Television and violence

fantasy story essays

fantasy story essays In a time long before the great scholars of Istaria can even fathom, a time before the massive northern peaks were formed. A time before light and darkness, before the oldest Dragon Legends, there were the two. Without form or restraints, without origins, they existed and all of reality remained a perfect balance, a precarious equilibrium, an existence that neither changed nor evolved. As the countless eons passed, the two forces changed, one, a force that thrived in decay, chaos and darkness, we have come to know as Arimann. The other, the essence of light and order we call Ariddel. As the Two grew they gained the desire to overcome each other, and a silent war raged on, the material plane formed as a physical product of this war, as each power wished to show its dominance over the other; what one created, the other destroyed, anarchy fed off order and vice versa. No clear victory was possible because both were equal, eternal rivals that could never hope to vanquish one another. The endless war led to a reality in constant turmoil and the balance of the universe was in jeopardy. Both realized that they were powerless towards each other and thus retreated, back to their own realms, they left the middle realm as the final battle ground, where they would play no direct role, but watch with eternal vigil to see who will rise victorious from the ashes of the conflict. Below Zarchire sat on the rock, how long had it been Months? Years? Eons? He sat his lifeless body still, overgrown by the slimy fungus that engulfed all in the cave. Only his mind was alive, lost in meditation drifting endlessly in search of an answer, he chanted, his mind burned with only one thought...how? How could they defeat him, the hatred for himself, for...for the infidels was all that consumed the ancient mind...how? He cursed the name of mheguss Khan, he had let him fall, the dark lord had abandoned him. ...

New Technology of Crime Law and Social Control Essay

New Technology of Crime Law and Social Control - Essay Example Byrne and Rebovich (2007) classify technology into two broad categories: hard and soft technologies. They give examples of hard technologies used by the police in crime prevention to include: closed circuit television cameras (CCTV), street lighting, citizen protection devices, metal detectors, and ignition interlock systems. They also give examples of soft technology which include: threat assessment instruments, risk assessment instruments, bullying ID protocol, sex offender registration, risk assessment prior to involuntary civil commitment, profiling potential offenders, and facial recognition software used in conjunction with CCTV. Byrne and Rebovich argue that hard technology has led to improved police protection devices, improved new weapons, less lethal force, computers in squad cars, mobile data centers and video in patrol cars. They outline advantages of soft technology to include: crime mapping, crime analysis, criminal history data systems enhancement, information sharing within criminal justice systems and private sector, new technologies to monitor communication to and from targeted individuals, amber alerts, the creation of watch list of potentially violent offenders and gunshot location devices. CCTV and street lighting are the most commonly used hard technologies in crime prevention. CCTV is more significant in reducing property crime than street lighting (Welsh and Farrington, 2007). Great investments go into implementing CCTV but its rewards are tremendous. Cameras enable surveillance, making police work much easier. In conjunction with street lighting, cameras intensify security in the streets. During public events, cameras enable the police to monitor security details and ensure people’s safety. When criminals know that they are being watched, they shy away from committing a crime.  

To what extent can human resource policies and practices promote Essay

To what extent can human resource policies and practices promote gender equality - Essay Example the representation of women in management positions in firms across Europe reveals that gender equality is still a problem for businesses of all sizes. Moreover, it seems that the number of women in lower and middle management positions is gradually increased, in opposition with the top management positions, which are likely to be occupied by man (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.506-507). In 2002, the percentage of firms that employ only men at lower and middle management positions was estimated to 44%, decreased from 1996 when the above percentage was 50% (European Business Survey 2002, in Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.506). The figures presented above denote the ineffectiveness of HRM to secure gender equality. At the next level, Stahl and Bjorkman (2006) note that the level at which HRM policies focus on gender equality is often depended on ‘the level at which women are represented in HRM’ (Stahl and Bjorkman 2006, p.507). In other words, in firms where the number of women wo rking in the HRM department is high, the promotion of gender equality is expected to be more intensive compared to firms that tend to employ men in their HRM department. In this context, HRM policies are likely to emphasize on gender equality mostly when female HR managers plan them, a fact that reveals the inability of modern firms to secure equality in the workplace. The potential use of HR policies for promoting gender equality is highlighted in the study of Durai (2010). Reference is made specifically to Infosys, a global firm in the area of IT consulting. The particular firm has promoted gender equality through an appropriately customized network, the Women Inclusivity Network, which ‘secures gender equality by mentoring women employees to take up challenging working assignments’ (Durai... Gender equality is still an important problem for organizations worldwide. The development of initiatives by the states and by international organizations, such as the United Nations, has helped towards the limitation of the problem. Still, the success of firms worldwide in promoting gender equality is rather low. The literature presented above has revealed that firms can choose among different policies for promoting gender equality. In this context, it would be expected that phenomena of gender equality in the workplace would be limited, a fact that has not been verified. The ‘Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)’ (Rao et al 2009, p.7) seems to be the key text initiating the elimination of inequality in the workplace. However, in practice, the promotion of gender equality in the workplace is often problematic, as explained above, mostly because the relevant initiatives are not adequately supported, at least not as other orga nizational plans. The need for the active support of these initiatives by the state is quite clear.

