Forest Succession Stages and Maturity

Successional changes in plant communities were recognized and described well before the 20th century. Frederick E. Clements observations were developed into theory while he created the original vocabulary and published the first scientific explanation for the process of succession in his book, Plant Succession: An Analysis of the Development of Vegetation. It is very interesting to note that sixty years earlier, Henry David Thoreau described forest succession for the first time in his book, The Succession of Forest Trees. Plant Succession Trees play a major role in creating terrestrial plant cover when conditions develop to the point where some bare-ground and soil is present. Trees grow alongside grasses, herbs, ferns, and shrubs and compete with these species for future plant community replacement and their own survival as a species. The process of that race toward a stable, mature, climax plant community is called succession which follows a successional pathway and each major step reached along the way is called a new seral stage. Primary succession typically occurs very slowly when site conditions are unfriendly to most plants but where a few unique plant species can catch, hold, and thrive. Trees are not often present under these initial harsh conditions. Plants and animals resilient enough to first colonize such sites are the base community that kick starts the complex development of soil and refines the local climate. Site examples of this would be rocks and cliffs, dunes, glacial till, and volcanic ash. Both primary and secondary sites in initial succession are characterized by full exposure to the sun, violent fluctuations in temperatures, and rapid changes in moisture conditions. Only the hardiest of organisms can adapt at first. Secondary succession tends to happen most often on abandoned fields, dirt, and gravel fills, roadside cuts, and after poor logging practices where disturbance has occurred. It can also start very rapidly where the existing community is completely destroyed by fire, flood, wind, or destructive pests. Clements defines the succession mechanism as a process involving several phases when on completion is called a sere. These phases are: 1.) Development of a bare site called Nudism; 2.) Introduction of living regenerative plant material called Migration; 3.) Establishment of vegetative growth called Ecesis; 4.) Plant competition for space, light, and nutrients called Competition; 5.) Plant community changes that affect the habitat called Reaction; 6.) Final development of a climax community called Stabilization. Forest Succession in More Detail Forest succession is considered a secondary succession in most field biology and forest ecology texts but also has its own particular vocabulary. The forest process follows a timeline of tree species replacement and in this order: from pioneer seedlings and saplings to transition forest to young growth forest to mature forest to old growth forest. Foresters generally manage stands of trees that are developing as part of a secondary succession. The most important tree species in terms of economic value are a part of one of several serial stages below the climax. It is, therefore, important that a forester manage his forest by controlling the tendency of that community to move toward a climax species forest. As presented in the forestry text, Principles of Silviculture, Second Edition, foresters use silvicultural practices to maintain the stands in the seral stage that meets societys objectives most closely.

The Constitution And The Law - 877 Words

Our Constitution is over two centuries old and since the birth of it as early as 1803 the Supreme Court defined its role and power in the case, Marbury v. Madison, 1803, establishing the authority to define what the law is. Thus, if the law is confusing, it is up to the courts to interpret the law through the process of judicial review. There is much controversy as to whether or not judges are following the laws as written or imposing their personal preferences and rewriting law to suit themselves. Ackerman believes â€Å"it’s a good thing that formal amendment is so hard; otherwise, the Constitution would become a mess, full of details signifying little,† (Ackerman, 2007 p. 1743). There are opposing viewpoints as to the approach and evolving perspectives in the decisions made by our judges. I will analysis the opposing proponents, originalists and Living Constitutionalists, viewpoints in their interpretation of the Constitution and present their arguments in relation t o their perspective on the Constitution. In addition, I will apply their interpretational philosophies in the case Griswold v. Connecticut and ascertain the impact of their philosophies to the outcome of the case. The originalists, one of the two opposing proponents, believe in the theory of interpretation, that views the Constitution s provisions mean what the framers and the citizens understood then to mean, (Strauss, 2010). In other words, the actual meaning of the provision governs if the original meaning ofShow MoreRelatedRule of Law in the Constitution1448 Words   |  6 Pageswithout discrimination. In Australia, the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (Imp) is the primary source by which society operates as an essentially free society. 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Though the rule of law is seen to be a component in the constitution; the actual meaning of the rule of law has been very problematic to interpret. This is considerably down to the fact that it means different things to different people as since the nineteenth ce ntury, academics, politicians and judges have proposed diverseRead MoreThe Constitutional Law Is Not The World Constitution2418 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"The fundamental law which determines the manner in which the public authority is to be exercised is what forms the constitution of the state.† Extrapolating this concept to the international political process, the bulk of the most important norms which regulate political activity and relationships in the global polity could be called an international constitution. However, an international or global constitution cannot be gained by simply scaling up a typical state constitution. 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Failure to constitute a trust will mean that no gift or trust is applicable; and the law that relates to perfect constituted gifts and trusts will not be appropriate. Moreover, the axiom of equity will intervene: equity will not perfect an imperfect gift. The state of equity at the start of 21st century has changed significantly through a number

SPARTACUS Project Free Essays

Please be advised that you have been selected to join the SPARTACUS Project beginning June 1, 2011. This project requires complete confidentiality due to the sensitivity of its workers. The current company has selected to outsource our company to manage their labor functions. We will write a custom essay sample on SPARTACUS Project or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are 300 skilled labor workers currently employed. We would like to keep all 300 on board, have them join our company, and continue doing their current job roles. Our team will be evaluating the current process and work instructions on the floor to understand the job functions, to ensure the LEAN process and identify any opportunities for improvement. During this evaluation we will be communicating with the workers. Since they are not aware of the change in management, it is our goal to make them feel at ease with our presence, answer any questions as honestly as possible, try to eliminate any uncertainty that they may have, and establish somewhat of a relationship with them. We will have 30 days of evaluation prior to taking over the complete process. On the 25th day the company will announce the outsourcing of management of their labor and advise the workers the option to join our company with the same pay, benefits and seniority. If they do not choose to remain they will be offered a severance package based on the length of time with the company. Again our goal is to retain as many of the skilled workers as possible. This company has a very low attrition rate and workers are loyal with 5, 10, and 15 years of service. On this project you will experience different attitudes, emotions, and personalities, you are to establish a relationship with the worker and motivate them not only to stay on board but to energize them with change. This is a difficult task; however keep in mind our reading in Chapter 6 of the Organizational Behavior textbook regarding Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These needs are: 1. Physiological: Includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs 2. Safety: Includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm 3. Social: Includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship 4. Esteem: Includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and xternal esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention 5. Self-actualization: The drive to become what one is capable of becoming; includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment As a team we need to recognize that these skilled workers have these needs and as the new company we need to cater to them. When you are out on the floor inquire what the worker would like to see change. Many workers are waiting on an opportunity to be heard and have never received a chance to voice it until now. Also praise the loyalty, dedication, and morale that you see on the floor, let them tell you about their time here with the company and their families, what they have accomplished and achieved both personally and career wise. Take notes of what they said, acknowledge them by name, and ask them how they are doing when you see them. We have 25 days to fulfilling these needs. In those 30 days we know that we will not retain everyone. Workers may leave as it is an opportunity to change careers, a chance for early retirement, leave the job force, or for many other reasons. You have been chosen to be part of this team as your personality, motivation, and leadership play a large part in this project; to retain as many skilled workers as possible. Your personality characteristics contain or scored high positively in the Big Five factors mentioned in Chapter 4 of the Organizational Behavior textbook. The Big Five factors are: 1. Extraversion: This dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships. Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet. 2. Agreeableness: This dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who score low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic. 3. Conscientiousness: This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable. 4. Emotional stability (often labeled by its converse, neuroticism): This dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure. 5. Openness to experience: The final dimension addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar. Think of yourself as Spartacus leading himself and others from gladiator slavery with mere kitchen tools. History books state that Spartacus was able to influence 200 slaves to fight, only 80 of them got away in the first fight. You are utilizing the skills that you have learned to influence and motivate the skilled workers of this company to stay on board and let us manage them. You will face both acceptance and resistance. Resistance will come from workers who do not adapt to change well, and those that feel insecurity. Focus on them, take that challenge that you can influence them to accept, grow, and prosper with the change. Please feel free to discuss any questions, concerns, or ideas that you may with me at any time. My door is always open and your insight is always valuable. Remember you are an important asset in making this project a success. Reference Robbins, S. P. Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx How to cite SPARTACUS Project, Papers

Coheed and Cambria “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3” free essay sample

If by now you dont know who Coheed and Cambria are, this album, â€Å"In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,† is the one that got them where they are today. Hits like â€Å"A Favor House Atlantic† and â€Å"Blood Red Summer† brought them into the publics consciousness and although not necessarily the best, they are good. On this 2003 album is a ballad with some of the best rock out in the industry today. Lead singer and guitar player Claudio Sanchezs voice has been compared to Rushs lead singer, Geddy Lee, since his voice can also handle very high melodies. Claudios vocals are not what make this band shine, though, it is the lyrics he writes. All the lyrics are based on a science-fiction novel Claudio is writing, but the topics can also be seen in societys problems. If the lyrics dont hit you straight in the heart, then maybe the guitar work will. We will write a custom essay sample on Coheed and Cambria â€Å"In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mixed with slow transitions, fast-paced solos, and grinding power chords, it will most likely make you play air guitar as you listen. Each song is a progression through Claudios story. The opening, â€Å"The Ring in Return,† is a solid instrumental that would work well in a fantasy movie. The title track is a powerful introduction to what Coheed and Cambria is all about. The album is full of many of the same vocals with the guitars switched up a bit throughout. The fast-paced â€Å"Favor House Atlantic† is surely the song that you will learn by heart. Coheed and Cambria shows its softer side on the last track, â€Å"The Light The Glass.† This eight-minute song brings you through a roller coaster of fast and slow tempos. In the end, this turns out to be a great classic punk rock album, filled with lyrics of a story yet to be finished, and guitars that are filled with more creativity than most modern rock bands. Coheed and Cambria is not yet done, it has more albums to share with us in the future, and hopefully with the same drive as this one.

