Do media in China enjoy more autonomy today Essay

Do media in China enjoy more autonomy today - Essay Example ile in many democracies, in the west, and the press is free to criticize the government without fears of reprisals, this is still a dream to the Chinese media. The CDP (Communist Partys Central Propaganda Department) is the main body charged with the censoring of all information be it on TV print or even the internet. In retrospect, the Chinese press may have enjoyed a degree of freedom in the past, today the communist government is tightening the leash against the media in an attempt to control the information that filers to the public. This is according to observers from both inside and outside China; interviewed by Deutsche Welle Wolfgang BÃ ¼ttner said that freedom of the press has taken a turn for the worse in the recent past (Blau, 2012). Herein, some of the problems that are experienced by the Chinese media (inclusive of online media) are examined with the conclusion entailing a projection of whether the situation is likely to change in the near future. One of the main courses of these increased clampdowns could be the revolutions in Egypt and Syria which were instigated from a social medial platform. The Chinese government fears that its citizens may attempt the same after an online appeal to the Chinese to follow suit (Bennett, 2011). The Chinese constitution requires that any online company should be ready to co-operate with the state in apprehending those who leak state secrets, however, the definition of state secrete is rather vague. Conveniently, this could be any information the government deems a threat to its economy or reputation, whether true or not. In 2010, the government launched its first white paper that requires for everyone using the internet in China, including foreign correspondents should adhere to the laws of China in what is commonly known as media sovereignty (Bennett, 2011). In view of the harsh economic times and the corruption that seems to be etching itself in government circles, the party is aware that the Chinese people might

Maternal Stress and the Effects of Childhood Development Essay Example for Free

Maternal Stress and the Effects of Childhood Development Essay In conducting my research on developmental studies, I had the chance to review many academic journals with many different studies. I chose to read, â€Å"The Role of Prenatal Maternal Stress in Child Development,† by Janet A.DiPietro in the, Current Directions in Psychological Science journal. The title of the study itself does identify the independent and dependent variable. The independent variable is the effect of stress, and the dependent variable is the child’s development. In reading the introduction, I learned that throughout history people have thought that the emotions and experiences of a pregnant woman impinge on her developing fetus. (DiPietro, 2004) I also learned that there are no direct neural connections between the mother and fetus. (DiPietro, 2004) The journal went on to describe the physiological processes involved in mother to fetus bio-chemical and hormonal functions. The main studies used in determining theoretical explanations throughout history, have been in animal studies. According to DiPietro (2004), â€Å"the most compelling evidence between maternal physiological functioning and later development in offspring is found in animal studies.† (p. 1). The hypothesis of this study suggests that maternal stressors are more far-reaching on child behavior than previously suspected. (DiPietro, 2004). The main way that this hypothesis has been studied is by utilizing animal research. In a series of studies done with rhesus monkeys, when the mothers were exposed to loud noises throughout pregnancy, the offspring showed delayed motor development and reduced attention. (DiPietro, 2004) It does seem that most of the studies conducted on animals have reported negative consequences. Although reports of either no effects or beneficial ones make it clear that much is left to be learned about the specific characteristics of stressors that either accelerate or retard development. (DiPietro, 2004) The subjects used in the methods section were humans. Although, according to the article, this is difficult to study in the human because of the physiological differences during the pregnancies of the different species, and the fact that researchers are unable to control events that transpire after birth in humans. (DiPietro, 2004) Therefore, there are no graphs, charts or statistical measures seen in this article. There were several methods used to analyze the data in this article. One was the survey. Surveys were done with mothers who had witnessed a catastrophic even such as the World Trade Center disaster, or an earthquake. Although the study was able to show that the mother was indeed stressed during pregnancy, there was no study conducted on the outcome of the child. (DiPietro, 2004) Another method had mothers report about their stress incurred during pregnancy, and then an observer and not a parent rated the infant’s behavior. The article suggests