Reflection of the Role and Responsibilities of the Teacher Essay Example for Free

Reflection of the Role and Responsibilities of the Teacher Essay Roles and Responsibilities of a teacher are vital and must be learnt, as a general rule, to ensure quality of teaching. To embark on this journey it is essential to attain enough knowledge about the subject and gather the correct material for teaching. It is not only sufficient to hold good quality knowledge on the subject, but also have a presentable appearance. The teacher is responsible for student behaviour and classroom management, as well as to understand the capability of the learners. Therefore it is essential for teachers to assess the students level of understanding. As all students learn in different ways, there is the Honey and Mumford theory learning styles (Honey, P. Mumford, A. 1992), to assist teachers. By carrying out group work it will provide a good chance to get students working together as it facilitates the need for productive talk, (Edwards Mercer, 1987). Here the sociological learning style can be applied. By implementing this on the students it allows them to learn from each other and share ideas with one another. The students can also participate in exploratory talk (Mercer Hodgkinson 2008) which allows them to teach each other and take ownership of their own ideas. This is very encouraging as it allows the students to indulge deeply on the knowledge they hold, when explaining to other individuals. Also with the help of the internet and modern technology there are many ways to get the students interactively involved with lessons. To allow them to work on their own, will be a better way of learning as they will be learning on their own terms. Here one other learning style has been applied, which is the tactile style, this is where the student learns best when they are given the opportunity by doing something by themselves. On the other hand there is the auditory learning style whereby a learner benefits from simply listening, so if the lectures are well planned and class discussions are carried out it will benefit this type of learner. If the above was applied to the students they would stay engaged and involved with the teacher, which is important for effective learning. Also possessing a great amount of creativity when teaching and trying new ways of explaining areas of the subject will bring great outcomes to the students’ level of learning. As Wilson (2008), states on similar terms that the oles are functions of a teacher, which are, planning and preparing for the class, developing interesting way to deliver the lesson, assessing the impact of learning and ensuring safe learning. Therefore ensuring suitable accommodation facilities, which are available, in order to provide the desired learning setting. If the roles and responsibilities of a teacher are in good practice the teacher will be in a position where she/he can be approached with comfort and ease by the student, not only to discuss about the subject but anything they wish to discuss. Again this brings great benefit allowing the teacher to understand the learner and to provide the correct resources. Moreover the safeguarding of children is taken very seriously and usually new teachers are supplied with key documents, which are required to be read and understood and complied with, for example if a teacher knows a child is being abused the teacher will have to know how to deal with the situation using the advice given and who to report it to. One other important part of being a teacher is knowing how well he/she is teaching, this can be achieved by assessing the students, and from these assessments changes for improvement can take place. When assessing through assignments or exams, it is highly important teachers provide positive feedback as it will always encourage the student to learn more. On concluding this, teaching should be delivered to the learner in a way that is informative, creative, interactive and responsive within a relaxed environment, to enable high learning performance from the learners. The teachers holds many roles and responsibilities, however, most importantly there are in search of constant ways of finding better ways of students to learn, by using different unique methods to allow the learner to achieve their best outcome, which will then make them accessible for contributing positively in society, or going onto higher education, and providing a better lifestyle for one self.

