Creating a Living Newspaper

Reflection on Y, F, Z Living Newspaper Scene The idea of the â€Å"Living Newspaper† is an ingenious way in theatre to depict real life in an artistic way and amplify the feelings of the actual event. So, naturally when you assigned us to create our own â€Å"Living Newspaper† I was ecstatic to get started. The group I worked with and I decided to choose between finding a newspaper on a cult group or an exorcism, though I preferred the exorcist idea, we decided to go with cults because during our research we found it very fascinating that there were so many cases and different types of cults.During our research we found there were multiple different kinds of cults, some good, some bad, but most focused on the end of the world or the end of their world and how they would be able to spend eternity, and most usually had manipulative and violent leaders. One such case was the Y, F, Z Ranch where the leader Warren Jeff’s is accused of committing multiple accounts of i ncest and rape, though that was still not as interesting to us as the fact, that all the girls that belonged to this cult, were in a sense brainwashed.The fact that somebody or a group of people could be tricked into thinking that something so sinister was the way of a god was ludicrous. As a group we all wanted to add or own tweak the piece, my own personal contribution was the in the beginning of the scene I wanted there to be sheets in front of the actors playing the rap victims of the cult and you would see â€Å"Warren Jeff’s† shadow come up to each one and imitate the act of raping them. I wanted this to highlight the silent motif we played with.Though, of course in the time we had we had to be realistic with our scene so the sheets didn’t happen, we still continued with the most important theme of silence which is what I intended for my contribution. What I took away as an actor from this piece is how different it is to play a real person rather then a ch aracter and how much it bends and changes the methods of the acting I was use too. And personally from this piece I realized how difficult it is to work when there are so many people disorganized people trying to voice their opinion. But, I did enjoy the experience.

People have become overly dependent on technology Essay - 1

People have become overly dependent on technology - Essay Example This was the beginning of the end as far as we know it. The social media networks, email, chat rooms, blogs, microwave ovens, etc., all of these technologically dependent outlets of communication, research, and personal connectivity have change the landscape of human interaction as we know it. We have, as a collective planet, become overly dependent on technology for our existence in our everyday lives. Technology is not something that was created in order to create a slew of technology dependent people. Rather, technology is continuously invented, reinvented, and improved upon by its creators in order to help make our lives easier and allow us to keep in personal contact with the people around us. It was never meant to create a bubble within which one can function without ever crossing paths or personally speaking to another person. That was never the idea behind all of these technological advancements. Rather than creating a beneficial synergy between man and technology, a disconne ct was created between man and fellow man due to the middle man known as technology. Our whole world is totally run by technology. All of our actions are dictated by the existence of a gadget that aids us in doing various activities that we used to be able to do without any help from machines or gadgets, but we managed to complete through the help of other people. From the complicated tasks of laying building foundations for the constructions of a building, all the way to the simple task of taking a hot shower, we have given up even the simplest of human activities to technology in order to do things faster, easier, and better. However, one cannot help but wonder as to what is lost by human beings in this aspect. Surely there is a problem with the over dependence of mankind on technology. Take for example, the case of a medical patient who has come in for a check-up. Say this patient had a CT Scan procedure done. The technologist runs the test without knowing that the machine was de fective. The results come out and show the that patient has a tumor, which was not actually a tumor but a problem with the scanning system of the machine. The attending physician relays the same information to the patient and begins to draw up a treatment plan. Nobody bothers to question whether the technology used in the test made a mistake. That is because technology is supposed to be infallible and therefore always correct. Human dependence on technology in this case just caused harm to another human being. This type of technology dependence is something that actually happens quite often these days in the medical field. According to Susan Marden (187) of the Mark Hatfield Clinical Research Center; Technology dependence has been defined as reliance on a variety of devices, drugs and procedures to alleviate or remedy acute or chronic health problems. Health professionals must ensure that these technologies result in positive outcomes for those who must rely on them, while minimizin g the potential for unintended consequences. These unintended consquences have a way of creeping into our daily lives. Technological dependence has redefined the way we live our lives. We have at least 2 generations of people who have never spent time playing outdoors, whose minds were never creatively enticed by what they saw in the park of the people they spoke to. Instead, we have a generation or so of people who hide behind their computer