that even the resulting information in this study may be skewed, because the studies relied on the Mother’s reports of their children’s problems. It finally became apparent through this study that the only way for the researchers to examine the effects of stressors on the fetus was to subject women to a non-invasive stressor and then measure fetal response. (DiPietro, 2004) They gave these women a standardized test called the, Stroop Color-Word Test. (DiPietro, 2004) The test caused the women to feel cognitively challenged, therefore inducing increased physiological responses in mother, but interestingly, not in the fetus. Fetal motor activity was actually suppressed, according to the study. (DiPietro, 2004) The final results of the study showed that higher maternal anxiety midway through pregnancy were strongly associated with better motor and mental development scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. (DiPietro, 2004) Interestingly, the research conducted on humans, showed that the effects on the developing child are opposite of the effects on animals. The article ends with this statement, â€Å" Too much or too little stress may impede development, but a moderate level may be formative or optimal. It seems that there is really too little research on this area of study to come to a conclusion. I found this study to be very interesting and relevant to today’s issues within society, and especially the question of nature versus nurture. It makes me think about children who are displaying such violent behaviors such as shooting their classmates and parents. It makes me ask the question of what was going on in the mother’s environment during pregnancy? Did she have an easy, stress free, supported pregnancy, or was there fighting and unrest during the pregnancy? Could factors such as these affect the child and develop into what we label as sociopathic? It would be interesting to conduct a study of pregnant women in a prison setting versus pregnant women in an ideal pregnancy situation, and to study the offspring from birth to five years old. Would the affects of the pregnant woman in prison create certain developmental issues in the children? Does it even matter? These questions and many more within the psychology realm are what make this a fascinating discipline to study. It truly is the nature of ourselves that we get to ask questions about, and find the deeper, hidden meanings. References DiPietro, J. A. (2004, April). The role of prenatal maternal stress in child development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(2), 71-74. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20182913

Othello - Manipulation To Gain Power :: essays research papers

Othello: Manipulation To Gain Power     Manipulation is a very powerful word. People use this tactic everyday to get what they want in life. By deceiving people or tricking them into seeing a certain point of view, people gain power. To skillfully use the power of manipulation a person must use another person's weaknesses. By using a person's emotions against them, they can be manipulated with ease. In Shakespeare's Othello, the character of Iago uses these tactics almost to perfection to achieve his goals. 	The first scene of Act I illustrates Iago's use of manipulation. Iago knows that Roderigo is upset about losing Desdemona to Othello. Iago himself is angry at Othello for being passed over for promotion to lieutenant for Michael Cassio. Realizing that by playing on Roderigo's jealousy he can gain an ally to work against Othello. Iago does this in a subtle manner. He explains to Roderigo that he was passed up for promotion by Othello. While doing this he makes Othello look inferior by reinforcing the fact that he is a Moor. By pointing out that Othello is a Moor Iago causes Roderigo to become even more jealous, because of the fact that he lost Desdemona to someone who he feels is of a lesser race. It even seems that Iago is toying with Roderigo when he reveals that he is a fraud when he says, "I am not what I am." (I.i.62) By using these tactics, Iago has almost gained total control of Roderigo. 	Iago uses a different tactic to manipulate Brabantio. He changes Brabantio's way of looking at the marriage of his daughter Desdemona to Othello. He awakes Brabantio by saying "Awake! What, ho, Brabantio! Thieves! Thieves! Look to your house, your daughter, and your bags! Thieves! Thieves!" (I.i.76-78) By saying this, Iago shows a new perspective to Brabantio by insinuating that Othello has stolen his daughter. Iago reinforces this when he say's, 		Zounds, sir, y'are robbed! For shame. Put on your gown! 		Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul. 		Even now, now, very now, an old black ram 		Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise! 		Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, 		Or else the devil will make you a grandsire of you. 		Arise, I say! (I.i.83-89) After hearing Iago speak, Brabantio has had his eyes open to a new perspective of the situation. Iago then begins to uses a new manipulative strategy, he starts using bestiality to describe Othello.

