Black Is Black Aint Essay

The final film by Marlon Riggs, Black is†¦Black Ain’t, is concerned with the state of the African American community. This film essentially asks the question, what does it mean to be black? The director and producer, Marlon Riggs, guides viewers along an â€Å"an up-front examination of racism, sexism, and homophobia within the black community itself. Bringing together personal stories, interviews, music, history, and performance, Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t asks African Americans: What is black, black enough, or too black? †1 Unfortunately, the AIDS-stricken director died before the film was completed. This film operates as a kind of last will and testament for Marlon Riggs. â€Å"He bequeaths the idea that rigid notions of what is or is not black behavior, of who is or isn’t black, need to be abandoned for the sake of strengthening the sense of community within the race. †2 The beginning of Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t explores the meanings associated with word black. I was very surprised to discover how most black people didn’t prefer being called or labeled black. Everything associated with the word black leads to disgrace and fear. Hence, the word black made most feel less than. At this time, a code of silence existed amongst black people. Living in a society that might lynch a person for being black, it makes sense that celebrating your blackness was forbidden. This eventually leads to the emasculation and castration of the black male. Pre civil rights, most black males were viewed as laughing, singing, entertainers and servants. The men were considered weak, and the women were considered strong and unwomanly. Anything associated with looking black was considered bad. The film uses the example of white hair as the good hair and frizzy curl hair as the bad hair. Post civil rights, out of centuries of emasculation, the black man needs to reclaim his power. Black people now embraced the word black as an act of self-empowerment. The black man now became patriarch. â€Å"Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t forcefully confronts the identification of blackness with a hyper-masculinity born of the ’60s Black Power movement. †3 Unfortunately, this self-empowerment has the capacity to imprison as well as liberate. The film reminds us that â€Å"slavery and its aftermath involved the emasculation-physical as well as psychological – of black men, the drive for black power was usually taken to mean a call for black male power, despite the needs of (and often with the complicity of) black women. That continues to result in the devaluing of black female contributions to the liberation struggle and in the subordination of black women in general. †4 The result of emasculation became hyper masculinity. This phenomenon confined the meaning of what it meant to be black even further. For example, to be black is not to be homosexual. This is due to the notion of homosexuality as the ultimate weakness. Hence there is often prejudice of homosexuals in the black community. The homophobic initiative from the black Catholic Church doesn’t make the situation any better. Hence, Marlon Riggs ties in his own story as a gay black man with AIDS. It really assists the film in showing the restrictions that exist in black unity. So what is the black identity? Are you black enough? Do you talk black? Are you a hyper masculine heterosexual male with kinky hair and a criminal record? I can see how it must be difficult to maintain a sense of communal self. Angela Davis one of the speakers in the film, provides this answer: â€Å"You take some color, a dash or a big dollop, it don’t matter, and you blend it with an assortment of physical features that reflect every face you might possibly encounter on this great earth, mix that up with a culture that just loves to improvise, signify, reclaim, renew, and read – and you’ve got, the recipe, for black folk. † 1 Independent Television Service 2 Cliff Thompson, â€Å"Black Is †¦ Black Ain’t† 3 Independent Television Service 4 Cliff Thompson, â€Å"Black Is †¦ Black Ain’t†.

Pinnacle Machine Tool Company Case Study Essay

The Pinnacle Machine Tool Company case is a case that studies the use of managerial decision making and different decision-making styles. Don Anglos, CEO of Pinnacle Company, a machine tool company, had a decision to make on whether to acquire another company. The company Anglos wished to acquire was Hoilman Inc., a company known for their cutting-edge sensor technology and communications software. Anglos had heard a creditable rumor that a rival company was planning a take-over of Hoilman, and by chance, Anglos knew Hoilman well because of previous talks he had with them about a possible joint-venture that never worked out. Anglos believed that by acquiring Hoilman, Pinnacle could develop new software that would enable them to provide top-notch service to their customers. For the four years that Anglos has served as CEO for Pinnacle, he has used his gut instinct while making many risky decisions and it has proven to pay off handsomely. He was able to increase profit revenue growth and increase market share, but through making those moves, he has chipped away at the company’s strong profit margins. Anglos recognized that it was time for him to change his strategy in order to help the company further; he wanted to transform the company into a high-tech service company in order to achieve growth and profit, and he believed that acquiring Hoilman would be a good place to start. However, some of Anglos’ colleagues did not feel the same way. CFO, Sam Lodge, insisted that the timing was not right to invest in Hoilman.

A needs assess Gap Analysis on Kaiser Permanente Essay

Kaiser Permanente refers to healthcare consortium that offers prepaid Medicare services. Rising from humble beginnings in 1945, the non profit has flourished from a privately centered medical care to accommodate even the public. It was founded by physician R. Garfied and industrialist Henry Kaiser (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). The hospital has ridden over a hostile environment to become a leading non profit health institution providing services to over 9.1 million members. The institution has its headquarters in Oakland, California in the United States. Kaiser Permanente constitutes a trio of the Permanente Medical Groups, the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals as well as subsidiaries and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Incorporation. Overall, the Kaiser Permanente Health Foundation had 7654 beds as at 31st December 2012 scattered over the District of Columbia and nine states in the U.S.A. The health plan membership totals to over 8.3 million. Still, the hospital maintains a sizeable labor force of about 11,000 physicians scattered in 415 medical offices and 30 medical centers. As at last year, the hospital’s operating revenues grossed $22.5 billion. The Kaiser Permanente Foundation operates on four major premises, namely: A physician team practice to realize maximum abilities to nurse and care for patients Prepaid health plans structured along spreading of costs to ensure affordability across the social classes Concentration on prevention of illness relative to caring for the patients A formally structured delivery system to hold as many services as it can hold under one roof (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). The following tabulation presents the membership of the foundation by region as at 31st December 2012 (Abelson, 2013). Region Membership Southern California 3,594,848 Northern California 3,403,871 Colorado 540,442 Northwest (Oregon /Washington) 484,349 Mid Atlantic States (MD, VA, DC) 481,755 Hawaii 224,591 The following tabulation showcases Kaiser Permanente Foundation local markets by each of eight regions (Abelson, 2013). Northern California Southern California Georgia Hawaii Mid Atlantic States Oregon/ Washington Central Valley Coachella Valley Atlanta Oahu Washington D.C Portland Diablo Kern Valley Athens Kauai Northern Virginia Salem East Bay Orange Valley Hawaii Suburban Maryland Vancouver, Wash Fresno Inland Empire Maui Baltimore Longview/ Kelso, Wash Greater Southern Alameda Metro Los Angeles/ West Los Angeles Marin/ Sonoma San Diego County Napa/ Solano Tri-Central Area Colorado Roseville Denver Sacramento Colorado Springs San Francisco Boulder San Jose Pueblo San Mateo Santa Clara South Sacramento It is evident from the above tabulation that Kaiser Permanente has a stronger presence in the urban areas in each of the nine states as compared to rural presence. Nonetheless, it is commendable on the foundation’s expansion to cover regions outside its core geographic markets (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). However, it is evident that the expansion trajectory seeks to serve the proximate markets. The Foundation has 38 hospitals, 611 medical offices and outpatient facilities, 16,942 physicians compri9sing of a blend of different specialties and 48,701 differently blended mixes of specialist nurses. Therefore, the foundation employs a total of 174,259 employees comprising of administrative, technical and clerical care givers and laborers as at 31st December 2013 (Abelson, 2013). The hospital maintains an online presence with a platform in which clients and employers manage their accounts. Online customer account services are offered freely meaning that the foundation does not charge. Member terminations as well as demographic changes are updated immediately. This gives the institution a competitive advantage over its rivals. Part II Needs Assessment/ Gap Analysis on Kaiser Permanente                      At present, Kaiser Permanente is criticized for failing to have facilities, resources or policies to conduct a number of services. Additionally, where critical services are offered, the facility features as lazy to act exposing the patients to delay in diagnosis. The hospital is often accused of prolonged diagnosis period preferring available formal diagnosis rather than recommending specialized and expensive diagnosis so as to contain costs. Furthermore, the institution prefers cheaper dispute resolution mechanism such as arbitration. This process may take prolonged time and has often sparkled criticism. For instance, Wilfredo Engalla succumbed to lung cancer five months after submitting an arbitration demand. Consequently, the Supreme Court of California awarded his spouse $500,000 as damages from Kaiser Permanente (Abelson, 2013). Still, The Huffington Post accuses the institution of overburdening its staff resulting to sloppy work (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). This occurs even when the company rackets billions of dollars in profits. Sadly, mental health patients contend with a prolonged wait for appointment at the institution’s California facility. Upon meeting the doctor, the meeting lasts briefly, therefore, receiving brief consultations. Finally, the patient ends up in a group therapy set up comprising of 20 members under the astute of a single clinician, in spite of a one on one clinician session (Eichler, 2011). The report concluded by showing the cuts in mental health funding. California led the pack by cutting the mental health budget by $177.4 million out of the $1.7 billion mental health budget cuts. Moreover, Kaiser is accused of understaffing its various departments in spite of an inflationary membership. For instance, mental health patients are sloppily rushed through the treatment and rehabilitation process resulting to dire implications. Rushing is necessary in order to serve the over 6.6 million members (Eichler, 2011). Cases of misdiagnosis as well as wrong diagnosis and treatment cases have been reported in which some were catastrophic resulting to deaths. Kaiser’s violations of rules and regulations in kidney transplant regulations led to closure of the program (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). An investigative report by the Los Angeles Times revealed Kaiser Permanente’s mismanagement across the board on 3rd May 2006 (Eichler, 2011). Apparently, the facility had operated 56 transplants the previous with an alarming death of 112 patients while waiting for the operation. Kaiser Permanente realized financial savings through the delays in transplants. Consequently, the institution announced discontinuation of the practice on 13th May 2006 (Eichler, 2011). Most of the employees at Kaiser Permanente are members of various labor unions although the Medicine Doctors as well as the Osteopathic Medicine Doctors share in the for profit profits of the institution (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). Surprisingly, the California facilities witnessed 4 major strikes between 2011 and 2012. There were over 20,000 participants drawn from the institution’s mental health providers, nurses and other specialists (Eichler, 2011). Labor Unions constantly accused Kaiser Permanente for stalling negations deliberately in spite of the huge profits and a hefty pay to the C.E.O. The workers grievances included delayed care, poor staffing, and loss of medical insurance, pensions as well as other benefits. Based on the above criticism, it is indeed true that a gap subsists between Kaiser’s current performance and the projected. This part addresses solutions to the criticism based on social, legal and culture. Firstly, the modern world is fast paced and Kaiser must accommodate fast pacing in service delivery (Lawler, Boudreau, Mohrman, Mark, Neilson, & Osganian, 2006). Employee staffing, training, recruitment, retention, job function redesign will help address friction with labor unions (Kochan, 2009). Besides, competitive and equitably pegged remuneration will motivate employees to offer quality services. Recruiting more employees will help address the ballooning membership. Besides, training of employees on cultural accommodations of different patients will enhance positive reviews to Kaiser Permanente. Finally, Kaiser must embrace a law abiding organizational culture. This will reduce arbitrative litigations. Moreover, taking up a less materialistic approach to delivering serv ices is a crucial social factor that will enhance closing of the performance gap. Implementation of these policies involves three pertinent stakeholders in Kaiser Permanente. These include the patient, the caregiver and the ownership of Kaiser. The patient is the key stakeholder as s/he identifies helps identifies areas of improvement. For instance, the patient directs services to be offered based on the common illnesses and ailments. The caregiver professional is a crucial link in implementing the services and building on a solid reputation of Kaiser Permanente. The motivation and remuneration of caregivers determine their delivery of medical services to the client. Adequate staffing ensures that clients do not feel rushed, delayed or misdiagnosed (Kochan, 2009). Finally, the ownership of the institution is crucial because it will spearhead implementation of the policies. It is pivotal because it will approve, reject or hold implementation of these recommendations. Besides, the ownership will provide resources to steer through the implementation process. Communic ation will be crucial to achieving the set objectives. Besides, it will fine tune synergy and course of direction. Communication to the stakeholders will involve internal and external communication channels. Periodic meetings will appraise the owners and caregivers on the progress of the implementation. Brochures will be distributed from time to time to the patients sensitizing and informing them of the progress. An evaluation process will then follow to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Questionnaires will be administered to each of the three groups of stakeholders. The questionnaires will be structured to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention as well as requesting proposal for achieving further progresses. The intervention will deemed successful through satisfied and happy patient positive reviews from happily served, satisfied and recovered patients (Kochan, 2009). Besides, motivated, inspired and friendly caregiver labor force will signify a successful intervention. Higher earnings, more trophies and recognition of the institution in the public glare will foster a successful intervention to the owners. References Abelson, R. (2013, March 20). The Face of Future Health Care. Kaiser Permanente is seen as the future of healthcare. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/kaiser-permanente-is-seen-as-face-of-future-health-care.html?_r=0 Eichler, A. (2011, November 14). Kaiser Permanente Makes Billions In Profits While Overburdening Staff: Report. The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/kaiser-permanente-overburden_n_1092694.html Kochan, T. A. (2009). Healing together the labor-management partnership at Kaiser Permanente. Ithaca: ILR Press/Cornell University Press. Lawler, E. E., Boudreau, J. W., Mohrman, S. A., Mark, A. Y., Neilson, B., & Osganian, N. (2006). Achieving strategic excellence: an assessment of human resource organizations. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford Business Books, an imprint of Stanford University Press. Source document

