Friday, November 15, 2019

How Effective is the Internet for Meeting People?

How Effective is the Internet for Meeting People? How effective is the internet as a means of meeting new people? Examine the successes and failures of internet dating. Background History: In recent years ‘internet dating’ has become very popular for a number of reasons, mainly due to its ease and convenience. In a world where single people often have little time to socialise and find it hard to meet like minded people the internet has provided a link to the world of dating and romance. The scope of people it appeals to is far reaching with men and women of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities interested. The number of internet dating sites is continually growing and has become a very successful and effective business. It is estimated that around 6 million people in Britain belong to an internet dating site. Certainly the stigma which was attached to internet dating a few years ago seems to have passed. (University of Bath Study, 2005) Statistics show that internet dating is big business with leading sites such as Yahoo Personals and Match.com drawing in 4.9 million visitors and 4.2 million visitors respectively in January 2004 alone. (Blazier, 2004) Research: So just how successful is internet dating as a means of meeting new people?   Leading internet dating company match.com was launched in 1995 and estimates that through their site hundreds of thousands of relationships have been formed. Moreover, match.com estimates that over 200,000 members found the person they were seeking through the site. (match.com, 2005) In 2004 a survey was set up by the Weddingchannel.com with results again indicating high success rates for internet dating. The study found that 12% of the 4743 couples registered had met on dating websites. The study also discovered than over 70% of those who had met their partners through internet dating sites were happy to openly admit this to friends and would recommend internet dating to the people around them. (match.com, 2005) Furthermore, a recent and crucially, an independent research study has also concluded that internet dating is officially a successful way of meeting new people and forming friendships or romance attachments and summarises that online dating can indeed be a success for many people. The University of Bath in conjunction with Dr Gavin, Dr Scott and Dr Duffield, carried out an online survey of 229 people aged between 18-65 who had previously used internet dating sites.   The study   (2005)   found that when couples who had spent time forming friendships through emailing or chatting online met for the first time, 94% of them went on to see one another again. Of these relationships formed, on average they lasted for approx 7 months, with 18% of them lasting for over a year. Such figures are in line with relationships formed in more traditional ways. (University of Bath Study, 2005) The study also brought up a number of other interesting facts; the degree to which the couples interacted before meeting up seemed to play a vital role in the success of the relationship. For example, those who talked on the telephone before meeting up and those who chatted simultaneously online (as opposed to simply emailing) were found to have formed ‘deeper’ and more emotional attachments. Similarly, those couples who exchanged gifts before meeting up seemed to form deeper and more committed relationships. The study concluded that simultaneous communication forms more of an intimacy. Interestingly, the research showed that men were generally more likely to be committed to the relationship than the women, and tended to be more dependent upon the women. One explanation for this was the fact that perhaps men felt more comfortable with the anonymity which writing brings as it gave them a chance to express their emotions more easily than they would have been able to face to face. It seems that likewise webcams were not viewed as desirable or successful with anonynimity being preferred. Dr Gavin (Author of Research Study) stated that; â€Å"We also found people are shying away from using webcams because they feel its important not to see their partners for some time – there is something special about text-bases relationships.† (University of Bath Study, 2005) Of all the relationships studied, 39% of the couples were still together at the time of the survey, and of these 24% of the couples had been together for at least a year, and 8% for at least 2 years. Of the relationships which had ended, 14% had lasted for over a year, and 4% had lasted over 2 years. (University of Bath Study, 2005) Successes: Invariably there are always going to be people who are more successful at meeting others than some. Many suggest there is a lot you can do to maximise the success of your internet dating experience. For example, the first thing you need to do is produce a great profile to post online. Dating websites such as the Singlescafe.net express the importance of posting a photo alongside your profile, preferable a happy one! This helps ensure people take the trouble to actually read your profile if they like the look of you. The information in your profile should be kept simple and honest. Good grammar and spelling is also a must. (Dr Black, 2003) DatingDirect.com like many of its rivals offers advice on dating tips and how to find a successful relationship. They suggest that you become a ‘go-getter’ and don’t just wait for others to respond to your profile but actively seek out profiles of like minded members and beginning posting immediately. The theory obviously being that the more people you respond to, the more likely to are you find someone suitable. Obviously for the highest chances of success you should be contacting people who appeal to you, particularly in terms of their hobbies and interests as well as their location. Similarly, they advise that you should respond quickly to members who have contacted you. You should not worry about seeming to eager, good manners win out here. These tips they argue maximise your potential of successfully meeting people and forming a relationship through internet dating. There are obviously many happy stories of both relationships and friendships formed through internet dating. It gives people an opportunity they may not have had otherwise for many reasons. For example some personal success stories follow: â€Å".I was very sceptical at first, not really thinking it would work. Anyway I decided ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’ and sent 6 emails, I received 4 replies, Becky was one of themsince I last contacted you Becky and I have got engaged, we are so happy†¦. meeting Becky has made my life complete.† Graham (http://app6.datingdirect.com/public/success/feedback.asp) â€Å"What a brilliant service, I have found the girl of my dreams and we are now going strong. Keep up the good work!†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Patrick   (http://app6.datingdirect.com/public/success/feedback.asp) â€Å"I met my wife on a dating website. We married last April and are expecting our first baby this April. We couldnt be happier. Ive met the love of my life. My soul mate. I would recommend dating websites to anyone. They do work.† Adam Stevenson, Plaistow, West Sussex, England(BBC News Page, 2005) Certainly for shy people or those who fear rejection the internet has opened up a new world. They can contact people who are in the same position as them without fear.   