Poverty in America Government Welfare Programs are the...

Abstract Poverty effected many individual families around the world for many years, and it wasn’t until 1935, The Social Security Act was passed, therefore assisting many families in need. The effects of poverty is an extraordinarily obscure social experience, and the finding those causes is very similar. As a result, sociologists considered other theories of poverty, such as the journey of the middle class, employers, from the cities into the suburbs. The government has taken many steps over the years to put an end to or decrease welfare assistance. Although, the welfare system is extremely important to millions of people, it has been an underlying problem for many others causing idleness and laziness. There are many pros and cons to†¦show more content†¦This act set up local parishes that were responsible for taking care of the poor in their own district. However, the government provided no funds to facilitate this program?the parishes were responsible for levying and collec ting taxes to finance their programs. Though it would be considered a very primitive form of welfare by today?s standards, it was a large step toward government-mediated welfare compared to the English system 250 years before that. In 1349, Parliament forbade charity on the grounds that it might encourage laziness. Since then, public attitudes have changed about the responsibility of the citizens and the government to provide for the assistance of the needy. Limited federal assistance was given to war veterans and their families beginning during the Civil War, but large scale assistance to the general needy community was not available for almost 75 more years (Komisar 48). A large contribution toward the assistance of the poor in the United States came during the Progressive movement around the turn of the century. Activist groups championed not only workers rights in the form of unions, but also the right of every citizen to have access to decent living conditions (Komisar 67). The Progressive movement slackened during the prosperous ?20s, but the social welfare issue was forcefully placed back into the public consciousness with the advent ofShow MoreRelatedWhy Does Poverty Still Exist Among Black Americans? Essay1359 Words   |  6 Pagesdoes poverty still exist among Black Americans? 2016 FA.Soc.220.02 Social Problems Kesha Hicks â€Æ' â€Å"The United States has the highest poverty rate of any advance industrial nation† (Elizabetha, 2013). For many years, black people have considered to be the poorest race in the United states. There have been many government programs put in place to help poverty among black Americans. Such as welfare, unemployment, and Medicaid just to name a few. The question is, with so many government programs, whyRead More Politics and Poverty Essay1237 Words   |  5 PagesPolitics and Poverty Today there is a split in American politics on how to combat poverty. Throughout history, how America combats poverty has changed depending on what party is running the government. There has been a number of different parties however, Republican, Democrat, The Bull Moose Party, and other various ones. However, these views can be put into two main categories: The Liberal ideology and the Conservative ideology. There are three areas, which have broad and differing views on howRead MorePoverty in America Essay1197 Words   |  5 Pages Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in todays world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a familys structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcomeRead MoreWelfare Of The United States1351 Words   |  6 PagesWelfare Research paper Since the dawn of the United States, our nation’s government has committed to helping its people to advance society and its general welfare. As early as 1785, America’s federal government reserved lands in the Articles of Confederation that would be set aside for the placement of schools and other establishments for the public domain. In 1789 the federal government acquired the responsibility of providing pensions to disabled veterans of the Revolutionary War. Later thatRead MoreCombating Poverty in America: Time For a Change1134 Words   |  5 PagesPresident Johnson is well known for making major policy reform in order to combat poverty. Welfare, a social program designed to combat poverty, has been a controversial issue for many years and has been reformed under the Clinton and Bush administrations. In 1996 President Bill Clinton brought welfare reform to congress with help from the Republican Party. Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole led the reform action. President Clinton vetoed the first two bills presented, but later proposed a third versionRead MoreWelfare Of The United States998 Words   |  4 PagesWelfare is a subject of debate in the United States because everyone has a different point of view when it comes to the Social Security Act. On one side the rich may feel that the government takes from the rich, and gives to the poor. The poor on the other hand may believe that they are being forgotten and not helped enough by the government. Are the government financial assistance programs really working and helping people climb out of poverty or are they creating lazy people who depend on governmentRead MoreWelfare and Pogressive Tax Rates Essay example1588 Words   |  7 Pagespeople on all spectrums of society so I believe that the United States should adopt certain aspects of a welfare state similar to the Europeans and also have more progressive tax rates. I believe that universal health care and education are essential parts in a wel fare state while some other programs like unemployment benefits are not as important. First I will first explain why the government has a moral