Essay --

1. Context of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality community. Cape Breton Regional Municipality is "a community of communities" which put the county, city and towns together since 1995 because the local government of NS wants to reduce the number of incorporated towns and cities in the province. Therefore, the CBRM was created include the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton, the City of Sydney, the Towns of Glace Bay, Sydney Mines, New Waterford, North Sydney, Dominion and Louisbourg. The CBRM is the second largest municipality in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Located on the eastern side of Cape Breton Island, it covers a total area of 2,470 square kilometers and currently has a population of 97,398. From the statistic Canada, the population in CBRM shows decreasing since 2006. By the resident information, it is divided into three sections to explain: demography; education level and labour market characteristic. (1). In the population sector, it includes age, sex and housing. In the age part, there were 28,090 people, which was 2 7.6% of the total number of CBRM, were 35-54 years in 2011. The people age between 20-64 years, which is labour force age, were 60,575 (60%). Over 65Â  year, old people in CBRM were 19,655 (20.0%) and 21,385 people which were 20.1% of the total number of the population was a youth under 19 year old. The median age people were 47.5% in CBRM, male and female were 46.4% and 48.3, respectively. In the sex part, the male in the CBRM were 46,075 in 2011, and female were 51,325. The age between 15-64 which was adults has the ability to work were 64,575, the male and female were 30,945 and 33,630, respectively. In the housing part, the total number of families were 28,805, 64.1 percent have been ma... ...ta-Cascante, D., & Trejos, B. (2013). Community Resilience in Resource-Dependent Communities: A Comparative Case Study. Environment And Planning A, 45(6), 1387-1402. Social economy; communities, economies and solidarity in Atlantic Canada.(Brief article)(Book review). (2012). Reference & Research Book News. Patterson, P., & Biagi, S. (2003). The loom of change : weaving a new economy on Cape Breton / Paul Patterson and Susan Biagi. Sydney, NS : University College of Cape Breton Press, c2003. Loxley, J., Silver, J., & Sexsmith, K. (2007). Doing community economic development / edited by John Loxley, Jim Silver and Kathleen Sexsmith. Halifax, N.S. : Fernwood Pub., c2007. Haughton G. Community Economic Development / Edited By Graham Haughton [e-book]. London : Stationery Office, 1999.; 1999. Available from: CBU Library Catalogue, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 17, 2013.

Career Paper Essay

Professor Jane Andrews Success in College Career Paper A police officer is something I have always had an interest in becoming. Law enforcement is an exciting career that can open many doors to different jobs, from patrolling the streets to protecting important political figures. Police officers are an essential part of the communities in our nation, offering citizens protection from criminals, preventing crimes, and serving the members of their community. A police officer’s duties, among other things, include patrolling a specific district or beat, writing citations when necessary, offering escorts for convoys, responding to citizens’ emergency calls, severing warrants and subpoenas, and writing incident reports after a crime has been committed. 1 An essential characteristic of a police officer is physical stamina, physical and mental endurance, and the ability to keep a calm head. These are just a few of the many duties and essential characteristics of a police officer. A police officer’s work environment can vary greatly, either being out on patrol or in an office, either writing reports or viewing bulletins. Out on patrol, an officer’s work environment is his or her patrol car. A patrol car has all the devices necessary for an officer to execute his or her duties. It will contain a radio, a mobile laptop, which is used to run license plates, do background checks, and receive directions to the locations of 911 calls, and weapons, such as a shotgun, to be used in hostile situations. A police officer’s work environment will vary depending on his or her pecific duties. Becoming a police officer is a physically demanding process. Many people choose to first obtain a college degree in criminal justice or sociology, because it can help you become a higher rank and opens the options to work for higher authority agencies. The basic requirement for becoming a cop are to be free of any felony convictions, be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years of age, undergo background checks, and be free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition which might adversely affect the exercise of power by the peace officer. These requirements may vary slightly from state to state, but one that is consistent is that everyone must attend police academy. Police academy is an essential step in becoming a police officer. By graduating from police academy, a person becomes ‘post certified,’ which is a requirement to become a police officer anywhere. 3 At the academy, a person will take courses on firearms training, patrol techniques, crimes scene procedures, and ‘brain training’ courses, which train an officer on how to react mentally in certain situations. Physical fitness tests are an essential part of the academy, with strict requirements for both male and female requirements. Being a police officer requires both mental and physical toughness. A career in law enforcement can bring a variety of pay amounts. A standard patrol officer makes on average $34,000 a year. 4 Working for different agencies can bring different pay ranges, anywhere from $25,000 a year to $100,000. A police chief will earn towards the upper end of this range. All police officers will be members of a police union, the largest being the International Union of Police Associations, or the IUPA. 5 Being a member of a union brings benefits such as higher wages, health insurance, and a pension plan. Being a police officer is not one of the highest paying jobs staring off, but with the right promotions, one can earn a very high salary. Being a police officers is a career that is always in demand. In 2010, there were over 750,000 jobs for police officers.