Hard rock Cafe global strategy Essay

1. From your knowledge of restaurants, from the video, from the Global Company Profile that opens this chapter, and from the case itself, identify how each of the 10 decisions of operations management is applied at Hard Rock Cafà ©? Design of Goods and services Hard Rock Cafà © is providing the customers with an experience of music, rock and roll ambiance as well as good food. This unique experience is not limited to the meals on the menu. They combine the good food with the harmony of their memorabilia and the rock and roll spirit, which makes the experience non-replicable elsewhere. Managing Quality Surveys are done on a regular basis to make sure of customer satisfaction. If the result is less than 7 from the scale of 1 to 7 it is considered a failure. Process and Capacity Design Every product is designed and tested for cost of ingredients, labor requirement and client satisfaction. Then they are only put on production is the ingredients are available from qualified vendor. Location strategy: They narrow down the search from country to city and then to precise street corner. They try to select the right market and go there at the right time. Layout Strategy The company designs the kitchen flows for food preparation and the bar layout for the maximum revenue. Every piece of experience strategy including memorabilia, music and visuals takes on a new significance Human Resources and job design: The company seeks people who are love music and enjoy serving and share the experience to visitors. They train and support the employees and help them develop as contributors to their community. Supply Chain management: They buy their ingredients based on market analysis and from qualified suppliers. The supply chain process is designed to yield a quality meal. Inventory, MRP, JIT: The inventory includes food and merchandise as well as $40M of Rock and Roll memorabilia which most of them are on the walls of its cafes around the world. Their warehouse in Orlando cataloged every single item and every single story with that item. They know exactly what is on what wall in which cafà ©. They can locate that value. Scheduling: The staffs are scheduled down to 15 minutes intervals to meet daily and seasonal demand. Maintenance: Every 5 to 7 years they collect all the memorabilia in each cafà © and bring it to the main warehouse, they refurbish them and then replace it with new gear. 2. How would you determine the productivity of the kitchen staff and wait staff at Hard Rock? Single factor productivity for kitchen staff is unit food produced divided by labor hours and for the waiting staff is number of people served divided by labor hours. 3. How are the 10 decisions of OM different when applied to the operations manager of a service operation such as Hard Rock versus an automobile company such as Ford Motor Company? Although Hard Rock Cafà © is considered service industry and Ford Motor is a company that manufactures goods, the application of 10 critical decisions are applied to both of them. They both have marketing, operations, and finance. They also have labor hours, supply chain of goods, facility costs and are needed to provide high quality products (service or good).

The Selfish Hedonist

â€Å"I'll have a husband yet / who shall be both my debtor and my slave / [†¦ ] for mine shall be the power all his life† (Chaucer 262). In The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, also known as Alison, presents herself as the authority on marriage and marital life. She comments on the social and legal position of women in marriage and daily life. She claims she has her knowledge from experience, not from scriptural authority. She dictates her life story of her five previous relationships with her fellow pilgrims to show her experience. Rather than rejecting scriptural authority, she appeals to logic thus rejecting too strict interpretations of scriptural rules and commandments. She gives ridiculous details of her marriages, including her marrying old wealthy men so that she could get their money once they died. After telling the unreasonable details of her relationships, she goes on to tell a tale about an old hag and one of King Arthur's knights. The old hag forces the knight to marry her after she helps him with a life-saving question of â€Å"What do women most want in life? The Wife of Bath attempts to portray the idealness of a woman's domination in the end yet she fails because the old hag becomes passive again. Through the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale in The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer portrays the Wife of Bath as a selfish hedonist and feminist trying to gain complete control over men. Her new stand on women's supremacy only shows her selfishness because she wasn't trying to make a difference or revolutionize anything, she was only trying to gain personal benefits. The Wife of Bath's prologue is used to explain the basis of her theories on authority and sovereignty. The medieval Church at the time of the Wife of Bath saw her as a wicked woman, and she boasts about it with pride: