Respond to a Letter of Complaint

To: [email  protected] co. uk From: [email  protected] dk Subject: I feel sorry to hear that your family trip to Tivoli turned out to be a disappointing one. It is true that only 11 of the 24 various entertainment rides were running on that day unfortunately due to the technical failures of the machines. By further checking the entertainment rides we found that we could not risk using the machine that day and had to change some parts for the machine to run again.We couldnot inform at the entrance as the technicians were still working on the machines(you may probably have noticed people working to fix the machines) and there was a hope that we could run the machine that day. But on late afternoon, we found out that the machine could not be repaired that day so we informed at the gate. we are hearing a little bit of problems at some of the food outlets. And we came to know about your story from one of the co-worker of that outlet. I again apologise for the inconvenience that you ha d to suffer due to some technical problems and the bad customer service.After reading through your letter and knowing the circumstances I had conversation with managers of Tivoli and we decided to give your family free tickets to enter and play all the entertainment games with a free dinner in any of the restaurants for your family when Tivoli opens again next summer. I have enclosed the free passes to enter and play the entertainment ride along with the FREE DINNER FOR YOUR FAMILY IN ANY OF THE OUTLETS. We aim to satisfy our customers with quality in entertainment, food and service. I am looking forward seeing you again next summer in Tivoli and enjoying with your family.

Summary of Everyday Use

Alice’s Walker’s, â€Å"Everyday Use†, tells a story of a southern, African American family that consist of Mama, the story’s narrator, and her two daughters, Dee, the oldest, and her sister, Maggie. Set during the back to Africa movement of the early 1970’s, when African Americans removed their surnames or names fully and adopted new names that represented their African heritage, Dee leaves home for college and returns to announce the change of her name from Dee to Wangero. She collects items that Mama and Maggie uses everyday to take with her, and finally tries to take a quilt that has been stitched together by her family for generations. â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker reveals the intracultural class within the Black community as African Americans struggle to piece together the elements of their lives that are both African and American into a cohesive whole. Alice Walker characterizes Dee as an aggressive, confident woman who normally gets what she wants. Mama recalls, â€Å"Dee wanted nice things†¦. She was determined to stare down any disaster in her effort†¦At sixteen she had a style of her own: and knew what style was† (paragraph 12). Dee has ambitions and goals and lets nothing stop her from reaching them. She has her own way of going about things and is determined to get her way no matter what. Highly intelligent and ambitious, Dee goes to school to further her education and to expand her horizon, and, while in college, Dee learns the culture of her people. However, Dee’s intelligence and ambition are characteristics that lead to the conflict in the story because they also reveal Dee’s naivety and the static nature of Walker’s character development. Because she always gets her way, Dee is single minded and does not see the clash she creates between herself and her family members. When she first returns home, she snaps photos of Mama and Maggie sitting on the porch as if they are artifacts of an old way of life, illustrating their setting in an old way of life, and her modern, Afro-centric world. She flaunts her education by reading to Mama and Maggie and gives unnecessary information as if they are dimwits further contrasting herself with her mother and sister, and does not realize the division she is causing. Dee has gotten all that she has wanted; however, her education does not indicate a dynamic development in her character. The level of Dee’s greed and superiority are finally revealed as she tries to take a quilt Mama has promised to Maggie. Dee and Mama argue for a while then Dee claims, â€Å"Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts†¦They’re riceless†¦You just don’t understand†¦Your heritage† (paragraph 66-81). Dee knows the objects are of valuable, so she wants to show them off, in her world, as an example of her coming from nothing to the college educated woman she has become. Walker’s character development allows the setting to show in the contrast of Dee’s world, her stroking hand adorned in bangles as pa rt of her African grab, against the faded much used quilt from Mama and Maggie’s world. Dee believes Mama doesn’t understand her own heritage because the quilt is rare and valuable, and she doesn’t see why Maggie, who doesn’t know how valuable the quilts are and will put it to everyday use, should have them. Even though Dee is gifted and excels in school, she is completely unaware that her true cultural heritage, honor, survival, family and family history, have been passed down through generations. Driven by ego and blinded to the truth, Dee thinks her culture is found in books rather than the stitches of the quilts, the fabric of her mother’s promise to her children. Mama wants to honor her promise to give the quilts to Maggie, and it was Mama who provided Dee with the opportunity to receive an education, â€Å"But that was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school† (paragraph 11). Dee, however, does not realize the history of her culture is not just in the quilts, the items and pictures, but the people that take the knowledge and abilities they learned from their ancestors to provide for the current and next generation; that’s why culture heritage can not be learned in school. On the other hand, Maggie, the sister who does not go to school, is fully aware of her cultural heritage. Maggie, being very family-orientated, reveals the knowledge of her family. Dee asks for the dasher, her friend asks if Uncle Buddy had made it and they both look at Mama for confirmation, but it was Maggie who says, â€Å"Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash†¦His name was Henry, but they called him Stash† (paragraph 52). In recognition of Maggie’s expertise of the family’s history Dee says Maggie has the brain of an elephant; meaning she remembers a lot. Maggie comprehends the family history and can identify what responsibilities people in the family possessed. Mama’s brother-in-law, her sister’s husband, helped Mama’s family by making them a dasher; Walker uses this to illustrate how united their families are because they assist each other when needed. In addition, they gave Mama’s brother-in-law a nickname; nicknames are a sign of affection and Maggie calls him by his nickname which shows their close relationship. Maggie inherited her culture customs. Mama explains, â€Å"She knows she is not bright†¦She will marry John Thomas and then I’ll be free to sit here and I guess just sing church songs to myself† (paragraph 13). Maggie will become like her mom and keep the tradition of the southern black woman because she too is uneducated, will marry, and raise kids. Walker reveals the cultural heritage of southern blacks that they are supposed to get married and raise children. Maggie tells Mama Dee can have the quilt, which was promised to her, and she can remember her grandmother without the quilt. Maggie says, â€Å"She can have them, Mama†¦I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts† (paragraph 74). Then Mama explains, â€Å"It was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught her how to quilt herself. She stood there with her scarred hands hidden in the folds oh her skirt† (paragraph 75). Maggie doesn’t need the quilt to remember her grandmother because she has memories which are more valuable to her than the quilt. The quilt is just a symbol of the memories Maggie had with her grandmother. Grandma Dee and Big Dee taught Maggie the skill of quilting which has been passed down through family generations. This shows the cultural heritage of the family that they are skilled quilt makers. Maggie is very family-orientated she learns the family skill of making quilts, has knowledge of the family tree and its history. Maggie is very close with her family because she calls them by their nicknames and has plenty of memories of the family. She will continue to pass on the culture heritage of the family by marrying, having children, teaching her children how to quilt, and keeping the family close together as did the people before her; she is her family cultural heritage. What makes the story well written is because it reminds people that they are their cultural heritage and that’s not something people can just get from a one dimensional textbook. It shows how two people can be raised by the same mother and have a different view of life, as in they are sisters by blood, grow up in the same house, and be so far apart. There is one sibling, Dee, she has a lot of text book knowledge of her people’s history, but loses touch with her own cultural heritage, and than there is the other sister, Maggie, she has no text book knowledge of her people’s history but is living proof of her people’s history. A great lesson people need to learn because people are losing touch with their family morals and becoming less family orientated, which is weakening a lot of families. United people stand together and divided people falls, which is the key lesson the story, teaches and makes it a well written story because it is able to take something that is happening in real life and reflects it to where an average person can relate.