Childrens Socialization

Socialization is a process by which a child is initiated to various roles of the society. The behavior or attitude adopted by the child depends mostly on the background that the child is brought up in. Children accept and adopt the characters portrayed by the person responsible of taking care of them such as parents, teachers and neighbors surrounding the child.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Children’s Socialization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A family forms the smallest unit in which the child’s socialization is initiated. It is observed that various families have various impacts to the socialization of a child (Roberta 129). From the observation carried out in a number of families it was observed that in the family where parents are very close to their children and offered guidance or assistance to the children, discipline them whenever they do something wrong, the child is observed to have morals and respect (Janet 234). On the other hand, it was observed that in families where the parents have no time to spend with their children, the children are observed to have low morals, independent and self centered. In the family park it was observed that children behaved and socialized differently, some children were seen to be more jovial and cheerful where others were seen to be lonely and uninterested. Some parents were observed playing games with their children where else other were just seen to have no interest with the games played by the child. It was observed that those children who parent interacted and assisted them in play games were friendly and had a good social life compared to the child who parents had no time to spend with them in playing games (Roberta 374). School is another agent of socialization. In the school context, it was observed that teachers and pears play a great role in influencing the socialization process of the child. Teachers act as role mode ls to the children, they adopt teacher characters and attitudes toward life (Roberta 235). In a class where teachers are friendly and give positive remarks to the children as well as giving them a chance to express themselves, the children were observed to possess positive attitudes towards studies. They also appeared motivated and eager to learn new things. When the teacher proved to be hostile and rebuked the children by giving bad comments, the children were observed to have no interest in their studies and their level of interaction was limited (Roberta 226).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another agent of socialization that was observed was the church. It was observed that churches where children are taken through church school programs that teach morals and social responsibility have different attitude and behaviors as compared to those children who attended churches that did not have a direct attention to the children (Janet 107). It was also observed that in churches, children are taught how to interact and associate with adults. They are taught moral concept and how to cope with various situations. The children who undergo church school teachings were seen to be more attracted to the church compared to those who did not attend such teachings (Roberta 108). The former children were also observed to be respectful to adults as well as being being obedient. It was observed that each setting have an impact on the way the children socialize with other children or adults. Socialization is a process that cannot be initiated by one person, but it is a collective responsibility that requires all stakeholders to play their part accordingly. Teachers, parents and adults have a great influence on social life of the child. This is so because children were observed to learn behaviors and attitude from them. Thus, it is a duty for all persons who are given the r esponsibility of taking care of the child to ensure that a child is given the right teaching and attention, as this will determine how the child will be in the future. Works Cited Janet Gonzalez-Mena. Child, family, and community: family-centered early care and education. New York. Merrill Pearson. 2009. Print. Roberta M. Berns. Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support. New York: Cengage Learning. 2009. Print. This essay on Children’s Socialization was written and submitted by user Kendal P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Movie Review a Few Good Men Essays

Movie Review a Few Good Men Essays Movie Review a Few Good Men Paper Movie Review a Few Good Men Paper The movie â€Å"A Few Good Men† was a great story of a young attorney who was in the Navy, called to defend some Marines who were suspected of murdering a fellow Marine. During the investigation, it is discovered that the Marines practice something called a â€Å"Code Red†. The code red is an unofficial disciplinary measure, imposed by a marine squad when a member offends against the units esprit de corps. Having been gagged, bound and beaten, the marine dies at his colleagues hands. The argument of the suspects was that it was a direct command that they carry out this code red against a fellow Marine who was not living up to the stringent agenda of the Marine Corp. and they were following the command. Eventually it came out that the person who asked for the code red to be carried out was the Colonel. Jack Nicholson’s character as the Colonel had committed a crime and what he did was unethical in the eyes of both the law and the United States Marine Corps. The question here was whether or not what he did could be proved. A very long and thorough investigation ensued to find out the truth about what happened the night that the Marine died. One of the observations made was that the man who died was suffering from a heart ailment and because of that ailment, it caused his death. It was argued that what was done would not have killed someone normally, but because of his bad heart, he was not able to survive the punishment. Expert witnesses were brought in, including doctors, who testified that a man in his condition should not have endured the physical tests he had. Marines are expected to be a part of a team and each member of that team has a specific responsibility to his or her fellow soldiers. If one member of that team does not live up to his or her responsibilities, the rest of the team will suffer because of it. His squad was suffering and wanted to make him pay. They did not think that the outcome would be death. The characters (who were lawyers) played by Tom Cruise and Demi Moore made a trip to Cuba where the dead soldier had been stationed and wanted to conduct their own investigation. While there, they met with the Colonel in charge of the squad that the dead soldier was a part of. The Colonel (Jessup) played by Jack Nicholson was fully cooperating until he was asked about the code red and some flight records. He got very defensive and angry. When the trial began, he was called to testify by the defense. One other soldier, a Lt. Col. who worked under the Colonel, told the attorneys that the Col. was the one who called the code red. The lawyers knew they would have a hard time getting him to confess and to directly ask him in open court could get them in trouble. They took a chance and after several questions, he was asked if called the code red. He flat out admitted it and the mystery was solved. Unfortunately for the men on trial, they were dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corp. The younger of the two men, Pfc. Downey, did not understand why he was dismissed because he had followed a command from his superior officer, Lance Cpl. Dawson. It basically went through a chain of commands and although Downey did not get the command directly from Col. Jessup, he did not distinguish the difference between his superior officer and that of the Col. The Marines are trained to fight for those weaker than themselves and Dawson and Downey did not fight for the dead Marine. They were the cause of his death. The ethical framework in this movie follows that of utilitarianism. The lawyers in the case were defending the Marines for committing a murder. But because the men were only doing that as a command from their superior officers, it was not necessarily viewed as being a bad thing. Their intention was not to kill a fellow Marine, but to teach him a lesson about teamwork. These soldiers were following an order. In the Marine Corp. if orders are not followed, people can get hurt or killed. There is no question with the Marines about following an order. They must do it. Although what they did was a crime, the argument was that they were following an order and could not say no. And again, they were not intending to kill their fellow soldier. (Virtue Ethics and Leadership) Their order was to tie up the officer, stuff a rag in his mouth, and leave him like that until they felt he had learned his lesson. Upon doing this and along with his heart condition caused his death from something called Lactic Acidosis. (Too much acid in the body due to the buildup of lactic acid in the body). Lactic acidosis occurs when cells make lactic acid from glucose faster than it can be metabolized. The key signs of lactic acidosis include unusually deep and rapid breathing, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Lactic acidosis is a feature of different disorders. It is an important sign of diabetes that is out of control. It is also a rare but dreaded adverse reaction from the drug metformin (Glucophage) for type 2 diabetes. (Definition of Lactic Acidosis) Dawson and Downey were doing what they believed to be a good thing for their squad and thought they would be helping the fellow soldier get more on the ball, so to speak and live up to the high expectations of the Marine Corp. Although the outcome was that the two accused men were not guilty of murder, they were guilty of conduct unbecoming a Marine and were dishonorably discharged. It seems as though the procedure used to help these men in court were somewhat effective, however the outcome was not what they would have chosen for themselves. They did not want to be discharged from the Marines because that is the job they chose to do and wanted to defend their country. To them, the outcome was not justice. These two soldiers wanted everyone to believe, as they did, that they did nothing more than follow a command. The Col. as of course, found guilty as well and would be charged as such, as was Lt. Kendrick who was the officer that gave the order to Lance Cpl. Dawson. In turn, Dawson gave that order to Downey. Downey does not distinguish between the chain of command and therefore, he took it as a direct order from Lt. Kendrick. Perhaps if the focus of the trial was more on Col. Jessup and Lt. Kendrick and th eir roles in the death, Dawson and Downey may not have been discharged. If it had been shown more that Dawson and Downey were simply following a direct command then they may not have had to serve the time they did. If the lawyers had used the teleological view then it is possible the soldiers would be acquitted of all charges. Teleological moral systems are characterized primarily by a focus on the consequences which any action might have. When people make choices which result in the correct consequences, then they are acting morally. If the focus of this movie had been on the morals being just, then the outcome could have been very different. (Deontological, Teleological and Virtue Ethics) The general public love to get inside the mind of attorneys on television because they like to be able to solve crimes and defend those they think to e innocent themselves. In a movie like â€Å"A Few Good Men†, sympathy is given to the accused soldiers and the people watching the movie rooted for them and wanted to see them acquitted. Just watching gave everyone the idea that these men were in fact innocent of the charges they were accused of, even if it was not decided upon in court. Because the vie wers were able to see each side of the case as it was being shown, they were able to make their own decisions. That type of viewing makes movies fun to watch, when people are able to decide for themselves who should be the guilty and not guilty parties. Sadly, not all outcomes of real trials work this way and perhaps in real life these men would have had to serve more time in prison. References Cpt. Praff, C. A. (1996, November) Virtue Ethics and Leadership retrieved on February 17, 2008 from usafa. edu/isme/JSCOPE98/PFAFF98. htm Definition of Lactic Acidosis (2004, 23 February) retrieved on February 17, 2008 from medterms. com/script/main/art. asp? articlekey=20521 (2008) Deontological, Teleological and Virtue Ethics retrieved on February 17, 2008 from http://atheism. about. com/library/FAQs/phil/blfaq_phileth_sys. htm

Choose one of the following Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 4