responsibility to help the people they govern. Next, how the European healthcare system is muchRead MorePoverty, Social Security, and Conspiracy Theories1103 Words   |  4 PagesQuestions: Poverty, Social Security and Conspiracy Theories 1.Why are there still poor people in America half a century after the implementation of a system of social welfare programs that were designed to end poverty? In the 1960s there was a major effort to address the problem of poverty in America. The most significant component was called Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). AFDC was passed in last period of vigorous liberal reforms in the 20th century. By the 1980s welfare programsRead MoreThe Social Policy Welfare Programs1343 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscusses and compares the social policy welfare programs in the United States and Europe and how each country approaches the issue. In particularly, Russell explains how poverty is measured, poverty reduction, and the politics of poverty reduction. Research shows that poverty has been a social problem for over five decades in America. During the 1960’s, the issue of poverty was first identified as a social problem and countless efforts have been made to eradicate poverty in the United States. In 1964, theRead MoreHow Welfare Has Changed From The Colonial Period862 Words   |  4 Pagesimportant to discuss the history of the eme rgence of this social problem. I will discuss the essence of poverty as a social problem and how that has affected how welfare is distributed among single mothers. Some factors that contributed to this social problem are the economy and he increasing amount of people who lived in poverty. The government felt that it was necessary to be proactive about the growing issue of poverty. The government was also taking a look at how money was being spent and how that

Self-Related Cognitions in Anxiety & Motivation-Free-Samples

Questions: 1.What am I good at? Skills and Talents. 2.What positive characteristics do I have? 3.What have I achieved in my life; accomplishments? 4.What do others say they like about me? 5.If someone shared my identical characteristics, what would I admire in them? Answers: 1.I feel that my skills and talent lies in the area of communication. I am a very good communicator and can delve into a conversation with people from any background. My intercultural communication skills are good and they allow me to be friendly and approachable by everyone. Intercultural Communication enables people to come closer to each other and removes the various barriers (Samovar et al., 2014). I am not a biased person and hence that adds to my skill set as when I am given a responsibility to take decision I always emerge with a decision that is unbiased in nature and serves the best of the purpose. 2.The quality of me being amicable with people has been one of the biggest positives in my character. People feel at ease when they are around me and the comfort level that they have with me is a positive characteristic of mine. I always look forward to motivate others and constantly work to motivate myself. Self-motivation allows individuals to widen their target and aspire to achieve more (Schwarzer, 2013). Such a quality that I posses is a positive characteristic of mine. I deter from having any set of prejudice and stereotypes in me and hence that allows me to be able to wiser person than others who have such mental barriers. 3.My achievements have been mainly regarding the various public interactions that I have had in my life. All such instances that I have faced with; people have instantly took a liking for me due to my amicable personality. I have given successful presentations on many topics in public and workplace both. All those presentations have been successful and the response from the audience was overwhelming. To list a few, I have received certificates for delivering impromptu speeches and winning various quiz competitions. I also trained people in successfully delivering a public speech and it has been influential to them. 4.According to those who have ever communicated with me or come in any sort of contact with me, I am regarded as a person who is approachable and friendly in nature. People refer to me as a person whose company is worth enjoying. Due to my friendly nature, I keep cracking jokes with people around me and hence I am referred to as a person with a clean sense of humor. Perception of people towards me has always been that whenever they are stuck with a problem they approach me for assisting them in sorting out the situation, even if I am not always able to solve their problem, I look forward to lend my help to them and try as much as I can. Positive attitude of mine is liked by most of the people. 5.Someone with an identical character of mine would get appreciation from for being the wise person. I will always admire the unbiased approach of that individual. Unbiased approach allows people to trust a person in matters of decision-making. I would admire strong communication skills because I would feel comfortable to around that person. A person with such qualities will emit positive rays and that will be one of the most admired quality because such people are close to everyones heart and people seldom have any apprehension in communicating with them (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2014) . References Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., Roy, C. S. (2014).Intercultural communication: A reader. Cengage Learning. Schwarzer, R. (Ed.). (2013).Self-related cognitions in anxiety and motivation. Psychology Press. Seligman, M. E., Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Positive psychology: An introduction. InFlow and the foundations of positive psychology(pp. 279-298). Springer Netherlands.

Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin

Introduction The reading of James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues leaves few doubts as to the fact that one of story’s foremost motifs is light vs. darkness. In its turn, this can be explained by the particulars of author’s biography as someone who was brought up in the religious family, sublimated in Baldwin’s strive to provide a symbolical meaning to story’s semantic content.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apparently, the references to darkness in Sonny’s Blues are meant to symbolize the essence of Sonny’s drug addiction; whereas, the references to light are meant to prompt readers to think of Sonny’s story of reconciliation with his brother in terms of Christian ‘redemption’. Nevertheless, there is also another aspect to Baldwin’s utilization of earlier mentioned motif – author’s realization of the sheer unnaturalness of African-Americans’ low social status through fifties and sixties. By making continuous references to this particular motif, author wanted to expose the actual reason why these people often end up being underachievers. In my paper, I will aim to explore the soundness of this thesis at length. Analytical part Baldwin’s utilization of light vs. darkness motif starts at the very beginning of the story: â€Å"I stared†¦ in the swinging lights of the subway car†¦ and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside† (1). By saying that, narrator reflects upon his own deep-seated anxieties of someone who was born and raised in the ‘ghetto’. Apparently, even though he was able to gain social prominence as a teacher, narrator never forgot its own humble origins. This is exactly the reason why, while watching Harlem’s Black boys in the midst of soci alizing with each other, narrator never ceases being aware of the nature of intellectual oppression, they have to deal with on daily basis: â€Å"These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then†¦ All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives†¦ and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness† (Baldwin 1). The context of this particular referral to darkness, on the part of narrator, reveals the nature of African-Americans’ oppression as such that is not only being concerned with these people suffering from poverty but also from the fact that American mainstream Medias of the time used to portray such state of affairs as perfectly natural. Hence, the symbolic sounding of narrator’s following remark, in regards to Sonny friend’s physical appearance: â€Å"The bright sun deadened his damp dark brown skin and it made his eyes look yellow and showed up the dirt in his kinked hair† (Baldwin 2) – apparently, narrator wanted to emphasize once again that, while being exposed to the ‘light’ of America’s racialist mass-culture, African-Americans simply could not avoid being degraded.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nevertheless, given Baldwin’s strong sense of religiosity, it does not come as a particular surprise that the majority of narrator’s referrals to light connote positiveness, as these referrals symbolize the process of African-Americans gaining self-confidence. For example, while elaborating on how he felt when struggling with his drug-addiction, Sonny states: â€Å"I feel like a man who’s been trying to climb up out of some deep, real deep and funky hole and just saw the sun up there, outside† (Baldwin 5). Yet, being rather a good psychologist, Baldwin was fully aware of the fact that the p rocess of socially and racially underprivileged ghetto-residents striving to make the best out of their lives could never be too easy, as the very essence of racially secluded living in the ghetto predisposes people to succumb to depression: â€Å"Cab moved uptown through streets which seemed, with a rush, to darken with dark people† (Baldwin 7). According to narrator, this is exactly the reason why it often proves impossible for ghetto-residents to attain social prominence through education – while trying to affiliate themselves with light, even the brightest kids from the ‘hood’ have no choice but to continue to exist in darkness, in allegorical sense of this word. In its turn, this causes them to experience a certain cognitive dissonance – the harder they try to make the best of their lives; the more acute appear their inferiority-related anxieties: â€Å"When light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness. He knows that every time this happens he’s moved just a little closer to that darkness outside† (Baldwin 9). Thus, there are clearly defined humanist undertones to Sonny’s Blues, as the story that provides readers with the insight on why, despite having a potential to become society’s outstanding members, many African-Americans nevertheless end up descending to society’s ‘rock bottom’. Conclusion As it was implied in the Introduction, in order for the readers to be able to fully understand Baldwin story’s message, they need to be aware of the significance of light vs. darkness motif, deployed throughout story’s entirety. The reason for this simple – the understanding of this motif’s implications, on the part of readers, is being quite indispensible within the context of them gaining an insight onto the very root of African-Americans’ clearly unprivileged social status. I believe that this conclusion is being fully consistent with paper’s initial thesis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Bibliography Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. PDFCAST.Org. 1957. Web. This essay on Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin was written and submitted by user Lilah English 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.