Factors that contributed to the rise and development of sociology Essay

This essay serves to outline the factors that contributed to the rise of sociology and the latter`s development. In simply terms, sociology is the scientific study of the society and human behavior. The emergence of sociology traces back to the eighteenth century up to present day. Johnson (1998) suggests that in summary, the rise and development of sociology is based on political, economic, demographic, social and scientific changes. Ritzer (2008) asserts that the immediate cause for the beginning of sociology were political unrests especially the French Revolution that took over from the eighteenth century to the nineteenth century. The turmoil of the French Revolution spread throughout Europe and other nations. Kornblum (2008) suggests that the political upheavals were associated with tremendous social changes. The political revolutions demolished the old social order and monarchies. There was social chaos and disorder in societies that were resulted in by the political revolutions especially in the French society. Social theorists were attracted by these societal changes that had been a result of the political unrests hence giving rise to the discipline of sociology. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) who is credited for being the founding father of sociology was attracted by the social changes that had arose in reaction to the political revolutions. The French philosopher Comte attributed his focus of study to the French society so as to restore social order. This marked the beginning of sociology. Therefore, it is wise to claim that the European political upheavals resulted in social changes which attracted a number of social theorists such as Comte thereby leading to the rise of the scientific study of society. Industrial Revolutions also contributed to the rise of sociology as a discipline and had great impact to the rise of sociology (Schaefer, 2010). Industrial Revolution was a period of transformation whereby economic modes of production changed from feudalism to capitalism. The industrial transformations gave in the establishment of factories and industries resulting in the creation of employment and social changes such as urbanization in the urban settlements. According to Kornblum (2008) ,individuals flocked from rural to urban settlements for employment that had been brought by the capitalist system. This resulted in over population, poor sanitation, poor health and high death rates due to poor working conditions in the urban settlements where industrialization had emerged upon. The lower classes that served as laborers for the capitalists were oppressed and exploited by the capitalists in the sense that both adults and children worked for long hours and were given low wages. Classical sociologists such as Karl Marx (1818-1883) were attracted to the study of society due to the unfair system of the capitalist economy that had been brought by the industrial revolution in Europe. Marx condemned the industrial societies and gave alternative models of society such as socialist and communist societies. As a result, it is wise to assert that societal changes brought by the industrial revolutions in Europe were one of the basic foundations of sociology. The industrial revolutions also had an impact in the beginning of American sociology. Johnson (1998) suggests that industrialization resulted in the beginning of sociology in the United States of America. Masses migrated from Europe to the United States of America due to the industrialization that had arisen in the United States of America. Individuals came to the United States of America in search of employment opportunities. The urban settlements of America were overpopulated thereby causing America social theorists to begin the scientific study of the society. American sociologists began studying social changes that had been resulted by the industrial revolution such as racism, theft and interaction among societal individuals. Charles Horton Cooley is one of the American sociologists who began the study of the society due to social changes brought by industrialization. Industrialization in the United States of America contributed to the rise of sociology in the United States of America. The scientific study of the society rose also due to the growth of science in Europe (Ritzer, 2008). Sociology emerged during a period of time when natural sciences had great honor and prestige in the European society. Natural scientists were given respect and honor in the society because they were believed to be problem-solvers in the world through the use of natural sciences such as chemistry. The growth and superiority of the natural sciences stimulated social scientists also to develop a social science that would solve societal problems that had been brought by the industrial and political revolutions. The social scientists eagerness of creating a science of society resulted the beginning of sociology which is the scientific study of the society. Auguste Comte was influenced by the growth and prestige of the natural sciences