Choice of Final Products and Ingredients

For my final product I have chosen to make Pork and Apple Turnovers as in Objective three they proved to best meet my specifications and appealed the most to my target audience. In this objective I modified my choice of product and have added more fruit to the final product so as it can best fit with my brief and encourage people to eat more fruit This table on the next page will show the ingredients that I will be using in my final product with reasons why. I have also added a table to show what equipment I will be using and why. Pork sausage meat Apple Onion Plain white flour Margarine Water Salt and pepper This ingredient was for the flavour of my turnover. It created the odour of the final product and gave the appearance of the filling. Adds colour and texture to the product and providing it with a sweet odour. I chose apple as it was a popular fruit for my target group and I need to encourage them to consume more fruit. Adds a contrasting taste to the product and gives the product a better texture. Flour is used in this product to help bulk the mixture and give it texture. This is used as a shortening agent to create the ‘shortcrust pastry'. This particular ingredient will help to make the pastry crisp and crumbly in texture. Water was used in this product to help bind the ingredients together in both the flour and the filling. Used to add flavour to the product which contrasts to that of pork, apple or onion. Basic seasoning. Knife Food processor Bowl Oven Weighing scales Use to accurately cut the apple and onion and ensure pieces are small To ensure the continuity of textures so as the filling has a constant taste with each bite. Used for the mixing of ingredients such as the pastry mixture and the initial mixing of the filling. Used to cook the product at the end of mixing both parts of the making process and once it has all come together. Used so able to accurately weigh out each individual ingredient so as the final outcome is to the best of my potential. Control System for Final Product Control Reason How? Products and ingredients are cooked thoroughly. To ensure the killing of bacteria and to avoid the spoilage of the product and under cooking. Use the timer on the oven face to see accurately how long the product has been cooking for. Look to see if the food is not burnt. Set the ovens to the correct temperature Ensure that all coatings are taken of the sausage meat Plastic is a choking hazard, to ensure quality Look to see if the covering has been completely taken off Ingredients are of the highest quality. To ensure quality and longer shelf-life Buy the ingredients from approved retailers who are well known for their high quality food products, preferably the day before. Check to see that the ingredients are of high quality. Apple and onion chopped to a suitable and uniform size. To ensure constant texture in the product and quality Look and compare chopped pieces Weighing and measuring To ensure that the correct proportions of ingredients are used. Use accurate scales and measuring jug. Cooked and raw meat are kept separate To ensure cross-contamination does not occur. Clean each surface thoroughly after each stage and use clean or different utensils for each stage. Circumference and weight of final product is accurate within each product To ensure equal quality in each product. Measure the circumference and weight accurately No foreign bodies are able to enter the product. To decrease the risk of cross contamination and the growth of bacteria Look to see if any large pieces can be spotted In manufacture packaging is sealed To avoid contamination Spotters on the production line to check for the problems.