Failures: Aswell as the success stories there also seem to be some failures. At the very least there are a number of common pitfalls to internet dating. While most subscribers will desire a large number of responses to their profile, this can actually backfire on you if you end up receiving far to many to cope with. Conway (from Askmen.com) discusses how he once received 56 responses to his profile and found this rather overwhelming, meaning he had to spend a huge amount of time replying to all the women and basically often repeating what he had said and asking the same questions over again as he couldn’t keep on top of the correspondence; â€Å"I cant tell you how many times Ive been embarrassed because I asked a woman the same question four or five times.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice_100/102c_dating_tips.html) Likewise, it can be a disappointment to some who do not receive as many responses to their profiles as expected. On a more serious note its important to be aware of the dangers of internet dating as a means of meeting people. The main concern for the user is that the person they are contacting is not who he/she says they are and what they are telling you is not true. There is no way to monitor this and it is purely down to human judgement and experience. A bad experience may put you off internet dating for good. Dating sites urge a strong need for caution. One of the biggest pitfalls of internet dating seems to be the issue of whether all of the users are infact single. It is very common that many people will claim to be divorced or single when infact they are not. The internet is an easy way to cheat for these people with little of the risks involved were they to meet someone in a more conventional sense. Jennifer describes her personal unhappy experience of internet dating: â€Å"I tried it a long time ago, but the men I met were all, without exception. control-freaks, psychos and/or chauvinists, and usually married. From a personal point of view, I’d say avoid it like the plague, but if it is all you have got, be very, very careful. It is far too common an occurrence that women get caught in dangerous situations using the world wide web.† Jennifer, UK (BBC News Page, 2005) In agreement that internet dating is not a viable option to forming new relationships Sarah say; â€Å"Internet dating never works. You can be sure that if a person says one thing to you, they are saying the exact same thing to someone else.† Sarah UK (BBC News Page, 2005) Sadly too, often many con artists will use internet dating sites in order to attract people who may be wealthy. Advice suggests you should never reveal anything financial about yourself and most certainly never offer to help someone out with money. There is also the issue of age with the minimum age being 18; however, again there is no way to verify this. Similarly, there is no true way of knowing until you meet up whether that photo posted in the profile is really a genuine one. If you meet up with someone who has deliberately misled you the experience of internet dating is unlikely to be a successful one. (www.bol.ucla.edu/~jbred/Dangers.htm) There are also risks involved when the internet dater takes the next step and decides to meet up with the person they have been chatting with. While most meetings will at the very least be harmless ones its important to be aware that the person you are meeting could be dangerous or unstable. The advice given is to always meet in a public place, maybe even bring along a friend. Never meet in a private place where you will be alone and never give out your home address to a stranger. The chances of meeting someone dangerous are not high but awareness is needed. (www.bol.ucla.edu/~jbred/Dangers.htm) Conclusion: Whilst it is clear that internet websites are becoming increasingly popular in a society where people find it difficult to socialise and date in a more conventional fashion, it is somewhat unclear just how successful internet dating is for meeting people, or more importantly, in meeting the ‘right’ person and forming long term attachments. Whilst researching the information I have found that there are numerous stories and experiences which support the idea that internet dating in indeed a very successful way of meeting people, however, there are an awful lot of people who say it has been unsuccessful for them. I think it is important to consider the aspect of ‘luck’ in internet dating just as you would in traditional dating. Despite this, however, the internet obviously opens up a wide potential for meeting people and therefore logic would argue that with access to more potential partners it is more likely you may meet the one who is destined for you. Certainly for many people who otherwise would not have even been on the dating scene the internet opens up huge possibilities and success can definitely be found. Infact I would conclude that whilst there are both successes and failures to be found, the majority of the somewhat slim available research on the topic does strongly suggest that the internet is a successful way of meeting people. Certainly all the internet dating sites will agree with this statement and offer and display numerous personal success stories, but more importantly, an independent study carried out by the University of Bath strongly indicated that many long lasting relationships were formed through this method of dating and that couples had as good a chance of staying together as relationships formed in more traditional settings. It must be noted again that the research on this topic is still slim and the study was not a major one but nevertheless evidence available overall strongly suggests that internet dating is a success. Certainly there are ways in order to make internet dating more successful for you and I discussed these earlier. There are also pitfalls to internet dating again discussed earlier. The key seems to be to persevere just as you would in any other dating scenario and the outcome looks good. Bibliography: -Datingdirect.com, Dating Tips, available from http://app6.datingdirect.com/public/help/datingtips.asp (accessed on 12/03/05) -Datingdirect.com, Members Feedback, available from http://app6.datingdirect.com/public/success/feedback.asp (accessed on 12/03.05) -University of Bath Study, 14th Feb 2005, available from  Ã‚   http://www.bath.ac.uk/pr/releases/internet-dating.htm (accessed on 12/3/05) -Jones, Techniques of successful internet daters, available from http://www.girl-dating-tips.com/articles/Techniques_of_Successful_Internet_Daters.shtml (accessed on 12/3/05) Dr Black, The Internet Cafà ©, Internet Dating: How to be successful and safe, 2003 available from http://www.singlescafe.net/internet_dating.html (accessed on 12/3/05) -Blazier, Internet dating service blissfully successful in lasting relationships, March 6th 2004, available from http://www.eharmony.com/core/eharmony?cmd=community-internet-dating-service (accessed on 12/3/05) -Ambit Gambit, Internet Dating: Looking for love in all the wrong places, April 30th 2004, available from http://ambit-gambit.nationalforum.com.au/archives/000254.html (accessed on 12/03.05) -AskMen.com, Dating and love, available from http://www.askmen.com/dating/dating_advice_100/102_dating_tips.html (accessed on 12/03/05) -BBC News Page, Online dating good for romance, 14th February 2005, available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4250281.stm (accessed on 12/03/05) -The dangers on internet dating, 21st March 2003, available from http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~jbred/Dangers.htm (accessed on 12/03/05) -Match.com, More married and engaged couples meet on match.com than any other dating website, February 8th 2005, available from   http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050208/nytu177_1.html (accessed on 13/03/05)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Hardys Tess of the dUrbervilles :: Tess of the dUrbervilles Essays