because Comte coined the term sociology which relates to the scientific study of the society. Comte alson developed positivism which was based on the notion that natural scientific methodology of objective observation and experiments should also be applied when studying the society. In this regard, the growth and prestigious position of the natural sciences resulted in the emergence of sociology. Ritzer (2008) also suggests that the enlightenment era also led to the rise of sociology. Ritzer (2008) adds that the enlightenment era was a period of rema rkable intellectual development and change. The beginning of sociology was determined by enlightenment philosophers such as Charles Montenesqueu (1689-1755) and Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1718). The enlightenment thinkers denounced the existing status quo stating that humans should control the universe and destroy traditional beliefs. A few sociologists were inspired by the enlightenment thinkers such as Karl Marl who favored change as suggested by the enlightenment philosophers. However, most sociologists such as Emile Durkheim and Auguste Comte followed footsteps of De-Bonald and De-Maistre rejecting enlightenment views because they were conservative, they feared change. Consequently, sociology rose as response or reaction to enlightenment philosophers. According to Ritzer (2008), the rise of socialism contributed to the rise of sociology as a discipline. Socialism was based on the notion that property should be communally owned in a society. This gave the rise of sociology because a few sociologists used doctrines of socialism in studying the society and they believed that a socialist society would mark the end of social problems. Karl Marx was inspired by socialism in developing his sociological theories because he advocated change from the capitalist to the communist society model. However, socialism also developed sociological theory because most of the sociologists particularly functionalists were conservative and criticized the socialist doctrines. Thus sociology developed due to socialism because sociology hardly consisted solely the scientific study of the society but it also comprised criticisms of some theories specifically socialism. As a result, socialism contributed to the rise and development of sociology as highlighted above. The rise of feminism had an impact in sociology because feminist ideas developed sociological theory (Ritzer, 2008).Feminism is based on the idea that women are superior as well and are equal to men in the society. Feminism rose during the liberation era of modern Western History. Feminist sociologists include Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) who wrote a textbook entitled ‘Society in America’. Male sociologists such as Comte responded conservatively to the feminist ideas. Thus feminism developed sociology because sociology had been a male dominated discipline so feminism developed sociology by transforming the discipline from a male dominated to a balanced discipline of both males and females. According to Ritzer (2008), religion also led to the rise of sociology. Ritzer (2008) citing Hinkle and Hinkle (1905) says that many early sociologists came from different religious backgrounds and were actively involved. They brought to sociology the same religious objectives they had in their personal lives. For instance, Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber wrote on religion in their personal perspectives. Therefore, religion also contributed to the rise of sociology. Johnson (1998) adds on that sociology started as an academic discipline in the United States of America. Sociology started as an academic discipline at Chicago School of thought, faculties and departments of sociology were set up at Chicago and sociology emerged as an academic disciple in the Western nations between the 1920s and 1970s. This attitude has spread all over the world even into African universities. It has been seen in the essay how multiple factors influence the rise and development of sociology as a discipline in the global environment. Be it as it may, the industrial revolutions had a greater impact than any other factors outlined in essay in contributing to the rise of sociology as a discipline. Since industrial revolutions had a greater impact in contributing to the rise and development of sociology, one cannot assume that the industrial revolutions can solely explain completely the origins and development of sociology. The factor of industrial revolutions can fully explain the rise and development of sociology with other factors outlined in essay. . REFERENCES Farganis, (2011). Readings in Social Theory: The Classic Tradition to Post Modernism (sixth edition). New York: McGraw-Hill. Johnson, W.A. (1998). The Sociology Student Writer`s Manual. USA: Prentice Hall Inc. Kornblum, W. (2008). Sociology: In A Changing World. Canada: Thompson Learning. Ritzer, G. (2008). Sociological Theory. New York: McGraw Hill. Schaefer, R. T. (2010). Sociology (twelveth edition). New York: .McGraw.

Economics – What does overall supply of labour depend upon?