Solar Technology in Gemasolar Technology

Solar Technology in Gemasolar Technology The world today requires energy for quite a number of things. Without energy the world will come to a standstill. For many years, the demand for power has been fulfilled through the use of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and products derived from oil.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Solar Technology in Gemasolar Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kulichenko and Jens claim that there was need to find new sources of energy after a while because of; high cost of traditional sources, difficulty of guaranteeing supply of traditional sources, global economic growth that has brought about a growing demand for more energy and increased global warming (52). Solar power is inexhaustible, plentiful and clean energy. Solar technology is used to convert solar radiation to other forms of useful power. Solar thermal power plants are mainly located in extremely dry and uncultivated areas not used for agricultural ac tivities. Such areas provide the ideal or appropriate conditions for solar energy radiation absorption. This report is about the Gemasolar energy plant located in Fuentes de Andalucà ­a in Seville province of Spain. Gemasolar energy plant is a concentrated solar power plant which uses a central receiver technology with molten heat storage system. The plant started working mid 2011.Technical feasibility of Central receiver technology was first proved during the 1980s by operation of six research power plants ranging from one to five MWe capacities and by one to ten MWe. A demonstration plant with a steam receiver was connected to the southern California grid. The Spain Central tower receiver power plant was the pioneer commercial scale power plant globally that used this kind of technology. (Jayasimha 10) Without a doubt, solar power towers are to be the backbone of the entire power generation scheme.Advertising Looking for report on environmental studies? Let's see if we ca n help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The plant has the ability to take in sun rays and provide energy at night and also during cloudy days (Rirdan 102). Central receiver towers are large scale power plants.It is made up of two axis tracking mirrors or heliostats which reflect solar radiation at the very top of the tower where the receiver is placed. The main goal of the Gemasolar project is to demonstrate the technical and economical viability of molten salt solar thermal power technologies to deliver clean cost competitive bulk electricity (Negewo 93). The plant is owned by Torresol energy investments. Originally it was known as Solar Tres before the name was changed to Gemasolar. Torresol energy investment is owned 40% by Masdar, a company based in Abu Dhabi. 60% is owned by Sener from Spain (Hanna 45). The Gemasolar power plant is made up of 185 hectares of solar field. The high tower receiver is 140 meters high. It also has 2,650 heliostats ea ch having 120 square meters distributed in concentric rings around the tower (Negewo 92). Sodium and potassium nitrates make up the molten salt which is usually stored in tanks made of steel. The biggest tank at the plant has a diameter of 23 meters and a height of 14 meters. The molten salt is used as heat transfer fluid and energy storage medium. It is easy to manage the solar power due to the storage capacity of the steel tanks. It is supplied on demand. Connected to the tower at ground level are the hot and cold storage tanks. The tanks can store salts which provide energy for up to 15 hours without the sun. Molten salts in the cold tanks are stored at 290 °c and 565 °c in the hot storage tank (â€Å"Cleantechchnica†:Spain Gemasolar). The implementation of the molten salt heat storage system allows creation and appearing of electricity when there is any solar radiation.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Solar Technology in Gemasolar Technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How It Works Solar radiation first falls on mirrors known as heliostats. It is then reflected on to the receiver situated at the top of a supporting tower. Solar radiation is concentrated by the heliostats at 1000:1 ratio. This is controlled by a network of communication with 26 fiber optic rings present in it. The orientation of the heliostats is automatically turned towards the sun by geared motors so that they reflect beam radiation on the receiver all day. A fluid flowing through the receiver absorbs the concentrated radiation and transports the heat to the ground level where it is used to operate a thermodynamic cycle. The receiver is capable of absorbing 95% of the radiation transmitted to the molten salts in the central receiver (You tube: The World’s first Base load). Cold salt is pumped up to the top of the tower at the central receiver where it is heated up. The liquid salt is brought back t o the hot storage tanks being kept there at the temperature of 565 °c. After leaving the storage tank, the