Customer service problem solving and alcohol management Essay

Customer service problem solving and alcohol management - Essay Example In this context, it is significant to develop a cohesive and strong staff. We train the employees in reference to the ways that we feel best for them to deal with the customers. Despite the fact that we realize that the staff has some prior experience before coming to work for us, we prefer to give them additional training so as to bring them up to par with the standards of restaurant management. We equip the staffs with the necessary information and skills that are critical in their line of work in the restaurant (Pattie 89). We are aware that customers are of different characteristics. In this sense, it is important to prepare for instances where one has to deal with customers of all types. There are customers who are stubborn while others are angry and in some cases there are violent ones. These are some of the worst customers that one has to deal with, but there are others who are sick or injured and these are calmer ones. Therefore, we also train the staff so as to aid them in dealing with these people. We advise the staff to make sure that they pay keen attention to the concerns of the customers and this means listening to the customers. Listening is an important step in the quest to find a resolution to the problems that affect the customers. We advise the staff that it is imperative to listen to the customers in order to understand their problem. After establishing the problem, it is also important to acknowledge the severity or fatality of the matter. Thus, the most applicable negotiating skills are listening and acknowledging the root of the problem (Pattie 127). The restaurant has several facilities that offer spots for relaxation for the clients. There is a bar that is fully stocked with all brands of alcohol ranging from wines, whiskey, vodka, gins among others. The bar is mostly for the middle age individuals who are looking for a place to relax as they

Introduction to Discrete Event Dynamic Systems Research Paper

Introduction to Discrete Event Dynamic Systems - Research Paper Example It is evident that the deterministic expression in automata is just mere regular languages. From the article, there is the need to illustrate impacting on the feedback. These entail observability, stability, and invertibility. The inclusions are parameters used to define the characteristics of the language. This section addresses the determination of current states of the system. Particularly, there is an interest regarding the observable events in relation with the state of DEDS automaton. In reference with the definition of the term observability, there is the concentration of the intermittent observation of the model, among other inclusions. We will only concentrate with the events under P U ∑ and not the events in ∑ ∠© á ¿â€º. In the observation process, it is difficult to understand or identify when these occur. However, it is crucial to identify where to resolve the intervals of events to bring out a basis for identification the bounders. There is also development of state ambiguity where ∑ is not equal to á ¿â€º. To illustrate this state of observability, we need to extend graphically draw the inclusions. Below is an illustration of the graph. We can depict that the output is stabilized if the observer’s state, denoted by E is the subset of E. This is a guarantee that the system is within E. The compensator should therefore ensure that there is correspondence between the observer and the subset E within the finite á ½ · in reference with the observable transitions. The formalization of output stability is as follows: This section expounds on inevitability. The problem concerning inevitability arises from the notion that DEDS is an observable system. This means that seeing these events does not really imply that the events will happen. This requires restructuring the whole sequence of the output. This is a section that needs emphasis to solve the inevitability of the problem. This will facilitate the calculation of the performance

Q. Explain how high risk investments can end up contaminating fixed Essay

Q. Explain how high risk investments can end up contaminating fixed income securities - Essay Example This essay tries to answer how the high-risk investments contaminate fixed income securities. Although fixed income securities are safe to invest in, their earnings are relatively low thus it is wiser for an investor to invest in high-risk investments in the short run since the chances of earning more are high. The anticipated higher returns as stated above have led to the contamination of fixed income securities since an investor who aims to generate more income tends to invest in high-risk investments (International Monetary Fund, 2004). Liquidity is another factor of contaminating fixed income securities since the high-risk investments are easily convertible to cash in comparison to the fixed income securities (The Wall Street journal, 2010). This means that fixed income securities demand is low in the open market thus in case of inflation; an investor will lose more due to the depreciation of his principle amount. In high-risk investment, the market is always open thus one can sell his stock when he anticipates that its value will reduce incase of anticipated inflation. The risk of missing opportunity also contributes to high-risk investments contaminating fixed income securities (Moodys manual of investments, American and foreign, 1998). If the investor does not invest in a risky investment and the high returns are realized, he will curse why he did not take the risk. This makes it more possible for an investor to take the opportunity in high-risks investment more than in in the fixed income

Violence in Schools and Social Development Essay

Violence in Schools and Social Development - Essay Example While many methods have been utilized to address this issue, they generally fall somewhere between the liberal ideals regarding rehabilitation of the perpetrators of violence because they have had a disadvantaged childhood to the conservative approach which advocates punishment and restitution to the victim. Generally speaking, the liberal view supports compassion while the conservative believes strictly in the individual accounting for their actions. Violence in schools is being viewed more and more as not only a social injustice issue for children but also as a public health concern. Violence creates an atmosphere of fear that affects the victims, the offenders and the surrounding public. This cycle of fear and mistrust propagates both antisocial and self-disparaging patterns of behavior. For the offender, studies have concluded that there often is a progression of aggressive and violent behaviors over time. Victims of violence, especially young people, carry with them throughout their lives the emotional scars usually in the form of self-criticism. Those kids that perpetually commit violent acts towards classmates are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, to quit going to school altogether and go on to be involved in criminal behaviour later in life. Children who are often the victims of schoolyard violence tend to experience more stress in their lives which leads to higher levels of anxiety, depression, physical illnesses and thoughts of suicide than those that do not. For both bully and bullied, these actions negatively affect learning potentials and retards personal development. The seemingly never ending cycle of intimidating actions works to tear apart the underpinnings of a civil society from the bottom up. The reason children act out violently towards others is because they have been treated with disrespect or have been bullied themselves. A pattern of poor social adjustment perpetuates itself