1.) What does overall supply of labour depend upon? The overall supply of labour is affected in several different ways. First of all, the working population is considered to be in between 16 and 65 years of age. The inactive population is therefore those younger than 16 and those over 65 years. If there was a huge baby boom in the foreseeable future then the benefits of this would not be felt until some years later when they would become part of the working population. However, in order that the government can gain maximum tax revenue is if more people are in full time education and higher education with the prospect of working in a high paid job. Initially, this would be quite difficult but it would relieve the pressure placed on by the dependency ratio. Other factors that affect the supply of labour are that the death rate is always decreasing therefore the population is increasing. The current health service is going to be put under even more sustained pressure as the more people get older and live longer. This also adds to the increasing dependency ratio. Many people who immigrate to Britain will then, on the whole, add to the overall supply of labour. Another very important factor is that women are getting married later on in life so that they can pursue a career. Also read this  Cheating in a Bottom Line Economy 2.) How do you account for the increase in inactive males in recent years? There are many reasons that men become increasingly inactive in recent years. One reason is, in recent years the primary industry has decreased substantially and the tertiary and services sector has grown considerably. Many men were involved in the primary sector such as factory, coal mining, and farming. Over the last few decades those manufacturing industries have slowly reduced and more tertiary and services have been growing. The tertiary and services sector have a tendency to employ more women, possibly because they are more ‘approachable' than men. One could think of this as sexual discrimination perhaps. Those men who worked in low skilled jobs also found it difficult to adjust to a new job as those low skilled jobs are not readily available. However, the younger male population tend to stay in education additional to compulsory education. 3.) What has been the economic impact of migration both into and out of the British economy over the past 40 years? The impact of migration had many advantages as well as disadvantages. Over the last 40 years migration, in some cases, has severely affected the working population. For example, in the 1960's and 1970's many people chose to migrate to another country so the working population would decrease. The cost of the decrease was a net fall in output. More higher qualified professionals e.g. Doctors, Teachers chose to work away from the UK. This may have a bearing on why there is a shocking lack of teachers around today. Anyway, due to this problem, many people from other parts of the world like Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa were persuaded to come and work in the UK. 4.) Why are more women becoming more economically active? More women work and have become economically active because of changes in the law forcing firms to have a certain proportion of women in their company. Equal Pay Legislation and Maternity Provision was at the forefront of gaining equal opportunities. Nowadays, many women do not marry when they are in their early 20's but they may do after they turn 30. Theoretically, these women would choose not to have a baby as they would then be tied down and cannot pursue their career. Formerly, women tended to be house wives, they used to all the house work but because of technological advances time taken to do all the housework shortened leaving the women nothing to do for the rest of the day. The other reason is that women are more flexable with their work hours, they tended to work more part-time. The demand for women workers has sharply risen with the increase in tertiary and services sector. More employers are looking for women to improve the appearance of the company. 5.) To what degree has changing the nature of employment within U.K. affected participation ratios of men and women? Over the last few decades, due to the decline in manufacturing industries and the incline of tertiary industries we can conclude that there has been extensive. This is because as manufacturing industries declined many men found it difficult to learn new skills as well as employers preferred to train younger people. The ratio's show this by male inactivity slowly rising as female inactivity fell.

The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective

The Simpsons are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective Using The Simpsons, a long-running American animated continuing series, as a case study I will analyse the links between audiences, production and text in the creation of meaning. Using a triangulated approach of close textual reading, and theoretical models of post-modernism and queer theory to question the role of agenda setting in contemporary society, I will identify particular mechanisms of agenda setting within this example. The Simpsons, described by Paul Cantor (1999) is a â€Å"postmodern re-creation of the first generation family sit-com† (p738) which can be used effectively to illustrate innovative and radical themes and encourages critical thinking. David Arnold (2001) describes The Simpsons as â€Å"an irresponsible text, one rich in associations and connotations [†¦] a self-parodic, self-referential pastiche of previous texts† (p264). I will endeavour to show that despite the fact that The Simpsons is associated with cartoons, which in their very nature are assumed to be childish and frivolous, it is because of all of the above associations that the postmodern Simpsons are useful as a pedagogical tool (Hobbs, 1998) and can be used to teach adults and children various sociological issues including sexual identities and hegemony. The Simpsons lends itself to be