Choose one of the following - Assignment Example influenced not only the business performance of a company but also the ability of the company to fulfill its current and future business goals (Ravasi and Schultz, 2006; DuBrin, 2002). On the contrary, having a weak organizational culture can also lead to the development of a poor business performance. To ensure that business organizations could benefit from having a strong oranizational culture, this study will purposely examine the positive and negative features of organizational culture. Prior to conclusion, this study will discuss how a strong and weak organizational culture can affect the business performance of a company. According to Lussier and Achua (2010, p. 369), â€Å"strong corporate cultures improve performance by facilitiating internal behavioral consistancy†. It simply means that the ability of the corporate leaders to positively manipulate or influence each employee’s work-related values, attitude, norms, behavioral practices, and expectations play a significant role towards developing further improvements in the busienss performance of a company. Organizational culture can either be classified as weak or strong (Anghel, 2012, p. 135; Lussier, 2009, p. 51). In relation to having a strong and well-defined organizational culture, one of the most obvious and common features of having a strong organizational culture is one that has aligned organizational vision, mission, and goals (Hill and Jones, 2012, p. 32; Lussier and Achua, 2010, p. 370). Commonly shared by the managers and staffs, the presence of a well-defined organizational vision, mission, and goals serve as a guiding attitude and behaviour within a business organization (Lussier and Achua, 2010, p. 370). Therefore, employees within a business organization with strong culture are subconsciously sharing assumptions on how they will achieve the organizational goals (Lussier, 2009, p. 51). In the absence of any of these features, it would be more difficult on the part of the business managers

The Cypriot financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Cypriot financial crisis - Essay Example The paper tells that the European economic crisis is an ongoing economic crisis that has made it hard or impossible for some nations in the euro region to re-finance or repay their government debt devoid of the help from third parties. Clerides and Stephanou noted that Cyprus was considered as a tax haven, thus becoming an epicenter for corruption and money laundering. This made the banking sector to be larger than the nation’s economy. Therefore, when there was an increase in public and private debt, the country went into recession with the economy shrinking by 1.67 % in 2009. This marked the beginning of the Cypriot economic crisis. Over the last decade, the Greek government has borrowed greatly from international markets in order to pay for its trade deficits and budget. Investors became nervous that the public debt was soaring high, which drove up Greece’s borrowing costs. With the banking systems in Cyprus were experiencing intense pressure; they amassed â‚ ¬22 billion of Greek private sector debt. This increase in public and private debt reduced economic growth plunging the country into a crisis. This market concerns is what initiated the study to examine how public and private debt contributed to the Cypriot Euro zone crisis. The Cyprus banking crisis was attributed to Cypriot banks investing heavily in Greek government bonds. The Cyprus banks came under intense financial pressure as the bad ratios escalated. Laiki bank reported that the bank was probably insolvent as early as 2008. This was even before Cyprus plunged into the Eurozone crisis.

Biography on Harlem Renaissance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biography on Harlem Renaissance - Research Paper Example The most peculiar aspect of the Harlem Renaissance was that it was ushered in by African American thinkers, artists, writers and musicians who evinced a prominent predilection towards the quintessential African American culture and heritage (Kramer & Russ 10). Harlem Reniassance was particularly marked by a distinct shift towards a self confident and strongly embracing notion of the racial pride and ethnic identity, which metamorphosed into remarkable cultural, artistic and literary achievements (Kramer & Russ 47). Harlem Renaissance evinced an effervescent and zealous interest in the black history and cultural moorings amongst the African American middle class. One of the salient objectives of the Harlem Renaissance was an honest portrayal of the African American talent and heritage through art, literature, music and thought. The objective of the central ideals eschewed by the Harlem Renaissance was to attempt a serious portrayal of the overall African American experience in its tot ality. The aim was to resuscitate and rescue a deliberately impaired collective psychology and to remould and revive a social perspective that got utterly warped over decades (Kramer & Russ 47). Harlem Renaissance had a marked influence on the African American musical heritage and the jazz music of the era flouted the conventional notions to voluntarily opt for improvisation and syncopated rhythms. Harlem Renaissance and Music It goes without saying that no one single aspect of the Harlem Renaissance played such an important role in influencing and shaping the American and world cultural landscape as the Jazz music (Wintz 183). Strongly favouring improvised solos and syncopated rhythms, the Jazz music of those times tended to be strongly averse to the many established musical conventions (Wintz 183). The composer of those times commanded such a strong following that people thronged in on a continual basis to listen to and appreciate their compositions. Yet, the remarkable thing abou t these compositions was that owing to a strong bend towards improvisation, no two performances of a single composition tended to be same. The musicians and singers of the era not only revived and invigorated the jazz music, but played a pivotal role in shaping and consolidating many new musical traditions. The musicians of those days played a major role in transforming the African American music and culture. The breath taking and engrossing pouring of the remarkable jazz compositions rendered by the musicians and singers of the Renaissance, happened to be a direct and emphatic expression of the hardships and travails faced by the African Americans in a racially divided South and an utterly severe urban North (Wintz 183). Harlem Renaissance attracted the public attention towards a musical tradition that would have utterly been lost or never contrived. In that context the Harlem Renaissance popularized the musical style of the African Americans amongst diverse cultures and racial gro ups. The salient composer of the era blended the poetry contrived by the African

Purpose of the Wall Street Journal

Purpose of the Wall Street Journal Saiteja Naidu (MSIS)Â   The Wall Street Journal The Wall street journal main purpose is for the business groups and financial investors. It was initially started by Charles Dowand Edward Jones, owners of Dow, Jones and Company, started publishing the daily Wall street journal on 8 July 1889. Earlier newspaper was started in United states which was firstly concentrated on general news later it began to focus mainly on business news, fluctuation in prices of stocks, bonds and some classes of commodities (Wendt, p. 28).It was edited in newyork city for u.s.a and daily editions include parts of asia, europe. Bernard Kilgore got to be overseeing proofreader of the diary in 1945, seventeen years after the demise of Clarence Barron. Kilgore upgraded the paper, extending its scope to incorporate all parts of business, financial aspects, and shopper issues, including general news that affected business.The Wall Street Journal is possessed by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who bought the organization for $5 billion in 2007 through his organiz ation, News Corporation. The deal finished the 105-year-long responsibility for Wall Street Journal by the Bancroft family. Murdoch, one of the worlds most effective media mogul. The Wall Street Journal has since quite a while ago overwhelmed American business distributing and was the nations first national daily paper. The journal has its classic daily paper and in addition e-daily paper which is most prevalent now a days to exist its check in innovation world with live redesigns and its commonplace business share report is found in the consistently computerized news for financial specialists. It has a sort of obstructs that none can coordinate the measures of its factual report and fascinating political news with showing territorial release. Journal vision to create interest for business in the public and its preferences in newspaper: The Journal started a few indexes of value developments of stocks, including the Dow Jones Indexes. The upper left-hand segment secured general market and monetary developments. The second from left secured the points of interest of the days market developments. Whatever is left of the four-page paper was completely business situated, announcing general news with regards to its impact on the business sectors. At the point when the nation is creating in the meantime there is a quick increment in the speculation and development in the pay of a person which requested for the proposals and thoughts where to put, When to move into business and shares. The Journal Interests and objectives: Journal rose as the voice of political conservatism in American news coverage. Such an article point of view, when joined with wide national dispersion, gave solid course and promoting income development, achieving $2.3 billion in the year 2000 and benefits before exceptional things of $294.6 million. The Journal mainly focuses on the business with deep immense research and commonplace authors with their amazing words to draw in the readers. It shows eight Headers for e-newspaper comprises of Home, World, U.S,Ploitics,Economy,Business,Tech,Markets,Opinion,Arts,Life,Real Estate Again those blogs are subdivided into various blogs related to the stream. The most preferable thing about the journal is that an individual can subscribe for different versions of software. This journal had both print and digital with various prudent enrollment memberships. We can download in android and ios renditions to take after the business and general news in computerized path for brilliant utilize. There are corporate memberships for business speculators and business people particularly for business magazines. There is also student journal and professor journal to register and publish the paper. Even they can subscribe to the job activities and can enlarge their network for career wise advantages. At present the world blog comprise of brussels in real time, china in real time and India in real time. The opinion column is the most crucial aspect to respect the individual ideas in wall street. References Dealy, Francis X., Jr. The Power and the Money: Inside the Wall Street Journal. Secaucus, N.Y.: Carol Publishing Group, 1993. Rosenberg, Jerry M. Inside the Wall Street Journal: The History and the Power of Dow Jones and Company and Americas Most Influential Newspaper. New York: Macmillan, 1982. Wendt, Lloyd. The Wall Street Journal: The Story of Dow Jones and the Nations Business Newspaper.Chicago: Rand McNally, 1982. http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111215/who-actually-owns-wall-street-journal.asp#ixzz4YydDnOQx. https://www.wsj.com/.