heated salt is moved to the heat exchanger chamber via steam pipes and steam is formed as a result of condensation. By means of this steam the turbines are turned; they generate electricity. According to Rirdan, any extra heat generated is kept in the molten storage tank and is used to produce electricity when the sun’s heat and radiation is absent. Power generated is transferred to a substation located in Villanueva Del Rey, Andalucà ­a, and further transmitted to the National grid system (102). Cost of the project Estimated cost of project was â‚ ¬171 million. It was financed by several financial institutions including European Investment Bank, Banco popular and Banesto ICO. Engineering, procurement and construction were done by Sense Company. This was inclusive of the development of a molten salt receiver and the manufacturing of heliostats.Advertising Looking for report on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A company called SGS was tasked with provision of assistance in the civil works for example construction progress audit, power limit substantiation, commissioning and initial operation of the power plant. Outukumpu was charged with the task of constructing hot and cold storage tanks. The Nord block gear motors were manufactured by Nord drive systems. Working together, Schneider electronics and Hirscham electronics were the companies that built the communication network. It took 29 months to construct the power plant. Energy output Electric power is up to 19.9 MW. Net electric production expected per year is 110Ghw.The electricity generated of approximately 110 MWe per year is the highest electrical generation in the world for solar plants. Advantages of the Gemasolar Technology These are the reasons why the Central receiver tower technology is preferred to other renewable energy production methods. It has a prolonged operating time without solar radiation. This means that it can wor k through the night or on cloudy days using energy from the stored heated salt. Energy output from this power plant is higher than that of other technologies in a facility with the same power. It has guaranteed electrical production for 6500 hours per year which is approximately two to three times higher than that of renewable energies. It is more scalable to any application both large and small thus it has significance to utilities. It is more consistent energy supply with centralized and dispatch able generation model (Negewo 101). Its potential in MENA significantly exceeds any foreseeable regional demand even when quite onerous site conditions are required. It has significant potential for future development thereby reducing cost. It works well with current large scale desalination technologies (Negewo 101).Other benefits of the central receiver power plant include: It provides clean and safe power to approximately 25,000 homes. There is less carbon dioxide emission by more than 30,000 tonnes a year (Enviromission Solar Tower 13). In addition, the turbines do not have to be shut down quite often and hence the plant has a longer lifespan. The plants electrical generation can also be controlled to suit the demand for electricity. Breaks or leakages are greatly reduced since there are no tubes or heat exchange fluids that spread out across the solar field and hence leads to low operational and maintenance costs (Rapier). Conclusion Solar is improving its cost and performance by 20 % each year and is expected to continue to do so for the foreseeable future (Seba 17).Concentrating solar thermal electricity is rapidly expanding in Spain and globally. In the USA, a first generation solar power thermal station of 354 MWe has been operating for more than 20 years. As of mid 2011 about, 1100MWe of CST was installed globally. In principle, given sufficient land, 24 hours storage is feasible and solar thermal power can be operated either as base load, intermediate loa d or peak load depending on amount of storage installed and electricity prices. Enviromission Solar Tower. Web. Hanna, Nick. The Green Investing Handbook: .A Guide to Profiting from the Sustainability Revolution. London, UK. Harriman house limited, 2010. Print. Jayasimha, Balakrishna. 2006. Application of Scheffler Reflectors for process industry: International Solar Cooker Conference, Granada, Spain. Web. Kulichenko, Natalia, and Wirth Jens. Concentrating Solar Power in Developing Countries. Washington, DC., World Bank, 2012. Print. Negewo, Bekele. Renewable Energy Desalination: An Emerging Solution to Close the Water Gap. New York. World Bank publications, 2012. Print. Rapier, Robert. Power Plays: Energy Options in the Age of Peak Oil. New York. Apress, 2012. Print. Rirdan, Daniel. The Blue Print: Averting Global Collapse.Louisville. Corinno Press, 2012. Print. Seba, Tony. Solar Trillions: 7 Market and Investment Opportunities in the Emerging Clean-Energy Economies. Madrid. IMF P ublications, 2010. Print. Spain’s Gemasolar 24/7 Power Plant (VIDEO) 2011. Web. The Worlds First Baseload (24/7) Solar Power Plant. Web.