Tess of the d'Urbervilles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through life people may fault, or get on the wrong side of the tracks. Yet hopefully they keep faith and then willingly they may recoup and redeem themselves by recovering. Many believe that, Tess in, Tess of the d'Urbervilles was a great example of this. In Hardy's Victorian age novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, he illustrates casual wrong, the will to recover, the growth of love, and death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Almost everybody has done something casually wrong and not think much of it, many call this indifferent nature. Tess is no stranger to casual wrong. Throughout her life indifferent nature has occurred. Her parents were not the greatest of parents. She had a tough life, she was poor. When she met Alec d'Urberville, she was considerate and kind, but later on Alec took advantage of her and seduced her in a forest called the Chase,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "He knelt and bent lower, till her breath warmed his   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      face, and in a moment his cheek was in contact with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      hers. She was sleeping soundly, and upon her   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  eyelashes there lingered tears." 1 She then later fell in love with Angel, and married him. Angel found out about Tess' past experience with Alec, and he could not forgive her, even though it was all Alec's doing. Thus it is clear that casual wrong follows her and yet the wrong is not made by her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tess' true strength is her determination to overcome her misfortunes. When the Durbeyfields' horse, Prince died, Tess took control of the situation of the horse's death and the beehive delivery. She takes care of the kids and she had done well in school, even though Tess seems to go nowhere. Also when she leaves her job of taking care of the flock at the d'Urberville household, because of her experience with Alec, it showed she tried to take control of the situation. Even when Alec was following her home on his carriage asking her why she left,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   'Her lip lifted slightly, though there was little scorn, as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   a rule, in her large and impulsive nature. "I have said I   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   will not take anything more from you, and I will not-I   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   cannot! I should be your creature to go on doing that,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and I won't"' 2 Indeed it is shown that Tess has a very strong will to recover.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Modern Technology Essay