The Chocolate War Assignment #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Chocolate War Assignment #2 - Essay Example Surprisingly, Jerry went against the norm of the school, by declining to accomplish the school assignment the way other students did. Those who refused to accomplish such assignments faced serious repercussions. Before Jerry joined the school, other students used to dance to the tunes of The Vigils, since they feared the violent consequences that would erupt. The students, as well as The Vigils and the administration are astonished the moment they realized that Jerry declined to accomplish the assignment. This triggered the long awaited dominant violent act to erupt. Jerry has undergone metamorphosis from being a hero to being an enemy. At first, his fellow students were amazed at his courage to go against The Vigils’ wishes. However, the moment the students realized that Jerry was going to face violent consequences; they abandoned him and went ahead and sold their chocolates. Furthermore, when Jerry was informed that he was to take part in the boxing face-off, his friend, Goober tried to stop him in vain â€Å"Sick. But I just heard about this and I had to come to stop you. For chrissake Jerry, don’t do it.† Jerry went ahead and answered â€Å"I think I can take him, Goob, I really do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Robinette 95). The violence finally exploded at the tail end of the play and Jerry faces serious injury and is taken to

Cigarettes Smoking Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cigarettes Smoking - Coursework Example Smoking cigarettes are harmful and often leads to addiction, which can ultimately lead to death and other health complications. Cigarettes have an addictive element in them known as nicotine and some other flavorful additives, which causes addiction. In the United States, cigarettes account for about 440, 000 deaths annually. There are many causes of smoking, which include, the body needs some nicotine especially in the case of addicts for physical reasons; secondly, for psychological reasons, which is one of the most important factor explaining why people smoke e.g. due to low self-esteem. Either other people get attracted into smoking out of peer pressure especially the youth, or some people develop the habit because they were passive smokers at some point and finally turned into active smokers. Smoking cigarettes cause a number of health problems to the smokers. Firstly, they increase the chances of one developing heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Smoking increases the chances of men suffering from lung cancer by 23 times, while in women it raises the chances by 13 times when compared to non-smokers. In addition, smoking is a slow way of dying because of the harmful effects cigarettes have on the body. Other notable damages smoking has on the body include the effect on the mouth, eyes, stomach and the pancreases and throat. It is estimated that on average smokers in America spend about $1000-$1500 annually in buying cigarettes. Smoking causes weight loss for children born by mothers who are active smokers.

Airline Sales Plunge Blame Low Fares Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Airline Sales Plunge Blame Low Fares - Essay Example Unlike the demand curve, the supply is positively related to the price hence the higher the price, the higher the quantity supplied to the market. At market equilibrium, the quantity demanded is equal to the quantity supplied hence there is absence of excess demand or excess supply in the market (Wessels 28). The quantity demanded is determined by several factors which include the income levels of the consumers, the price of the commodity, the price of related commodities, the future expectations of changes in price and the population. The quantity of commodity supplied in the market is determined by the price of the commodity, technology and the prices of inputs of production. The supply is also determined by subsidies and government taxation (Wessels 58). This paper will discuss the airline sales plunge which may have been blamed on the low fares. The paper will examine the effect of the recession on the airline industry. Research questions and methodology The paper will answer the questions on what were the causes of decrease in the quantity demanded of airline tickets. The paper will also answer the question on the effect of the fares charged on the cost or price which was actually paid by passengers. The paper will review articles on the impact of low fares on profitability of Airline industry during the recession. The airline passenger sales revenues declined by 19 percent in September year-to-year which was not attributed to lack of business but the low passenger prices for the fares. The number of passengers who travelled during the period also declined slightly by 2 percent according to the Air transport association while the average price per one mile of flying declined substantially by 18 percent (Smith 2). The scenario can be explained by the low demand in the airline industry. The fees which started to be charged on services which came free initially include the checked baggage fee, pet travel, non-alcoholic drinks and food. The extra fee accumulat ed to $ 1.15 in 2009.bsome of the major carriers like U.S Airways, Delta Airlines and Continental Airlines gained about $ 10 surcharge revenues for holiday travels while maintaining their normal fares. The decline in Airline industry profitability was also affected by the increasing prices of crude oil (Smith 2). The decline in the quantity demanded of the Airline industry fares during the recession can be attributed to the decline in consumer income levels. A reduction in the income levels would lead to reduction in the quantity of goods demanded especially goods which are not basic. The recession led to decrease in the number of tourism travels and other leisure related travel hence the Airline industry had to lower their prices in order to attract and retain customers during the recession. The low fares partly attracted demand since the passenger volumes fell by 2 percent but it negatively affected business profitability since prices of inputs like crude oil increased. The prices of other related transport services like ship transport did not increase hence the airline industry had to lower their prices so as to maintain their customer base (Smith 4). The recession negatively affected the global economic and business environment whereby major multi-national companies scaled down their operations hence the volumes

