The Confusion Behind Computer Advertisements :: Media

The Confusion Behind Computer Advertisements Advertising is the key ingredient to a company’s success, so it’s pretty common for a company to go to extreme levels to sell their products. â€Å"There are six basic consumer behavior decisions when it comes to creating a desire for a brand name or product. 1. Problem Recognition: The consumer decides that he or she needs something. 2. Search: The consumer gathers information about ways to satisfy this need. 3. Evaluation of Alternatives: He or she weighs the plusses and minuses of the alternatives. 4. Decision: The consumer decides what to buy. 5. Purchase: He or she buys it. 6. Post purchase Evaluation: The consumer decides whether he or she bought the right thing. In realty, human beings are resourceful enough to find what they need without ads† (Kaufman, 2004). However, ads do as much damage as it does good. Pushing more and more ads down consumers’ throat is not going to necessarily make them want to buy that product; Internet pop-up ads are a prime example. The abundance of ads is not the only problem. Many ads can be misleading in what they are really trying to sell you; Dell is a good example of misleading ads. Travis a dell computer customer writes in an Internet complaint, â€Å"we ordered a dimension 8200 series but we were late in receiving the camera kit. When we did receive the camera kit it wasn’t the right one for that computer, but Dell still wouldn’t take it back because it was already past the 30-day warranty† (Travis of Kalispell, MT, 2004). Best Buy is also guilty of using misleading advertisement, which leads to even more serious accusations. Katherine of Hartsdale (2004), NY wri tes, â€Å"for Christmas my mom bought me a Playstation 2 and several games. One of the games wouldn’t work so I tried taking it back to Best Buy.

Plastic People :: Media Movies Pleasantville Essays

Plastic People Disney is famous for bringing fantasy to life. The Disney theme parks are among the most visited in the world. So shouldn’t it make sense that people would want to live in a similar idealistic sort of atmosphere? It just may be possible in the town of Celebration. Then again it may be just like living in a tourist attraction. Russ Rymer expresses his personal disapproval of manufactured communities in his essay, Back to the Future: Disney Reinvents the Company Town. The movie â€Å"Pleasantville† exemplifies Rymer’s premonition of the results of such controlled communities. Both sources make it evident that with out foundation, culture or variety, a community is far from perfect. One of the first problems with the town is that it was built with out a foundation. The whole town was built at once. There have never been any causes to fight for, or differences to solve. With out these essentials, the town has no character. Going through such hard ships only make an individual stronger. The same thing can be said for a community. Never having to face loss of security can make people arrogant and unaware of what they should appreciate. The only symbol that represents the town is a picture of a girl on a bike with a dog behind her. This symbol along with the name of the town is generic. One of the most important aspects of a town is the character that defines it. Part of what gives something character is history. A town with no history has no definition. Fake towns share this quality. Cities and towns on TV or in the movies often have no personality. In the movie â€Å"Pleasantville† this concept is created artistically. The movie is about a town on an old black and white television show. This town has no personality at all. In fact it doesn’t even have color. Everyone appears, acts and thinks the same way. No one dares to think outside the box. There are no worries except for perhaps the occasional cat up a tree. There exists no crime, no disappointments, no sickness, and no weight gain. There is one major department store, one diner, one television shop etc., etc. There is no variety or creativity. There are no individuals. As result of no foundation, a community will automatically lack a second important element.