Information technology is playing an increasingly important role in the work and personal lives of citizens. Computers, communications, digital information, software – the constituents of the information age – are everywhere. There is though, a considerable number of people that are really concerned about the changes that modern technology implies, stating that it embodies potential risks to social values, freedoms, and relationships and this is what Sherri Turkle also states in her Forbes magazine article ‘Can You Hear Me Now? . I must agree with Turkle’s point of view that technology, along with all the positive aspects it brought into people’s lives, it also brought loneliness and sameness of lifestyle because of this abusive way people got to use technology nowadays. But as opposed to Turkle’s and millions of other people’s fearful thinking that mankind is developing too intimate relationships with machinery; I would say that this can be absolutely controllable. While it is true that the future of technology is only limited by our imagination, people have to learn that no matter how developed technology might get, the basics of a better life are self-esteem, respect for the others and willingness to self-educate and build up a strong character. According to Dictionnary. com,’ technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science’. Commonly, technology can be defined as the science applied to practical purposes. It can be argued that modern technology makes life easier and more dignified for most of people. The first and the major advantage is that medical science is very progressive and vastly available. Without the needed technology a lot of people would struggle with their health. In addition it saves many innocent lives. The point is to spread it and reach with medicine help to the poor nations of the Third World. Secondly, the advanced technology improves industry by making it more effective and, what is vital today, safer for environment. Moreover when we look at TV, personal computer, mobile phone or internet for instance, it is quite obvious that all these inventions have been made in the last 20 years. Thus the speed of improvement is huge and unpredictable. We can get the fastest ways of communication through modern technology which ties humanity together like a nervous system ties the parts of an organism together. Today we are connected with every other human being on the planet in a way people never have been before this leading to globalization through diversity, a very powerful current which is really to consider nowadays. On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the new technologies. Hence the main problem is the proper use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance. Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other hand while many people live in horrible conditions and famine governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Modern technology should prevent social disproportions and not add up even more. Technology entered our lives over a relatively brief period of time with little warning and essentially no preparation. Many who currently use information technology have only a limited understanding of the tools they use and a probably correct belief that they are underutilizing them. This is why most of the people pay more attention first to their interlocutors coming through the modern gadgetry considered a more elevated audience; the ‘real’ ones have come to fill just a second position. This is where Turkle’s fair point comes when she describes these people’s feelings – ‘Being put on pause’ this is the impression we get when the one we are engaged with in a conversation answers his cell phone or replies to an e-mail or a text message. Another example of the modern technology taking over the unprepared people is the virtual lives they build and end up becoming addicted on that up to a certain point where it can even become dangerous for themselves and the ones close to them. Millions become someone else every day, lying about their age, gender, occupation or appearance. If you can be anything, you might as well be who you wish you were rather than what limits you in the real life. So if someone decides they like their online persona better, and decides to spend as much time in that persona as possible, living virtually – are they crazy? These games are addictive by design, and a lot of people get sucked into a virtual world existence, at the expense of their real life happiness. And surely a large part of the attraction is this ability to live an alternate, and in many ways, happier existence. But this can get really dangerous when it comes to children and adolescents as they may discover ‘world in the Second Life’ as Turkle puts it in might be much easier and funnier and they can develop serious issues n forming their character and personalities. And the negative effects technology can have on children are numerous: less physical movement, lack of attraction towards reading, no sense of responsibility. With parents buying their children cell phones and expecting them to call as often as possible showing them actually how little they trust them, this only adds up to children’s developing a lack of responsibility and a sense of dependence, as Turkle puts in and I agree. The time of self-reflection at adolescence is taken over by ‘quickly communicating a state over the cell phone or through an instant message and emoticons’ (Turkle) leading to a new dependence in their early emotional lives. Another point that Turkle makes is that technology leaves less or no time at all to sit and reflect of ourselves uninterrupted and I agree with that. Unless we are really strong as to put away or turn off all the technology around us we cannot get a moment with ourselves as all this machinery can be very distracting. Nowadays, when the rapidness of development and research is so impressive, it is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology. It is obvious that we are close on an era where technology is limited only by our imagination. Therefore the most frequently asked question is: Does technology go the right way and will it save or ruin our civilization? I believe that we can just let ourselves carried along with it or we could impose on ourselves in being more aware of the disadvantages also and try to control it.