â€Å"If I turn difficult, God give me sorrow! † (262). â€Å"Her marrying three old men in succession is a violation of not only of the law of common sense but even of the law of Nature, who would bring together those of comparable age† (Oberembt 288). Marrying another man after already being married previously is already a scandalous crime for this time period. Now to marry someone much older than herself a few times in a row is wrong not only in the eyes of God, but it is wrong along the lines of common sense too. The text of the Wife of Bath's Prologue is based on an allegorical ‘confession' in which she tells her sins to her audience in her life story: â€Å"O Lord, I wrecked their peace / innocent they were, without remorse! † (Chaucer 268). She confesses to deceiving and tricking her husbands just so she could get money and admits to arrange a fifth marriage while still in her fourth. In doing so, she demoralizes herself to try to be better than a man. Having more power than a man means she gets to decide, yet she goes and ruins her own reputation just so she can have an edge over men. Her rebellion against patriarchal authority and the abusive treatment of particular men expressed by the Wife of Bath are really but the projections of her selfish attitude: â€Å"His pleasures were my profit, I concurred† (269). She does not care about anyone but herself and she chooses to display that willingly. She has a self-centered interpretation of the marriage. Oberembt uses the argument that she was only twelve years old in her first marriage and that she was unable to conceive a child with her first husband which could've lead to her â€Å"frustration† (Oberembt 288). Through her words, and mostly through her actions, the Wife of Bath expresses her views on a wife's domination through her own life story. The Wife of Bath's Tale is an exemplum, providing an answer to the question, â€Å"What do women want? † Chaucer uses the Wife of Bath to explain and give an example that women most desire sovereignty: â€Å"A woman wants the self-same sovereignty / over her husband† (Chaucer 186). The tale is Alison's idea of the perfect illustration of her point. The Knight gives in to his new old wife and therefore she becomes beautiful in his eyes because she has now been given the right to choose. But if one was to switch the roles of men and women in society, men would become a very meek and uncertain group of people who wouldn't know how to behave. â€Å"Thus the Wife of Bath comically inverted the conventional sex-linked male and female behaviors† (Oberembt 300). When the Knight of King Arthur lets the old hag make the decision, he abandoned the male's sovereignty in favor of the woman's rule: â€Å"My dearest wife / I leave the matter to your wise decision† (Chaucer 291). The Wife of Bath most likely sees her story as what she wishes would happen normally. But by her story, she's not changing anything or giving examples on how to change the present ways because no man is going to willingly give up his sovereignty only to have his wife rule over him. The Wife of Bath is an early extreme feminist who believed in women having the most power and command over their husbands: â€Å"You make the choice yourself† (291). â€Å"Through the Old Hag, Dame Alice persuades an unreasonable male chauvinist to renounce self-indulgence and to accept the only reasonable norm for human conduct† (Oberembt 300). She is the only person who believes that a woman's domination will make everyone happy. But on the man's side of the story, he is forced to give up his masculinity and become sensual only so that his wife can now become masculine. In the Wife of Bath's Tale, she attempts to convey her message that women want domination, yet with closer analysis one sees that her ideas do not seem to work out well. Chaucer seems to have made the relationship of the tale and the teller to force one to consider Alison's argument of domination. The argument in contrast to this belief is the idea that the Alison just wants a mutual relationship, one that is of giving and receiving: â€Å"His pleasures were my profit, I concurred† (Chaucer 269). If the Wife of Bath is telling us that marriage is all about having sex with your spouse just so that they could give you fancy things and money in return, there is no sign of a revolutionary idea. McKinley states that â€Å"each spouse's body becomes the property of the other by virtue of the new marital alliance† (371). If this is the case, then the couple has the right to each other and the right to have sex with each other and there shouldn't be any type of give and take mentality. In the end of the tale, the old hag relinquishes her power and never really becomes the dominant of the two: â€Å"‘And have I won the mastery? said she† (Chaucer 291). She becomes a passive wife when she gives up her power by giving the knight what he wants. This is because the knight gives her the choice to choose and it seems as though she now has complete control, yet she gives up her power when he wants to have sex with her and she resigns his power and listens to him. The Wife of Bath's Tale ultimately contradicts