Exploring Autism in the Movie, Rain Man Essay -- Rain Man Movie Film A

Exploring Autism in the Movie, Rain Man Autism is considered a unique disorder that affects 1 in 500 people. Autism impairs three main areas of human development: speech, communication, and social interaction. The trademark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. All impairments can range from mild to severe. Individuals with autism may lack speech altogether or only learn basic language specific to their needs. In the area of social interaction, the individual is often withdrawn from others. They lack the ability to comprehend facial expressions and the actions of others are confusing. Many individuals with autism lack interest in social interaction. There is a lack of imagination and a preference to engage in routines. Individuals usually find security in the routines, and become very dependent on them. What causes autism? No one is sure what causes autism research seems to suggest that it is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. A diagnosis is based on an observation of the individual's communication, behavior, and developmental levels. There is also no cure for autism. Evidence does show that early intervention has a positive outcome for young children with autism. Many adaptations can be made to a classroom to ensure the least restrictive environment for and autistic child. A few of those adaptations would be: daily routines encouraged social interactions, and alone time. If you are interested in autism, the movie Rain Man is very informative. Rain Man will provide you with an insight into the life of a man with autism. Rain Man portrays the life o... ... leaving caused problems in the relationship between Charlie and his father. Charlie's father carried around this guilt for not being able to care for his son and Charlie was never able to understand him because of this secret. There were quite a few adaptations made for Raymond. Raymond refused to take an airplane so Charlie had to drive across country. There were also certain parts of Raymond's daily routine that he could not manage without. To accommodate Raymond, Charlie bought him a portable T.V. and stopped each night so that Raymond could be in bed by eleven. There were other adaptations made, Raymond's bed had to be placed in front of a window and he would not travel when it was raining. Making the adaptations for Raymond is what helped Charlie to better understand and come to love his brother and his autism.

Poverty in Canada or USA

During the period between 1929 and 1953, the United States occupational pay ratios and earning inequality is declined, mainly across World War II (Ober 1948, Phelps Brown 1977, Williamson and Lindert 1980, Goldin and Margo 1922b). The evidence showed that the condition of income inequality was occurrence in that period. Moreover, the problem of income inequality is declined. But, the problem of income inequality is existed. The government cannot spread the income distibution evenly. Many reasons obstructed the income distribution evenly. In my discussion, I concentrate to explain five reasons to influence the income distribution in the United States in the 20th century. Changing in social norms is related to the income distributions. Many people think that women represented a cheaper alternative for employers. Their jobs were viewed as temporary to be abandoned in favor of marriage and a home. High turnover combined with a large pool of replacements in any occupation will tend to depress wages, but it also means there is no incentive to provide career opportunities or invest much effort to train persons for more responsibility. Consequently, women tended to fill the more specialized and lower-paying work, while men moved into the new office manager roles. The fact is that clerical, service, and sales work does not yield significant financial returns to people with more formal education or longer work experience (Bibb & Form, 1977). In large part, this is because most of these are low ceiling careers, lacking in meaningful promotion opportunities for higher paying positions. The jobs have been filled advantageous position by one sex or the other. The point is strongly influencing the income distributions. The point of the unionization is related to the income distributions. Unions have improved wages and benefits, increased job security, and protected workers from discriminatory managerial decisions. Male workers are more likely to be members of trade unions, thus enjoying the advantages of collective bargaining for wages and earning more than women (Flaherty & Caniglia, 1992). Overall, women are about half as likely to be union members as men. Rinehart wrote, ? Â § This accommodation to capitalist power was formalized in what is known as the post ? V World War II compromise forged in the midst of the intense class struggles of the 1940s. This settlement between labor, big capital, and the state featured the establishment of a new industrial relations system and stipulated a set of trade ? V off. Unions were legally recognized and accorded organizational security.? (P. 184) Changing in the education level of the population is related to the income distribution. In the U. S, the financial return to a university or college degree also declined during the 1970s. One explanation of this phenomenon was the substantial increase the proportion of the population going to university, particularly