Will Smith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Will Smith - Essay Example The essay elaborates on the life story of Will Smith depicting his different phase of life and elaborating on the struggles that he has faced. Correspondingly, the paper even details out the different absurd situations he has faced that has contributed to develop him as an eminent personality. Will Smith is a famous rapper cum actor born in the year 1968. His family christened him as William Cristopher Smith Jr. He was born in an African-American family in Philadelphia. Belonging from a middle class family, he faced severe amount of struggle in his initial years. Additionally, Smith even faced severe stress of family conflict amid his parents, which made his adolescence stage of life even more stressful. However, the actor had never let his family struggle come in the way of his ambitions. Despite of facing severe amount of negative situations and challenges Smith successfully started his career as a rapper in the year 1980’s. The rapper received his first Grammy award in the year 1988. This was also the first ever Grammy awards in the field of rapping. His contributions in the field of rapping are enormous and have even initiated new horizons in this field. Furthermore, Smith started his acting career through a small role in a drama following which he got a head start for his career in the movies. The actor cum rapper got the taste of his first stardom after featuring in the film ‘Bad Boys’. This stardom was followed by his famous role in the movie the Independence Day that marked him as an important player in the Hollywood. The actor by his distinguishable acting skills and comic essence marked his presence as one of the most charming heroes of the Hollywood. Being a part of the black community the actor faced struggle in the initial years of his career in the film industry. However, with his willpower and strong mental set up the actor successfully battled against his shortcomings and developed a

A Public-Private Education Controversy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Public-Private Education Controversy - Essay Example t the slight private school advantage discovered by Coleman vanished when differences in pupils’ course preference and family context were considered (Cookson, 1992). John Chubb and Terry Moe are the current sources of ‘impartial evidence’ of the superiority of private school. Numerous policymakers and opinion-editorial writers have reiterated their argument as dogma, and large numbers of people have been convinced of public assistance for private schools on their influence (Hakim et al., 1994). As analytical writers and peer analysts have emphasized, the study of Chubb and Moe of private and public high schools falls short in locating a private school lead when pupils’ course preferences and background attributes are examined. The failure of the investigation of Chubb and Moe to provide them substantiation for their arguments is not that unexpected. The proof they draw upon originates entirely from the ‘High School and Beyond Study’, the infor mation that also botched Coleman’s study (Hakim et al., 1994, 66). Furthermore, in spite of the many pages they used on justifying why their treatment of this information is superior over the methodologies of other researchers, Chubb and Moe disregard almost all that has been taught about how to ethically deal with significantly erroneous, otherwise insignificant, information (Cookson, 1992). Yet, they chose to work unconventionally. Some of their questionable methods are (Hakim et al., 1994, 66): (1) developing a school organization instrument consisting of a large number of factors, making it practically unattainable to isolate the impacts of any one factor; (2) merging private and exclusive private schools alongside Catholic ones in a manner that involuntarily awarded a private school lead in their study; (3) and... School choice could be an exceptional encouragement for schools to strive more to draw the attention of customers but it is no replacement for planning educational motivations where in there are incentives for enhancing academic performance and sanctions for failure. The notion of an accountability mechanism for education institutions that includes incentives and sanctions is contentious and unconventional. The notion of an accountability mechanism founded on private school choice is contentious and unconventional too, and the NAEP and other findings reveal that it would fail. It is quite evident that even though the people refuse to accept private school choice, it will not cope with the existing situation in public education. There are two possibilities: one, there will be a novel form of accountability process in education that the educator and the people can trust, or, second, some unwise accountability program that will only harm education will be enforced.

THE ENGLISH LAW OF TORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

THE ENGLISH LAW OF TORT - Essay Example This was demonstrated in the case of Best v Samuel Fox & Co Ltd 1 in which a wife attempted to sue her husband’s employers for his inability to have intercourse with her, due to an accident at work that had left him emasculated. The claim failed on the basis that the claimant had no proprietary right over her husband, and therefore no injuria had been suffered by the claimant. In contrast, however, it is possible for a claim to be brought where no damage has been suffered. This could occur in the case of the tort of trespass and libel. Merely entering onto the land of another without their consent can be actionable, even of the trespasser causes no damage to the land. Likewise, with libel, the publication of the libel can result in an action being brought by the claimant, without requiring the claimant to prove that any loss was suffered as a result of the wrong. In order to prove that the injuria has caused the damnum it is not necessary to prove the intent of the person causing the harm. Even when intent can be proven, the court can determine that the action of the defendant is not illegal, and therefore not actionable. This was determined in The Mayor of Bradford (Bradford Corporation) v Pickles (1895)2 , in which the defendant placed a well on his land, knowing that this would interrupt the water supply of the town and discolour it. Although in this case the motive of the defendant was malicious, the court ruled that his actions were legal as he was entitled to do whatever he liked on his own land3. Conversely, in Wilkinson v Downton (1897)4, the claimant successfully claimed damages, despite the fact that the harm was caused as a result of a joke, and the defendant lacked any intention to cause harm to the claimant. Intention can be of relevance in bringing a claim in cases of malicious prosecution5, falsehood6, or defamation7 as well as in claims for nuisance. One such case where nuisance was established as actionable was

Nervous System and Drug Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nervous System and Drug Use - Essay Example Many drugs are at the exposure of many students, with universities and colleges registering the highest number of users around the globe. Drugs are prohibited for a reason, mainly because of their negative effect to the health and performances of people. Majoring on the three commonly abused drugs in the world; methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol. It remains a fact that the abuse of the three is far much below anywhere near an end to abuse. From my point of view, the question at stake remains on the remedy to these drugs in terms. Years of research and campaigns have done little in stopping the rampant use of these drugs. As a student, I am at the exposure of the same drugs with the highest risk possible since most drug addicts do refer to their college times as the commencement of their addiction. Parties are always the order of events with almost any function being characterized with the latter. Though alcohol is at the forefront in terms of use, methamphetamine and cocaine are in creasingly catching up at an alarming rate. Obviously, with a mention of increased use, college or campus life is the most affected. This calls for an inner depth study of the three drugs. Alcohol destroys the liver and affects the brain in irreversible conditions. Cocaine causes problems to hefty smokers especially in the respiratory system while methamphetamine is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. . Meth, crystal, ice, crank†¦ is the one drug that stops at nothing. It is capable of keeping one high for a constant twelve hours or more; methamphetamine is a super speed drug, three or even four times stronger than cocaine. It is very popular, especially among young college adults in the United States. Costing as cheap as twenty-five dollars for a quarter gram, the drug is swallowed, snorted, smoked and shot straight in the veins by use of needles. The drug originated from the western parts of the United States of America knowing no borders or social class; s preading through Nebraska to the eastern cities. As by 2008, there existed a whole bunch of 25 million users of the drug. For instance, in London, Meth is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. That demonstrates how much this drug is nothing near a passing phenomenon. It has and shows no signs of stopping its teeth from sinking into our society. According to police in various states, crime committers are the very victims of the drug. They steal property, assault, murder and always possess needles and fake ids. A quick glance at Portland jail reveals that for every four inmates, one is a meth addict. The victims appear ashamed and always hallucinating. Crosschecking at the digital records office, the pictures immediately reveal that the victims appear older; more like the living dead. Even individuals with strong and tough looks are not to spare, the scenario is a devastating one. They suffer many problems. Meth teeth for instance, set in when the acids and bacteria r esulting from meth corrode the gum and the teeth. Imagine ripe fruits falling on a tree; that is the fate of a crack addict’s teeth. This is because the victims rarely brush their teeth nor seek dental attention. The reason is obvious; they only have money to purchase the crystal. The brain on the other hand reacts immediately to meth. It results to euphoria, confidence and an energetic feeling; this is key attraction to the drug. The drug was originally engineered to trick the brain.