a vehicle of a ‘media-virus’ which according to Douglas Rushkoff (1994) can carry [the] â€Å"revolutionary message conveyed in an apparently innocent, neutral package† (cited in Irwin et Al 2001 p254). Such programmes appear to have proven to be the most acceptable and accessible spaces to show such subjects as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities because of their separation from reality. Arnold (2001) claims that the ridiculousness of the funny yellow looking characters who pop up on your television and look almost human, but with crazy storylines and unbelievable un-human like behaviours â€Å"increase their ability to function as satiric signifiers† (p262). It’s because of their unfeasibility, their â€Å"lack of seriousness† that Diane Raymond (2003 cited in Dines & Humez) maintains allows programmes like The Simpsons to â€Å"†¦play with themes under cover of humour where those themes might be too volatile or even too didactic for another sort of audience† (p101). The Simpsons creators and writers rely on the history of other shows and they take from them all the best titbits rewarding their viewers according to Rushkoff (2004) with â€Å"a-ha moments† or â€Å"pattern recognition† (p296). Whether it is Maggie in ‘A Streetcar Named Marge’ (1992, 9F18) attempting to rescue her dummy-tit at Springfield’s day-care centre to the theme tune of The Great Escape by Elmer Bernstein. Or when Homer arrives to pick her up some of the babies are precariously perched and watch on, which to the media literate is an obvious spoof of The Birds a classic Hitchcock movie from 1963. The wedding scene from The Graduate is spoofed in ‘One fish, two fish, blowfish’ (1991, 7F11) where Homer bangs on the living room window and shouts â€Å"Marge† at the top of his voice. ‘Lisa’s Substitute’ (1991, SF19), is where we see yet another classic scene from the The Graduate, where the substitute teacher is seen at the front of the class through Mrs Krabappel’s leg which is hitched up on the desk and Bart’s teacher says those famous words â€Å"Mrs. Krabappel, you're trying to seduce me. Some of the audience, children moreover adults may see the ridiculousness of the scenes as ‘funny’ but may not see the more hidden intertextual message due to their time spent viewing media texts. However David Buckingham (2001) claims that children are more active, and sophisticated users [†¦] that they see much more television and are able to detect and decipher the â€Å"formal codes and conventions about genre and narrative, and about the production process† (cited in Barker and Petely 2001). These pieces of intertextual fragmented texts have different connotations to different ‘readers’. For example in The Graduate the storyline, for the chief protagonist, was about the coming of age and losing his virginity and the power it gave him, this ‘revolutionary message’ would not be available in prime-time viewing unless such a vehicle as The Simpsons made it accessible through its animation. Ironically The Simpsons was created to be a ‘bridging device’ for The Tracy Ullman Show to cross from the main parts of the show into adverts (Rushkoff 2004 p295). The Simpsons became more popular than the host show and Matt Groening the show’s creator was offered $10m and a 13 episode series at FOX Television (Ibid p295). According to Allen Larson (2004) technological advances, the availability of cable, federal deregulation and corporate consolidation were already in place from the 1980s and 90s but the media conglomerates further assisted the development of corporations like FOX Television which refined prime time sit-coms and the commodification of the audience, they â€Å"re-imagined, and re-exploited profit maximisation† (cited in Stabile & Harrison 2004 p56). At the onset of the 90s production costs for a show like The Simpsons would have cost around $600,000 (Mallory 1996, Karlin 1993b cited in Stabile & Harrison p56) and so attention to attracting the widest demographic was crucial. Merchandising to children was the future as the cable-age children had already become consumers and so the conglomerates â€Å"turned the full force of their attention towards maximising the potential revenue streams provided by children†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibid pp57-59). USA Today reported in 2009 that in the previous year â€Å"Consumers worldwide spent more than $750 million on Simpsons-related licensed merchandise [†¦]† (Lieberman, 2009). Television programming is not only programming the viewer’s sets but the viewers themselves in order to sell them a product (Rushkoff 2004, p293) [†¦] which would prove why â€Å"advertisers spent $314. 8 million [in 2008] on the prime-time show on Fox and reruns that local stations air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lieberman, 2009). Postmodernism points toward the fact that we no longer create anything other than the texts made up from the materials which already existed and we patch them together to make fun of that which is present and now. Furthermore there is a notion of ‘it doesn’t get any better than this’ The Simpsons uses all the good bits from the past to fill the present, history is no longer being made it could be perceived. Arnold claims that The Simpsons â€Å"†¦lampoon and amplifies that culture’s foibles up to and beyond the point of absurdity† (2004 p264). Jameson is in agreement (1984 and 1991) he insists that postmodernism has a â€Å"new depthlessness† and that globalised late capitalism does not allow for the text to be critically analysed but commodified and consumed. Jameson states that â€Å"they no longer simply ‘quote,' as a Joyce or a Mahler might have done, but incorporate into their very substance† (1991 p3). Intertextual referencing is key to how The Simpsons works as a postmodern text, although legible to the avid reader of texts, a certain amount of media literacy is required which has taken many decades to achieve, leaving the adult to appreciate the intertextuality of high culture embedded in the ‘funny