrett, O. (1977) Media Imperialism: towards an international framework for the analysis of media systems. In J.Curran, M. Gurevitch and J. Woolacott (eds), Mass Communication and society. London: Edward Arnold. 5. Boyd-Barrett, O. (1998) Media imperialism which was developed again. In. D. Thussu (ed.), Electronic empires. London: Arnold. 6. Brandt Commission (1981) North-South: a programme for survival. The report of the Independent Commission on International Development Issues under the chairmanship of Willi Brandt, London: Pan Books. 7. Castoriadis, C. (1985) Reflections on rationality and development, thesis eleven, no. 10/11, pp. 21. 8. Golding, P. And Harris, P. (eds) (1997) The political economy of the media 2 vols, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. 9. Gunder Frank, A. (1969) Capitalism and underdevelopment in Latin America. New York. Monthly Review Press. 10. Hackett, R. A and Zhao, Y. (eds) (2005) Democratizing global media: one world, many struggles. Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield. 11. Mattelart, A. (1979) Multinational corporations and the control of culture. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press. 12. Mattelart, A. and Mattelart, M. (1998) Theories of communication: a short introduction. London: Sage. 13. McPhail, T. (2009) Development Communication Reframing the role of the media. London. Blackwell Publishing. 14. Mosco, V. (1996) The political economy of communication: rethinking and renewal. London: Sage. 15. Berger, P. (1974) Pyramids of sacrifice, Harmondsworth, Allen lane, pp. 197-8 16. Rogers, E. (1976) Communication and DevelopmentL the passing of a dominant paradigm. Communication Research, 3. 17. Schiller, H. (1969) Mass Communication and American Empire. New York: Augustus M. Kelley.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Second revised and updated edition published by Westview Press in 1992. 18. Schiller, H. (1976) Communication and cultural domination. New York: International Arts and sciences press, 9. 19. Somavia, J. (1976) The Transnational Power Structure and International Information. Development Dialogue, 2:   16-17. 20. South Commission (1990) The challenge of South: the report of the South Commission. Geneva: the South Centre. 21. Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1991) The global and the local in international communication. In J. Curran and M. Gurevitch (eds), Mass Media and Society. London: Edward Arnold. 22. Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1997) The many cultural phases of imperialism. In P. Golding and P. Harris (eds), Beyond cultural imperialism. London: Sage. 23. Stevenson, R. (1988) Communication, development and the Third World: the global politics of information. London: Longman. 38. 24. Thussu, D. K (ed.) (1998) Electronic empires: global media and local resistance. London: Arnold. 25. Thussu, D. K (2006) International Communication- Continuity and Change (2nd Ed) Great Britain: Hodder Education. 26. Thussu, D. K (2006) Approaches to theorizing international communication. In: International Communication- Continuity and Change (2nd Ed) Great Britain: Hodder Education. Pp. 46. 27. Thussu, D. K (2006) Approaches to theorizing international communication. In: International Communication- Continuity and Change (2nd Ed) Great Britain: Hodder Education. Pp. 48-49. 28. Thussu, D. K (2006) Approaches to theorizing international communication. In: International Communication- Continuity and Change (2nd Ed) Great Britain: Hodder Education. Pp. 49. 29. Thussu, D. K (2006) Approaches to theorizing international communication. In: International Communication- Continuity and Change (2nd Ed) Great Britain: Hodder Education. Pp. 50. 30. Thompson, J. (1995) The media and modernity: a social theory of the media. Cambridge: Polity. 31. Tomlinson, J. (1991) Cultural Imperialism- a critical introduction. Great Britain. Pinter Publishers Ltd.