XML: Extensible Markup Language Essay -- Essays Papers

XML: Extensible Markup Language The World Wide Web is in the process of undergoing a radical change that allows new services and opportunities to businesses and individuals. HTML - the HyperText Markup Language - is a language that is predominately used to generate most of the web sites available today. Now, however, Extensible Markup Language is in the process of replacing HyperText Markup Language as the most favored format. Extensible Markup Language will allow the use and functionality of the web to continue to expand. Extensible Markup Language is based on Standard Generalized Markup Language. First, what is Standard Generalized Markup Language? Both HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) are based on SGML - Standard Generalized Markup Language. Standard Generalized Markup Language has been an international standard since 1986 (ISO 8879). It is a meta-language, which simply means that it can be used to create other languages. Standard Generalized Markup Language is a descendent from earlier markup languages first developed at IBM as early as 1969. The oldest direct ancestor is GML, which both stands for General Markup Language and contains the initials of the IBM researchers who created it: Charles F. Goldfarb, Edward Mosher, and Raymond Lorie. Standard Generalized Markup Language is a far more extensive markup language than Extensible Markup Language or HyperText Markup Language, and to this day remains as the ultimate language in the field. The ultimate goal and success of Standard Generalized Markup Language is that it conquered the computer-age old problem of being able to communicate across different computer platforms. It allows computers to share and communicate data regardless of the computer’s hardware, operating system, or software applications being used. Applications such as AdobeïÆ'’ FramemakerïÆ'’ use it for desktop publishing. But, in general, Standard Generalized Markup Language is considered much too complex for widespread e-business and other similar applications. A need for a new language to handle the new demands of the e-business world became clear. The designers of Extensible Markup Language were looking to generate a markup language that would allow the functionality of Standard Generaliz ed Markup Language without the complexity. By strategically omitting large chunks of St... ...p Language. The difference in quality will be enormous. It is also estimated that beyond the web, Extensible Markup Language will be felt along the lines of standardization of data interchange formats. In other words, in the effort to standardize data names in like areas of business, the same standardization could be used worldwide for applications outside of Extensible Markup Language’s spectrum. Extensible Markup Language could improve efficiency in all respects of data exchange. With companies like Microsoft, IBM, Dow Chemical Co., DuPont, BASF, and a plethora of others working together to develop standards, the future of Extensible Markup Language and data interchange is bright! Bibliography Goldfarb, Charles F. â€Å"XML in an Instant: A Non-geeky Introduction.† Oasis. October 1999. Gonsalves, Antone. â€Å"XML Translation Wares Are On The Way.† eWEEK. January 2000. Halfhill, Tom. â€Å"XML: The Next Big Thing.† IBM Research Magazine. October 2000. Rohan, Rebecca. â€Å"New Wild Life In The XML Menagerie.† Sm@rt Partner. February 2000. Schindler, Esther. â€Å"Exposing XML Myths.† Sm@rt Partner. May 2000. Walsh, Jeff. â€Å"XML: Not Just for the Web Anymore.† InfoWorld. June 1998.