Friday, November 8, 2019

261 Woman Hollering Creek and La Llorona Professor Ramos Blog

261 Woman Hollering Creek and La Llorona Quick Write Quick Write What are some possible reasons for banning books? Introduction to Sandra Cisneros Have you ever read anything by Sandra Cisneros before this class? Did anybody look here up? What did you find out? Her books were banned in Arizona. Why do you think they banned them? Pioneering Chicana  writer Sandra Cisneros  received the 2015 National Medal of Arts Award from President Barack Obama at the  White House, Thursday morning (Sept. 22). Female Mexican Stereotypes The Virgin La Malinche La Llorona La Llorona Prezi 2019 The Curse of La Llorona Analysis vs Summary Summary versus Analysis. What is the difference? What does it mean to analyze literature? Woman Hollering Creek What are some themes, recurring topics or ideas, that you have noticed? Lets come up with a list of characters. Arguable Thesis Start with what interests you, to develop a point of analysis. You can choose a character, theme, issue, context, patterns, metaphors, authors style or language, etc. What is standing out to you and then you can develop that into a thesis. You will be arguing that your analysis of the work is valid. Developing Strong Thesis Statements In Woman Hollering Creek, Sandra Cisneros is recasting traditional negative Mexican female archetypes in a positive light. Alternate Interpretation Student Video

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

World Response to Tiananmen Square Massacre essays

World Response to Tiananmen Square Massacre essays The Worlds Response to One of Chinas Most Embarrassing Events In the spring of 1989 in Beijing, China tens of thousands of student protesters lined the streets surrounding Tiananmen Square and filled the square itself. The reasons for their pro-democracy protests were numerous but the biggest issue on their agenda was the government and its communist party. The students believed their government was corrupt and wanted it replaced with a democratic and freely elected institution. On May 20th, 1989 martial law was ordered and after nearly two weeks of debating and negotiating between the government and students the protest came to a deadly conclusion beginning June 3rd, 1989. The world was watching live television broadcasts of the human rights violations carried out by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) ordered by the government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The worlds reactions were wide ranging that had social, economical, and political impacts on China that are still felt today. In order to understand the events of Tiananmen and what made a government murder hundreds or possibly thousands of its own citizens, no one knows the exact number, we must look back into the history of China and her people. Chinas history is quite possibly the oldest on earth so we will be brief with the historical background, only so you can get an idea because this paper is not about the history of China. Because Chinas history is so vast and so many dynasties assumed power between 2200 BCE and 1911 CE, which is when dynasties went away and The Republic of China, was formed, we cannot cover them justly here without writing another research paper. So I will only list the dynasty with its ruling dates and some facts about the dynasty. Chinas history, as far as we can prove, starts at around 2200 BCE with the Xia dynasty. There is very little known about this dynasty except they d...