animation’. The timing with which The Simpsons emerged into mainstream television has proven to be crucial- The Simpsons could not have thrived on prime-time network television unless it was embraced by an audience so advanced in â€Å"TV literacy† that they are able to recognize and relish the signs and symbols from TV culture which the show continuously throws at them (Bj? rnsson 2006). In various episodes The Simpsons have portrayed many sociological concepts, for example; Aging and health in ‘Stark Raving Dad’ (1991, 7F24); Class and socioeconomic status in ‘Burns’ Heir’ (1994, 1F16); Crime law and criminal justice in ‘Homer the Vigilante’ (1F09). Homer has dealt with the urge to cheat on his wife Marge ‘The Last Temptation of Homer’ and ‘Life on The Fast Lane’ (1993, IF07 & 1990, 7G11). The horror of war was tackled in ‘The Principal and the Pauper’ (1997, 4F23) and homosexuality in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) (The Simpsons Archive, 2010). It is this last issue of other sexual identities in The Simpsons which I will be analysing using queer theory as an analytical framework. â€Å"Queer is a category in flux† according to Raymond (2003, cited in Dines & Humez p98). Historically the term was used in a negative or derogatory manner, although most recently the term is used to identify marginalised identities such as gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (glbt). Queer theory identifies â€Å"a body of knowledge connected to but not identical with lesbian/gay studies† (Ibid p98). According to Raymond (2003) queer theory emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and â€Å"unlike their earlier theoretical forebears like Marxism and feminism †¦ [do not demand] exclusive theoretical allegiance or hegemony (Ibid p99). Instead it asks; what is the point in asking why someone is gay? Or what is the function the question of causation serves in the culture and in ideology? † Queer theorists look less at the nature/nurture argument of Charles Darwin and in addition ask that we see the term as ‘fluid’ and not ‘fixed’. ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) looks at Homer and his homophobic behaviour when he meets and befriends a gay man John who is voiced by writer and director John Waters of the critically acclaimed and very camp film ‘Hairspray’. John sells kitsch collectibles in a shopping mall and enjoys chatting to his customers. John tries to explain to Homer what ‘camp’ means when he is showing him around the shop which Homer doesn’t understand. To explain John says that camp is â€Å"The tragically ludicrous? The ludicrously tragic? † When Homer still doesn’t get it, he adds â€Å"†¦more like inflatable furniture or Last Supper TV trays† The penny finally drops as Homer has made a connection, albeit a financial one, and replies â€Å"and that kinda stuff is worth money? †¦Man you should come over to our place †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It's full of valuable worthless crap†. John’s views â€Å"echoes cultural critic Andrew Ross’ argument that camp is primarily concerned with reconstituting history’s trash as reasure† (Cunningham 2003). Ross (1989) writes â€Å"The knowledge about history is the precise moment when camp takes over, because camp involves a rediscovery of history’s waste† (p151, cited in Cunningham 2003). This piece also serves to confirm Medhurst’s claim that camp â€Å"is now absolutely everywhere† (1997 p289 cited in Sullivan, p194) and so Homer has become completely blind to it. Homer has not realised John is gay even though there have been quite a few stereotypical ‘a-ha moments’ (Rushkoff, p296) or ‘knowing nods’ to his sexual identity. John has knowledge of female Hollywood actresses and gossip, an appreciation of Marge’s hair John even answers in a ‘camp’ manner with â€Å"my heart is palpitating, hoo hoo†. Marge conversely has determined John’s sexual identity and later, at home, informs Homer of it (much to his disgust). This may signal that the producers are aware of how different people have different ‘cultural capital’ (Bourdieu, 1977) or that Marge and women for that matter are more adept at reading the signals in media-represented images of sexual identities and can see the signifiers due to the time spent watching television. It may also signify the ways in which gay men have been ‘reduced’ to the status of women i. e. engaging in tittle-tattle and pointing out good hair-dos. According to Gross (1995) misinformation and gay stereotyping in the media is due to â€Å"lack of first-hand knowledge of gays and lesbians† (cited in Raymond 2003). Media texts are ‘polysemic’, meaning they have many meanings to many people, although Stuart Hall (1980) states the texts do not have an infinite number of interpretations as they â€Å"remain structured in dominance†. Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) claims that â€Å"audiences are not blank pieces of paper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p140 cited in Hanes 2000). Reception Studies agree that the meaning is not inherent within the text itself and that the audience create the meanings using their own cultural capital. Morley’s reception study ‘Nationwide’ in 1980 will attest to this fact. In 1992 Morley revisited his ‘Nationwide’ study and found that there were â€Å"totally contradictory readings of the same programme item [†¦]†. There are many criticisms of reception theories, Morley himself states that â€Å"it shows an understanding of the micro-process of consumption†¦and without reference to the broader cultural question†¦ [which is then] of only limited value† (1992, p272). Signs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities are clearly shown in The Simpsons; in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) Roscoe and his fellow workers at the ‘Springfield Steel Mill’ are openly gay and host ‘gay discos’ after working hours. The scene in the mill looks like a ‘guerrilla attack’ where hundreds of gay men have descended on the unsuspecting Simpsons to make