Euphemisms for Death

Euphemisms for Death Euphemism is especially frequent, says linguist John Algeo, when we must come face to face with the less happy facts of our existence. Here we consider some of the verbal tranquilizers employed to avoid dealing head-on with death. Despite what you may have heard, people rarely die in hospitals. Unfortunately, some patients do expire there. And according to hospital records, others experience therapeutic misadventures or negative patient-care outcomes. However, such mishaps cant be nearly as disappointing as the patient who has failed to fulfill his wellness potential. Most of us, I imagine, would rather die than let down the side in this fashion. Well, perhaps not die exactly. We might be willing to pass on, like dinner guests who take a pass on dessert. Or depart, as we should after a night out. (Theyre no longer with us, our hosts will say.) Unless, of course, weve had a bit too much to drink, and then we might just end up lost or asleep. But perish the thought. In the article Communication About Death and Dying, Albert Lee Strickland and Lynne Ann DeSpelder describe how one hospital worker tiptoed around the forbidden word. One day, as a medical team was examining a patient, an intern came to the door with information about another patients death. Knowing that the word death was taboo and finding no ready substitute, the intern stood in the doorway and announced, Guess whos not going to shop at Wal-Mart anymore. Soon, this phrase became the standard way for staff members to convey the news that a patient had died.Dying, Death, and Bereavement, ed. by Inge Corless et al. Springer, 2003 Because strong taboos surround the subject of death in our culture, countless synonyms for dying have evolved over the years. Some of those synonyms, such as the gentler terms suggested above, are regarded as euphemisms. They serve as verbal tranquilizers to help us avoid dealing head on with harsh realities. Our reasons for using euphemisms are varied. We may be motivated by kindnessor at least politeness. For example, when speaking of the deceased at a funeral service, a minister is far more likely to say called home than bit the dust. And to most of us, resting in peace sounds more comforting than taking a dirt nap. (Note that the opposite of a euphemism is a dysphemism- a harsher or more offensive way of saying something.) But euphemisms arent always employed with such solicitude. A substantive negative outcome reported at a hospital may reflect a bureaucratic effort to disguise an interns blunder. Likewise, in wartime a government spokesperson may refer abstractly to collateral damage rather than announce more candidly that civilians have been killed. Euphemisms, Death and Mortality [E]uphemism cannot cancel the reality of death and mortality, says Dorothea von MÃ ¼cke in an essay on German writer Gotthold Lessing. Nonetheless, it can prevent the sudden confrontation, the accidental, unprotected encounter with death as the real, as decomposition and undifferentiation (Body and Text in the Eighteenth Century, 1994). Euphemisms serve as reminders that communication is (among other things) an ethical activity. Strickland and DeSpelder elaborate on this point: Listening carefully to how language is used provides information about the speakers attitudes, beliefs, and emotional state. Becoming aware of the metaphors, euphemisms, and other linguistic devices that people use when talking about dying and death allows for greater appreciation of the wide range of attitudes toward death and promotes flexibility in communication. Theres no doubt that euphemisms contribute to the richness of language. Used thoughtfully, they can help us avoid hurting peoples feelings. But when used cynically, euphemisms can create a haze of deceptions, a layer of lies. And this is likely to remain true long after weve bought the farm, cashed in our chips, given up the ghost, and, as now, reached the end of the line.