Short Paper on Descartes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Paper on Descartes - Essay Example For instance, it is apparent that some people have had a dream associated with instillation of pain such as the stubbing of the stomach. In relation to this assertion, Descartes believes that the pain felt by some people when dreaming is likely the same pain they will feel when awake. It is as a result of this that people fail to distinguish between the dream world and the actual world (UA 1, 2011). This broad explanation proves the reason as to why Descartes will make his conclusion about the pinch test as the unreliable test for the awake of a person. Although Descartes explanation manages to relate the happenings in the dream land with those in the actual world, it is apparent his argument against the pinch test does not rule out the pinch test as the best test for the awake of a person. This is in connection with the processes associated with pinching oneself. It is evident that the mind takes part in the pinching act. In relation to this claim, it is impossible for a person who is asleep to pinch himself or herself in order to determine if they are awake. When one is asleep, he or she thinks of either the daily happening or fantasize on other things in life. Such thoughts will not give one room to ascertain if they are awake through use of the pinch test. The thinking processes associated with pinching oneself is by itself one of the reliable tests for one’s awake. In tandem with this assertion, one can affirm that the pain instilled through pinching makes one to realize that he or she is awake. This because the pain in sulted by the pinch is communicated by the nervous system to the brain which as a result ascertain that a person is awake. In conclusion, Descartes double standard argument for the pinch test is in relation to his association of the dream land incidents with the real incidents. It is because of the similarity in occurrence of things that Descartes claims that pinch test is

Globalization at general electrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Globalization at general electrics - Essay Example First, GE chose to invest aggressively in foreign expansion for the obvious reason of desire to grow the company. Foreign investment results in more branches of the company, and this is directly linked to increased revenues for the company due to the additional branches, which will generate additional profits for the company (Rugman & Collinson 2008). Therefore, GE bought other companies in various countries, which were in a financial jeopardy, and were on the verge of collapsing. GE bought the financially unstable companies at a faster rate, mainly because, this was the only opportunity it had to acquire those companies and expand, since these would be seized by other companies, if GE would not act fast. This is a strategy, which GE used to ensure that its expansion was rapid. Aggressive expansion of GE might have been aimed at ensuring that the company moves closer to most of its customers, since this would be easier and cheaper for the company to address the various concerns and n eeds of its customers, while increasing its total sales revenue. In addition, international expansion by GE was intended for the company to increase its customer base, since this would acquire more and new customers in the new geographical locations that it established itself. In addition, GE chose to expand because of the company’s wish to deal with their foreign markets on a higher level. By adopting globalization, GE wanted to prove that the relationship between the company and its foreign markets was strong enough to allow the country to directly invest in the foreign countries, while being assured of profits. Rugman & Collinson (2008) argued that it not enough for a company to be shipping its products to foreign countries. Instead, a company should consider getting closer to its customers in the foreign markets, and establish a close relationship with them, to boost revenue and address consumer needs appropriately. Finally, GE might have chose to expand internationally i n order to save on the costs it incurred in the form of wages for its employees. Employees in other countries outside the United States are paid lower salaries and wages, mainly because of the economic status of their country, which is usually lower, compared to the United States. Therefore, most American multinationals choose to expand outside the United States in order to explore these lower wages (Rugman & Collinson 2008). Question 2 According to Birkinshaw, Braunerhjelm, Holm & Terjesen (2006), the corporate headquarters of a company plays a valuable role in influencing the relationships between the company and the financial markets, as well as its stakeholders. Stakeholders of a company include customers, as well as the competitors of the company, which are the most important stakeholders of a company. Therefore, by moving its headquarters to foreign markets, GE wanted to influence the relationship with its customers in the foreign countries. This would result in a stronger rel ationship than the one that existed previously. Most companies claim that the decision to move their headquarters to foreign countries is influenced by their desire to be in close proximity with their international customers (Rugman & Collinson 2008). In the case of GE, like most companies, this company has moved most of its headquarters of its other businesses from the U.S.A. to other foreign countries.

The Case for Year-Round Schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Case for Year-Round Schooling - Essay Example Year-round schools also reduce costs to the school system, freeing up more of the budget for student supplies and teacher salaries. Therefore, I advocate a change in public education to the use of year-round scheduling. Year-Round Schooling and Today's Students Year-round education better fits the needs of modern families and will increase access to education. The school calender that is currently in use in most American schools today is based around an outdated model. This model assumes that access to schooling will be increased if students were permitted a vacation for a summer of agricultural labor and remained in classes for the slower winter months. The traditional school calendar is not designed around the needs of children but around the needs of farmers (Ballinger and Kneese). However, the great majority of working adults today work approximately the same number of hours each day regardless of the season (Ballinger and Kneese). This means that during long summer breaks, paren ts are required to find other caretakers for their children. In addition, part of the reasoning behind the use of the traditional school calendar was due to a lack of cooling ability in school buildings during the hot summer months. Avoiding sending students to school meant that they were not trapped in overheated school buildings during the day (Steinbach). However, in today's poor urban neighborhoods, while the schools will have air conditioning, many of the homes the students live in will not. Up to a third of American households have no air conditioning units of any kind (Battles). Use of a year-round schedule would allow the children from those households to benefit from the air conditioning systems in their schools. The environment in their homes would interfere with the ability of poor students to learn and study on their own during the summer; switching to a year-round schedule would increase the educational access of those students. One argument against year-round schooling is the need for high school aged students to take on summer employment. However, the recent economic downturn in the United States has nearly wiped out the teenage job market, as the positions previously taken by the fourteen to seventeen year old segment are often now being taken by high school graduates, seniors, and even college graduates. The struggle to obtain a job under these conditions means that the possibility of earnings does not outweigh the educational benefits of the year-round calendar; a better education means higher earning power in the future, more than offsetting possible lost income while in high school. Also, studies have shown that in order to best boost their earning power later in life, these students should be seeking year-round part-time employment, instead of simply relying on working part time for only a few months of the year. Year-round employment is available in a much wider range of industries than is temporary work, which would also benefit these te enage workers. Far from hurting the earning power of high school students, the year-round educational schedule would force them to expand their horizons and build a relevant resume for a future career (National Youth Employment Coalition). Year-Round Schooling and Academic Success Traditional calendars provide students with a summer break that is almost three months long.

Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Article Critique - Essay Example The Great Conversation is a means to involve community in the educational process. It consists of two different tracks: informal and formal. Vollmer cites the remarkable progress in relations achieved using the Great Conversation in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. However, he does not give the details of these three situations. He merely makes a few vague comments about the schools systems and their relationship to the public. One of the major drawbacks of the article is that Vollmer largely ignores the informal track of the Great Conversation. While he admits that the focus of his article is the formal track, he devotes only three short paragraphs to the informal track. If an approach to public relations involves two main tracks, an article should address both equally in order to create a balanced view. Vollmer seems to bias the article toward the formal track. Vollmer uses the last half of his article to explaining the formal track of the Great Conversation. ... The most obvious errors in the article are two. Firstly, the major obstacle to creating public relations programs between schools and the community is a lack of time on the part of both parties. Vollmer never addresses how the Great Conversation solves this fundamental problem. If anything, the article points out that public relations programs are almost impossible to create due to the time commitment needed on both sides. Secondly, and most importantly, author Jamie Vollmer is president of Vollmer, Inc., a public education advocacy firm focusing on increasing community involvement in education. Clearly, he has bias in relation to the subject about which he is writing. His firm exists to help schools create and maintain public relations programs. Additionally, the firm sells certain approaches to public relations to school districts. There can be little doubt that Vollmer sells a package that includes the Great Conversation. Finally, as Vollmer is president of the firm, he is respons ible for the financial health of the organization. This fact means that he must sell his firm’s product, and this article is an advertisement for his firm. I feel that public relations programs are important for school success to a limited degree. The success of a school can be impacted by the amount of involvement from the community. However, in my experience, the most important involvement is individual, i.e. between parents and teachers. The intrusion of business into schools is detrimental as it affects the operation and goals of the school. Also, the general public does not understand the workings of the educational system and often public relations programs spend the majority of their time

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Research Paper

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance - Research Paper Example CSR- related policies function as built-in, mechanisms through which the business evaluates and ensures that it operates actively in compliance with ethical standards, the law, and international expectations. As such, CRS activities are supposed to impact the stakeholders, environment, communities, consumers, employees and the overall public sphere positively. There are a number of goals that drive businesses into engaging in corporate citizenship. However, the key objective of the activity relates to the establishment of sustainable businesses, which, in fact, need healthy communities, markets, and economies. Some of the drivers of corporate social responsibility include enlightened self-interest, social investment, trust and transparency, and increased expectations of enterprises by the public according to ASOCIO (2004). There are various approaches that corporate entities can take in regard to social responsibility. While for example, some will opt for philanthropy, others will op t for a community-based development approach. Yet again, others will prefer to go the Creating Shared Value (CSV) way. Whichever method or approach is assumed, however, the organization somehow commits some of its resources for the good of other parties as earlier mentioned. Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has blossomed in the 21st century. There is also an increased interest in the topic by different firms and people as seen in table 1. This is attributed to various factors like pressure exerted on organizations to demonstrate high ethical standards and the increasing concern about CSR expressed by policymakers. Firms from developing countries are driven by heightened demands on forms exporting to their products to Europe and other western countries do document their compliance to high ethical standards so as to be competitive. Generally, various organizations develop and express CSR because of various factors that can be summarised as internal and external factor s. In this paper, three international companies namely Monsanto Company, Microsoft Corporation, and Coca-Cola Company will be used to illustrate the various arguments. All the three companies already have a CRS in place.   Why International firms are showing increasing interests in corporate social responsibility and corporate governance There are internal and external factors that are making or motivating international firms to show increasing interests in CSR and corporate governance. Internal factors include managers, shareholders, employees, customers, and suppliers while external factors include social, economic, cultural, legal/government regulations, technological, global standard and nongovernment organizations. Economic and Social factors Researchers have given a special attention to the connection between CSR and the financial performance of an organization.