Mass Communications Essay Example for Free

Mass Communications Essay Communication has developed and still continues to develop. Over the centuries, many forms of communication have developed that have made the transmission of messages among people faster and more efficient. These include the radio, television, the print media as well as telephones. With technology and globalization improving at a fast rate, certain factors have influenced the way these different channels of communication operate in ensuring their audiences are satisfied with the services they offer and also the media houses make profits. Some of the trends affecting the delivery of content are: convergence, increasing audience control, and media mobility. The focus of this essay is to analyze the impact and relevance of convergence, increasing audience control and media convergence on Radio. Radio is a means of communicating by using electromagnetic waves or frequencies to detect signals and transform them to sound and its history of radio can be dated back in the late 19th century. Back then, the radio was a simple device whose usefulness was seen during the wars and battles as it was used to send telegraphic messages to people fighting in far places. Since then, radio has developed and is used for other purposes such as educating, advertising, relying information and entertaining people. In addition, it has created a livelihood for many people who depend on it. ? Convergence Convergence refers to the way in which various communication systems are linked so as to foster faster and better ways or relaying information. Basically, it is the merging of technologies. In media, convergence is the linking of technology with media content as well as the communication networks. As technological improvements continue to advance as each day passes, people in the radio business have embraced the changes and have become better. Radios initially used to be big equipments; but they have been modified and transformed such that they can be small as the size if a pen. Convergence nowadays is seen by how the internet has linked up with radio such that people from any corner of the world can listen to different radio stations in other countries. Before the internet came to use in 1969, people could only listen to radio stations within their regions. â€Å"The arrival of new digital communication technologies have facilitated the delivery of digital signals through various platforms and improved audio visual quality (Chan-Olmsted, 2006). † With the advancements in digital technology and the internet, people can now choose on what they would like to listen and from anywhere. Internet has enabled people to listen to music online, download and upload whatever they like. Moreover, it has generated new experiences both socially and business wise such that people from different regions meet and interact and businesses can advertise their products to more people thus expanding their markets. Convergence is also being enhanced in radio in through pod casting such that individuals can download their favorite programs on MP3 players. The disadvantages that come with convergence is that mobiles such as the iphone and the internet are taking over the functions of the radio networks are slowly being eroded away. For radio stations to be able to tap on the convergence advantages , they need to have experts working for them that is the employees, employers as well as the private consultants who advice them. This will be good because they will always be keen and updated on what is happening so that they know whish areas need to be improved on or the ways in which technology will be incorporated into the system. Moreover, professional consultants will advice them on what competitors are doing so that the can also try similar strategies. ? Increasing audience control Nowadays, the audience especially the younger generation that is technologically more advanced and conversant with how things work influences the activities of radio stations. This is because what they listen to, read or watch determines there preferences. â€Å"Although they have a variety of things to choose from, they are influencing time, prices and the portability of media use (Chan-Olmsted, 2006). † These preferences make them request or demand for programs they like and even suggest for what things they would like to see. Since the audience is means everything to the radio owners, they are forced to give in to their customers requests. This has enabled radio stations to benefit from the customers ideas as they always work on improving their services and retain their audiences. The shortcomings of audience control is that media houses need to change the way they operate so as to meet the demands of customers and at the same time offer quality services. In doing so, they will have to invest on the latest machinery and technologies and sometimes they have to overstretch their budgets to do away with the pressure or sometimes they do not have the funds hence they risk losing their audience. ’ Media houses have to contemplate on how to internalize new technology and be responsive to the new media audience. Another disadvantage is that the audience once they do not get what they want, they will opt to down load things on the internet or shift to their competitors. ? Media Mobility Media mobility refers to the ease with which the technologies in communication can be accommodated and enhanced so as to diversify the uses of the radio. The radio while being serving as a communication channel also links technologies with customers, markets and technology. â€Å"The globalization of mobility directly involves the way in which service integration and network integration relate to one another (Hardy, Malleus Mereur, 2002). †Mobility can be seen in the way the radio is incorporated with various devices making it more portable and more flexible thus increasing the rate of acceptance. Most mobile phones nowadays have evolved and have radios. This was mainly a marketing strategy used by the mobile companies to attract the younger generation and we can say that it has helped in expanding the usage of telephone. Furthermore, some DVDs especially home theaters and televisions have been modified to perform many functions and the radio is one of them. The usage of radio has expanded to accommodate many things and people are always eager to know what will come next. All these coupled by various enhancements such as the ear pieces have made radio more attractive. The disadvantages that come with incorporating all these new things is that the focus shifts from the radio to the other devices as it is being used to complement the other functions of the device. In addition, the costs of certain software and hardware is high therefore this limits research at times especially now when the global economy and markets are not doing well. To tap on the advantages, radio companies will need to be regularly updated on new technologies as well as invest in training and educating their staff so that they become better at what they do as well as find better marketing strategies. In addition, radio companies need to budget properly so that they have enough funds to run their businesses as well as accommodate new strategies that are beneficial to the business. Conclusion These factors have greatly impacted the things we purchase and what we listen to. Moreover, they influenced and enabled businesses to develop and grow as they do their advertisements, promotions and marketing strategies using it. I as well as other Americans have been exposed to a variety of products thus making it easier to purchase commodities especially those manufactured in far off areas. We therefore need to support the work done by researchers as well as radio stations so as to benefit through things like media mobility which link the old and new systems. References Chan-Olmsted, S. M. (2006), Competitive Strategy for Media Firms: Strategic and Brand Management in Changing Media Markets. Routledge, p. 204 Hardy, D. , Malleus, G. Mereur. J. N. (2002). Networks: Internet, Telephony, Multimedia: Convergences and Complementarities. Translated by Michael Byrne,De Boeck Universite