Alison's belief of female domination in that the woman never gains domination over the man: â€Å"My dearest wife / I leave the matter to your wise decision [†¦ ] [Sir,] Do with my life and Death as you think best† (291). The language and acts of self-sacrifice, obedience, and submission seem to suggest the very antithesis of self-actualizing, assertive behavior which feminism [and Alison] has championed (McKinley 373). † Throughout the Wife of Bath's Prologue, Alison stands strong to the idea that women should have complete control over their husbands. One might think that the tale she would tell contains support to her ideas, but it does not. For in the end, Chaucer shows us that the Wife of Bath's idea of domination wouldn't work because she would eventually give her power up again only after just receiving it. Therefore, Chaucer depicts Alison as a selfish woman who wants authority over her husband and yet in the end he shows how her ideas would never work. One must come to the conclusion that the Wife of Bath only tries to express her belief in a wife's complete supremacy over their husbands. In the Wife of Bath's Prologue, Alison uses her experience to verify her theories on a wife's supremacy. She also uses Biblical examples to support her ideas, such as previous Biblical characters that had multiple spouses. But her life story is evidence to her views and without her personal input one would wonder whether or not her beliefs really would work. In the Wife of Bath's Tale, Alison most likely sees her story as what she wishes would happen normally. But with a closer look at the details, she's not changing anything or giving examples on how to change the present ways because no man is going to willingly give up his sovereignty only to have his wife rule over him. Also, the tale ultimately proves Alison wrong because the old hag becomes passive in the end after being given the control. Alison proves her theory wouldn't work, and Chaucer tries to explain why a woman's superiority wouldn't work too well through the old hag and her decision to give into the knight's request of sex.

buy custom Censorship essay

buy custom Censorship essay With the current advancements in all sectors of the society, there is a need to control circulation of ideas that may be harmful to the lives of people in the world. Censorship is managing of information that flows in the society. Through history, censorship has been a subject of dictatorship. The 21st century society has achieved this, as it was able to examine all sorts of information that reaches the entire society through any means. According to Bauder (87), there are various reasons that justify the existence of censorship in the society. Some of the reasons include the removal of obscene and blasphemous ideas, or ideas dealing with treason. It is evident that not all forms of censorship are equal, and not all forms have the same origin. The sources of censorship include self-government or external sources. To get further knowledge on censorship and the need to censor, it is important to remove the label that has been attached to it. An individual should realize that essentialit y of censorship dates back to the ancient times when all societies had rules and regulations that governed their speech, dress code and relationships. These rules played a critical role in ensuring that the society lived in peace throughout its history. Censorship has been used in various countries of the world to foster various ideologies. Plato, a Greek philosopher, was the first to introduce censorship of various ideas. Censorship gives room for punishment of individuals who in one way or the other utter evil speeches in public. Abrams (165) says that there is an extent to which campus censorship infringes on the First Amendment, an act that grants freedom of expression. History It has been evident that sometimes free speech given by students clash with the schools main objective of keeping control over the way the general student populace is educated. Des Moines, a renowned thinker, together with the self-regulating school district played a crucial role in availing students liberties granted by the First Amendment. The act provided that a student was free to carry symbols, such as an arm band, to protest against injustice in the society, such as the Vietnam War. Various cases forwarded by the school community pointed out the need for censorship on campus. In Hazel Wood, a school principal was granted a chance by a court of law to extract some articles from the schools publication because to him the information was harmful to schools continued role in the educational process. Some parts of these articles had information on teenage pregnancies in schools, as well as emotional feelings of students whose parents have divorced (Souza, 254). The court proclaimed that a schools publication is not a site for individuals to post their opinions on public affairs. They gave the school officials the authority to determine the kind of information that should be published in school journals. There was also a ruling three years after the Hazelwood ruling that was based