WalMart Strategic Audit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

WalMart Strategic Audit - Essay Example b. Top Management III. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: a In order to analyze the strategic situation first of all SWOT analysis have been under taken, which I have presented as under: SWOT Analysis of the Wal-Mart Company STRENGTHS Strong Brand name. Extended customer in more than 200 countries. Use of SAP R/3 Enterprise Resource planning software Low threat of new entrants. Continuous training programs for employees. High budgets of advertising and promotion. Good relations with media. Web based presence. WEAKNESSES Subsidiaries create legal and territorial problems. Lack of funds for regional suppliers to continue expansion Old image still exists. Inconsistent marketing message. OPPORTUNITIES Expansion in shape of introduction of new and innovative products. Expanding market due to globalization. THREATS Current economic climate. Results to be achieved in future can be less than projected "The Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths (TOWS) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: So Strategies, WO strategies, ST Strategies, and WT Strategies. SO strategies use a firm's internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities. WO Strategies aim at improving internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. ST Strategies use a firm's strengths to avoid or reduce the impact of external threats. WT Strategies are defensive tactics directed at reducing internal weaknesses and avoiding environmental threats." (David, 180-181) SWOT Matrix: External Opportunities (O) 1. Double-digit growth rate in retail market in Central and North Europe. 2. Consumption of 70 cans per capita annually. External Threats (T) 1. Moderate threat of substitutes. 2. Competitors have gained...(P.454) The process of strategic management has proven to be the force of providing financial benefits for the organizations. In The Balanced Scorecard, Kaplan and Norton provided managers a framework to measure organizational performance from four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business processes, and learning and growth. While organizations worked to implement their own strategy for using balanced measures, Kaplan and Norton discovered a consistent pattern for achieving strategic focus and alignment." (Kaplan & Norton) "The Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths (TOWS) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: So Strategies, WO strategies, ST Strategies, and WT Strategies. 6. Wal-Mart is one of the many organizations that use SAP R/3 Enterprise Resource planning software. This software allows all members of the Wal-Mart organization to access the information at anytime where ever they are in the world." (The geographic view of Wal-Mart can be label as global) * "The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix is another important stage 2 matching tool with four-quadrant framework indicates whether aggressive, conservative, defensive, or competitive strategies are most appropriate for a given organization.

Enterprise infrastructure and Cloud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Enterprise infrastructure and Cloud - Essay Example The two types are available in three computing platforms which include SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. TRU should choose IaaS out of the three available platforms. Cloud computing is a distributed computing system that makes information technology services available on remote computers. Internet based service providers offer cloud computing. Some of the services offered include data storage, processing, applications, and software. Organizations using cloud services can improve their efficiency and can also respond quickly to customers’ demands. Private cloud computing is owned and operated by a single organization. The organization itself can either manage or hire a third party to do the management on its behalf. The organization can also set up a private cloud within its premises or in some other place. Community cloud computing system is shared by several organizations. The organizations using the shared infrastructure have common concerns such as policy, security requirements, mission, or even particular compliance. The organizations can jointly manage the infrastructure or higher a third party. The facility may also exist within or outside the premises of the organizations (Radack). Hybrid cloud consists of at least two cloud services such as public, private or community. The various cloud services grouped together remain separate entities, but applications and data are portable (Radack). Software as a Service (SaaS) involves organizations renting cloud applications from service providers. The consumers can access the cloud services through applications such as web browsers. In such a computing platform, the service provider manages the entire cloud infrastructure. The consumers, thus, cannot control the operating systems, applications, networks and storage. In such a system, the service provider can easily integrate new system functionality. The consumers also benefit by running the same software version (Sareen, 533). Platform as a