Funding for Arts Council in Ireland

Funding for Arts Council in Ireland Oskar van der Grijn   The hackers guide to Arts council funding Abstract This research paper will provide a thorough account of the different financial components comprising of the arts council of Ireland. An investigation will be held into how the arts council of Ireland is specifically funded and by what means it financially allocates to the arts itself. In addition, a detailed analysis of how the arts council manages its finance will be conducted, both in relation to its decision-making processes and also in relation to how finances are directed internally within the organisation. The research methodology of this paper will comprise of primary research in the form of an interview with past board member Jane Dillon Byrne which will run throughout the paper strengthening my research as well as secondary research in the form of collated broadsheet publications, the councils website and its annual financial statement report from 2016. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive account as to how all finance is administered under the arts councils c ontrol and to inform future applicants of the councils practises and procedures for applications in 2017. Introduction The Arts council of Ireland was first established in 1951 by the Irish government in order to encourage interest in Irish Art. In doing so it recognised that the arts have a central and distinctive contribution to make to Irelands evolving society. The primary goals of the organisation are to stimulate public interest in and to promote the knowledge, appreciation and practise of the arts. A vast range of practises such as visual art, music, performance, dance, film and literature as well as many others such as the recent inclusions of Circus and Architecture are all included in the organisations mission and strategy every year and all are largely funded. In order to successfully meet and finance their targets the Arts council established a voluntary body of 12 members and a chair that is appointed by the minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for a term of five years. In addition, a staff of 41 full-time professionals carry out the daily functions of the organisation and these individuals provide expertise and strategic advice on different aspects of the arts. (village magazine, 2016) The nature of this particular organisation is a company limited by guarantee, which means the council is not funded through share capital or shareholders. In order for each department of the arts organisation to run sufficiently it is funded by the Irish Exchequer as well as substantial income being received from the national lottery and additional sources such as disclosed trust funds which contribute to the councils annual budget. These large sums are annually allocated across the different creative sectors in the form of bursaries, grants, art schemes and development programmes in order to promote the development of Irish art. Arts council funding is also allocated abroad under specific programmes such as an Aosdanna in order to promote Ireland in both a traditional and contemporary manner over seas. Having revised the financial schemes and directives of this organisation through secondary research, combined with a thorough understanding of the internal mechanics obtained through an interview with Jane Dillon Byrne, I will conclude with a comprehensive evaluation of the organisations financial structure outlining all key areas of concern. 1. Funding schemes to the Arts The council supports a vast range of schemes and programmes across a widely diverse arts sector. In order to classify each and every segment of funding for 2017 the council has divided its allocations into three different sectors and five funding amounts. Jane Dillon Byrne stated that; This gives significant clarity to the enormous span of financial appropriation and provides a means of adequate accessibility to those who wish to make grant applications within their respected field for 2017 This section of the research paper will outline, using examples, a clear indication of some of the different areas in which funding is allocated in the form of schemes and programmes. The schemes/programmes are broken into three categories; these include (1) Art form, (2) Cross Art form practisesand (3) Strategic developments. The strategic development programme is a significant plan that comprises many elements including the funding of both previously stated art forms and cross art form practises, this plan is devised as part of the councils new 10 year strategy and will be assessed in detail in the later part of this section. In addition to these categories are the financial subcategories that are awarded to successful recipients; these are broken down into five funding allocations as seen below;  £1  £20,000  £20,000  £30,000,  £30,000  £50,000,  £50,000  £100,000  £100,000 + An awarded recipient(s) receives funding in the combined form of one of the three introductory categories and one adjoining subcategory sum. Examples are as follows; 1(a) = (1) Art form (a) Subcategory  £15,000. 2(b) (2) Cross art form practises (b) Subcategory  £20,000. 3(c) (3) Strategic Developments (c) Subcategory  £450,000 Applications are made to the arts council via its website where a body of panellists assigned to each particular category make a collective decision surrounding the award or refusal of financial aid. If approved, the panel assigned to that particular art form also dictate the amount awarded to each individual(s) within that categories specific budget for that calendar year. More information relating to the panellist, decision-making and budgeting process can be found in the management of funding section of this paper. The funding pool for specific awards varies in amounts from year to year as does the annual budget produced by the government along with other means of income such as trust funds and third party contributions from the national lottery. The larger the amount of funding the council receives each year the more types of awards it can then sanction. Likewise, with cut backs, where arts funding is reduced, so are the amount of awards available. 2016s budget amounted to  £60.1M (Mackin, 2016) Evidence of the annual rise and fall in funding can be made with regard to an online statement made by the council in 2015. For the first time in six years, the Arts Councils own Exchequer grant was maintained at 2014 levels ( £56.668 million), and, anticipating future increases in investment, the Council was mindful in its allocations to help position the arts to benefit from, and play a full part in, the national recovery (www.artscouncil.ie, 2015) 2. Categories (a) Art form The art form category is the most expansive category and covers a range of practises such as Visual art, Circus, Opera, Street and performance, Traditional, Theatre, Music, Film, Architecture, Literature and Dance. Within each of the practises are numerous awards, bursaries and grants. The many variations of awarded grants cannot all be listed within this concise paper. However, what is apparent are the large number of applications which are completed every year. As a result, the awarding system is broken down into Round 1 and Round 2. Below are examples of specific art form grant recipients for 2016, which are identified as bursaries, both in the form of Visual Arts and Dance. (www.artscouncil.ie, 2016) The purpose of the bursary award is to support professional artists to develop their art practice. It provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and critically engage with their art. The maximum amount awarded is  £15,000. Having thoroughly analysed all the granted bursary awards for 2016 from the arts councils website, I have collated the amount awarded to each recipient of each art form and used their data to develop a chart representing the distribution margins. See below for 2016s round 1 and round 2 distributions. Round 1. Round 2. The most evident representation of these graphs lead to the heavy percentage in favour of the visual arts. The combined % of both round bursary allocations amounts to just shy of 43% of the overall 2016 bursary budget. (280,392+204,750)/(739,353+397,005) x100= 42.6% In addition, the % of the total bursary allocations for 2016 as a % of 2016s entire budget of  £59.1 million was just shy of 2%. (739,353+397,005)/59,100,100100=1.92% (b) Cross Art form Practises The Cross Art form practises are the second category of funding provided. It entails a more complex awarding system when contrasted to the individual artists bursary award and usually grants higher sums due to the larger size of organisations involved. The areas recognised within this funding initiative are Venues, Touring, Local arts, Festivals and events, Arts Participation and Young people, children and education. This funding can be applied for under Group, individual, local authority or organisation type. The festival and events scheme is an example of a cross art form practise award with a maximum sum of  £20,000, it can only be applied for under an organisation application type. This means that the application type may be collaborative or singular but must be made in the name of the organisation at hand. An interesting financial factor surrounding this application type, which also applies to other categories within the art form practises category, are the two awarded strands of funding available. Strand 1 funding amounts to  £10,000 and strand 2 amounts to  £20,000. Selection of the correct strand during applications must be adhered to; an excerpt, 1.6, taken from the second strand application form can be seen below; these strands also apply to other schemes under the same guidelines across the cross art form practises category. The strands can be defined as follows Festivals previously funded by the Arts Council under this Scheme up to  £10,000 in their last funding offered must apply to Strand 1. Festivals previously funded by the Arts Council under this Scheme between  £10,001 and  £20,000 must apply to Strand 2.(www.artscouncil.ie, 2017) Section 1.6 of Strand application 2 This guideline of financial stranding is to help the council articulate who has been already funded previously and by what amount. This provides clarity not only financially but also provides an even playing field for emerging festivals who are easily overshadoweed by successful applicants from previous years. See examples of 2016 succesful reciepts and amounts awarded below: (www.artscouncil.ie, 2017) (c) Strategic Development The strategic development plan is a much broader funding scheme and runs in accordance with the arts councils new strategy first outlined in September 2015. The published strategy is called: Making Great Art Work: Leading the development of the arts in Ireland (2016-2025) Jane Dillon Byrne stated that: The strategy prioritises the artist and public engagement, and looks to develop the conditions, infrastructure and environment to enable artists and organisations to make great work and to encourage people to access and participate in that work. (Dillon-Byrne, 2017) The main elements of the councils investment of  £60.1m for 2016 are as follows:  £32m to 195 arts organisations.  £1.4m in Touring  £180k in a new Emerging Artist Bursary Scheme  £1.72m in regular funding to local authorities  £350,000 to establish a new local authority partnership scheme  £316,000 Ealain na Gaeltachta  £5.2m to Venues in every county throughout the country  £2.6m awarded to festivals  £2.24m awarded to literature organisations  £4m to visual arts with  £500,000 specifically assigned for bursaries  £6m awarded to Theatre  £1m to support multi-disciplinary projects Below are two tables I have conducted which represent 2016s data levels of expenditure. Table 1 represents the overall artistic fields and table 2 represents the individual organisations. Table 1. Arts organisations accounted for over half of 2016s total budget at 54.1% 32/59.1100=54.1% Table 2. In addition, regarding the most prolific individual organisations, the council have largely kept their funding similar if not the same to 2015s budget. The Druid Theatre Company saw its grant maintained at  £762,000, as did the Opera Theatre Company with  £680,000, Music Network at  £515,000 and Rough Magic at  £480,000. The Project Arts Centre was given a small rise as it celebrates its 50th year, its funding was increased by  £26,250 to  £675,250. (Mackin, 2016). 