Beloved :: essays research papers

Toni Morrison's Beloved is set in rural Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. The novel is centered on a woman named Sethe, who is the mother of four children, and an escapee from slavery in a Kentucky plantation 18 years ago. She lives with her daughter, Denver in a shabby house at 124 Bluestone, that they share with the ghost of a dead baby, which haunts Sethe by reminding her of past tragedies. Paul D, Sethe's new lover and a former Kentucky slave man whom Sethe takes in, helps shed light in Sethe's sad life. Also arriving at the doorstep is a mysterious, ill young woman who calls herself Beloved. Gradually, Beloved penetrates the lives of all who live in the haunted house, forcing Sethe to confront her nightmarish memories. Morrison's compelling scene in chapter 27 of when the thirty community women congregate in front of 124 Bluestone to battle the ghost haunting the house, is carefully constructed to contribute to the theme of healing and structure of the work. As Denver is awaiting transportation for her first day on the job as Bodwin's evening nurse, thirty neighborhood women pray and sing at the edge of the yard after hearing speculations from that the ghost of Sethe's dead daughter is causing the family to deteriorate. Sethe and Beloved intrigued by the music move to the porch. "Sethe was breaking a lump of ice into chunks.When the music entered the window she was wringing a cool cloth to put on Beloved's forehead.Sethe and she exchanged glances and started toward the window" (Morrison 261). As the Bodwin approaches in a cart with his horses to pick up Denver, Sethe is triggered by a flashback of when the schoolteacher and the slave catcher came to get her children 18 years ago. Racing towards the cart, Sethe releases the hand of Beloved and runs toward to crowd using the ice pick as an attachment of her hand to protect her Beloved. "He is coming into her yard and he is coming for her best thing..And if she thinks anythin g, it is no" (Morrison 262). The thirty community women whom Sethe was running toward stop her and Beloved neglected on the porch by herself disappears. "Sethe is running away from her, running, and she feels the emptiness in the hand Sethe has been holding. Now she is running into the faces of the people out there, joining them and leaving Beloved behind. Beloved :: essays research papers Toni Morrison's Beloved is set in rural Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. The novel is centered on a woman named Sethe, who is the mother of four children, and an escapee from slavery in a Kentucky plantation 18 years ago. She lives with her daughter, Denver in a shabby house at 124 Bluestone, that they share with the ghost of a dead baby, which haunts Sethe by reminding her of past tragedies. Paul D, Sethe's new lover and a former Kentucky slave man whom Sethe takes in, helps shed light in Sethe's sad life. Also arriving at the doorstep is a mysterious, ill young woman who calls herself Beloved. Gradually, Beloved penetrates the lives of all who live in the haunted house, forcing Sethe to confront her nightmarish memories. Morrison's compelling scene in chapter 27 of when the thirty community women congregate in front of 124 Bluestone to battle the ghost haunting the house, is carefully constructed to contribute to the theme of healing and structure of the work. As Denver is awaiting transportation for her first day on the job as Bodwin's evening nurse, thirty neighborhood women pray and sing at the edge of the yard after hearing speculations from that the ghost of Sethe's dead daughter is causing the family to deteriorate. Sethe and Beloved intrigued by the music move to the porch. "Sethe was breaking a lump of ice into chunks.When the music entered the window she was wringing a cool cloth to put on Beloved's forehead.Sethe and she exchanged glances and started toward the window" (Morrison 261). As the Bodwin approaches in a cart with his horses to pick up Denver, Sethe is triggered by a flashback of when the schoolteacher and the slave catcher came to get her children 18 years ago. Racing towards the cart, Sethe releases the hand of Beloved and runs toward to crowd using the ice pick as an attachment of her hand to protect her Beloved. "He is coming into her yard and he is coming for her best thing..And if she thinks anythin g, it is no" (Morrison 262). The thirty community women whom Sethe was running toward stop her and Beloved neglected on the porch by herself disappears. "Sethe is running away from her, running, and she feels the emptiness in the hand Sethe has been holding. Now she is running into the faces of the people out there, joining them and leaving Beloved behind.

Reviewing Martin Scorsese

More than just a filmmaker, Martin Scorsese is the self-appointed guardian of American cinema history. For him, the cinema of the present is always and necessarily influenced by the past. Scorsese commands immense critical respect; whether juggling big budgets and mainstream connections with large studios, delivering star vehicles and box-office successes, or indulging in more personal projects, Scorsese has retained his reputation as â€Å"the quintessential maverick auteur† (Andrew 21).An independently minded cinephile, his relationship to popular cinema has been an extremely productive one. While best known for the savage but complex exploration of masculinity and violence in films such as the New York-based Taxi Driver (1976), the scorching biographical boxing picture Raging Bull (1980), the epic gangster narrative Goodfellas (1990), or the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Scorsese’s output has been extremely varied. This paper reviews three of hi s films: Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Gangs of New York (2002).Religion is a consistent theme in Scorsese’s films: almost all of his major male characters voice a fascination with religion in some form. Mean Streets’ (1973) Charlie is obsessed with the idea of his own spiritual purpose. The archetypal selective devotee, his desire to do penance is at odds with his actions: â€Å"he acts like he's doing it for the others, but it's a matter of his own pride† (Scorsese 48). Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle believes himself to be acting out God's rage against the lowlife of New York city; Cape Fear's (1991) Max Cady is likewise fixated; while Raging Bull's Jake LaMotta punishes his body both in training and in the boxing ring in an attempt to atone for his sins.These earlier films seem to be leading towards Last Temptation of Christ’s explicit wrestling with Christianity. Attracting intense reactions from some religious groups, the film, based o n Nikos Kazantzakis' novel, presents a non-biblical Jesus beset by doubts and fears about his identity and mission, constantly, oppressively tempted by evil. A human being much more than the incarnate Word of God, this Jesus is strongly tempted also sexually, and only by a superhuman effort of the will is he able to achieve a final victory. Scorsese argued that it was his intention to show Christ as a real man rather than as a faultless spiritual being.Thus, Christ's (Willem Dafoe) inner emotional struggle and the consistently female image of sin converge, if one is to accept Scorsese's interviews, in making the film as much a working through of his own identity as the story of Christ: â€Å"Jesus has to put up with everything we go through, all the doubts and fears and anger†¦he has to deal with all this double, triple guilt on the cross. That's the way I directed it, and that's what I wanted, because my own religious feelings are the same.† (Corliss 36)It is clear that the major objection of the protesters to this film had to do with its long final sequence, in which Jesus comes down from the cross and walks into an earthly paradise, where he marries first Mary Magdalene and then, as a widower, Mary, the sister of Lazarus. By her and her sister Martha, he has a number of children.The problem is that people who had not seen the film, or who had seen it but not very perceptibly, had no idea that these events happen in a fantasy sequence, a daydream-like temptation to the domestic life carefully formulated by Satan to discourage the crucified Jesus from living fully his mission of salvation. Moreover, it is a temptation sequence represented by Scorsese as a fantasy, something evident in the film language of the sequence, and as a temptation-fantasy that Scorsese has Jesus overcome: he returns to the cross and dies victorious.The Last Temptation of Christ can be interpreted in two distinct ways; either it posits Christ as a human being, or it raises Scorsese's vision of masculine identity to an omnipotent spiritual level. Notions of masculinity, a sense of community and the influence of religion on personal identity are all themes common to Scorsese films. In fact, the film suggests an attempt to universalize masculine experience by having these themes transported from the usual urban, late twentieth-century setting to biblical times.Objections to the film's depiction of Jesus as sexual perhaps served to divert attention away from another more uncomfortable theme; that masculine identity is defined in terms of existential conflict and growing self-awareness, while women remain confined to earth, sexuality and Original Sin. Though Scorsese cannot be simply cast as a misogynist, his personal perspective and belief systems are unashamedly patriarchal, grounded in Catholicism. Women feature mainly on a symbolic level, serving as projections of male spiritual conflicts (even, it might be argued, in The Age of Innocence).Whether nove l, romance, myth, epic, or film, narratives have relied on the presence of the â€Å"hero† as a sign of the human’s search of an ideal. Scorsese's Taxi Driver portrays a character, Travis Bickle, who is alternately an inversion, a corruption, and a variation of the idea of the hero. The film constructs a â€Å"literary city†, an archetypical topos in a story of the mass and the individual, where the â€Å"mass† creates â€Å"a peculiar kind of anti-community within the dissociated culture† (Pike 100).A chain of ironies defines Bickle placed into this setting and defines a new universal truth: anonymity and isolation amid a dense population, an instantaneous repugnance with and attraction for the magnified extravagance and corruption of the city, an estrangement from others which grows with increasing closeness, and an anti-social behavior and a pathological psychology absurdly born of the quest for ideals.In Taxi Driver, Bickle sees metropolitan so cial order as a material hell in a period of a dying God (or already dead God). He places himself in an adversarial connection with the world in general, and he pursues the ideals of self-realization and spiritual reconciliation in ironically repulsive actions. In addition, Bickle maintains a wicked sense for the sacred, and this distorted piety or holiness is manifest in his discourse suggestive of the confession genre, in his wrath for an immoral society, and in his sympathy for the oppressed and browbeaten (archetypically rendered in the form of a prostitute). Bickle recognizes his status as God’s lonely man. He writes in his confessional mode: â€Å"Loneliness has followed me all my life. The life of loneliness pursues me wherever I go: in bars, cars, coffee shops, theaters, stores, sidewalks. There is no escape. I am God's lonely man.†The opening montage of Scorsese’s Taxi Driver launches a series of optical themes, and the images of eyes, mirrors, and glas s symbolize Bickle’s perception of this spiritually bankrupt and spiritually bereft environment. The director manages his editing and camera angles to highlight the protagonist seeing the world through mirrors or glass, particularly the rear-view mirror and the windshield of the taxi, through which all important characters enter: Sport and Iris in a brief glance in his mirror; Palantine in his rear-view mirror; and Betsy through the sheets of an all-glass office. In general, the film mirrors French Existentialist the influence, and the setting, lighting, and mise-en-scene – especially in the darkness of the film – owe a debt to film noir, contributing to the understanding of the struggle of the protagonist.Overall, Bickle represents something more than alienation and social disenfranchisement, since God’s lonely man suffers in metaphysical misery because of the materialization of a world where the True, the Good, and the Beautiful have lost their meaning. In effect, Bickle is a prophet attacking Babylon, but without any assurance of liberation; he is also Theseus in the maze of the city but with no Olympus and no Ariadne. In this state of spiritual bleakness and spiritual poverty, Bickle retains an intuitive longing for the ideal â€Å"but no longer possesses the capacity for identifying, exemplifying or realizing it† (Swensen 267).While isolation and crises of identity are key themes that permeate many of Scorsese's films, they necessarily include explorations of community, or brotherhood against which the isolation, or level of identification for an individual can be measured. This is one of the major themes of one his most recent films, Gangs of New York.Obviously, the director’s explorations of community and brotherhood stem partly from his commentary on his personal experiences, his sense of his home community and of the people he has known. In most cases this sense of docu-realism extends only so far as setting. This film is concerned not only with political, social, and economic conflicts, but also spiritual conflict. In one of his interviews about Gangs of New York, Scorsese states:[During the Civil War] the North and South were fighting for causes. The nativists [whose slogan was â€Å"America for Americans†] and the Irish were fighting for the right to live and the right to live together, but they were dying for it, too. If people believe in something strongly enough they're going to die for it, and that's a major problem in the world today. In the film – as in today's world – religion is used in a militant way. (Scorsese 1)This film is also a characteristic of violence in many of Scorsese’s films: â€Å"The 20th century was arguably the most violent in human history, but the most violent century in American history was the 19th. Poor people, political parties, and gangs would demonstrate, and there was violence constantly.† (Scorsese 2) Alongside the romance of the gangster and of male ritual that is so much in evidence in this film, Amsterdam Vallon and Bill â€Å"the Butcher† Cutting can both be understood in terms of a journey towards salvation through self-knowledge.The themes in Taxi Driver, The Last Temptations of Christ, and Gangs of New York are dominated by the search for self-awareness: â€Å"the individual is trapped in solitude morale and can escape from it†¦if he or she comes to see their condition and then extend themselves to others and then to God† (Hess 20). Scorsese's preoccupations are evident in his work and in his many interviews. Shortly after the opening of his film The Last Temptation of Christ, Scorsese, commented, â€Å"I made it as a prayer, an act of worship. I wanted to be a priest. My whole life has been movies and religion. That's it. Nothing else.† (Kelly 6)Works CitedAndrew, Geoff, Stranger than Paradise: Maverick Film-makers in Recent American Cinema. London: Prion, 199 8.Corliss, Richard, â€Å"Body†¦and Blood†, Film Comment 24.5 (1988): 36-42.Hess, John, â€Å"La Politique des auteurs: Part I World View as Aesthetic†. Jump Cut, 1 May/June (1974): 20-22.Kelly, Mary Pat, Martin Scorsese: A   Journey. New York: Thunder's Mouth, 1991.Scorsese, Martin, Scorsese on Scorsese, David Thompson and Ian Christie (Eds.). London: Faber and Faber, 1996.Scorsese, Martin, Gangs of New York – Martin Scorsese – Interview. (December 2002). Retrieved December 5, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/?noadc=1Swensen, Andrew J.   â€Å"The Anguish of God's Lonely Men: Dostoevsky's Underground Man and Scorsese's Travis Bickle†. Renascence: Essays on Values in Literature 53.4 (2001): 267.