Case Study-Apple in 2010 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

-Apple in 2010 - Case Study Example By 2004 the firm held a 70% market share in the digital music industry. The success of the iPod helped build the brand value of the company. The popularity of the brand helped the company revive its computer business. In 2005 the firm held a market share of 4% in the computer business which was a tremendous feat considering the firm had less than a one percent share a few years earlier. The transformation of Apple helped the firm visualize opportunities in other markets such as the cellular industry. In 2007 Apple released a product that changed the cellular industry. The iPhone was the first smartphone. Steve Job’s leadership was critical to the success of the company. He pushed his engineers and staff to provide innovative ideas. He also had the foresight of getting rid of unprofitable business segments and divisions. The firm had great leadership which motivated the employees to achieve their potential. The COO of the company, Tim Cook, was also instrumental in the success of the company. Apple Computers adapted well to market changes. The firm realized that the success of the company relied on the ability of the firm to look beyond the computer sector for sales. During the 21st century the generic strategy of the company evolved and the firm started utilizing a diversification strategy. â€Å"Diversification growth makes sense when good opportunities can be found outside the present businesses† (Kotler, 2003, pg. 101). The three main business segments Apple penetrated are the computer industry, cellular products, and music media players. The computer industry in 2009 was consolidated with five vendors accounting for 78.5% of the U.S. shipments and 60.3% of the sales worldwide (Marino & Gamble, 2010). The recession of 2008-2009 slowed down the growth in sales and negatively impacted the prices of computers. By the second quarter of 2010 industry sales rose once again experiencing a growth of over 20%. A tendency among computer users was replaci ng desktop computers with laptops and notebooks. As of 2010 Apple despite the fact that a growing number of its sales came from non-computer products considered the computer division its core business. The Mac product line differentiated itself from the competition due its superb quality, superior operating system and graphic interface. The market share of the company jumped from 4% in 2005 to 8% by 2009. The firm benefited from a halo effect of users of iPod and iPhone wanting a computer product from the same brand. The computer product offering of the company included the Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini. The notebook offering of Apple was composed of the MacBook Pro, MacBook, and the MacBook Air. The most recent innovation to the Apple line of computer products was the MacBook Air. This notebook targeted customers that seek durability and portability. The computer was designed to have a height of 0.76 inches when closed and it weighted only three pounds. All Apple desktop and notebook products were priced at a premium. This strategy helped boost the profitability of the company. Due to the fact that Apple no longer depended solely on computer sales the strategy worked better than in the past. In order to boost the demand for its computer products the company implemented a 10% or more discount on all its computer products in June of 2009. The law of supply and demand states that a decrease in price will

Online Sexual Predators Essay Example for Free

Online Sexual Predators Essay The Internet has brought a wealth of convenience and benefit to its users. Among its users though sexual predators and pedophiles that pose a very real threat to children particularly those who have unsupervised Internet usage. In addition to laws directed at protecting people from sexual predators, various taskforces from the local police to international level have been formed to deal with this rising problem. However, with every arrest made, there are new perpetrators and pornography rings to take their place. Parents are advised to keep vigilant and monitor the Internet usage of their children. People are also reminded that predators are not as easily recognizable and avoided as they may think. Online Predators: The Pedophiles Convenience and comfort†¦ These are just two things that the Internet has brought to todays modern lives. With just the click of a mouse, one can complete bank transactions, order groceries, download the latest music, connect with friends and business contacts and do all the research they need for school, work and personal use right from the comfort of their own homes. More and more people have come to depend on the Internet for most everything they do. In 2003 alone, estimates of Internet users peg about 56% of the American population as regular users of the Internet (Metzger Docter, 2003) and the numbers keep rising. The Internet has made life, work and education so convenient for quite a large number of people. Unfortunately, numbered among these people are those who utilize the Internet for more sinister and evil purposes †¦the Internet sexual predators and pedophiles. A pedophile is an adult who displays sexual preference for pre-pubescent children from age 13 and younger (Pedophilia, 2004). Sexual fantasies, fondling, sexual contact and