3. Tax exemption and appeals One of the most important advances, and one which undoubtedly receives attention in this paper, is how the artist tax exemption is currently being reviewed, and how it will continue to be reviewed in the future. Charles Haughey brought the guidelines for the artists exemption into place in 1973 to support local talent and to attract artists to settle in Ireland. They exempt artists from paying tax on the proceeds of original works. Likewise, all awards given in aid of artistic development from the council, similar to that of earnings, are also tax-free. Having conducted much research into the field of artist taxation some interesting findings have come to surface, the tax exemption may well be in line for future tweaking. The Irish Times states in a publication late last year that; In 2011, a cap of  £40,000 was placed on the amount of artists income exempt from tax every year. This was increased to  £50,000 from January 1st, 2015 and it is described in the report as a more targeted scheme, aimed at supporting artists on low incomes. (Hancock, 2016) Jane Dillon Byrne added The legislation allows the Revenue Commissioners to make determinations in respect of a range of artistic works, including a book or other writing, a play, a musical composition, a painting or a sculpture. It must be noted that the intervention of revenue in the artistic decision making process is a sensitive matter for the arts council (Dillon-Byrne, 2017)Further information regarding this can be found in theappeals section under this heading. Information published by the Irish Times, stated that in 2014, which is the most recent year for which data is currently available regarding artist taxation, states that; 2,640 artists availed of the exemption at a cost of  £5.8 million to the exchequer. Thats an average of just under  £2,200 each (Hancock, 2016) A review was undertaken for last years budget, with a recommendation from the Department of Finance to review the scheme, with a view to possibly introducing income averaging for artists. The budget document stated it recognises where the profit level is increasing, and that income averaging would reduce the amount of tax to be paid and improve cash flow in the short term, similar to that of farmers, who utilise from a current system, under the common agricultural policy (CAP). Having personally assessed the value of such a change I would have to argue as to what would happen if profit levels reduce and tax liability is increased when compared with the actual liability for that year alone. How will artists respond to this, as well as being thrown into the same pen as farmers. (Hancock, 2016) Appeals Arts council applicants can appeal against a funding decision on the basis of unfair application, alleged infringement or a deviation from the councils published procedures. Like all financial processes there is an application format that must be adhered to. Firstly applicants must show that they have reasons to believe that their application was dealt in an incompatible manner. Secondly the applicant must contact the head of the team or service dealt with previously. In the case of a second financial rejection, the applicant has an additional opportunity to appeal the decision; this must be made directly to the director of the arts council. Having spoken with Jane she made it apparent that in the past there has been controversy surrounding the appeals decisions and processes, particularly in the field of literature where taxation, or tax evasion has come into question. Disputes between revenue and the arts council, where the arts council has argued that the latter has undermined its role in the artistic assessment of works has come to surface in recent years. New correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed the level of exasperation within the Arts Council about both the number and type of non-fiction books that are granted the artists exemption. The revenue commissioners guidelines state that non-fiction books should be considered if they are on an artistic or cultural theme such as a biography or autobiography of a writer or painter. (See section 195 of taxes consolidation act in appendices) However a past publication from the Irish times states that: Sportspeople including Irish rugby out-half Ronan OGara, Kilkenny manager Brian Cody, GAA manager Mick ODwyer and pundit George Hook have also received the exemption, though the Arts Council does not believe sports books should qualify (www.irishtimes.com, 2013) In addition, the arts council advises the revenue commissioners on whether a book should be eligible. It claims to provide expert advice in the event of an appeal by an author, yet during my research I came across an additional excerpt from the Irish times which puts the credibility of its assessment further into question; Between 2004 and last year there were 46 appeals by writers who were judged to be ineligible for the tax exemption by the Arts Council and the majority (56 per cent) succeeded in their appeals (www.irishtimes.com, 2013) From this guideline, I would advise anyone who has applied in the literacy category and who has been refused in 2017 to appeal their decision. You have a 56% chance that you will be awarded your desired funding. In addition, literature is the second highest percentage bursary allocation. If we refer to my graphs in the art form section we can come to the conclusion that literature makes up (172,550+43,420)/(739,353+397,005) x100=18.9% of 2016s Bursary award. 5. Conclusion Having researched this topic thoroughly some very interesting conclusions can be drawn. First and foremost the annual budget presented by the department of Arts, Heritage and Culture is the deciding factor regarding allocation amounts to the different sectors of the arts. This budget rises and falls every year. A huge emphasis today is put on the strategic development plan titled creating good artwork (2016-2025). This plan holds the councils best interest at heart and this can be seen in its allocations last year of over  £31 million to organisations across the country totalling 54.1% of the overall budget. In addition the artists bursary is still a huge element of the councils funding and decision making process with 1.9% being allocated across the arts to individual artists. This is a significant sum considering the diversity of the councils awarding system. Visual arts still remains the primary area of funding regarding the bursary amounting to 42.6% with literature coming in as the second most popular at 18.9%. What are also very interesting are the examples of controversy surrounding revenues relationship with the arts council. When one considers the arts council they are led to believe that it is an organisation who are fully committed and effectively competent in performing their duties, and for the most part they are just that, however in the past instances such as Bertie Aherns tax exempt biography as well as many others show that there still can be elements of political will creeping through what appears to be a well run organisation. As long as the artists tax exemption exists under section 195 of the taxes consolidation act, I believe there will always be a clash of interest between the exchequer amounting pressure on the council and the council defending its position as the governing body for the arts. Appendices 1. Taxes consolidation act 1997 for the Artists Exemption Scheme. (www.revenue.ie, 1997) 2. Management of funding Having spoken to Jane Dillon Byrne, and in particular about her position as a past board member for the arts council from 2002-2007 I gained a valuable insight into how the management delegates funding within the organisation. The annual report gives evidence to where exactly past funding has been allocated, however, it does not give an account of the decision making process and the individuals involved who are responsible for the funding reaching its final destination. Jane described the organisational structure of the company and used this as a template to further expand on the financial decision making elements of the organisation. Similar to most businesses there is a director of the organisation, the director divides the council into a number of committees and each committee appoints an arts officer, 11 in total, one for each art form. There is an additional officer, the finance officer, who takes into consideration the expertise of the other 11 officers and essentially pushes the red button when the final financial decisions are made. Within these committees panellists are chosen for each art category and art form, there can be any number of panellists for each art form, which can include invited guests, however there generally is around 5 panellists. Jane went on to describe how the funding is then decided amongst the organisational structure. The annual budget which has been assigned by the department of Arts, Heritage and Culture is presented to the board, the board members along side the 11 arts officers, the finance officer and the director decide the sector allocations. From this point the panellists assigned to each art form then decide on the individual artist/organisation allocations. (Dillon-Byrne, 2017) In addition, Jane continued to talk about how the council currently employs 41 full time staff who are all paid via the exchequer. I went on to ask Jane were the board members, the arts officers and the director paid, Jane stated that Board members are not on salaries, however they do receive perks such as transport, accommodation, lunch, dinner, drinks and so forth, essentially board members are well looked after surrounding the dates that they are working within and for the council. The director however does receive a complementary fee of in around  £5,000-10,000 euros depending on the year (Dillon-Byrne, 2017) 3. Payment templates One of the conditions of being a successful applicant to council awards such as bursary awards, commissions awards and project awards is that the recipients must report on their award and supply receipts and other financial information regarding their expenditure to the council. If we take for example the artists bursary award, a recipient will receive two documents along with their letter of offer, which clearly outlines a payment guide and the terms and conditions of the arts councils funding. This process ensures that the council is fully up to date with how the artist manages their financial award and prevents misconduct on the behalf of the artist where the may use the finance for means not related to their work. The appendices section of this paper provides an example of an income and expenditure report. Similarities can be drawn between this income and expenditure form to the profit and loss balance sheets our class as arts management students have worked with over the last 4 years on excel. 3. Income and expenditure report Dillon-Byrne, J. (2017, February 19th). Arts council funding. (O. v. Grijn, Interviewer) Dublin, Leinster, Ireland. Hancock, C. (2016, October 13th). www.irishtimes.com. Retrieved February 27th, 2017, from www.irishtimes.com: http://www.irishtimes.com/business/budget-2017/artists-tax-exemption-may-be-in-line-for-a-future-tweaking-1.2828887 Mackin, L. (2016, January 4th). www.irishtimes.com. (The Irish Times) Retrieved February 27th, 2017, from www.irishtimes.com: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/art-council-announces-spending-for-2016-1.2484751 village magazine. (2016, December). www.villagemagazine.ie. Retrieved February 15th, 2017, from www.villagemagazine.ie: https://villagemagazine.ie/index.php/2015/03/our-top-heavy-arts-council/ www.artscouncil.com. (2016, January 04th). Retrieved February 27th, 2017, from www.artscouncil.com: http://www.artscouncil.ie/News/Arts-Council-announces-its-investment-strategy-for-2016-to-develop-the-arts-across-Ireland/ www.artscouncil.ie. (2015, January 8th). www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved February 25th, 2017, from www.artscouncil.ie: http://www.artscouncil.ie/news-details.aspx?id=15994 www.artscouncil.ie. (2016, December 11th). www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved February 23rd, 2017, from www.artscouncil.ie: http://www.artscouncil.ie/funding-decisions/ www.artscouncil.ie. (2016, December 19th). www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved March 2nd, 2017, from www.artscouncil.ie: http://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/festivals-and-events-scheme/ www.artscouncil.ie. (2017, January 9th). www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved February 26th, 2017, from www.artscouncil.ie: http://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/festivals-and-events-scheme/ www.irishtimes.com. (2013, January 3rd). www.irishtimes.com. Retrieved February 26th, 2017, from www.irishtimes.com: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/revenue-brought-to-book-on-exemption-scheme-1.953528