Moving to Another Country Essay

Tradition is existing knowledge. A tradition is a group of related ideas that have lasted for a long time. In some cases people have spent that time trying to improve the ideas. We’ll call that a dynamic tradition because it changes over time. In other cases, the focus has been on keeping the tradition exactly the same over time. We’ll call that a static tradition because it does not change. Although these approaches are contradictory, some traditions are mixed. Dynamic traditions are important because they contain some of our best knowledge. Today, they contain only the best ideas any participants have thought of in the whole history of the tradition. I don’t mean they are perfect, but if they missed a good idea, it was despite people’s efforts, not intentional. They do a pretty good job of gathering the best ideas, and keeping those around, and discarding ideas that are discovered to be mistaken. The reason dynamic traditions are especially valuable is the sheer amount of thought, criticism and error correction that has gone into them from many people. Just because traditions contain valuable knowledge doesn’t mean they are always right. Sometimes they aren’t. I shouldn’t defer to traditions just because a lot of smart people didn’t see any way to improve them further. I should defer if I don’t see any way to improve them further. If I make up a new idea, and I don’t see any way to improve it further (in 20 minutes of thought), then it’s not particularly reliable. I could easily have missed something. With a tradition, perhaps thousands of people put in twenty minutes of thought, and some others put in years, so even if I don’t see any way to improve things, and even if I don’t know much about the subject, it has an advantage over just making something up myself. All the knowledge in traditions can be intimidating . And no one has time to carefully and critically go through all the details of all the traditional knowledge they use. That’s OK. But one should bear in mind two things. First, if something goes wrong — if there seems to be a problem — then relying on tradition isn’t good enough. It’s not working, and you’ll need to tweak something or find another tradition. And second, a thoughtful person should critically evaluate some traditions. It’s your choice which, but everyone ought to be good at something and have the experience of trying to improve some knowledge. Everyone should put some serious thought into some area. There isn’t much point to life if I don’t seriously think about some parts of it. In the case of a disagreement, an  appeal to tradition is invalid. The tradition might be wrong and someone thinks it is. To address that disagreement, I have to consider their criticism of the tradition, any alternative ideas they have, and any arguments in favor of the traditional idea, and then try to work out what is true. Traditions containing people’s best ideas of the past won’t always be the best ideas anyone thinks of in the future. The biggest value of traditions is they can often give useful ideas that are not controversial, or starting points which partially solve problems. In a disagreement, although we can’t say, â€Å"This is true because a lot of smart people didn’t see anything wrong with it, and who are you to say they missed something?† the fact that something is a tradition is not irrelevant either. Dynamic traditions have, over the years, faced a lot of criticism. They often already include explanations of why common criticisms of the tradition are mistaken. Major traditions have existing literature that provides arguments and ideas on the subject. This literature can answer many disagreements, which are often made in ignorance. When we find something wrong with a tradition, if at all possible we should improve the tradition, not abandon it. We should seek a way to modify the tradition but also retain existing knowledge. To keep the most existing knowledge, our change should be as small as possible to solve the problem. If we were to start over from scratch, we may avoid the flaw we found, but we’re not perfect and our new ideas will contain other flaws. And new ideas won’t have the benefit of decades or centuries of people trying to find and correct flaws. We should consequently be respectful of tradition even as we find errors in it, and try to improve it with new ideas of our own. Static traditions are different. Although they’ve been around a long time, no one has been trying to find mistakes in them, so they aren’t very useful. Nor are they innocuous. Consider: why does the static tradition still exist? Why didn’t it disappear after its original advocates died? With a dynamic tradition, it’s passed on to the next generation because people find it useful, and teach it. A static tradition, too, must have some mechanism for being passed on. But it canâ€⠄¢t be that people voluntarily learn it due to its usefulness. Because it never changes, and never corrects errors, it’s not very useful. Instead, people must in some way be tricked or fooled into it, or indoctrinated, or forced, or brainwashed. Often they are pressured, and made  to feel bad, sinful or guilty if they do not follow the tradition. But controlling people’s emotions is difficult. Because people are creative and will try to defend themselves, it takes a lot of knowledge to reliably control or manipulate them. Where does that knowledge come from? Static traditions are not actually entirely static. The main ideas, doctrine or dogma is kept constant. But the way of passing it on changes. The more people try to preserve the tradition unchanged, and make sure it will last forever, the more creativity they put into mechanisms for transmitting the tradition to the next generation. All traditions face a selection effect. For a tradition to last, it has to be passed on from older people to younger people. But only so many ideas can be taught to the next generation. Children are only in school, and in their parents’ home, for so many years. The amount of ideas is large, but it’s limited. Only a certain amount of tradition can fit. Only the ones that are better at being passed on will make the cutoff. D ynamic traditions compete by being as useful as possible. Thus the selection effect pushes them to be better and better. They try to be true, and people like the truest ones so much that they teach them to children. Static traditions compete differently. They can’t compete with good ideas directly, so they use other approaches such as manipulating or controlling people. In short, in some way they disable the person’s creativity so he doesn’t realize the tradition is low on useful truth content, and doesn’t think of alternative ideas against which a static tradition can’t compete. The selection effect for static traditions makes them worse, not better. Any static tradition that fails to create a permanent blind spot in the person runs a serious risk that one day he’ll realize it’s not a great tradition and doesn’t have a lot of useful knowledge. And if he realizes that, whether he ever changes his mind or improves himself, what he won’t want to do is teach it to his kids. There will never come a time when his children have some problem or qu estion, and he thinks if he teaches them this tradition it will help them, since he knows it is not useful. Traditions are important because they contain our best knowledge collected over the years. But they can also be dangerous. Static traditions that induce blind spots in people and are useless at everything except getting themselves taught to children. It is up to us to consider which traditions are which.