on Planned Parenthood. A school had sought public commercials from businessmen around the school community. The adverts included the one from Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood filed a suit against the principal for his refusal to place their advert. Here, the court decision favoured the school citing the fact that a school publication is not a forum where the public can post their adverts. The school officials, therefore, were free to decide which posts should feature in their publications. From these rulings, the general public saw that school districts apply some form of censorship. Public universities in the US apply various rules and regulations to control freedom of speech. To them, students should seek to use proper choice of words so as not to harm or disrespect others. Though freedom of speech is a fundamental right provided in the constitution, some public colleges and universities may prohibit the use of certain words that provoke violence or threats. They may also forbid the use of obscene language and defaming statements. However, they prohibit all these without actually altering the First Amendment Act. There are various cases that have arisen contesting some of the prohibited acts, also termed as unconstitutional. At the University of Michigan, censorship prohibited various discussions on biological differences between opposite sexes and different races. In this case, the court ruled that the universitys constitution had not infringed on the First Amendment Act, since students were allowed to speak about various other things. At Wisconsin, a student was taken to court for yelling rude remarks at a woman. The universitys clampdown on the freedom of speech, in this case, was also overruled as being excessive (Wilson, 145). Years after the Fraternity Brothers were taken to court for dramatization of an ugly woman contest, it was found that the accusation of the Fraternity Brothers was against the First Amendment Act. This is because they did not take them to court for their conduct on stage, but because of the message that was conveyed. To tem, this was against their policies. Campus censorship also includes the use of the Internet. In most universities, students are not allowed to view pornographic videos. Students use the Internet as their main tool of gaining or spreading information. The censorship of communication through the Internet is slowly taking root in various universities of the world. This despite the fact that reality is a complex exercise, which may involve all stakeholders in the field of networking. In most campuses, it is a criminal offence to view or distribute pornographic materials. Some sections of the universities constitution are being altered to include the law that governs such kind of materials. Students on campuses are described as the most powerful informative population. They have the ability to participate in various forums where they engage in conversations over various matters. The First Amendment allows for freedom of expression, and that is what most students use during their public forums. They take the opportunity to air their grievances and also seek for various needs that they feel should be addressed. Introduction of censorship on campuses is detrimental to this. It plays a crucial role in denying students freedom of speech. Campuses have used the presence of censorship as an opportunity to deny students a chance to air their grievances. Pros of Censorship There have been various disputes over whether prohibiting information is a good or bad idea on campuses. There are several advantages of censorship of information. First, censoring pornographic materials is advantageous in avoiding corruption of young minds. Students on campuses are young, and even if they are able to control their behaviours, pornography puts them at a great risk of engaging in sexual immorality. Human beings can be consumed by emotions, and some may want to try what they see in pornographic movies. Some of pornographic materials are just graphics, but people may think that they are real and they will end up indulging in these activities. Censorship, therefore, prevents such kind of behaviour. In a culturally diverse community, censorship plays a key role in maintaining peace and unity. The USA is a country where people of various races live, and it is important to maintain multicultural policy, which aids in preventing conflicts between certain communities. Words are commonly known to hurt, especially when they are directed to members of a minority group in society. The main focus of multiculturalists is to nurture and not to separate a minority group of students. They strive to do away with racism and gender biases in the society, as well as in the minds of the minority population. Censorship of any information that is detrimental to the task of multiculturalists plays an essential role in nurturing minority groups in society. Censorship helps in preventing public display of impertinence towards an individual or a group. On campuses, students may dislike a particular idea that has been proposed by a leader. If it is against