European Union State Aid Control Economics Essay

European Union State Aid Control Economics Essay European Union Agreement signed in Maastricht in November 1993 and this agreement generated the European Union. EU aims to modernize the European economy and to be able to compete with strong players like USA in the world market by making inventions, encouraging trade investments and at the same time making the European education system suitable to meet the needs of information society. To reach these targets EU accepts using state aids if necessary. This paper aims to represent European Union State Aid practices and State Aid Control by benefiting from concepts of efficiency, equity, welfare, public interest, compatibility and market failure. State Aids expresses any aid from state resources to public enterprises and private enterprises. State Aids emerges as a kind of cohesiveness policy. Generally the main purpose of the EU state aid policies is to help the achievement of common market. In addition EU aims to correct any imbalances by helping less favoured regions and providing st ructural measures to industrial sectors which are faced with difficulties. Key words: European Union, State Aid, Competition, Trade JEL classification: K20, K21, L53, P45 Historical Process of European Union Ä °n the first middle of the 20th century, Continental Europe had become desolated by the Second World War. During the war people who against the totalitarian regimes wanted to end this hatred and decide to generate the conditions of peace. Between1945 and 1950, a group of states man including Robert Schuman and Winston Churchill traced a new structure which depends on common interest and guaranteeing equality between countries by legal regulations. Robert Schuman proposed to establish European Coal and Steel Community in 1950; the idea was firstly put forward by Jean Monnet. Nations -which have been fight once- would come together with the establishment of this community and as the raw materials of war, coal and steel become tools of peace and reconciliation in a symbolic way. The agreement proposed in 1950 and signed in 1951 in Paris. The main purpose of the agreement was making peace between the winner and looser nations of Europe and brings them together by an economic way. After that agreement in March 1957 the establisher six nations of European Coal and Steel Community (Belgium, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands) decide to establish European Economic Community which is a more broad based common market including every goods and services. Custom procedures had been removed in July 1968 and instead there had generated common policies especially about trade and agriculture in 1960s. (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ) As a result of the success of this initiative Denmark, Ireland and United Kingdom decided to join the community in 1973. Therefore the number of member nations increased from 6 to 9. At the same time new social and environmental policies started to be implemented. The economic recession which has seen in the early 1980s make Community member to establish the Common Market. At the beginning of 1993 it has been started to implement. In addition European Union Agreement signed in Maastricht in November 1993 and this agreement generated the European Union. European Union started to present the Euro as a currency unit for non-cash financial transactions in 1999. Three years later Euro issued in 12 countries that are named as Euro Zone. Now Euro is a main currency in all over the world like American Dollars (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ). European Union adopted new Lisbon Strategy to modernize the European economy and to be able to compete with strong players like USA in the world market. Lisbon Strategy aimed to make inventions, encourage trade investments and at the same time make the European education system suitable to meet the needs of information society. A country aiming to join the European Union must have working a market economy and capacity to compete with pressure of competition in union and difficulties of the market according to Copenhagen Criteria  [1]  . European Union is a union of 27 members now. Turkey made application for membership in 1987. In 1999 accepted as candidate by member states. Then Turkeys full membership negotiations have started in 2005. Beyond being a confederation of countries European Union is a unique structure but it is not a federal government too. It is a new formation and does not enter any legal category. Negotiations are known as primary legislation and primary legislation underlies the secondary legislation which has impact on the daily lives of citizens. Basically secondary legislation consists of regulations and directives adopted by the EU institutions. In addition to the general policies these laws are the result of decisions taken by three EU institutional triangles that is consists of council of EU, European Parliament and European Commission. European Council represents national governments, European Parliament represents citizens and European Commission looks for EU benefits and is an independent organization from EU governments. Members of EU Commission are assigned for a period of 5 years with an agreement between the Member States, depends on the approval of European Parliament. The Commission is responsible to the Parliament, however uses its authority independently with a certain extent. Because its duty is to protect the common interest, the commission should not be instructed from any EU member (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ). It is the duty of commission to ensure the implementation of regulations and instruction in the member nations and if the commission finds it necessary it has the right to convey any member to the Court of Justice. The commission promulgates the decisions as is the administrative unit that was made by European Council. It has broad authority to conduct the common policies of European Union like research, development, technology, foreign investment and regional development. European Union has economic, social, financial and regulative duties in a wide range of political area. These political areas: Cooperation policies in regional, agricultural and social areas (it is known as adaptation policies) Innovation projects that are bearing the wide range of technologies like environmental protection, research, development and energy (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ). The Union reserves over 120 billion euro for these policies annually as budget. The majority of this budget is being paid by member states and this budget is a small part of common wealth of European Union. State Aids expresses any aid from state resources to public enterprises and private enterprises. State Aids emerges as a kÄ ±nd of cohesiveness policy. Generally the main purpose of the EU state aid policies is to help the achievement of common market. In addition EU aims to correct any imbalances by helping less favoured regions and providing structural measures to industrial sectors which are faced with difficulties. Regional competition and employment subjects are very important in the cohesiveness policies. The purpose is to increase the competition, employment and charm of the underdevelopment areas. The only way to accomplish is to foresee the economic and social changes and contribute innovation, entrepreneurship, protection of environment and accessibility of comprehensive labour markets, the ability to adopt and development (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ). Common Market Common market has been established in January 1993. Healthy competition policy of EU is based on the Treaty of Rome. And it is the vital rational of rules of free trade. Policies of the common market is being implemented by Commission and the Commission is responsible for the reputation these policies with the Court of Justice simultaneously. The reason of having this policy is to prevent the free competition of any agreement between the commercial activities, any aid from public authorities or any unfair monopoly in the common market. Any agreement that is not compatible with the EU agreement must be proclaimed to commission by interested parties or firms. The commission has the right to impose punishment to parties which violate the competition rules or stand without required notification. Receiving any illegal state aid or not notificating such an aid can be claimed to give back by the commission. If one firm is being dominant because of an acquisition or a merger, this situation must be notificated to the commission (Fontaine, P. (Ed.). (2010). AB Nedir? ). State Aids in the European Union The main economic target of EU is to generate a barrier free internal market between member states. The most effective equipment used by the union is competition rules to achieve this target. In addition to this the main target of competition policy of European Union is to generate a well-functioning internal market of Europe which dominated by market forces by preventing acts that are accepted as breaking competition. Competition can be broken by private enterprises and by giving incentives by member states to intervene the economy. As mentioned above, EU legislation on State Aid prohibits State Aids approves these aids as having impact on competition and incompatible with the internal market. State Aids do not have any specific description in terms of legislation of EU. However the basic provisions of state aids have been determined in Treaty of European Community (Treaty of Rome) article 87, 88, 89 and in Treaty of Lisbon article 107 and 108. The article 87 of Treaty of Rome prohi bits any aids given by member states and their resources, providing advantages to a specific firm or production of a specific good. In this way the article aims to prevent negative effects on competition, competitive area and trade between member states. The task of monitoring state aids is given to European Commission to protect competition and trade. However Treaty of Rome gives permission clearly to some exemptions of state aid if there is a benefit to European Union. It should be noted that state aid precautions can be effective tools in some situations to reach common goals of union. In general it can be said that state aids can increase competitiveness of European Union by correcting market deficiencies and improving the functioning of market. We look at State Aid Policy of EU in the Treaty of Rome. According to the article 87(1), an aid can be named as State Aid by providing the following four conditions: Transfer of Resources : There must be an intervention by the State or through State Resources Economic Advantage : It must confer an advantage on the recipient Distortion of Competition : It must distort or threaten to distort competition Effect on Trade : It must be liable to affect trade between member states. Especially third and fourth conditions are related to concept selectivity which is very important for the definition of State Aid in terms of granting an advantage to a certain company, production of specific products or development of a specific region (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.) Economic parties which receiving aid must be in an economic activity and must operate in a trade market between member states. It is not important for recipient to be in a profit seeking activity or not. The important thing here is being in an economic activity. Compatibility Criteria We look at Compatibility Criteria about State Aid Policy of EU in the Treaty of Rome. Despite the negative presumption of Article 87(1) , state aid can be taken into account as compatible with the common market if one or more exemptions of Article 87(2) and 87(3) are fulfilled. The following may be considered to be compatible with the common market: Aid to promote the economic development of areas where the standard of living is abnormally low or where there is serious unemployment Aid to promote the execution of an important project of common European interest or to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State Aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities or of certain economic areas, where such aid does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest Aid to promote culture and heritage conservation where such aid does not affect trading conditions and competition in the Community to an extent that is contrary to the common interest Such other categories of aid as may be specified by decision of the Council acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission. Paragraphs a and c settle the legal base for counting regional investment aids compatible. Paragraph a points out regions with income levels per head significantly below the EU average and paragraph c is related to regions with income and employment levels below the average of the member states (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.). The general principle behind the Commissions compatibility assessment is to balance the positive impact of the aid measure (pursuing an objective of common interest) against its potential negative effects (distortions of trade and competition). As mentioned above Commission looks at competition and trade aspects of state aids for making an efficient control. At this point it is known that state aids cause more distortions in markets which are more competitive than others. Clearly if market shares of the firms are small and if there is firms with low profit margins, state aids in this market (given to a specific firm or a group of firms) may have greater distortive effect. The Economics of State Aid Control: Basic Concepts The economics of state aid is related to these fields of economics: Public Economics, The Economics of Competition and International Trade Theory. State Ads must be looked at the window of Public Economics to analyze the purpose and effectiveness of state intervention in the national economy. As mentioned earlier the economics of competition is slightly related to state aids to analyze the impact of state aid on competition. European Commission pays attention to state aid to study its policies in an international context. European Union intends to raise welfare of the EU citizens by using state aids as in other ways. Economists developed social welfare functions in the early years of 20th century. Social welfare function seen as an indicator of total utility of society. Some researches, studies and practices showed the economists that there are two theorems of welfare economics. First theorem says that all competitive markets make Pareto  [2]  Efficient allocation of goods and services. Second theorem says that any income distribution and allocation of resources can be reachable by competitive markets. First theorem points out efficiency concept while second one does that for equity concept. Economists recognizes government intervention in some market failure situations on the basis of efficiency like externalities, public goods, information asymmetries/ missing markets, imperfect competition/ market power. State Aids can be seen as necessary in some cases as an intervention of government. If we look at this topic from the basis of equality, it is not incorrect to say that the mission of governments is to product more fair and equitable outcomes. State aids or any government intervention can be accepted if most fair and optimal resource allocation will be gained after that. Because individual is the reason for being governments and unions. And government intervention and state aids can be accepted for happiness and welfare of individuals (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.). Briefly if we think distribution of income as a cake; we can make cake better by increasing the efficiency of an economy and thereby pushing the welfare frontier outward or we can divide the cake better by distributing the available resources in a way that maximizes the preferences of society for equity and redistribution. Therefore the welfare frontier can be moved along. Limits of State Aid A state aid can be measured as effective and provides equity to reach a better welfare point. However for this welfare function there will be some significant problems to be solved. Firstly it is very hard to measure the size of market failure resulting with state aid. For example; lets think a research and development activity which imposes positive externalities. Socially desired output exceeds personal output with a subsidy which is a desirable condition. But there will be uncertainty about the size of economic inefficiency resulted by subsidy. Besides that; benefits gained from a state aid must exceed its costs. State Aids are costly and benefits and these costs must be compared by taking into account the opportunity costs. After that making the decision will be appropriate. As mentioned above frequently the biggest harm of state aids is the condition of distorting competition. Lastly one of the failure of governments is inefficient decision making problem which is a result of deficiencies in providing information can be a bottleneck of success of state aids in terms of efficiency and equity. Principal agent problem between politicians and bureaucrats distorts the political decision making process. Additionally principal agent problem between citizens and politicians is the biggest handicap of representative democracy. As we know this problem occurs when parties have different set of goals. In this context principal agent problem can cause different outcomes of EU state aid than desired ones. With all these consequences one can understand that a state aid can be possible reaching the best desired point (efficient, remedial distributional outcomes/ income distribution) with perfect information (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.). Rationales for European State Aid Control It is mentioned above that European Union has targets like helping undeveloped areas to develop, serving European Unions common interests, protecting cultural heritages and increasing employment. It is needed to have an efficient control mechanism for reaching these targets with a more efficient and equitable way. More specifically we can mention three basic rationales of EU state aid control. Cross- Border Externalities: If governments do not take into account the side effects of their intervention, there will emerge cross- border externalities. Member states can try to take advantage of international oligopoly profits by means of state aids even when they compete each other. National Commitment Problems: These problems are generally related to soft budget constraints. Because governments can not establish regulations about transparent budget rules, private firms can be affected from this, negatively. If firms do not have enough incentives to be efficient, it can not be provided the social/ optimal efficiency and one can not mention about any increase in welfare. Internal Market Rationale: The competition will increase by means of integrated European Markets. In addition to this there will be taken appropriate steps for economic development by means of restructuring firms. However state aids without efficient control mechanism harm EU internal market. Because if firms do not compete or do not need to compete in consequence of state aids they receive, benefits from giving state aids can not be provided; on the contrary competition could be distorted. The point to be considered here is that the aid also must provide free circulation of goods and services if and only if under the conditions of competition (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.). To make compatible its laws and regulations with European Union, Turkey established Competition Authority in December 1994. De Minimis Rule Treaty of European Community prohibits aids given by state resources, which are distorting competition or having impact to distort competition and affecting trade between member states. Nevertheless European Commission has the opinion that small aids do not have any potential distortive effect on trade and competition between member states. For this reason the Commission introduced a rule named as De Minimis Rule to decrease administrative burden on member states and the Commission itself. According to the De Minimis regularization there is not any negative effect of aids below 200.000 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ (for a period of three years) on trade between member states and this will not cause distortion of competition (Ä °lhan, B. (2010). Avrupa BirliÄÅ ¸i Rekabet PolitikasÄ ±nda Devlet YardÄ ±mlarÄ ± ve Tà ¼rkiyenin Uyumu. SayÄ ±Ãƒâ€¦Ã… ¸tay Dergisi, 76, 101-132) An Effect Based Approach to European State Aid Control One of the most important points to draw attention to state aids is the concept of Common Interest. For this reason it will be beneficial take into account competition when approaching the consumer welfare and efficient allocation of resources. Some economists give great attention to these important points to evaluate state aids: The State Aid addresses a market failure or other objective of common interest. The State Aid is well targeted. It must provide an incentive effect. The distortions of competition are sufficiently limited so that the overall balance is positive. Economists will advocate state aids if they provide these specialties above. As we understand it is very important to distinguish good aid from bad aid (Friederiszick, H. W., Rà ¶ller, L. H., Verouden, V. (2006). European State Aid Control: an economic framework.). In 2005 a new strategic plan named as State Aid Action Plan (SAAP) made by European Commission. The Commission suggested a more refined economic approach in state aid in order to ensure a proper and more transparent evaluation of the distortions on competition and trade associated with state aid measures by SAAP. With this suggestion, Commission proposes also using economic analysis to identify market failures that are meet to be overcome by the aid. Commission proposes a three stage balancing test to achieve these targets. Clearly to distinguish good aid from bad aid Commission wants to use to evaluate aids before giving them. The test consists of questions on the purpose of evaluation and specifying the necessity and qualification of aids. Is the aid measure aimed at a well defined objective of common interest like growth, employment, cohesion and environment? Is the aid well designed to deliver the objective of common interest, i.e. does the proposal aid address the market failure or other objective? Is the state aid an appropriate policy instrument? Is there an incentive effect, i.e. does the aid change the behavior of firms? Is the aid measure proportional, i.e. could the same change in behaviour be obtained with less aid? Are the distortions of competition and effect on trade limited, so that the overall balance is positive? First two steps address the positive effects of state aids and the third one addresses negative effects. According to the Commission the results / answers acquired from these steps/ questions will determine the qualification and limits of a good and efficient state aid. This balancing test give an opportunity to focus on less and better targeted aid (Heimler, A. Jenny, F. (2012). Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Volume 28, Number 2, 2012, pp. 347-367). European Union State Aid Policy and State Aid Plans prepared with Lisbon Strategy According to State Aids Action Plan, State Aids that are prepared within the context of Lisbon Strategy must concentrate on these priority areas below: Targeting innovation and Research Development to strengthen the knowledge society. Generating a better workplace and encouraging entrepreneurship Investing on human resources Increasing the quality of services of general economic interest Better prioritization scaling by means of simplification and combination A result oriented regional state aid policy Encouraging a sustainable future environmentally Establishing infrastructures of modern transportation, energy, knowledge and telecommunication technology (Avrupa Komisyonu, State Aid Action Plan, Brà ¼ksel, 7 Haziran 2005, s. 8-12) Conclusion EU started its adventure with European Coal and Steel Community to overcome destructive effects of Second World War on European Nations. However the target of Single Market has not been accomplished yet. EU proceeded a great way to accomplish this target for half a century. And still makes a great effort to develop the union and to reach European Single Market. The practice of State Aid and its control mechanism are parts of this effort to reach the target of Single Market. An efficient control mechanism will help EU to reach its goals. In doing so the balancing test suggested within the context of Lisbon Strategy will help to distinguish good aid from bad aid. European Union has passed a considerably long and successful process since the establishment and development of first communities. It will be great acquisition for Turkey becoming a part of this union to accelerate economic and social development.