the entry into the labor force of the ? Baby-Boom? generation during the 1970s (Welch 1979). Freeman (1976, 1980) argued that the demand for educated workers also declined, so that not all of the change in relative earnings could be attributed to temporary developments on the supply side. Dooley (1986) concluded that the entry of the large baby? Vboom cohort during this period did lower earnings growth for this group, but that this demographic effect could not account for the observed harrowing of earnings differentials by level of education. Dooley? s results thus suggest that demand ? V side forces may also have played a role. Changing in the age structure of the population is related to the income distribution. The shapes of the earning streams reflect the main key factors which is earnings increase with age but at a decreasing rate. This concave shape reflects the fact that individuals generally continue to make human capital investments in the form of on-the-job training and work experience once they have entered the labor force. This job experience adds more to their productivity and earning s early in their careers due to diminishing returns to experience. However, to the extent that education increases productivity, individuals with the same amount of work experience but more education will earn more, perhaps substantially more. Migration is related to the income distribution. Economic theory predicts that the forces of competition would serve to reduce pure regional wage differentials so that they reflect compensating differences, short-run adjustments, or noncompetitive factors. Those forces of competition were the movement of capital from high- to low-wage areas, and the movement of labor from low- to high-wage areas. Empirical evidence tends to verify the implications of migration as a human capital decision. In a recent study, Osberg, Gordon, and Lin (1994) explore the determinants of interregional and interindustry mobility of individuals in the Maritimes. Using the 1986-87 LMAS, they find that younger individuals and those with higher expected wage gains are more likely to migrate. As well, the process of migration tends to reduce the regional disparities that induce the migration decision. In conclusion, the five reasons are influence the income distribution in the United States in the 20th century. The social norms show that the income inequality is happened between men and women. The unionization shows that the unions have a power to improve the wages and benefits for their members. In this situation, the income inequality is happened between union? s members and non-unions members. Although the demand for education workers was declined, education people still earn more than the uneducated people do because they have an expertise knowledge and experience. Migration is benefits for the young individuals. They can have a chance to prove themselves. Therefore, the movement of migration decreases the regional disparities.

Building a greener future

In December 2006, the Department for Communities issued a audience paper titled Constructing a Greener Future: Towards Zero Carbon Development. It included proposals to fasten Part L of the current Building Regulations so that from 2016 new places would breathe zero C, with the ambitious proposal that all new non-dwelling edifices will breathe zero C by 2019. This was chiefly introduced in order to make the Governments marks to cut down emanations as a consequence from human actions. These marks have to be reached by 2050 as these marks are lawfully adhering under the Climate Change Act. â€Å" The UK ‘s 21 million homes are responsible for 27 % of CO2 emanations, consume half of H2O supplies and bring forth 8 % of waste † ( Communities and Local Government, 2008 ) With more than 200,000 houses planned to be built every twelvemonth to house a turning population, ‘sustainable places ‘ seem to be the lone reply. The complex energy salvaging engineering employed in such houses frequently claim to be able to execute against the Government ‘s marks, nevertheless sometimes they are unable to execute due to their complexness, invariably altering markets and compatibility with other engineerings. Established in 1975, the Stewart Milne Group is one of the UK ‘s largest independent home-builders which is renowned for its invention of lumber system engineerings. In response to the Government ‘s aspirations, the Stewart Milne Group designed the Sigma Home. It has been constructed as a three floor townhouse, arranged over four floors to understate the edifices footmark whilst still maximizing populating adjustment. It has an unfastened program layout which makes effectual usage of natural visible radiation and besides allows for the edifice to be flexible in offering assorted layouts from household place, house portion or even office infinite. The Sigma Home took merely 8 hebdomads ( compared to the normal 24 hebdomads ) to construct due to the usage of offsite engineerings including the closed lumber frame walls and the pre-fabricated bathroom cods. In order to keep the conformity for Level 5, the Sigma Home offers ternary glassy Windowss, low energy contraptions and micro renewable engineering. Water salvaging devices have been used throughout to accomplish the 80 liters of H2O use per individual per twenty-four hours required for Code 5. Fabric insularity at 0.15w/m2k provided by the wall, floor and roof elements with high