their wish, they may decide to be opposed to it, and even go so far as to disrespect the authority. For example, in CaliforniaStateUniversity a student was putting up fliers advertising a speech that was supposed to take place the following night. The speech was intended to incite hatred against some educational programs for black students in the USA. This was to be done by launching a book written by Weaver which analysed the programs and linked them with slavery. When he arrived at the multicultural centre, the black students persuaded him not to deliver the speech by claiming that the material was abusive and discourteous. They quoted the fact that the flyer was a reason to alarm the police, as there was a possibility of demonstrations. Censorship also guards the mores of society (Arthur, 56). Some campuses have introduced rules and regulations to govern the behaviour of students towards their teachers, dress codes and drug abuse. In most protestant universities, there is a specific dress code for students attending classes. Students are not allowed to show any kind of disrespect towards their teachers or use drugs in a classroom environment either. These regulations have made campuses a place where genuine morality is preserved. This is because students being admitted to campus are not chosen based on their religious beliefs or the fact that they are drug addicts. Censorship of this kind helps maintain order within an institution and ensures that learning takes place as intended. Cons When topics related to sex are fully censored, it becomes very hard to instruct students and young people about the dangers posed by HIV/AIDS. In most institutions, sex-related topics are censored. According to their administration, availing this information makes the students vulnerable to the issues discussed, which include engaging in sexual activities at an early age. It shoulld, therefore, be noted that HIV/AIDS spread fast on campuses, because students have not been given an opportunity to consider the possibilities of engaging in safe sex. Abortion cases among campus students are also on the rise. This statistics are attributed to censorship of sex-related information in the institution. Censorship has encouraged the emergence of a number of dictator-minded individuals in educational institutions. They use this opportunity to promote themselves by using eloquence, and thus doing away with any negative image they may have. For example, at the CornellUniversity, an article that, according to the university administration, was defamatory was censored. The article spoke about the blacks as the most violent group of people as opposed to their white counterparts. The article also cited instances of black students being violent in the university, and issued a warning to the white students to be careful. It was seen to be promoting the acts of some of the leaders of the university administration and student governance, who were trying to silence the conservatives. A professor of African-American History at the CornellUniversity saw this article as a tool that some of the leaders use to justify putting the blacks in prison. The professor saw this act as an effort to infringe on the freedom of speech. He also linked it with the infringement of the First Amendment Act with respect to the blacks. According to Oberst, it is clear that, in the American society, blacks are not given an opportunity to defend themselves against any form of violent activity that they are engaged in. When black and white students are charged with the same offence, the possibility that the black student will be jailed, and the white student let free is high. High-ranking academic officials also use censorship to protect their reputation. In an institution, where a member of administration wants to impose some unfavourable rules that were not initially in the constitution, censorship becomes a powerful tool to foster these acts. Silencing students ensures that they do not get an opportunity to engage in public forums and discuss the pros and cons of the idea. Those who want to initiate discussions are silenced by their counterparts for fear that they will be charged with incitement and going against the constitution. Censorship infringes the First Amendment Act, which gives students freedom to air their grievances. The act stipulates a clear need to encourage freedom of expression for students. Censorship has turned most of the universities forums and publications into sites, where information regarding student affairs only is allowed to be discussed or published. There are students, who have suffered broken families, sexual assault and HIV/AIDS. This group of students would like to share what they are going through with their peers. Censorship prevents them from doing so by making them vulnerable. They then turn to drugs as an option to suppress their negative feelings. Censorship also infringes on the freedom of press. When a university publication is given restrictions on where to get advertisements from, this restricts their freedom of speech. Censorship is closely linked with dictatorship. It is a tool used by