Definition and Examples of Aphaeresis in English

Definition and Examples of Aphaeresis in English Aphaeresis is a  rhetorical and phonological term for the omission of one or more sounds or syllables from the beginning of a word. Also spelled apheresis. Adjective: aphetic. Also called syllabic loss or initial vowel loss. Common examples of aphaeresis include round (from around), specially (from especially), and spy (from espy). Note that the deleted initial sound is usually a vowel. EtymologyFrom the Greek, taking away Examples and Observations Children learning to speak first tend to retain only the final syllable of words (-nette for marionnette, -range for orange), then two syllables (-anna for nanna, -octor for doctor). Loose pronunciation (xactly for exactly) has thus something childish about it. But in tention! (for Attention!) economy of effort and efficiency come into play.Like apocope, aphaeresis most commonly involves the slack use of an expression rather than a literary device.(Bernard Dupriez, A Dictionary of Literary Devices, trans. by Albert W. Halsall. Univ. of Toronto Press, 1991)New Words From OldAphaeresis has given us a number of new words, like drawing-room (from withdrawing-room), fend (from defend; whence fender), sport (from disport), and stain (from distain). A number are aphetic in the narrow sense: pert (from now obsolete apert, going back ultimately to Latin appertus open), peal (from appeal), mend (from amend), fray (from affray), the verb ply (from apply), the adjective live (from alive), spy (f rom espy), and tend (from both attend and intend). In the above cases, significant semantic development followed the aphaeresis, so that one does not normally connect in ones mind the shortened and the original longer forms.(The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, 1991) Aphaeresis in Contemporary SpeechContrary to the substitution and addition of syllables, syllabic loss, known as aphaeresis, is not at all uncommon. In particular, the constraints under which it operates are exactly the ones predicted by the speech error data. The omissions occur in word-initial positions and affect unstressed syllables containing reduced vowels. Quite often, the syllable only consists of a vowel. . . .Indeed, aphaeresis occurs on a wide scale in the spoken language of today (and yesterday). . . . Typical examples include about in How bout that? and unless in I aint going less you do. . . . Relaxed circumstances are all that is needed for aphaeresis to occur.(Thomas Berg, Linguistic Structure and Change: An Explanation From Language Processing. Oxford University Press, 1998)The Lighter Side of AphaeresisI cant kill the possum [for opossum], cause [for because] it might be innocent. I cant let the possum go, because it might be guilty. Cant make a good soup, cant do a handstand in a pool. Cant spell the word lieutenant. There are a lot of cants in my life right now.(Amy Poehler as Lesley Knope in The Possum. Parks and Recreation, 2010) Pronunciation: a-FER-eh-ses

Free Essays on Killing Rage

"Killing rage" African Americans Place in Society Is racism a problem of the past? Some people may not associate racism with their daily life, but in reality racism is all around; we just need to open up our eyes and see it. â€Å"Killing Rage† by Bell Hooks is a good representation of how racism, stereotypes, and the mass media all contribute to African Americans place in society. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of the African American people. They wanted equal rights and desegregation, but even today we do not have equal rights or a desegregated society. Sure it still exists, but to a lesser extent than it did in Malcolm X’s time. Racism is the practice of racial discrimination or segregation. There are three basic forms of racism, open racism, violent racism, and covert racism, they all express forms of hatred towards distinct ethnic groups. These basic forms of racism, although different in form, all have the same main purpose, to promote racism. Open racism expresses freedom of racial thought and speech. Open racists promote their views through strictly persuasive tactics. This form of racism is allowed in our society because of the First Amendment. Open racism is currently almost nonexistent and steadily declining, because it is considered politically incorrect and socially unacceptable. Violent racism promotes racis m through violence, fear, and persuasive methods. This form of racism is not protected by the First Amendment because it promotes violence to express its ideas. Covert racism expresses ideas of racism in disguised forms; sometimes the covert racist is not even aware of the fact that he is racist. â€Å"They kept explaining to her in loud voices as though she is a child, as though she is a foreigner who does not speak airline English.† (102) â€Å"White folks promote black victimization, encourage passivity by rewarding those folks who whine, grovel, beg, and obey.† (108) We have no righ... Free Essays on Killing Rage Free Essays on Killing Rage "Killing rage" African Americans Place in Society Is racism a problem of the past? Some people may not associate racism with their daily life, but in reality racism is all around; we just need to open up our eyes and see it. â€Å"Killing Rage† by Bell Hooks is a good representation of how racism, stereotypes, and the mass media all contribute to African Americans place in society. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of the African American people. They wanted equal rights and desegregation, but even today we do not have equal rights or a desegregated society. Sure it still exists, but to a lesser extent than it did in Malcolm X’s time. Racism is the practice of racial discrimination or segregation. There are three basic forms of racism, open racism, violent racism, and covert racism, they all express forms of hatred towards distinct ethnic groups. These basic forms of racism, although different in form, all have the same main purpose, to promote racism. Open racism expresses freedom of racial thought and speech. Open racists promote their views through strictly persuasive tactics. This form of racism is allowed in our society because of the First Amendment. Open racism is currently almost nonexistent and steadily declining, because it is considered politically incorrect and socially unacceptable. Violent racism promotes racis m through violence, fear, and persuasive methods. This form of racism is not protected by the First Amendment because it promotes violence to express its ideas. Covert racism expresses ideas of racism in disguised forms; sometimes the covert racist is not even aware of the fact that he is racist. â€Å"They kept explaining to her in loud voices as though she is a child, as though she is a foreigner who does not speak airline English.† (102) â€Å"White folks promote black victimization, encourage passivity by rewarding those folks who whine, grovel, beg, and obey.† (108) We have no righ...