Urban Public Space Essay -- Public and Private Properties

Le Corbusier was serious when he suggested that a â€Å"truly modern street will be as well equipped as a factory. In this street, the best equipped model is the most thoroughly automised with no people except for those operating machines. In the city of the future, cafes and places of recreation [public space] will no longer be the fungus that eats up the pavements of [the city] the macadam will belong to the traffic alone† (See Figure 1). This comment seems drastic, though as the modern world develops into a society that is more introverted and private, these spaces of public display and freedom, one day may turn into those envisioned. Throughout history, public space has formed the backdrop to public life, accessible for all, for both commercial and social exchange. While public spaces can take many forms, the common grounds on which they stand is general. It’s where people have gathered for centuries through the presence of music, art, food, discussion and festive c elebrations or simply a place for a person to purely exist. Whether the public space comes in a form of streets, squares, parks or public buildings, it is in these places where the drama of communal life & human social exchange unfolds (Slessor 2001, Perrem, 2011 & Carr, 1992). Needs of these types of spaces have been displayed throughout history and their existence has defined and shaped the cities at the centre of their social organization (Cuthbert 2003 & Slessor, 2001). Today, the private places of work, domestic life and technology advances in movement and communication are consuming the essential counterpart of private existence (Cuthbert, 2003) Society lives in a very nine-to-five characterization which has created a large separation of public and private spher... ... onto the whole of society. When public space for public life is neglected, people become isolated, eroding any sense of communal sprit and cohesion in a community (Slessor 2001). Excessive neglect may create this vision. Although, as our cities and lifestyles change so do our definitions of public space. Original concepts of form and function are being replaces as we claw back every available corner into the public realm, is it possible to find new ways to spend our leisure time in the public urban environment? (Gaventa 2003). It is evident with further research that the recent attitude towards public space is beginning to alter. Expressed by A.E.J Morris â€Å"In terms of town planning the [public space] represents the purest and most immediate expression of man’s fight against being lost in a gelatinous world, in a disorderly mass of urban dwellings’’(Perrem 2011).

Radio Essay example -- essays research papers

Radio Radio becomes Americas second national mass medium after magazines -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  99% of American’s homes have radios -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  95% of American’s cars have radios -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  40% of Americans listen to the radio between 6 am and midnight -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7% of Americas bathrooms have radios in them Radio: A technological Leap 1835 Samuel F. B. Morse demonstrates his electromagnetic telegraph system March 10, 1876 Alexander Graham Bell sent a message to his associate Thomas Watson with the aid of his new invention, the telephone Heinrich Hertz experiments with radio waves that become known as Hertzian waves and leads to the development of radio broadcasting Guglielmo Marconi used Morse, Bell, and Hertz ideas to transmit waves without the aid of wires In 1912David Sarnoff relayed news from Nantucket Island that he received distress calls from the Titanic on his Marconi wireless device Federal Government Polices the Airwaves Federal government decided to regulated broadcasting almost as soon as it was invented The Radio Act of 1912 required licenses for people who wanted to broadcast or receive messages KDKA Launches Commercial Broadcasting October 27, 1920 the U.S. Department of Commerce used the powers of the Radio Act of 1912 to license KDKA as the nations first commercial station The Radio Audience Expands Quickly In 1922 Americans spent $60 million on receivers More than 500 stations began broa...

Brave New World :: essays research papers

In the book, Brave New World, there are many examples of prophecy. The first example of prophecy is cloning. In the book they were cloning up to 96 people that all looked identical. Today we have successfully cloned a sheep, and we are moving towards possibly cloning humans just like the book prophesied. The second example of prophecy is brainwashing and hypnotism. In the book they conditioned, or brainwashed, the infants and children to like and hate certain things for the purpose of increased consumption. Today, there are certain things that hypnotize us like commercials and billboards. More strongly there are hypnotist who hypnotize people in order to find out about someone’s past and also to tried to cure their bad habits and phobias. This is just matter of opinion, but brainwashing is probably going on behind the scenes of our government. The final example of prophecy is genetically altering embryos. In the book they altered the embryos to make some not as smart as others . They also did it to put the people in different caste systems. They also, not mentioned in the book, prevented diseases from the altering of the embryos. Certainly there were many things that Aldous Huxley prophesied that came true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were many examples of fantasy in the book, Brave New World. The first is the thought of no mothers and fathers. In the book they had no mothers or fathers and those words were considered bad. They belonged to the state and that was all they needed. Today, mothers and fathers affect their children so greatly that the thoughts of there not being mothers or fathers are just so far-fetched. People today wouldn’t conform to that, because they are proud of having children and continuing certain traditions and family names. The next example of fantasy is the Bokanovsky Process. In the book they would have one egg that split into 96 eggs over a certain time which produced 96 identical twins. I believe that wouldn’t happen today because we live in a world that relies on the individual for stability. If one would take away people’s individuality by making them 95 sisters and brothers then the whole world would be in an uproar. The last example of fantasy is caste colors. In the book there was 5 different castes in which each caste had their own color. Today the thought of everyone dressing alike would be absurd.