public presentation lumber Windowss and an air tightness scope of 1-3m3/m2/h agencies that the building is â€Å" 10 times better than current Building Regulations demands † ( Stewart Milne Group, n.d. ) A solar chimney on the roof positioned above the stairway optimises the inactive airing by utilizing the stack consequence in the step instance enabling air to be drawn throughout the place for chilling. Lighting, hot H2O and infinite warming are provided by solar thermal, photovoltaic roof panels and roof mounted air current turbines. In December 2007, the Stewart Milne Group commissioned the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development and Architecture ( OISDA ) to measure and supervise the Sigma Home whilst it was occupied by a household of four. They occupied the house for four two hebdomad periods, one in each season of the twelvemonth. The place was lived in every bit normal as possible with the household partaking in typical day-to-day activities. The residents experiences were recorded utilizing several research methods including ; pictures, interviews, log sheets and thermic comfort studies. OISDA monitored the temperature, humidness, indoor air quality, energy, gas and H2O ingestion and window/door gaps. This meant that a better apprehension of how residents respond to moo energy contraptions and complex energy salvaging engineering could be ascertained and used for future research and design. The energy public presentation of the Sigma Home is an betterment upon conventional houses, but failed to accomplish the predicted energy public presentation set out in the design phases of the undertaking. It was suggested that betterments need to be made in the air stringency and the cloth of the building through heat keeping in order to better on the energy public presentation. Thermal images were produced during the trial on the belongings whilst the household were populating at that place. These revealed that the â€Å" heat loss parametric quantity was approx 40 % worse than the predicted design phase appraisal † ( Stewart Milne Group, 2009. ) As the edifice is unfastened program it is hard to lock air into peculiar suites and with warm air lifting, heat would necessarily be lost through window and door adjustments and the roof. One solution would be to better the air tight seals around window and door adjustments every bit good as put ining an air membrane in the roof t o cut down heat loss. However, the belongings does maximize the usage of solar addition by using big countries of glazing, in peculiar on the land floor at the forepart of the edifice. But, by holding so much glass in the edifice struggles with involvements of privateness as one of the life countries is at the forepart of the belongings. The glass is ternary glazed ; it is improbable that solar addition would act upon the temperature within the edifice. This engineering means that unreal lighting is improbable to be used during daylight hours, nevertheless would merely be truly effectual if the belongings was south facing. The Sigma Home is east facing so would non have the maximal sum of daylight all twenty-four hours. When unreal lighting is required in the edifice, low energy visible radiation bulbs are used throughout. However, in some countries of the belongings these bulbs are non appropriate. They are by and large slow to react and in suites where there is small solar addition such as the bathroom, by the clip the bulbs have responded and are able to breathe sufficient visible radiation, the user has most likely turned the light off. Quite a high proportion of the electricity used in the Sigma Home is generated by micro renewable engineering. Wind turbines are located on the roof of the edifice and generates â€Å" small effectual electricity † ( Stewart Milne, 2009. ) This engineering is non suited to the low rise urban location of the Sigma Home where the edifice is shielded from the air current by environing edifices, therefore merely able to bring forth really small electricity. There used to be three wind turbines on the roof, but ironically strong air currents brought down one of the turbines and have damaged another. This raises a Health and Safety issue with this engineering particularly if this paradigm is to be rolled out on a larger undertaking. The tallness of the belongings besides suggests that the occupier of the belongings would be unable to keep and mend this engineering which would necessitate the expertness of specializer contractors. Photovoltaic panels have been installed on the roof and the south facing gable wall and norm at bring forthing 27kWh/m2/year over the twelvemonth. The photovoltaic ‘s are good in the manner that they generate a high per centum ( about 50 % ) of the electricity used within the edifice. However, the cost of put ining photovoltaic engineering and keeping it can frequently outweigh any benefit. Besides the panels public presentation are frequently dependent on the sum of sunshine they have entree to. Since installing of the panels on the south facing wall, the Barrett Green House has been built next to the Sigma Home. This severely reduces the sum of sunshine able to be absorbed by the photovoltaic ‘s and besides reduces the handiness to the panels for care excessively. Solar thermal panels are besides located on the roof. The energy from the panels preheats the H2O for warming and domestic usage. The solar thermic engineering is equal