How Cell Phones Changed Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How Cell Phones Changed Society - Essay Example The following research paper includes the positive impacts and how cell phones have changed the lives of the people living in society. Finally a conclusion has been drawn related to the research done (Glotz, Bertsch and Locke 220). Cell phones Cell phones mostly and primarily known as mobile phones can be said to be as a device that can receive and make calls using some radio link while moving along a wide geographic area. This is widely done using some mobile operator’s cellular network. As compared to this the cordless phone can be used only within a short range of single, base station, while the cell phone does not require and base station. Cell phones along with the telephone also have several other functionalities like text messaging, emailing, internet access, gaming, business applications, and photography and so on. The cell phone which provides these above mentioned capabilities are referred as smart phones. Cell phones have become the need of every individual in order to stay connected with the society. This has become one of the basic amenities of life for the modern society people. Cell phones tend to have several features which make them a need for the common man to use it in their day to day life (Horst and Miller 18). Cell phones have changed our society In the recent period, cell phones have become a staple need and necessity of society around the world. Since its beginning as a big and bulky device, cell phones have become a sleek and pocket sized device which is required in the day to day life of the people. The device has been conceptualized in the year 1947 and since the life of the people within the society has changed a lot. Cell phones in the current period have become the main means of communication for people around the globe. Cell phones have become the need of the day as they are now a day’s also said to be as the internet devices. Now a day’s lacks of people around the globe are using cell phones to surf internet, listening to music, checking emails. It the current society scenario it can be said that it can be feasible to live without computer, television or telephone, and still indulge and have all these luxuries provided by these devices, in the palm of one’s hand using cell phones (Ling 32). Cell phones has changed the society lived in the past earlier there was telephones that were used by people to contact others when they were at home but with the invention and wide spread use of cell phones it has made possible to contact person directly where ever they are. Cell phones have made people to be contacted 24*7 for 365 days a year. With the use of cell phones people can roam around the world with constant touch with their families and business people. The cell phone technology has provided us with convenience, safety, PDA’s, alarm clocks, high communication abilities and all these in just one device (Straubhaar, Larose and Davenport 276). Cell phones have changed the whole meaning of multitasking of what it was 20 years ago. This device has enabled people to do various and varying tasks at the same time and remaining in touch with the family members and friends without any limitation of the physical presence to remain in contact. It has changed the way people work. The introduction of cameras on mobile phones has led to creation of a generation of

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Global Warming - Essay Example urning of fossil fuels for instance coal, oil and natural gases contribute massively to this predicament .40% of United States carbon emission comes from coal burning power plants. More consumer products and cars for transportation are in production following the high population growth rate. This reflects negatively to global warming as more fossil fuels are used in the manufacturing and processing of these products. Cutting down forests to burn charcoal together with the former contributes to accumulation of carbon air in the atmosphere. The carbon air on amassing in the atmosphere forms a cover and restricts heat into the atmosphere. Much of the infrared radiation rising from the surface is absorbed by carbon in the air (Weart, 2008). This results to global warming. Besides this, the level of methane in the earth’s atmosphere also determines the global warming level in the atmosphere. Agricultural activities for instance decomposition of products to make manure, produces a l ot of methane gas. The number of livestock in the planet is also a matter to be troubled about when global warming is concerned. Herbivorous animals produce methane during digestion. These methane ,gases add up to the atmosphere and like carbon it also forms, a blanket in the atmosphere .The only way to curb this is if humans embrace the usage of environmental friendly fuels and reduce the amount of methane in the air. For instance, governments could promote improvements in efficiency in commercial lighting or they could promote the disastrous consumption of fossil fuels (Weart, 2008). Global warming poses harsh effects to humankind. The increase in temperatures in the atmosphere translates to poor rainfall in the planet. Thus, the temperature of the earth is at high level due to carbon accumulations (Weart, 2008).This challenges the agricultural sector, as the productions would not be enough to feed the ever-growing population across the globe. This increase in temperature in the earth

ACH step 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ACH step 7 - Essay Example The two states have lived in a state of lack of independence living in a situation where there is neither war nor peace but only tension and mistrust2. Some of the attacks China organized against Taiwanese include the bombing of two islands in Taiwan in 1958, as well as the March 1966 incident where China tested missiles in Taiwan’s coast3. There are a number of solutions that have been thought will bring an end to this crisis and they include a diplomatic solution, direct attack as well as limited intervention. Hypotheses claim that diplomatic solutions will however influence the end of the conflict whereas using limited intervention may increase tension amongst the populace living in the two states4. In addition, using direct attacks may encourage other attacks from supporting nations. Considering these views concerning the possible solutions, an analysis is conducted to evaluate the outcome that will most probably occur to that with the least probability of occurrence. Coming to a diplomatic solution is the most likely outcome that will solve the PRC-Taiwanese conflict. Settling both sides and enabling them to see the necessity of bringing an end to the war is necessary. A diplomatic solution will help since it will not favour any side but be fair. Favouring one side usually culminates into increased tension in the opposing side in addition to increased attacks and reduced chances of peace and independence. The hypothesis that comes accompanied with this solution states that the diplomatic solution used will influence the end of the war. The hypothesis is true since the solution will direct how the two states will work into solving their disputes as well as how the will work once they are already stable. A solution that does not consider the future of these two states should not be selected over a solution that has considered the social, political and economic development plans for China and Taiwan. Diplomatic solutions show positive signs that it