collecting pornographic material featuring children are just a few ways pedophiles satisfy their sexual urges. While some pedophiles are content with just collecting and fantasizing with child pornography, some choose to indulge their fantasies and urges in a more serious and dangerous way. (Taylor and Quayle, 2003. p 75) For pedophiles, the Internet has become a virtual community where they can share tips, photos and videos with other pedophiles. The Internet also affords pedophiles and other sexual predators the chance to access online chat rooms and web groups that are frequented by children, teenagers, and other possible victims (Mahoney and Faulkner, 1997). The anonymity that the Internet offers its users veils the true nature and identity of the pedophile as they pretend to be children chatting up other unknowing children. An estimated 25-50% of these have already committed sexual acts with minors (Morgan, 2006. p53). Donna Rice Hughes, author of Kids Online and senior adviser to the web site Familyclick. com says that while most parents express concern about the openness of the Internet and may have an idea of the risks associated with online access, most are not aware of the degree of severity Internet threats can be for unmonitored children (Edwards, 2000. p14). Children can easily be exposed to pornographic material, not to mention be in actual contact with pedophiles through online chat rooms, peer support groups, and messaging systems (p. 14). Lt. Mike Harmony of the Bedford County Sherriffs office and member of Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, one of the nations leading task forces on crimes against children says: The exploitation of children on the Internet is a huge and growing problem. The public just doesnt realize how bad it is, (Blue Ridge Team Nabs 2002, B01) Lt. Harmony was part of the team that handled the case of a 13-year old girl whose former boyfriend pasted her picture onto a picture of a naked woman and posted it online along with her address and phone number. This attracted calls from several pornographers and pedophiles including one who threatened to come to her home and hurt her entire family if she didnt come out of state to make a home movie. Nowadays, there is a growing awareness of the very real threat that the Internet brings in the person of online predators such as pedophiles. According to an article that appeared in the August 2006 issue of Readers Digest, 1 in 5 children in computer chat rooms are engaged in conversation by a child sex abuser. Among minors between the ages of 8 to 18, 1 in 8 discover that the person they were chatting with online was an adult pretending to be much younger (Morgan, 2006. p51-52) Law enforcement groups in each state has started building up teams and file sharing systems specifically for the purpose of tracking and catching pedophiles and child pornographers. Even agencies such as the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping out by setting up a database of images of those they can prove are real children (Ryan, 2004. p1). In 2004, graphic artist and child pornographer Robert Earl Smith of Eugene, Oregon was sentenced to more than 53 years in prison after pleading guilty to 42 charges including first-degree sexual abuse and sodomy involving an infant who was less than a year old (Pedophile Gets Maximum Term, 2004, p. d1). Presented as evidence against Smith were a collection of email messages he exchanged with an undercover investigator who posed as another pedophile. Smith came to the authorities attention after police in Knoxville, Tennessee were able to trace child pornography on the Internet back to Smith. A search of Smiths home revealed explicit photographs showing Smith having sex with a very young girl that were also uploaded on the Internet. At the trial, Deputy Lane County District Attorney Debra Vogt detailed how Smith encouraged the undercover investigator to abuse young children even saying how he himself abuses very young children because they cant tell on him (p. d1) Smiths defense lawyer John Halpern blamed Smiths weakening and eventual pedophilia to the wealth and accessibility of child pornography on the Internet. He further stated that prior to the Internet, Smith could not so easily have yielded to any weakness for child pornography that he might have. (p. d1) The judge in the case however didnt buy the defense. What the Law has to Say: State law enforcement units as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have each put in place their own task forces and programs in dealing with online predators and pedophiles. The Department of Homeland Securitys Operation Predator alone racked up 59 arrests for child pornography in Illinois, and 17 convictions in 2004. Among those that the Operation has been able to bring to justice were Barrington swim coach Joshua Delcore; John Roth, Carys village attorney; and Lawrence Swager, a swim coach and tutor for learning-disabled students at a Crystal Lake high school (Ryan, 2004, p. 1). Since they started operations in 1996, the FBIs Innocent Images Task Force have also had chalked up an average of 20 arrests per year with the numbers continually rising according to FBI special agent Ross Rice. Among those they have arrested was Scott Wolfers, a police officer in Aurora, Illinois who was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography (p. 1).