for its intent and is regarded as one of the most successful and cost effectual sustainable engineerings. However, the peculiar merchandise nowadays at the Sigma Home has been discontinued from the market which raises issues associated with future care and replacing. It seems that merchandises on the sustainable engineerings market are systematically altering and are likely to go out-of-date rapidly and newer and more efficient engineerings are adopted for other undertakings, go forthing earlier merchandises excess. Solar thermic engineering does hold its restrictions though. Often sufficient heat storage is non installed significance it is hard to synchronize the end product with the resident ‘s demands, which may include heating the edifice in summer to utilize the energy from the panels. Underfloor heating engineering has been adopted throughout the belongings. The heat is supplied from a low NOx gas boiler that is capable of providing up to 14kW, nevertheless the mean demand would merely be about 4kW. Underfloor heating tends to hold a clip slowdown in reacting to the resident ‘s coveted temperature and residents may invariably set the thermoregulator because of this and utilize more energy that is required. By utilizing this engineering excessively besides means that care and replacing would be debatable by holding to raise the flooring. Low H2O content radiators may hold been more preferred to heat the edifice alternatively of underfloor warming. Low H2O radiators require really small energy to heat the little sums of H2O within the radiator ; nevertheless, this would intend that lasting fitted radiators would cut down the flexibleness of the edifice. Rooms by and large retain their heat due to the cloth and stuffs of the edifice. By utilizing heavy panels and tiles on blockwork would retain heat which is a positive in some facets, nevertheless this temperature may non be comfy in sleeping rooms. Louvered and meshed airing panels in Windowss are frequently adopted to better the airing of the belongings twenty-four hours or dark whilst keeping security. These engineerings are non adopted in the Sigma Home, nevertheless the interior decorators have envisaged airing by building a balcony for the maestro sleeping room on the 3rd floor which would supply some shading. By opening the balcony doors in the maestro sleeping room, internal heat additions. The placement of the doors is effectual in the maestro sleeping room as it means warm lifting air from the edifice can go forth via the balcony doors. The life room on the first floor has been designed to overhang the living/ dining country on the land floor which would supply shadowing on cheery yearss. Throughout the belongings there are LED room temperature panels which tell the occupier the room temperature and the demand ( if any ) to supply airing or warming. The lone hazard of overheating in the edifice aside from solar additions is from internal heat additions such as heat generated from family contraptions. The Sigma Home purposes at understating internal heat additions by utilizing low energy electrical goods and low energy lighting. By utilizing low energy contraptions and lighting, it lowers the demand to command overheating and to guarantee that the residents do non necessitate extra air conditioning which would utilize more energy. The Stewart Milne Group did experiment with the usage of stage alteration stuffs in the Sigma Home. Energain ( manufactured from Dupont ) uses wax that thaws at about 26 & A ; deg ; degree Celsiuss and Acts of the Apostless as a signifier of latent heat storage that absorbs heat from the edifice as it starts to overheat. As the temperature so lowers, Energain changes its belongings from a liquid to a solid once more and releases the stored heat back into the room. Unfortunately the wax is flammable so the merchandise needs to be protected by gypsum board which raises inquiries of its effectivity and its ability to be used in sustainable places if the Sigma Home is a paradigm to be rolled out on larger undertakings. If the edifice does overheat, a solar stack has been installed at the top of the edifice and its chief map is to let warm air to air out out. The stack sits above the stairwell and takes in warm air as it rises. A heat detector clears and closes a blowhole at the top of the stack to pull off the optimal temperature in the edifice. However, the stack can move as a funnel which channels external noise to air out down in the belongings. As the M25 and M1 are all close the noise can be rather annoying. The many Windowss located within the belongings besides reduces the hazard of overheating. It was established though, that merely 4 out of the 25 Windowss were used systematically whilst the edifice was being tested. This could so cut down the sum of Windowss required within the belongings which would be addressed in the design phases of farther physiques. A mechanical airing with heat recovery system has been installed in the Sigma Home which is required for Code 5 and 6 houses. Extractor s for the mechanical airing systems have been fitted in wet countries such as the bathroom. They extract warm, damp air to the heat recovery unit where the heat is transferred to warm the fresh entrance air, which is so supplied at low force per unit area to habitable suites through blowholes. The H2O use is good within the Code for Sustainable Homes bounds for Code 5 of 80 liters per individual