them feel like the minority in the ‘queered space’. ‘Guerrilla tactics’ like ‘queering’ are seen in America where glbt people gather in an unsuspecting venue. The venue would commonly be frequented by mainly heterosexuals, the dominant sexual identity. With a flood of glbt patrons the glbt have changed their position to a dominant one within that space. This encourages the audience to see what it must feel like to be in the minority, but also highlights that there are other sexual identities, that heterosexuality is not superior and that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people live in your street, work in your factories, they have worthwhile jobs contributing to society just like heterosexual people. Queering’ extends to texts too as shown above and also in ‘Three Gays of the Condo’ (2003, EABF12) where Homer shared a room with Grady and Julio who were both openly gay. Glbt identities are also hidden, for example Judge Constance Harm is transgender in ‘The Parent Rap’ (2001, CABF22) the judge refers to ‘once being a man’. There are also the characters such as Waylon Smithers and Dewey Largo who are still in the closet and all of these stories offer viewers a little ‘queer pleasure’. In ‘My Fair Laddy’ Brunella Pommelhorst the gym teacher at Bart’s school tells her students she will return in the next semester as Mr Pommelhorst the new shop teacher (2006, HABF05). Marge’s sister Patty who ‘comes out’ to her in when Springfield became a same-sex-marriage tolerant town to bring in much needed revenue (after Bart brings it into disrepute). Agenda setting in the media is made accessible in The Simpsons and can be seen especially in ‘There’s Something about Marrying’ (2005, 16E10). Mayor Quimby in a speech says he is â€Å"happy to legalise gay money†¦ I mean ah gay marriage†. This may be in response to an article reported by Catherine Donaldson-Evans (2004) written for FOXNEWS. com that states â€Å"Recognizing same-sex couples and families as an emerging market, large corporations have begun targeting the demographic in their ads† [†¦] [the ads are] focused on the micro-lifestyles of the consumers, and same-sex families are a micro-lifestyle. † This clearly shows the emergent culture of commodification of sexual identity. ‘There’s Something About Marrying’ (2005 16E10) which is a clear intertextual reference to the film There’s something about Mary which itself may also be pointing out through the use of intertextuality the name given to Gay men i. e. ‘Marys’ or ‘little-Marys’) was it seems written in response to the controversy in America over gay marriages which was â€Å"a particularly hot topic in the US [at the moment] during election campaigning† (BBC 2004). In February 2004 â€Å"President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the â€Å"most enduring human institution† (Huus, 2004). This makes for a difficult position to be in as a queer viewer. Jacqueline Rose (1986) has noted, â€Å"The relationship between viewer and scene is always one of fracture, partial identification, pleasure and distrust† (p227 cited in Raymond, 2003, p100). The Simpsons are not subversive or anti-family, in fact they are probably quite conservative Homer attempts to vote for Democrat Barack Obama in ‘Treehouse of Horror XIX’ (S20E04, 2008) however the machine would not allow him and instead registered his vote for John McCain a Republican â€Å"in a humorous take on the allegations of voter fraud that [had] occurred in prior elections† (Stelter, 2008).

Human Evolution by C.M. Davenport Essay

Since time immemorial, numerous researchers have been done to explain the mechanism by which humans were able to evolve from being ordinary, defenseless creatures in the Eastern African savanna to being the world’s most advance and high-functioning biological creatures that have ever walked on Earth. Scientific findings suggest that the aforesaid transition was characterized by a decision of our earliest human ancestors to leave their four-legged existence on trees and convert to a bipedal lifestyle on the terrestrial landscape. Such transition, which can be said to be one of the most dangerous yet most essential part of human anthropology, was driven by climatic changes in the African region. Consequently, changes in the general atmospheric conditions affected the vegetation and ecological properties of the ancient human surroundings. Scientists speculate that prior to the climatic alterations which is around ten million years ago, the East Africa was heavy forested and catered to a great diversity of tree-dwelling primates. Unfortunately, the end of the Miocene Epoch or around five million years ago, marked the start of the of the arid, grassland condition. These changes have encouraged primates to go down from the trees and convert to a two-legged manner of walking on the African plains. This transition was not easy because the early human ancestors had to face a multitude of predators on land including leopard, hyenas and lions. However, although this was the case, the need to look for food and other forms of nourishment that were no longer present in their original habitat was greater than the impending dangers they were likely to face. Hence, climate changes have commanded the onset of the start of human civilization by allowing early primates to convert to bipedalism and terrestrial living. Next to bipedalism, early human ancestors had to acquire certain bodily adaptations in order to make them fit to their new surroundings. Body adaptations included changes on speed and gait, acquisition of large buttock muscles and longer legs for running and sitting efficiency, evolution of larger body size, better vision, achievement of a sense of balance on body controls and other locomotory functions, and a more complex brain structure, physiology and function. These changes allowed early human ancestors to escape from predators and be able to gather food for nutritional survival. In this case, the author evidently placed much emphasis on the discussion of the running