those in power to rule the populace. For example, when there is censorship of blas phemous information against an individual in power, it means that the ignorant few will never know the evils that the individual is carrying out. The society will then continue to rot under the leadership of dictators. Censorship on campus kills creativity. The case of Fraternity Brothers, who were charged with dramatizing a pageant contest, reflects the extent to which restrictions on campus harm creativity. Censorship gives rise to and conceals human rights maltreatment. Since people are not permitted to air their views on a certain public matter or private offences, their rights are infringed. When a university student wanted to enlighten the black students on the effects of some programs that, to him, are linked to slavery, the act was termed as unconstitutional and going against the multicultural policy of the institution. Conclusion Censorship on campus has turned out to be enveloping and invasive. It focuses mainly on highly inconsequential offenses (Roleff, 143). This does not imply that censorship on campus did not exist in the past. Censorship is a persistent issue; the urge to prevent the airing of information that is harmful or you fear might affect your reputation is almost primordial. This particularly true of individuals holding high offices and those involved in politics. There are some benefits of censorship but its negative effects have a harmful consequence for the student fraternity at large. It is essential for all the stakeholders involved to discuss the effects of censorship in high academic institutions and the extent to which it should be carried out. This is done keeping in mind that campus students are of age, and they have a right to knowledge on varying issues. Censorship is bad as it infringes on the freedom of expression. Buy custom Censorship essay

Hate Relationship with Writers and theInternet

Talkin About a Revolution The Love/Hate Relationship with Writers and theInternet When the masses first realized the power and reach of the Internet, it was a bit like the fences being torn down at Woodstock. They werent very effective anyway, but once they were down, everyone, the dirty, the silly, the outrageous, and the dull stormed into the mudpit. In the days before the Internet, it was mighty hard to get published in any sense of the word.   Writers without the backing of a traditional media house had to resort to zines, vanity presses, or just weeping quietly over their Chai teas in sporadically attended coffee-house gatherings. All that would soon change. While there still may not be a lot of money out there for the majority of writers, there is coveted exposure.   Consider this. In 2003, there were 500,000 blogs on the Web. By 2004, there were 4 million. The latest statistics available reveal that by December of 2010, there were 152 million blogs. Some real writers were, and are, skeptical.   And with the dawning of social media such as Facebook, the chance for anyone who fancies himself a writer to post whatever and whenever the muse strikes them, only makes many of those authors roll their eyes even farther back into their heads. Consider the poem    The New Yorker   published this week by mega-star author Sherman Alexie: The Facebook Sonnet Welcome to the endless high school Reunion. Welcome to past friends And lovers, however kind or cruel. Lets undervalue and unmend The present. Why cant we pretend Every stage of life is the same? Lets exhume, resume, and extend Childhood. Lets all play the games That occupy the young. Let fame And shame intertwine. Let ones search For God become public domain. Let church.com become our church. Lets sign up, sign in, and confess Here at the altar of loneliness. While Alexies sonnet does not speak directly about the irritations many published authors feel about lesser known or obscure writers, the themes comes across as a bit cranky, and perhaps somewhat patronizing towards those who put their thoughts out there in written form for all to see. I have spoken to many authors who do not feel blogging is real writing (and granted, a lot of it is not, but some of it is).   And Facebook?. PLUUUEEEZE. The way I see it, the good writers will eventually win out and there is no harm in letting the poorer ones at least try to improve their skills.   Many of my friends are writers, and they regularly post their poems, essays, or just general witticisms on Facebook.   The feedback I personally get is invaluable, and I enjoy being able to be exposed to the thoughts of my friend and colleagues, as well as helping them in return by way of comment, support, or constructive criticism. While writers like Alexie may poo-poo the common man and his attempt at communicating, other writers are more accepting. I was surprised when I asked some very famous authors like Marge Piercy to friend me (not just become a fan of her page) and she accepted, as did Albert Brooks and Lewis Black. Now, I cant know if they personally ever view their Facebook pages, but they might and who knows? Im one of the 152 million vying for a spot at the table in Olympus.