per twenty-four hours. The edifice operates a gray H2O recycling unit which takes waste H2O from lights-outs and the showers and cleans and filters it for re-use in blushing the lavatory. The Ecoplay system is self monitoring and shops the Grey H2O for a upper limit of 24 hours before being removed from the system to guarantee hygiene criterions are maintained in the belongings. Some of the electrical contraptions have H2O use clippers on them, to guarantee the H2O use for Code 5 is besides maintained. The dish washer uses 10 liters of H2O per rhythm, the lavation machine uses 40 liters. One negative of utilizing H2O usage decrease engineering is that frequently occupants necessitate to utilize more H2O to carry through activities within the place such as blushing the lavatory. Depending on the burden of rinsing, more H2O may be required excessively. However, if the residents excee d utilizing 80 liters of H2O per individual per twenty-four hours, the Sigma Home would lose its Code 5 position. It is clear that belongingss such as the Sigma Home have a repute of utilizing complex and specialist engineering. Such engineerings should be explained to the residents before the handover to guarantee that the residents are cognizant of what the edifices engineering is capable of and how to understate energy usage. Simple but elaborate accounts and diagrams should be available in the edifice with an aftercare hotline, to guarantee residents are capable of utilizing the engineering. After having feedback from the probe, Stewart Milne ( 2009 ) have now developed the KISS attack â€Å" Keep It Simple Stupid † and besides believe that place care understandings could be compulsory in the hereafter, which would enable residents to go familiar with the engineering. Using the Sigma Home research undertaking to inform the following phase of research and development, Stewart Milne Group has now embarked on making the Sigma II Build System. This is designed to larn from the yesteryear of the Sigma Home and to foster the demand for low energy places, low C places whilst supplying a solution that is easy to construct, maintain and usage by residents. BRE ( 2009 ) believes that â€Å" accomplishing a low energy usage society will depend on consumers themselves altering the manner they use their places to do a positive impact on cut downing their energy ingestion. † Code for sustainable placesDecisionMentionsCommunities and Local GovernmentStewart Milne Group ( n.d ) Advancing Tomorrows HomeStewart Milne 2009 the hereafter of low energy, C impersonal places.BREThe experimental household commented that there was a deficiency of drying installations within the belongings which would so increase energy use by utilizing a tumble drier. Their recommendations were to optimize the infinite at the top of the belongings. As the belongings is four floor high and heat rises, this would be suited, nevertheless transporting wet rinsing from the kitchen on the land floor to a room on the 4th floor is non practical. It would besides be reasonable to hold designed the sleeping rooms so that they would hold been on the land and first floors. This would intend that the sleeping rooms would be kept at a comfy temperature. This would intend the heat would lift to the upper floors and the contact with the land would besides better its imperturbability. However, this agreement of suites is non conventional as this would intend sleeping rooms would be following to the kitchen and as the belongings is tall it would be unacceptable for the kitchen to be farther up in the belongings.

Public participation Essay

The end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the new millennium have seen the rapid growth of two undeniably related phenomena. They are the rise of international democracy and the explosion in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). â€Å"E-democracy† is the concept widely used and even sometimes misused. Crick (2002:93) defines democracy as the, â€Å"polity or political rule [that] strives to balance individual freedom, individual rights, and the common good. † In this paper I’m going to examine the impact of ICTs on the concept of democracy as presented by Crick. Conditions of modern democracy are the role of individuals, official doctrines, typical social structure, nature of the elite, typical institutions of government, type of economy, theories of property, attitudes to law, diffusion of information, and attitudes to politics. No doubt that ICTs have potential to expand democratic participation. Still the question whether ICTs facilitate and enhance democracy is surrounded by much controversy. Areas such as e-voting and e-consultation attract great attention of political scientists from over the globe. ICTs provide an excellent opportunity for governments to become more transparent, efficient and accountable. ICTs mean that people are provided greater services and opportunities online, and as a result become more informed, articulate and active in public affairs. Thus, ICTs have a significant potential to widen civic engagement. Much hype surrounds the newly created term â€Å"global civil society†. Norris (2001:6) poses an inevitable and burning question, â€Å"Will the Internet have the capacity to revitalize public participation in conventional politics, such as levels of party membership, electoral turnout, or activism in civic and voluntary organizations? † ICTs may create the possibility