Social Medias Negative Influences on Social Interaction Essay Example for Free

Social Medias Negative Influences on Social Interaction Essay The purpose of this paper is to observe complete strangers and familiar groups of people in a coffee shop setting, and a college setting, and document the use of social media and their interactions with other people. The goal of these observations is to see how much people socially interact with one another, and how much time people seclude themselves through the use of social media. The observer will also record the number of  interactions that are created through social media topics, meaning conversations that would not have occurred if social media was not present. It is the prediction of the author that people are less likely to socialize with face to face conversations, and are more likely to spend their time in a social environment using social media and interacting with others online with the use of their social media devices. The data collected will give the reader a better understanding of how society prefers to interact socially in present day, and what percentage of their time do they depend on the use of social media in a social environment. Does social media positively or negatively influence social interactions? How is social media used as an external attribution? Introduction. Technology has come so far over the last twenty years, and nobody really asked what society was losing, because of all that we gained. With all the interactions occurring in social media, including text messaging, Facebook, Twitter, email, YouTube, etc., do we really communicate in person anymore? Was it that long ago where our culture was dependent on pay phones and had to mail letters to contact other people? Because of the lack of convenience that people had during that time, it was very common to prefer to interact with people face to face. Now we live in a culture that people prefer to write text messages and/or emails, instead of calling someone to avoid talking with them directly. In a span of about ten years, our culture went from wanting cell phones to becoming dependent on cell phones, and having mostly to do with being able to view data (texts, emails, internet browsing), as opposed to calling people. It is because of all these facts that this author wishes to find out if social media is helping us interact socially, or if it actually prevents us from interacting. Another purpose of this research paper is to determine whether social media is used as an external attribution. External attribution is defined when an event is caused by an outside factor (Schneider, Gruman Coutts, 2005), or in this case, social media. In this study, we will find out if the event that occurs due to social media use is face to face interactions, the extended use of additional social media, or no interactions at all. It is believed that behavior results from personal and environmental, or social influences. In this study, we will find out if social media being present will cause  conversation to take place between groups of people that know each other, as well as complete strangers. What also will be recorded is whether the use of social media will result in social media interactions, as opposed to face to face interactions. An example of this would be if a person using social media on their tablet saw a YouTube video, and due to how funny they found the video, they then proceeded to text friends or post information on Facebook and/or Twitter about the video. This study will take place in two different locations, the first place being a Starbucks coffee shop in Coalinga, CA, while the second place will be West Hills Community College in Coalinga, CA. The setting’s benefits and weaknesses will be discussed later in this research assignment. The purpose of this location is to record the actions and uses of social media with complete strangers, as well as groups of people that know each other. By monitoring the interactions of people in a coffee shop, the author is able to see how much time that people rely on social media in a half hour setting. The coffee shop is used primarily as a place to study, interact in groups, read the newspaper, or to simply drink coffee. As opposed to a restaurant, where it is a more social atmosphere and it may be considered rude by patrons for people in their group to use their cell phones, tablets, and laptops. By observing the use of social media and social interactions at a college, we can see how similar or different the results are in a school setting. This case study will apply to the purposes of social psychology, as social psychology is defined as how people influence one another (Schneider, Gruman Coutts, 2005). The twist that will appear in the research to follow is how not only people influence other people, but how their use of social media influences other people and their interactions with other people. It is the author’ s hypothesis that the use of social media, although very useful at times, is devastating to normal face to face interaction. We are reminded of those people walking down the sidewalks with their heads buried into their cell phones, causing them to run into other people and obstacles on the sidewalk. The author also believes that this research will find that most, or all interactions that do exist, will occur through the use of social media instead of normal conversations. Setting. The two different locations where this study will be held will be at a Starbucks coffee shop and a community college, both of which are located in Coalinga, CA. These locations were both chosen because they offer the author the best chance for naturalistic observation, or nonparticipant observation. Nonparticipant observation is defined as an observation made by a researcher that allows them to remain separate from the event being monitored, so they do not have to worry about affecting the results of their observations (Schneider, Gruman Coutts, 2005). Since this study deals with monitoring other people’s use of social media and its influence on their social interactions, it is necessary to remain distant from the participants so they are unaware they are being observed, so that the data collected is more accurate. Different from participant observation, where the observer interacts with the participants being monitored, nonparticipant observation allows the observer the best chance to get realistic data. When people know they are being observed, they tend to act differently, and in the case of this study, they may hesitate from interacting socially and/or using social media as much as they normally would. The first observation will take place in the only coffee shop in the town of Coalinga, CA. This is relevant, as Coalinga is a small college town, so the chances of observing college students and adults interacting and/or using social media are high. The second observation will take place outside in the quad at the local community college in Coalinga, CA. The target audience for this observation period will be students who are getting out of class, or who are sitting around killing time until their next class begins. Both settings target a younger audience, which will heighten the chances of observing social media use, since social media is used more by young adults than older adults (Skues, Williams Wise, 2012). The goal of these two locations is to give the author the best chance to see the most use of social media, and how its use affects social interactions between the users and the people around them, all in a thirty minute time period. Location Advantages. The advantages of observations made in a coffee shop and a college setting are that it allows the author to target a younger audience, which should  generate observations of social media use and its affect on social interactions. When people go to coffee shops, they stay there to interact with other people, to study, or to hang out and spend time using social media. This is why most coffee shops have free Wi-Fi now, to encourage people to stay and drink more coffee while they interact socially or use social media. Another benefit of observing interactions and social media use in a coffee shop is that we find a large number of groups coming in together, as well as complete strangers placed next to each other. This study’s purpose is to monitor the social media use and social interactions of complete strangers, as well as people that know each other. In the group setting, we can see if everyone in the group uses social media, and whether they let their findings on social media to spark up conversation topics. With individuals, we can see how much they use social media and whether their use prevents them from trying to interact socially with complete strangers, or encourages them to start conversations with complete strangers. At the college setting, it gives the author similar surroundings to a coffee shop, in that it is a social environment, since most students hang out with their friends before and after class. A common occurrence at school is to see students doing homework, socializing with friends, or using social media before class since it usually is not allowed during class. Some students may even use social media to help with their homework assignments. While observing the college, the author will get the chance to see groups of people interacting, as well as students hanging out by themselves, which makes it similar to the coffee shop environment. Location Disadvantages. One disadvantage that may occur at the coffee shop is that the observer cannot control how many people come in during the thirty minute observation period, thus making it an uncontrolled environment. The hope is that, since the small town only has one coffee shop, it will be a popular place for people to go interact and use social media. If the author chooses to go on a slow day for business, the observations will be limited. This will obviously be affected by the time that the author chooses to go observe. To avoid any  issues, the observer will do this observation on a weekend morning, in hopes of avoiding work and school hours. Another disadvantage of a coffee shop is that it has a similar environment to a library, since so many people are present, people can avoid interactions to keep the place quiet for everyone to enjoy their experience. The fact that people are ordering drinks at the front counter and there is quite a bit of noise coming from the workers and coffee machines, the chances of it being quiet are small. One disadvantage of the college setting is the fact that the observation will be made outside, and weather can affect the number of students being present outside. The fact that Coalinga is a very warm area, the chances of it being cold in the mid-afternoon are small, so this should not be a huge issue. The other disadvantage of the college setting is, like the coffee shop, it is an uncontrolled environment, so the observer cannot control the number of students present at the time of observation. To prevent any issues here, the observer will choose a time around lunch, where most classes are on break from the hours of 12:00pm- 1:00pm. How social psychology considers social media in this environment. Since social psychology is defined as people’s behaviors influenced by others (Schneider, Gruman Coutts, 2005), this case study is specifically targeting how people interact around one another. The external factor in this study is that we are also monitoring the use of social media, and how it affects how people interact with each other. According to Gross (2009), in 2000, 34% of our population used cell phones, which increased to 84% in 2009. This is clear evidence that today’s generation is becoming dependant on cell phones, tablets, laptops, and other social media devices. Knowing this, and reading what Marche researched (2012), people are using social media more than ever. The problem lies in the fact that people using social media could be a result of people feeling lonely, and through the use of social media, they feel connected to something or someone. According to Marche, people are lonely as ever because â€Å"Facebook denies us a pleasure whose profundity we had underestimated: the chance to forget about ourselves for a while, the chance to disconnect. (2012)† What Marche means by this is in the past, people had the chance to disconnect from everything and  everyone, especially when things were not going so well. Now society never disconnects, because everything is a click away. The more people use social media, the less interaction they have with other people face to face, thus creating a state of loneliness. This study fits the purposes of social psychology because it will monitor how people’s actions and interactions are affected by the people that surround them, as well as the social media that is present around them. The observer will see how much conversation is started without the use of social media, and compare it to conversation started through topics of social media. Will people by themselves have the confidence to approach people they do not know to have a conversation? If so, will it be a result of the person being outgoing or the result of social media sparking a conversation? The observer will see groups and how they interact with one another, and how much of it depends on social media. Will the interactions between groups be different between those of strangers, in regards to social media use? These are all questions that the author will target throughout his research and observations. Research Methods. To conduct this research, the author first went to a Starbucks coffee shop on a Sunday morning at ten o’clock in the morning. The coffee shop is located in Coalinga, California. The reason this time was chosen was because it is a college town, so a weekday morning would most likely be slow, and most people have work off on weekends. The goal was to try and observe the most crowded time possible, in order to get the most accurate results throughout the observation. Though the research was done in a very small town, the Starbucks coffee shop still attracts a lot of business on weekends. Since this study was to be done with naturalistic observation methods, the author chose to get a seat in the far corner of the coffee shop, so that he could avoid people being aware of his presence and monitoring. By not letting the participants know that they were being monitored, the author felt that the data collected would be a more accurate portrayal of how they normally would interact socia lly, and how much those interactions were affected by the use of social media. Due to participant’s  change of behavior when they are aware of their actions being recorded, the naturalistic observation method can be an effective way to get the most accurate results when monitoring people’s actions (Rosas, 2006). The second setting for data collection was done at West Hills Community College, located in Coalinga, California. Although this is a smaller college, there are still plenty of classrooms that are all located outside, which allowed the author the chance to sit nearby a classroom door and monitor the students waiting to go into class, as well as the students just getting out of class. The author chose to use natural observations when monitoring these students throughout the case study at the college. The observations also focused on the teachers that walked around campus, and their interactions with other teachers and students. Similar to the observations made at the coffee shop, these were done at the school by the author staying out of the way of those who were being monitored. The author was able to find a table across from the classroom, where many students gathered together while they waited to go into class. These were the two settings in which the research for this study were do ne by the author. Ethical Challenges. Since naturalistic observations are defined as those made by a researcher who neither changes the environment in any way, nor creates their own desired environment (Capella, 2013), the only challenge presented to the author in this study was not being found to be monitoring by the people who he was observing. Since the coffee shop is a smaller venue, it was difficult to not stick out while observing the actions of people so close to the author. At the school, it was much easier to blend in as the author was outside and could put sunglasses on, so people could not see his eyes. As mentioned earlier, the study results could only be found accurate if the author did not intervene with the participants, since this is the only way to view the participants in their natural habitat (Capella, 2013). The only way this study was found to be ethical was if it was done without intervening with the participants. This also included not using personal information from the participants, so none of th e documented results could be connected to people who were unaware they were being monitored. Since  none of these issues were breached, the research done was ethical. Research Analysis. The author made naturalistic observations at two individual settings, each for a twenty minute period of time. The first observation was done at the Starbucks in Coalinga, California, on January 26, 2014. The second observation was done at West Hills Community College in Coalinga, California, on February 4, 2014. In the twenty minute observation period at the local Starbucks, the researcher witnessed three groups of people come into the coffee shop together and eight individuals, three of whom were already present before the researcher got to the coffee shop. In the twenty minute observation period at the college, the researcher saw one group of 6 students, one group of three teachers, and two individuals all outside a classroom door. Groups. The first group witnessed at the Starbucks was a group of three women, two in their early fifties, and one who appeared to be a college student. The women came in and interacted with each other while waiting in line, and then grabbed a table once their order was ready. The younger girl checked her phone three different times while in line with the two older ladies, and appeared to be texting back and forth. This usage brought up some communication with one of the older women, who appeared to be the mother of the younger girl. The â€Å"mother† asked who she was texting, and then asked how the friend who the younger girl was texting was doing. Once they sat down, the younger girl texted on her phone only a few times, as the time spent at the table between the ladies dealt with interacting about the young girl’s impression of the town of Coalinga. At no point during their ten minute sit down did any of the women interact with any other people that were in the coffee shop, as they stayed completely in group. The