To what extent does Twitter's mission statement reflect its usage Literature review

To what extent does Twitter's mission statement reflect its usage - Literature review Example The organisation claims it to be ‘the fastest, simplest way to stay close to everything you care’ (Twitter, 2012). Twitter is based upon the four fundamentals, namely, Microblogging, Social Networking, Social Media and Computer-Mediated Communication. In recent times, the importance of social networking and media has been noticed largely among the youth generation. Not only have the young people, but also companies in modern days, use social networks to transfer information among the people who are by large the users of these social media. The organisations have been using a tool named microblogging which can be stated as the process of posting smaller digital contents such as, pictures, short videos, links and other media contents in the internet. Although, there are many social networking sites, Facebook has been another social media which have recently gained huge popularity, in comparison to Twitter. The difference between Twitter and Facebook is the class of users, i.e. while Twitter is generally used by most of the celebrities and dignitaries; Facebook is used by all the classes of the society. Micro-blogging According to Java & et. al. (n.d.), Twitter is currently the most accepted microblogging stage which enables users to update their current statuses through short message services (SMSs), digital photos or short videos. In other words, an online community is formed by inviting friends and colleagues who share information of their recent happenings through short texts or audio-visual clips. Furthermore, it can be stated that microblogging in recent times has become an extremely famous media for both personal and professional recreation. Friends use it to keep in touch, professionals use it to co-ordinate business meetings and share important resources; similarly, celebrities and political dignitaries use it for gaining publicity by posting comments regarding their tour schedules, concert presences and film releases (Java & et. al., n.d.). According to a publication of the 17th European Conference on Information Systems (2009), it has been observed that the term microblogging has developed additional terms such as microsharing and activity streaming which are being used commonly by recent users. It has also been noted that Twitter is being used at a higher degree for micro-blogging in comparison to other accessible social networking sites; although, many people have complained about its reliability and functionality (17th European Conference on Information Systems, 2009). As stated by Ehrlich & Shami (2010), posts or ‘tweets’ can be viewed by anyone who is following the person or even attempts to view the public profiles. Furthermore, the authors state that the concept of ‘following’ is very different from ‘friending’ as in social networks consent from both the parties are required to share and view other people’s information. Whereas in the case of Twitter, consent is not necessary and a person can automatically follow other person according to their likes and tastes. Thus, it can be stated that the popularity of Twitter has grown rapidly due to its unique qualities (Ehrlich & Shami, 2010). In this respect, Ebner & Schiefner (2008) observed that the success of microblogging or ‘weblogs’, shortly called as blogs are due to the three factors;

Internationl Economic Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Internationl Economic Law - Essay Example These trade advantages encompass benefits like larger import quotas or lower tariffs and import duties. A country designated with the MFN status must be treated on an equal platform as any other country that has been awarded the MFN status by the nation granting this special status. The MFN treatment principle is important in the context of the WTO whose members have pledged to award MFN statuses to each other. There are also certain exceptions like designating free trade sectors on a regional basis and providing additional benefits to the developing nations. Under the MFN system stipulated by the WTO, a member nation that grants the most-favoured status to a non-member state for a particular product is obliged to provide the same benefits to other members of the WTO2. Thus, the WTO ensures that trade benefits are provided to all members as well as non-members on an equitable basis. The notion of a Most-Favoured Nation has existed since medieval times where smaller versions of such a greements have existed since the 15th Century. However, the expansion of MFN status in international trade began to develop during the 18th century3. Before the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the MFN treatment could be found only among Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) which indeed aided in liberalizing international trade. MFNs also find mention in the ‘Fourteen points’ laid out by United States (US) President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 which called for the liberalization and equality of trade conditions among nations4. Features of the MFN principle The MFN treatment principle has numerous economic effects that are elaborated below. Advantages to International Trade The most important benefit of the MFN principle is that it allows nations to import goods from the most cost-effective and efficient producer without disrupting the notion of comparative advantage5. For instance, a country can import products from the best supplier from different countries ba sed on cost, quality and efficiency thereby improving its economic efficiency. However this efficiency is distorted if the importing nation imposes a higher tariff on imports from the efficient supplier, prompting the importer to prefer products of the next best supplier (from a different country) at lower tariffs. This results in a trade imbalance which reduces the economic benefit to the importing nation besides disrupting global economic efficiency6. The provision of the MFN status in this context to all the countries implies that the importing country will levy equal tariffs on all exporting nations resulting in the procurement of goods from the most efficient supplier. Thus, the primary objective of the MFN treatment principle is to improve the efficiency of international trade. Free Trade System As mentioned above, the equal treatment of nations based on the MFN treatment principle accords the most liberal business environment that allows WTO member states to cut costs in nego tiation and monitoring trade agreements. In simpler words, the MFN treatment has resulted in the reduction of costs associated with the maintenance and functioning of the free trade system7. Equal treatment for imports from all member countries also means that costs associated with ascertaining the originating port or country are also reduced thereby contributing