of reaching out to publicize political parties, solicit feedback, new ideas, and new members, energize party activists and build leadership cadres. Thus, ICTs may help to promote political pluralism and activism. Individualism becomes a core value in the ICT-driven society, and the role of an individual is the condition of modern democracy. Also we should keep in mind that e-commerce empowers previously economically disadvantaged strata, and type of economy is one of the conditions of modern democracy. Norris (2001:97) stresses the following fact, â€Å"The Internet may broaden involvement in public life by eroding some of the barriers to political participation and civic engagement, especially for many groups currently marginalized from mainstream politics. † So ICTs provide a perfect opportunity to increase youth participation, enhance women on the political arena, and include marginalized and disadvantaged groups. As Crick (2002:98) argues, â€Å"Participation is critical, for moral education and for the implementation of democratic government. † Still, Leslie David Simon (2002:36) argues that, â€Å"Participation fortifies democracies, but it is also a favourite tool of many totalitarian states. † But Norris (2001:101) states that, â€Å"the new opportunities for civic engagement and political participation on the Internet will serve primarily to benefit those elites with the resources and motivation to take advantage of [them]. † The nature of the elite is the essential condition of modern democracy, and today we can speak of â€Å"information elite† as well as of â€Å"information society. † Transparency of the government, both federal and local, is another possible consequence of democracy. Crick (2002:103) states that, â€Å"Democracies work better (can only work) in an atmosphere of trust. † Norris (2001:107) states that, â€Å"new technologies allow greater transparency in the policy-making process, wider public participation in decision making, and new opportunities for interaction and mobilization in election campaigns, but, critics argue, whether these potentialities are realized. † Attention to the protection of human rights through the use of new communication technologies is an area of growing interest. On the other hand, the implementation of more â€Å"technological democracy† will exacerbate the existing digital divide present within and between developed and developing countries. The explosive growth of the Internet is exacerbating existing inequalities between the information rich and poor. Also, as Norris argues, a so-called democratic divide is developing between the citizens who do and do not use ICT’s to engage, mobilize and participate in public life. Instead of promoting democracy, ICTs could be manipulated by political parties as tools of propaganda. With no Internet censorship it is becoming a widespread political phenomenon. Crick (2002:21) defines anarchy as â€Å"a central danger of democracy†, and cyber-pessimist perceive Internet as a totally anarchical environment. Leslie David Simon (2002:Front Matter) reminds the reader that, â€Å"Today we know that there is another side to the story. Those who hate democratic values and human rights have also learned to use the Internet. In the United States and abroad, neo-Nazis and other hate groups maintain Web-sites†¦ † Also e-democracy should be seen as enhancing, not replacing traditional forms of government-citizen interaction. Norris (2001:104) reminds us that ICTs should be used, â€Å"to promote and strengthen the core representative institutions connecting citizens and the state. In this regard, opportunities for public participation and civic engagement generated via new technology are important. † Analysing all the abovementioned, I came to the conclusion that the views expressed by cyber-optimist are more realistic. Personally I believe that ICTs are able and will promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, and attitude to law is one of the important conditions of modern democracy. ICT’s bring more opportunity and freedom, and these two factors will gradually cause wider adoption and improvement of democratic governance. Certainly, I admit the existence of numerous dangers related to the spread of ICTs, but I believe that the growing political consciousness will prevent further misuse of this powerful tool. Open and transparent government as well as availability and circulation of information can guarantee democracy and participation, and diffusion of information is one of the crucial conditions of modern democracy. Making a final conclusion I would life to state once more that the rational use of the whole potential of ICTs can facilitate democracies worldwide. Sources: 1. Leslie David Simon, Javier Corrales, Donald R. Wolfensberger, Democracy and the Internet: Allies or Adversaries?, Woodrow Wilson Centre Press, 2002 2. Pippa Norris, Digital Divide: Civic Engagement, Information Poverty, and the Internet Worldwide, Cambridge University Press, 2001 3. Bernard Crick, Democracy: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2002

The Case Study of Soren