Progressive Era: The Era of Immigration, Race, and Women’s Rights Essay

Introduction: The Progressive era was a period of reform in American history that spanned roughly from the 1890s to the 1920s. Prohibitions, segregation, women's suffrage and immigration arose during this time, like many of the social reforms that shape the way we live and work today. The progressive era in the United States one of the most important times in history with brought permanent changes to the American ways of living. All of these and other factor were vital for the creation of a new American society. Be Gender roles: At the beginning of the 20th century the United States starts to leave behind the old ideas of the 19th century concerning the separate, and indeed distinct natures of men and women, which were more, standardized at the pick of the industrialization which defined merchandize labor as the â€Å"job of men,† and the domestic duties as the natural domain of woman. At this time, the relationships with men and women and of both in society stated to generate a big change thanks to the rapid change that industrialization was creating in society, which provokes a rebirth a new believe an practice of the traditional render roles. In the early 20’s women felt that they were lacking participation in their own communities, which alienated them from providing any type of influence in their own society. For this lack in participation women felt that they needed to take action. Voting was one of the first symbolic movements that women saw as a passage to gain all of the rights that they were denied. During this part the gran majority of men did not think that it was a good idea to support women for various reasons. One of the first reasons was that women were larger number of citizen at the time. Also men thought that t... ...emigration. Garvey wanted African Americans to unify and create a central government centered in homeland Africa where they were supposed to build â€Å"a great industrial and commercial commonwealth.† He wanted â€Å"every negro to make the dream of possibility.† His idea was to buy steamships to take people and goods to Africa where they were going to create a new history were I didn’t start with the slaves. Garvey is still significant till this day big figures like Martin Luther King and Malcon X were influence by his ideal. Conclusion: To conclude, the progressive Era was a time where these three main themes generated in a society that was hungry for progression. It is very important to remember that all of these changes in the late 19th century and the early 20th century were not secluded from each other; instead these developments were all interlined with each other.

Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essa

â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† is a gothic horror novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson in the Victorian era. The novella follows a well-respected doctor - Henry Jekyll - and his struggle between good and evil when he takes a potion and becomes Mr Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson - the author of the novella â€Å"The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde†- was born in Edinburgh in 1850 and died at the young age of forty-four. He wrote the book in 1886. As a child he was very close to his nurse and when he was ill she used to read him Bible stories as he was brought up in a strict Catholic tradition, which he later rebelled against. This led to his fascination for his city’s low life and for bizarre characters, which proved rich material for later stories. Deacon Brodie lived in Edinburgh in the eighteenth century. His double life is thought to have been the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson to write â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde†. Deacon Brodie lived an extravagant lifestyle, which even his high position in Edinburgh society could not support, so he turned to crime to finance his lifestyle. This concept of a doppelganger - a shadow of a different side of a human - was used in â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† to create the same effect. Stevenson may also have found inspiration from a book, called â€Å"Frankenstein† by Mary Shelley as it is of the gothic horror genre just like Stevenson’s book. A gothic horror story contains a plot hinged on suspense and mystery, which often involves the supernatural. Another writer, who may have influenced Stevenson’s writing, is Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Within Stevenson’s gothic horror story - â€Å"Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde† - suspense is added by the descrip... ...nerable. He portrays evil to be strong, as you only think of yourself and what you want, and this is why Hyde attempts to take over Jekyll. Although Hyde seems to take over Jekyll there is still a part of Jekyll there, which makes Hyde take the potion to become Jekyll again, so that he can then end the evil of the beast he created which also means ending his life too. In conclusion I feel Stevenson has successfully portrayed evil through his characters, setting and language. I enjoyed the different ways it suggests evil and I believe Robert Louis Stevenson has accomplished his aim to write a gothic horror book and â€Å"The Strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is truly a book of its time as creating an evil side that, if made subject to, would alter normal civilized behaviour and conduct horrific violence was unheard of at the time the book was published.