Politics Essays Media Political Protest

Politics Essays Media Political Protest Media Political Protest Politics And The Media Critically consider mainstream New’s treatment of political protest and new social movements. The late 1950’s and early 1960’s brought about political protests and social movements like no other, with martin Luther kings American civil rights movement being remembered as on of the most famous and successful social movements in history. The American civil rights movement gained a considerable amount of coverage from mainstream media resulting in people being largely familiar with the movement and its success. It was then clear that there had always been a dynamic relation between mainstream media, political protests, and new social movements. From the 1960’s onwards sociologists had began to study the theory around social movements and had developed many ideas and research on the relationship between mass media, protests, and movements. When faced with a question such as one discussing mainstream news media, protests and new social movements one would have to define those concepts in order to take into consideration their significance of each other. Mainstream media has always been designed to reach to an extremely large audience across a limitless geographic, it is popularly circulated information distributed by newspapers, television, radio, and magazines. Political protest or protests in general are a form of activism that involves individuals marching, demonstrating, for or against a political policy, action, or legislation. In protesting it is seen as a way of voicing opinion to further change a concept whether to influence public opinion or government policy. And finally new social movements are usually made up of groups of individuals or organisations that focus on certain social or political issues in order to influence social change, weather to cause, prevent or reform social change. The notion (new) social movement was given as they have only been largely recognised since the 1960’s. Diana,(1992) cited in ‘culture and politics in the information age’ byFrank Webster states that a way in which we could see social movements is: ‘A network of informal relationships between a multiplicity of individuals and organisations, who share a distinctive collective identity, mobilise resources on capital issues’. Most critics would agree that the relationship between mainstream media, social movements, and political protests is vital; however their relationship has never been easy and is still considered as difficult by many critics. Social movements need mainstream media for exposure in order to expand and become recognised on behalf of their cause. In some respects the media also needs social movements as a vital news source and it is not surprising that both would exceed to reach their goals as it is apart of their nature and they must exceed to survive. However despite the fact that social movements seem to be useful for the media and are considered to be vital or important to the political landscape, with their ability to intercede with political elites and citizens, it seems that they have a disadvantage compared to mainstream media. As mainstream media have an advantage and the upper hand over social movements. This is elaborated upon by Gamson Wolsfeild, (1993) cited in ‘Media society’’. They state that social movements need the mass media more than the mass media needs them, in publicizing their activities, mainstream media needs to cover social movements so that; they could gain support, validation as a major/important political players, and maximise the attention of spotlight of conflict to attract mediators or potential allies. On the contrary the media have alternatives to having social movements or protestors as a news source. This does not seem to be the only disadvantage movements have with the media. It is argued that political protests and new social movements are covered in a negative light the majority of time. Gamson’s The strategy of social protests cited in ‘socail movements’ states his study that found that groups were more likely to be successful if they were: ‘based on one issue, used violence, disruptive tactics, selective incentrees, and came from a centralized, in factionalized and bureaucratized organisation.’ However this would lead one to think that the coverage of a violent or disruptive protest would be extremely negative as even a non-violent protest gains a negative and violent label under mainstream Media’s coverage the majority of the time critics would argue. This is proven with actual studies such as Halloran’s study. Halloran et al, (1970) studied protestor’s portrayal in the media with focus on the protest against the Vietnam War, he discovered that although it was a predominantly peaceful protest media portrayal of the protest was not positive and conveyed it as violent. This was only one of many studies that revealed similar finding. Another study by Chan Lee, (1984) on the protests had found that the protestor’s weather being violent or non violent, un-peaceful, or peaceful were represented as being ‘the other’ or in a ‘them vs. us’ notion. However in some cases when protestors are not seen as extremely deviant and questioning of the ‘status quo’ they are sometimes covered in a fair light one example of this could be the stop the war coalition in 2003 against the Iraq war, The media can use this frame however more then often chooses not to. There are two main attributes that influence a social movement or a protest being covered. these are the extent to which the movement is ‘extreme’ i.e. challenging in terms of questioning the status quo and how ‘militant’ they are in their tactics McLeod Hertog, (1999) cited in ‘Manufacturing policies: the media’s role in the policy making process’ state that the more militant a social movement is the more negative and ‘critical’ the media coverage. In talking of the word militant one means how much a socail movement is how radical and milantly tactical a movement is. In general the idea is that protestors are more likely to be portrayed as deviant members of society rather than individuals who have a right to voice their opinions The treatment of social movements has not been all that better either some have been covered in a positive light i.e. the civil rights movement, however most would argue that for that past few decades social movements have not been particularly prioritised or covered in a totally positive light either some sociologists such as Marxists would argue that social movements are not covered as it is another way for the ruling elites to keep in control of their social and economical status above the masses and that social movements should be able to vocalise their causes and be recognised. ‘The modern media have become central to the life and death of social movements’.There have been many sociological theories upon the treatment of new social movements by the media. Many critics reemphasise the fact that the media is important for social movements, in particular Kelbowiz and Scherer (1988:72) cited in ‘Frames of protest: social movements and framing perpective’ state that: In some instances, social movements have to compete to legitimize their status and be recognised in the media. Givevitch Lay, (1985) cited in ‘frames of protest’ states that in contemporary societies societal groups such as social movements and ideologies compete for the definition and construction of social reality within the media. It is evident that it is more of a struggle for social movements to gain coverage let alone positive coverage; it is also evident that governmental organisations are far more likely to gain coverage easier and faster. One reason for this is that they are seen as a vital and official news source and that they are very much legislatively based. This is something that the media look to cover as the general population are concerned with and have interest in this aspect this is summarised by the following quote from sociologists who studied movement struggles compared to political organisations ‘In terms of access struggle, institutional sources and political authorities have an ‘increased upper hand or advantage as they are considered as strong news sources’ (White 1950; Galtung and Ruge 1965: Shoemaker 1991). Social movements are coming against a hard opposition which includes collective actors such as counter movements, the state, and the media placing them in a ‘struggle for cultural supremacy’ Tarrow, (1998). social movements