1. Define the problem (from student’s perspective) 2. Ensure safety (including assessing potential for self-harm) 3. Provide support 4. Examine alternatives 5. Make a plan 6. Obtain a commitment (including no-harm agreement where applicable) Tragedy struck a small west Texas town Saturday when beloved Lubbock Christian School (LCU) superintendent, Peter Dahlstrom, accidentally shot and killed his nine year old granddaughter, Soren, while rabbit hunting on the family farm. The entire community has been shocked by this tragedy and the effects of the incident will be felt in the community for some time.Many people in the community will benefit from crisis intervention techniques during this time. I have applied Robinson’s Crisis Response Model for successful crisis intervention to develop a plan of action to help teachers, students, and faculty through this difficult time. The model suggests the following six steps: 1) Define the problem; 2) Ensure safety, including assess ing potential for self-harm; 3) Provide support; 4) Examine alternatives; 5) Make a plan; and 6) Obtain a commitment, including a no-harm agreement where applicable.The first phase of the crisis intervention plan is to inform as many people of the issue as quickly as possible. To quickly reach as many people as possible, the crisis team sent out an email to inform parents as immediately after the accident occurred. It would be best if the children are not blind-sided by the information at school on Monday morning. I expect several of the students and faculty members to go through the 5 classic stages of grief identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1969), which are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.Sometimes this can be a slow process, so I think some students and teachers will require on-going help to process this tragic loss of life. My plan involves the following crisis intervention steps: 1. Have a Staff Pre-meeting first thing Monday morning: a. Invite all the staff who feels affected by the crisis. I feel it is important to include part-time teachers, bus drivers, playground supervisors, janitors, secretaries, and any other workers who would like to join. b. Keep communications open and give facts on the situation, as appropriate within the bounds of confidentiality.Prepare a handout for staff not in attendance. c. Share reactions and feelings with one another, taking time for mutual support. The school crisis team shares information on grief, and answers the questions and concerns of the staff. d. Give a plan for the day that has been prepared by the crisis team. 2. Prior to the first active school day How to tell Students e. Decide which students are to be told. f. Confirm what information they will be told. g. Decide who will tell the students. h. Outline the procedures for how they will be told. i.Discuss how they may react and what to do. 3. The Debriefing Meeting: A meeting with staff at the end of the day to discuss how the day w ent for both students and staff. 4. Activities to Discourage: Large assemblies or public address announcements – these make it difficult to provide support to students on an individual basis. When he Lubbock Christian School community mourned the loss of a student and the pain of their leader. â€Å"This is a great tragedy for our school,† said Brian Pitaniello, chairman of the Lubbock Christian School's Board of Trustees.Pitaniello said Peter Dahlstrom has worked as superintendent of the school for 17 years. â€Å"He is a spiritual leader for our school; he loves our kids,† he said. Hundreds of students, teachers parents and friends of the Dahlstroms gathered for a student-organized prayer vigil in honor of the family Saturday morning in the school's auditorium. â€Å"That just shows the impact this family had on our school,† Pitaniello said. â€Å"This school and this community loves this were answered by a family friend who said the family did not wis h to speak with the media. family. and our heart breaks for this family.We hurt for her family for a loss of a child as well as for the loss of a classmate and the loss of a student. † School administrators sent an email to parents early Saturday informing them of the incident. Parents were told grief counselors would be available for students. Parents of third-graders were urged to meet with a children's grief counselor at 8 a. m. Monday morning at the school to help mothers and fathers feel more confident in talking with their children about the tragedy. Classes were expected to go on as scheduled Monday. Phone calls to the Dahlstrom house in Anton . k. Student and staff contact with the media while at school – media contacts can be disruptive and sometimes insensitive. Direct all media to the public information officer or representative. l. Removing belongings of the deceased- this is best done gradually and can include family members and friends. Having concrete rem inders in the classroom can help teachers and students let go gradually. m. Staying rigid with regard to curriculum and scheduling – reactions will vary, from needing flexibility to needing structure. Decisions must be made on an individual basis. n.Not communicating with students, staff, parents and community on unfolding events. o. Treating the death of students differently because of status or community position, etc. 5. Safety Valves p. Make sure there are enough staff and school crisis team members to support all who may need it. It's much better to have more than you need, than to need, more than you have. q. Designate a safe room for anyone wanting a place to go to, if needed. Make sure everyone knows its purpose and location. r. Hold a debriefing meeting at the end of the day to give people a place to process the day and receive support and validation. bnnhb