The Classic Period in Music :: essays research papers

Getting it's name from art history, the classic period in music extends from 1740 to 1810 and includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, the first period of Beethoven, and Bach's sons. The classical period of music coordinated harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively then earlier periods of music. During the classical era the social function of music began to change from earlier aristocratic and religious connections toward more public and secular activities associated with the middle class. The rise of public concerts, the spread of commercial opera houses, the growth of music publishing, the increased number of musical pieces composed and played were all direct effects of the changing musical times. Among the many musical types of the period, the classical period is best known for the symphony, a form of a large orchestral ensemble. The symphonic pieces generally had three movements, the sonata, the minuet, and the finale. Building of the achievements of earlier composers, Haydn, and Mozart brought the symphony to it's peak in the last 20 years of the 18th century. Haydn excelled in rhythmic drive and development of theme-based music. Mozart also added to the symphony by contrasting memorable lyric themes in very full sounding orchestral settings. To satisfy the middle-class amateur, classic composers supplied a ton of new chamber music for all imaginable combinations. The piano sonata became a very important form of chamber music, especially after being refined by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. After 1765, the string quartet began to increasingly dominate the chamber music field. Unlike the concertos of the baroque period, the classic era mainly emphasized the solo concerto. The choice of solo instrument, however, was somewhat broader then in the baroque era. There was more of a trend during the classical period towards keyboard concertos. This style was originated in North Germany, by C.P.E. Bach, and gradually spread to other areas. Mozart took the concerto to its greatest heights. "His incomparable ability to weave the complex strands of the concerto fabric without entangling or obscuring either soloist or orchestra has never been surpassed.

History Of Pop Music Essay

The term â€Å"pop song† is first recorded as being used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music â€Å"having popular appeal†. Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. Pop is short for popular, and it’s remained the defining term for the ever-changing music favoured by the public. Although not specifically applied until the middle of the 20th century, pop music as such can be traced by a few decades before that. Things changed with the advent of recording, early in the 20th century. With that, music had the chance to be much more widely disseminated. Records, played at 78 rpm on wind-up gramophones, were relatively cheap. In America, that led to a breed of professional songwriters in New York who wrote pieces intended to be recorded and sell well – Tin Pan Alley. They were largely hacks, but did produce some beautiful material. The first major pop stars as such were the crooners of the 1930s and ’40s. Bing Crosby sold millions of records, as did Frank Sinatra (arguably the first modern pop star, with screaming teenage female fans – the bobbysoxers), and in Britain, Al Bowly. Curiously, pop music charts as such didn’t exist until 1952, when the first Top Twenty was recorded. It came at an interesting time, as â€Å"teenagers† really came into being. Historically there’d been no transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Now, after World War II, that seemed to begin, imported from America, and in skiffle, an interpretation of American folk music (personified by Lonnie Donegan), teens found their music. Rock’n’roll brought much more of that, and Elvis Presley became a global star, the biggest of the late 1950s and early 1960s. But he would find himself supplanted by the Beatles, who revolutionised pop by writing their own material, instigating a fashion that remains undiminished. The Beatles set the standard for pop music, and it remains undiminished – Beatlesque has become a standard descriptive adjective. From 1962 until their break up in 1970 they dominated the charts in Britain and America. The Beatles influenced a generation – more than one, really – with their melodies and harmonies, and that was apparent in the 1970s, when pop careened through several styles, from the Glam Rock of T.  Rex to the raw fire of punk. But the biggest pop star to emerge from the period was a singer and pianist, Elton John, whose popularity has remained constant. The idea of artists writing their own material remained in the wake of the Fab Four, although professional songwriters stayed in demand for those unable to pen a tune. From the early days of rock there had been â€Å"manufactured† stars – people taken on board for a pretty face rather than any innate talent, and made into stars by producers. It had happened to Adam Faith, Alvin Stardust and many others, most of whom only enjoyed short careers. The 1980s proved a moribund decade for pop. Styles came and went, but it was an era short on memorable music. Only Wham! (and later George Michael) emerged as true pop stars. The 1990s was the time of boy bands, perhaps the ultimate in manufactured acts. A group of young male singers was assembled for their looks, given catchy songs and arrangements and pushed to fame. It happened to East 17 and, most memorably, Take That. America saw how it worked and gave the world the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync, and for a few years it worked very well, selling millions of records. But like any fashion, it passed. A female version, the Spice Girls, was briefly huge. Notably, the only ones to come out of this and sustain a solo career was Robbie Williams from Take That and Justin Timberlake from ‘N Sync. America tried a similar tactic with female pop stars, and both Mariah Carey and Britney Spears became massive manufactured stars, followed, to a lesser degree, by Christina Aguilera.