struggle includes not one but two battles, the first one being determining mainstream media coverage and the second being the way in which the social movement and the story is formed. This is called framing, Framing is the way in which a story is covered or the way in which it is portrayed in the media. It also means the extent the frame and the interpretation of the movement has been taken over by the media and how favourable the journalistic description bias is. (McCarthy et al 1998, smith et al (2001) cited in ‘frames of protest’ sate that it is regarded as difficult for movements to both gain coverage and do so under an ideal. One concept that is seen as important for mainstream media is news value, social movements and political protest must offer high news value to be covered or framed righteously. They must be able to attain public interest and attention in order for the story to sell. This is because some aspects of journalism mainstream media in particular has become increasingly commercialised today and is more dependant on sales. Herman Chomsky, (1988) carried out research and came up with the propaganda model which consists of five filters that social movements or protest must survive in order to be covered. These include 1) the size, ownership, and profit the media could make from the story 2) advertising 3) sourcing 4) criticism and 5) anti-communist ideology, i.e. keeping the power in the hands of elites and serving their interests. This is seen as a way of emphasising news value and reinforcing authority by some marxist critics. Consecutive to the propaganda model, a lot of research was done into news selection, and it is evident that there is a lot of research indicating that the main priority for media institutions is profit and audience interest. Meyer, (2002) states that there is another filter which is called the rules of stage-managing which (as mentioned before) he says is based on how much the news can attract audience attention. The fact that it is difficult for social movements or protests to obtain coverage means that they have to think of other ways of obtaining coverage one example is through emotion management which includes using concepts that would encourage sympathetic feelings for example sadness. An example of this would be using pictures of victims of hurricane Katrina in 2006 or pictures of children affected by the Iraq war. This is just one of the concepts social movements have to use to gain media interest. Movements and political protestors have to develop all kinds of media strategies such as adopt public relations techniques and strategies to bypass the medias selection bias (Olivier Maney 2000: McCarthy et al. 1998; smith et al.2001; Miphial Schiveingraber 1998) ‘An effective media strategy requires – at least to some extent –a willingness to cater to the often warped priorities and short attention span of the news media’Despite what critics say about social movements having to change their techniques and this being bad, Salzman, (1998:3) in the media handbook for activists cited in ‘Media Society’ says: It is not only Salzman who comments on this, others feel that if social movements adopt proactive planning despite the fact it may alter movement messages, it could lead to favourable media coverage. Therefore sacrifices to social movement messages suggest that all in all the media wins and gains more based on what it needs. It also suggests that general consensus is important when trying to obtain coverage. However one concept that has helped social movement organisations or political protestor activists is of course (the World Wide Web). With independent media sites such as ‘Indymedia’ and ‘Schnews’, it has given social movements and activists the chance to function through the web enabling them to write their own journalistic stories and publicize their movements, beliefs, and causes with the possibility of more visitors every day. These internet sites also most productively enable social movements to be Trans global news sites, as people around the world can have access to their information mediums at the click of a button. Earl Schussman, (2003) cited in ‘Social movements and internetdiscourse’ state that the internet is incredibly useful to movements or activists organisations who want to log on to the web and publicize things such as protest information, they say that in general the internet can be seen as an ‘organisational tool’ for individuals optimistic for social change. Some critics feel that the internet has the ability to excel past mainstream media outlets and centered hierarchical forms of organisations Castello, (2000) says: ‘the net gives networks the capacity to decentralise and adapt the execution of tasks while coordinating purpose and decision.’ The more movements and political protestors go online the more sociologists studying them follow them up and theorise their activities. Almeida and Lichbach, (2003) cited in ‘social movements and internet discourse’ did a study comparing four mainstream media sources with activist based internet data in both their coverage of the anti WTO protests in late 1999. They found that activist based websites had reported a higher number of international protests then mainstream media; they also found that they were less influenced by intense concepts such as large numbers of participants or violence etc then the main media outlets. However they also found some limitations into the activist based websites which includes the variability of content and the necessity to confirm and legitimize occurrences. Therefore there are issues that suggest that while the internet is extremely useful for new social movements and political protests it also has its negatives. Another issue would be that people tend to get enough information from mainstream media outlets and tend not to look to other places for more information. Conclusion In general despite some social and political protest success stories with the media it is evident that mainstream news of political protests and social movements have not been completely positive within the few decades. Parati, (1986) cited in ‘media society’ once said in summary: ‘ discrediting techniques used by the media include down playing content in favour of emphasising the spectacle of an event, painting demonstrators as deviant and portraying under representative balance to a tiny number of counter parts, and undercounting the attendance at demonstrations’ have all determined negative coverage. Because of this it would be impracticable to say that all new social movements and protests could be covered more, or that they could be portrayed in a positive light from today onwards, it is evident the more movements and activists in general questions the status quo the less likely it will gain coverage or positive portrayal (framing). Mainstream media and political protests/social movements have always had a less then easy relationship despite the notion of freedom of speech being denoted in the western world. Marxists socialists critics would argue that one way that movements and activists would be able to voice their opinion more within mainstream media would be that they could fight against it and insist on a media reform i.e. a reconsideration of the way the media is conducted and the stories it publishes resulting in it being mandatory that new social movements and protestors capitalist or communists, right wing or left wing (aimed at positive social change) be recognised. Although un-likely this would enable movements to avoid adopting other messages or techniques to fit media needs. Hackett Carroll, (2004) state that it is about: ‘time for social movements to take collective action. To start with democratic media reform needs to be recast as an end in itself a public good not simply a means by which each movement can get its message out. This suggests that while it seems that mainstream media treatment of social movements and protest is not very positive or accepting, many critics feel that social movements and protests should be made known in the interest of ‘public good’ in order for people to be able to voice more opinions freely and create better chance of realizing Habermas’ concept of the public sphere. In terms of the internet, for activists websites to be more successful as a major information source and to be looked upon as much as mainstream media outlets, more money would have to be invested in them to ensure information is official and promotion ca be maximised. 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