endurance of human ancestors. It was mentioned that along with the other adaptations, the ability to run from predators is also a very notable skill of the primates that allowed them to dominate the natural selection process. Increase in lung capacity, development of the heel bone and arched foot, ability to sweat were some of the changes that permitted running efficiency. Obviously, expansion of lung capacity accounted for a more organized breathing pattern during running activities while the heel bone and arched foot permitted improved upright position for running and load-carrying. The ability to sweat, on the other hand, is presumed to render more benefits to primates aside from thermoregulation. Reports suggest that sweat of early human ancestors were similar to the properties of the modern genetic disorder trimethylaminuria, a condition that makes a person produce sweat that smells like strong decaying fish odor but not decaying human or animal flesh (Davenport n. p. ). The chemical compound producing the odor is flavin monoxygenase 3 enzyme (FMO3) and analysis of this compound from present trimethylaminuria reveal that FMO3 has undergone molecular modifications thereby allowing the persistence of the disease from subsequent human generations. However, chemical rearrangements of FMO3 are also suspected to be the reason why sweat of humans today does not elicit the same kind of smell of the early primates, an event that is presumed to be a part of their survival strategies. Lastly, the acquisition of human intelligence was the final step in the human evolution process. The complex development of bodily functions for running endurance have also allowed for the creation of cells for specialized physiological, and neurological properties. After this, it was not long before behavioral skills were obtained and furnished. And after about five million years, the world witnessed the emergence of the modern human species equipped with all the necessary physical and mental adaptations that allowed them to be favored by natural selection and win against the other primal families. Consequently, the evolution of humans is characterized by a myriad of factors which are yet to be fully investigated and explained but all the findings we have today are enough to conclude that humans must value the properties that we have today because our ancestors have done so much effort just to let us achieve our present stature. Evolution is continuously happening and we will never know if conditions in the past will repeat themselves. Hence, everyone must continue to hone their skills and adapt with the changes of the environment in order to prevent ourselves from being selected against natural selection and for us to continue our dominance on this world.

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media - Essay Example The research study conducted by the major professional organizations of United States has uncovered several important and eye-opening facts about the effects of marketing valance upon the children. The report has been prepared by American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association in which these professional organizations have claimed that the entertainment industry uses to intentionally market valance to the children and consequently the children have to face the deleterious and harmful effects of entertainment violence (Wilson, 2002). The marketing of violence to the children is not something new but the trend was initiated in 1984 when the marketing companies found that due to the deregulation of television by the Federal Communication Commission they have the open opportunity to directly market the toys and other products to the children through the medium of TV programs. The children programs also became commercialized and in turn the children also became an important growing consumer group strongly exploited by the media commercials (Huston, 1992). Along with the time, the essence of commercialism increased within the TV programs and children were offered with the toys directly replicas of the TV programs. The video games, movies and fighting cartoons became popular among the children and the media and toy manufacturing industry joined hands for marketing violence to the children through the toys, games and programs. The trend had very strong impacts upon the psychology and behaviours of the children. The parents mostly reported that they observe gradual change in the attitude of their children and now the children are mostly found more inclined towards violent programs. The nature and behaviour of the children has also changed a lot in the wake of violence marketing by the entertainment industry and the parents commonly complain about the increasing levels of aggression among their children (Huesman n, 2007). The children tend to be more vulnerable to the harmful effects of media violence because they could not understand the world like adults and soon believe whatever they see on the television programs and cartoons. The children don’t have the mental capabilities to think logically about the actions seen on the TV and they give attention towards the things they appear on the screen without realizing the difference between real and drama. The exposure to the violent act also makes them scared and at the same time they also strived to attempt the same things in their real lives as they see on TV. The excitement and power of the entertainment media limit their thoughts and they became addict of violent entertainment soon after having exposure of such programs (Wilson, 2002). The violence marketed through media has an obvious impact upon the personalities of the children and it changed the way they interact with the world and people around them. Since the children learn a lot from their play and other entertainment activities so the media violence also changes their attitude and social behaviours. They learn to attach others and through things upon them in order to show their power and strength to the world. They tend to