author noted that the younger girl appeared more interested in what texts she was getting on her phone than what the two older women were talking about, but she refrained from using it too much. In the second group, which came a few minutes after the first group, there  were four college students (2 girls and 2 guys). They all had their backpacks with them, and one guy had a tablet while the other had a laptop. It was evident that they had been to this coffee shop before, as they all started up a conversation with two of the young workers at the counter, who appeared to be classmates of theirs. Once they grabbed a table, they began discussing a class project that they had in their health class. The guy with the tablet used his social media device to research certain health topics that were presented to him by both girls in the group. The second guy with the laptop was responsible for writing down their research findings, as all four discussed the topics and what was found through their research. At no point through their discussions did they interact with anyone outside their group, as they seemed focus on completing their research only. They still remained there at the co ffee shop after the author left the coffee shop fifteen minutes later. The third group of people consisted of two females, one in her late twenties and the other being a college student, and one male in his mid-thirties. The older woman and male both worked at this Starbucks, and it was evident that they held a managerial position. The younger college student female was applying for a job at this particular Starbucks. The younger female had a resume with her, and had to fill out an application while sitting down in the group. The older male was asking the applicant questions about her completed application, while the older female was documenting some of the responses on her tablet. It appeared that the two managers were using the tablet to input important information about the applicant. There were some outside interactions, as some of the other employees were invited over to the table and introduced to the applicant. This meeting lasted about ten minutes, and then the applicant left the shop while the two managers went back into the office in the back. At the college, the first group that was seen was a group of six students (five guys and one girl). It was clear that this group was waiting for their next class to begin and was killing time before the class started. Although nobody from this group had a tablet or laptop, all six had cell phones and used them almost the entire time. The female was on a phone call, while the  guys were all checking out videos and music on YouTube. All the conversations between the guys were related to their findings on their phones, and once the girl got off her phone, she was invited over to see a funny video that the guys had found. At one point, two individuals passed by this group at separate times, but no interactions were made between the group and the individuals. The final group seen at the college was a group of three mid-forties females who are teachers at the college. One of the ladies had her laptop open, while the other two were talking about creating new student learning outcomes for their particular fields. At no point did the teachers even look over to the group of students that was two tables away from them, as they seemed focus on completing their research before their next class. Although only one of the females was using the laptop, all three were conversing about the student learning outcomes and making suggestions to what was documented on the laptop. Individuals. There were eight different individuals present at the coffee shop during the twenty minute observation period. Five of the eight individuals sat down at a table, while the other three got their coffees to go. The three individuals who got their coffee to go all only interacted with the workers at the counter, and none of them used a social media device or interacted with other people. One of the five that chose to stay at the coffee shop was a college female, and she sat at a table with headphones on while viewing her tablet. She appeared to be watching a movie, as she did not speak the entire time she sat down. Another of the five (mid-forties male) had a copy of the newspaper and proceeded to drink his coffee while reading the Sports section of the newspaper for ten minutes, before he left the shop. The third individual was another college student female who sat down at a table with her coffee and made a four minute phone call to a friend. Once the phone call was over, she grabbed her coffee and left the coffee shop. The fourth individual was a mid-thirties female who brought a book with her, as she sat in the quiet corner of the shop while reading her book and drinking her coffee. She did not interact with anyone while the observation took place.  The final individual was a mid-twenties male, who brought his laptop with him. Once he sat down, he put earphones in and appeared to face-time someone on his laptop, as he was speaking into the microphone on his computer. This conversation was about ten minutes, and prevented any outside interactions with this person with anyone else at the shop. One thing noted by the author was that the people around this last individual did notice that he was speaking rather loudly in a public place, and it was evident that some conversations came up about the man being rude. At no point did anyone approach the man, as they just whispered about it at their individual tables. In the college setting, there were only two individuals present during the twenty minute observation, and they walked by the classroom that was being monitored at separate times. Both individuals were male and both were walking to their next class while using their phones. The first was using his phone to make a phone call, but because he was in the area for only thirty seconds, the contents of the phone conversation were unclear. The second male was typing on his phone the entire time he was walking to his next class, so it appeared that he was texting. The student did not raise his head one time as he was walking, which caused him to walk very slowly and it appeared that he was using his peripheral vision to make sure he did not run into anything during his walk to his next class. Neither one of these individuals interacted socially to any of the groups present as they walked by. Research Analysis’ Relationship to Social Media Statisitics. The research collected through the two observations shows that younger and older participants all were likely to use some form of social media device. About 50% of all social media users in this study used their social media devices to communicate with others through texting and phone calls, while the other 50% used their social media devices to document information and view videos online. According to research done by Baker (2012) just with regards to social media use for videos, YouTube gets 4 billion page views per day all over the world. The average person spends fifteen minutes per day on YouTube streaming video, and every day, over 800,000 videos are uploaded onto YouTube. 35% of all YouTube viewers are between the ages of  18-34 (Baker, 2012). In another study done by Baker (2012), she writes how there are one million new Twitter accounts created every day, which is equivalent to eleven accounts created per second, and over 100 million active Twitter users globally today. Ac cording to research done by Gibson (2013), over 97% of all people own cell phones, and 56% of those cell phones owned are â€Å"smart-phones†, which have the potential to retrieve email and browse the internet. She also states that within the ages of 18-29, 80% of that age group own a smart-phone. With all this said, it is clear that today’s majority culture is dependent on cell phones. Throughout this study, the author saw a majority of participants using some form of social media device, which agrees with other research on social media usage. What was unclear throughout this study is how much social media usage affects our interactions with others socially. Even though some people use their social media devices to interact with others online, does social media limit our ability to communicate with others face to face. During this study, we saw that people that were involved in a group setting still interacted with one another, whether the conversations were dependent on social media or not. We also saw that individuals by themselves did not go out of their way to converse with complete strangers, unless it was to buy a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, this does not prove if social media is the cause of less face to face interactions, because these participants may have just kept to themselves on that particular day. Although it may appear that people today are less likely to interact socially, especially with people they do not know, it is impossible to prove that based on two observation periods. Research Summary. So what has this research study shown us? The one definite that was shown is that people were hesitant to approach people they did not know, unless it was to order something from the front counter at Starbucks. While this does not prove that people today are less likely to interact with complete strangers, it shows proof that people in a public setting are not going out of their way to interact with other people they do not know. What is interesting is that through social media usage (Twitter, Facebook, etc.),  people today are more likely to engage in conversations with complete strangers than they are in face to face settings (Diaz, Evans Gallagher, 2011). What is it about social media that allows people today to be more open to converse with people they do not know, rather than doing it in a public setting in person? Diaz, Evans Gallagher believe that because people do not have to face the person they are speaking with, thus not having to deal with embarrassment if what they s ay is found to be unpopular, people are more likely to be outgoing when it will not affect them negatively in a social manner (2011). Another fact that was proven in this study is that social media can provoke interactions with other people, even though those witnessed in this study were not how the author thought they would occur. In this study at the Starbucks, a man sat at a table and spoke to another person on his social media device in a public place. Because of how loud he was, other people that did not know the man began talking about how rude the man was to act like he was in his living room and not respect the other people surrounding him. The author was hoping to find people that would find something of interest on a social media device and show other people they did not know, sparking an interaction between two strangers. Though this did not happen, one person’s social media use did spark an interaction between another group of people which would not have occurred had the man not done what he had done. This proves to the reader that social media usage can promote interactions between people that w ould not have occurred had people not used social media. Study Implications. New Trends. Though this study does not prove anything, as it is a small sample size of the world’s social media usage and their interactions, it does agree with the author’s hypothesis that people today rely less on face to face interactions and more with interactions made through social media. According to Diaz, Evans Gallagher (2011), there are several advantages and disadvantages of using social media to interact. Young adults that are shy may gain confidence to interact more, first by using social media to  interact and develop confidence. Social media also encourages people to apply more thought into their interactions, as they have more time to think about what will be said. This differs from face to face interactions, as people are put on the spot and sometimes cannot have sufficient time to think about the best thing to say in a particular moment. Some of the disadvantages mentioned by Diaz, Evans Gallagher (2011) are that social media is so widespread, that any convers ation can be seen by millions of people, rather than a face to face conversation that is only seen by those present. Social media also leads people to multi-task, which leads to a lack of attention applied to one individual topic. Multi-tasking also leads to spending too much time on social media, and not enough time studying and developing the brain. New Responses to Influences of Social Media. Does our society even have negative responses to the influences of social media? It seems that everyone is so involved with how cool technology is, and what new social media devices are coming out, there is not a lot of talk about the negative influences of social media. Is social media a more negative or positive influence on our culture? This question cannot be answered with a study like this, as many studies have been done to observe people’s usage of media, and everyone handles their usage differently. Some people may be consumed with social media, and all that comes with it, to where they separate themselves from the non-interactive world. Some people may be able to contain their usage, while using their social media use to improve their face to face interactions with regular people. The author’s feelings on this topic is that due to the data collected in this case study, people did not go out of their way to interact with people they did not know. Whereas twenty years ago, people by themselves in a coffee shop may have been more likely to try and interact with strangers because they did not have social media to occupy their time. This is not to say that people twenty years ago did not go to coffee shops to read the paper or their book in private. The data collected in this study also shows proof that the percentages of people using social media and smart phones found in recent research studies are pretty accurate, as a high percentage of the people that were observed had some of sort of social media device. Recent research  also showed that phones today are more likely to be used for texting, emailing, and web browsing, rather than talking on the phone (Duggan, 2013). This research was proven to be accurate in this observational study as well, as one person at the school was using their phone to talk, while everyone else was using their phones to browse, text, or email. Further Areas of Research. So even though this topic has been researched many times by different researchers, are there any areas that may have not been covered to try and come up with a more definitive answer to if social media usage affects our social interactions? The problem presented with all research is that every person is different, and how they are affected by social media will be different in each individual situation. The author believes that all that can be accomplished by completing further research is to add more proof to a topic that has not been proved to be 100% accurate. Even with more research leading readers to believe that social media is affecting our culture negatively, the only way that we can prove that is if one day people stop talking to other people completely and interaction is done ONLY through the use of social media. Then we can say that social media is definitely the reason that people do not interact socially face to face. One other area that can be further researched is to fi nd out the relationship between social media use and feelings of depression. It would be interesting to see how depression is related to the loneliness that comes with secluding oneself with only interacting through social media. Conclusion. It was the goal of the author to see how the use of social media affected our social interactions in today’s society. Another focus of this study was to see how interactions that do take place are a result of social media usage. Given the data collected in these two case studies, the research findings do support prior research that social media usage is taking over as the primary means of communicating. Each individual person is different, in that some may rely more on social media to communicate than others based on their personalities, but the data found by the author does support this theory and shows the reader that people are growing less accustomed to  communicating face to face with others. While it is said that communicating through social media can expand our abilities to communicate in person (Diaz et al, 2011), it can also be said that social media is preventing our society from socially interacting in person. What this author has found is that there will always be two different sides to this argument, as some will feel that the benefits of social media use will always outnumber the negative effects, while others feel that no matter how advanced social media is, the fact that it may prevent people today from having face to face interactions is a serious issue. The reader has to believe that social media will only increase the more advanced devices become, which may lead some to think that social interaction will keep diminishing. The best thing that people can do as parents is to somehow regulate their children’s usage of social media, with regards to how much time is spent on their social media devices and what content is being viewed. By doing this, parents can still allow their children to interact socially and continue to develop their communication skills by not solely relying on social media to interact socially (Diaz et al, 2011). Whether social media usage is regulated or not, it is apparent that social media is here to stay. It is up to parents and teachers to try and incorporate other methods of interacting with their children so that they receive all the benefits that can come from interacting face to face. The conclusion of this study is, although research may support the fact that social media usage can affect social interactions, it will be very difficult to prove 100% because of different people’s reasons for choosing whether to interact socially face to face or through social online networks. References Baker, H. (2012). Video Statistics. The B2B Guide to Social Media. Retrieved on February 14, 2014 at: http://www.b2bsocialmediaguide.com/2012/06/07/video-statistics/ Baker, H. (2012). Twitter Statistics. The B2B Guide to Social Media. Retrieved on February 14, 2014 at: http://www.b2bsocialmediaguide.com/2011/04/04/twitter-statistics-7/ Capella University. (2013). Social Media Naturalistic Research Study. Retrieved on February 15, 2014 at: https://courseroomc.capella.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4655_1%26url%3D Diaz, Y., Evan, L. Gallagher, R. (2011). 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