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Assignment - Essay Example The symbolic interaction theory â€Å"looks at how people interact with one another and communicate with symbols and gestures† (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen, 2007). A good example of symbolism in my family is the setting arrangement at our dinner table. My father who is considered as the head of the family sits at the head of the table, my mother sits at his right side while my eldest sibling sits on his left side. I consider this arrangement as very symbolic since this order defines the powers and influence that each members of my family has. Note that the most powerful figure in my family sets at the head of the table while the second most powerful and perhaps the most influential one which is my mother sits on the right side which denotes that she is second in command. My eldest sibling on the other hand has the privilege of sitting on the left side of my father which apparently made him third in command. Technically, this means that he has authority over me and my younger si ster. The symbolic distribution of power among members in my family defines the roles of each family member. As the head of the family, my father has the responsibility to provide for us while my mother who is second in command takes on the role of a homemaker. Our roles in the family often affects our interaction with society in the sense that our actions are guided by the extent and the limits of the powers that we have in the home. For instance, since my mother is the homemaker, she controls the family budget and she is often the one who gets to decide what things to buy for the house. Since she has control over the family budget, she has more purchasing power as compared to us. As it is, her interaction with the other members of society takes on a different dimension as compared to the other members of the family. When it comes to gestures, my family uses familiar expressions and gestures to convey

Friday, November 1, 2019

Is the Financial Success of West End Musicals, a Positive Trend Essay

Is the Financial Success of West End Musicals, a Positive Trend - Essay Example The musical shows in the West End are running to packed houses, garnering optimal revenues. However, when ‘sources’ of those revenues are viewed critically, it provides a doubtful picture. Heightened revenues are not due to high attendance rates, but instead due to high ticket prices. In addition, the quality of the shows leaves much to be desired, as most of the shows are adaptations of films and music albums, without original works. Toeing the line of Michael Billington’s January 2011 Guardian article, This West End theatre boom is not all good news, this article will discuss why the financial success of West End Musicals is not a positive trend, as it is based on ambiguous revenue patterns and also because of the lack of originality and quality in majority of the shows. The total revenues at the theatres in London’s West End have been increasing consecutively for the past eight years, with revenues reaching ?528m in 2011, which is an increase by 3 percen t when compared with the 2010 figures. â€Å"Total revenues at the box office rose by three per cent on 2010’s figures to reach ?528,375,874 last year, said the Society of London Theatre (SOLT).†1 These positive financial figures showcase how West End particularly musical shows are receiving good crowds, considering the non-favourable business environment in the post-recession period and due to the cold climes. Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, validates this point by stating, â€Å"Despite the prevailing rigours of the economic climate, theatre-goers have acted with their feet and wallets and shown just how much they value a trip to one of our world-class shows.†2 The financial success can be attributed to the popularity of certain musical shows. These shows already had good expectation levels before their staging in the West End. Then, when the performed shows were able to fulfil the expectations of the spectators, it became hits, wi th some even becoming mega hits, setting the cash registers ringing. Some of the shows, which become hugely popular, leading to favourable financial figures are Jerusalem, Much Ado About Nothing, The Ladykillers, Frankenstein, One Man, Two Guvnors, Yes, Prime Minister, Noises Off, Richard III, as well major productions like The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Matilda and Ghost. â€Å"The Society of London Theatres (Solt) said the arrival of mega-musicals such as The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Ghost and Matilda meant there were more weeks than usual when big theatres were closed as the shows were installed†3. In addition to these recent hit shows, the already successful shows like Les Miserables, which is now in its 26th year at the West End, also attracted large crowds. Although, the popularity of these shows cannot the discounted, as people loved all these issues, the question that arises is, did this popularity completely translated into revenues or whether the higher revenues is only due t o the higher popularity and the resultant higher attendance? The answer to these questions are not a resounding â€Å"Yes† because other factors like the increased ticket prices contributed to the higher revenues, and even to the sizable jump in revenue percentage from 2010. This can be understood from the attendance figures for the year 2011, because the attendance has come down from the 2010 numbers, although the revenues were in the opposite direction. â€Å"The overall attendance fell by approximately two per cent to 13,915,815 across 52 commercial and not-for-profit houses.†4 This raises the pertinent question that when the attendance figures fell, how come the revenues could increase. That could be mainly attributed to the increased ticket prices, which have been steadily increasing through the whole of 2011, and which will be dealt in a detailed manner in the next section of the article. The other related factor, which implies that increase in revenues is not en tirely due to attendance, is the increased VAT rates by the government. That is, the