Seamus Heaney`S Digging Essays (1380 words) - Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney`S Digging The Modernist theme of mechanization, brought on by the beginning of World War I and the technological revolution of the era, manifests itself powerfully and completely in the language of Seamus Heaneys first poem, Digging. From various literary devices, as well as graphic imagery the mechanization of the human spirit comes to life in the form of his father, and grandfather. The past and present become one, with the common bond the honest work of the Irish poor. In his own way, and with his own pen, Heaney develops the idea of mechanized men who, through the drudgery and repetition of their lives, create a life for them and their families, taking pride in their work, and acceptance of their fate. He develops seamlessly the idea of a man-machine, a hybrid of automation and human, married by toil and tool. Likewise, Heaney writes this as a way to tie himself to his ancestors in the British Isles, illustrating the power that they wielded with shovel and sweat, making their contribution no less enlightened than his own. In his first poem, Heaney develops the image of mechanization and automation that follows the poor of his country, through graphic imagery, sound, and literary mastery. Heaneys imagery throughout the poem echoes the automation of the workers, illustrating the type of work that they do as something that could be done by machinery. Titling the piece Digging immediately highlights for the reader the verbal connotation of the work, and puts the theme of work, and of manual labor into the limelight. As well, Heaneys use of the word gun to describe his squat pen in line 2 places the emphasis on machinery allowing a comparison of the human condition to present technology. This theme continues throughout the poem, as Heaney likens his fathers act of digging to that of a machine, as his father nestled on the lug, the shaft/Against the inside knee was levered firmly. (ll.10-11) These words take the labor out of the realm of man, by using mechanical terms to d escribe the marriage of shovel and man, creating an altogether different image of a type of robot tearing up sod. While he describes this straining rump, Heaney takes this man out of the realm of men, and into a realm of manufactured workers, a realm of repetition, a realm of stooping workers, their humanity set aside to finish the job at hand. However, while Heaney describes the toil of his father, he also ties it to the alike labor of a past generation, namely his grandfathers, used to nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods/Over his shoulder.(22-23) This juxtaposition of past and present illustrates the monotony of the work involved, and how things take time to change. Heaney creates the transition between his father and grandfather in a two-line stanza that highlights the pride of these men, and how their automation gave cause for praise from their descendant, Heaney. Their legacy of hard work, however mechanized, illustrates the value placed on labor in their society. While He aney creates the idea of men-machines through visual images and parts, he also creates a very auditory world, one that echoes the act of a factory, or a piece of farm machinery. From the first stanza, with its clean rasping sound, the readers ear can almost hear the whir of a lawn mower, or something of that nature, cutting and slicing. (3) The rhythm of Heaneys fathers digging highlights the monotony of the act, the incessant meter of his practiced spade. This coincides with the sounds in the prior stanza, as the authors first recollection is an auditory one. Later in the poem, the squelch and slap/Of soggy peat, continues the idea of a machine chugging away at the turf, creating again the essence of a machine oblivious to the conditions of the work men. (25-26) Heaneys workers are extremely vivid, both physically and mentally, even after so many years, and the trials and hardships that they endure, day in and day out, add to the essence of their existence, one that lends acceptanc e to the fact that they are somewhat more than men, that their labor, however menial, is somewhat mechanized, somewhat heroic, and

See a Timeline of Gun Control in the United States

See a Timeline of Gun Control in the United States The gun control debate in the United States goes back to the nations founding, when the framers of the Constitution first wrote the Second Amendment, allowing private citizens to keep and bear arms. Gun control became a much bigger topic shortly after the November 22, 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedys death increased public awareness of the relative lack of control over the sale and possession of firearms in America. Until 1968, handguns, rifles, shotguns, and ammunition were commonly sold over the counter and through mail-order catalogs and magazines to just about any adult anywhere in the nation. However, Americas history of federal and state laws regulating private ownership of firearms goes back much farther. 1791 The Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, gains final ratification. The Second Amendment reads: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. 1837 Georgia passes a law banning handguns. The law is ruled unconstitutional by the  U.S. Supreme Court  and is thrown out. 1865 In a reaction to emancipation, several southern states adopt black codes which, among other things, forbid black persons from possessing firearms. 1871 The National Rifle Association (NRA) is organized around its primary goal of improving American civilians marksmanship in preparation for war. 1927 The  U.S. Congress  passes a law banning the mailing of concealable weapons. 1934 The  National Firearms Act of 1934, regulating the manufacture, sale and possession of fully automatic firearms like sub-machine guns is approved by Congress. 1938 The  Federal Firearms Act of 1938  places the first limitations on selling ordinary firearms. Persons selling guns are required to obtain a  Federal Firearms License, at an annual cost of $1, and to maintain records of the name and address of persons to whom firearms are sold. Gun sales to persons convicted of violent felonies were prohibited. 1968 The  Gun Control Act of 1968  is enacted for the purpose of â€Å"keeping firearms out of the hands of those not legally entitled to possess them because of age, criminal background, or incompetence.† The act regulates imported guns, expands the gun-dealer licensing and record-keeping requirements, and places specific limitations on the sale of handguns. The list of persons banned from buying guns is expanded to include persons convicted of any non-business related felony, persons found to be mentally incompetent, and users of illegal drugs. 1972 The federal  Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms  (ATF) is created, listing as part of its mission the control of illegal use and sale of firearms and the enforcement of Federal firearms laws. The ATF issues firearms licenses and conducts firearms licensee qualification and compliance inspections. 1977 The District of Columbia enacts an anti-handgun law which also requires registration of all rifles and shotguns within the District of Columbia. 1986 The  Armed Career Criminal Act  increases penalties for possession of firearms by persons not qualified to own them under the Gun Control Act of 1986. The Firearms Owners Protection Act (Public Law 99-308) relaxes some restrictions on gun and ammunition sales and establishes mandatory penalties for use of firearms during the commission of a crime. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act (Public Law 99-408) bans possession of cop killer bullets capable of penetrating bulletproof clothing. 1988 President Ronald Reagan signs the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, making it illegal to manufacture, import, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive any firearm that is not as detectable by walk-through metal detectors. The law prohibited guns not containing enough metal to trigger security screening machines found in airports, courthouses and other secure areas accessible to the public. 1989 California bans the possession of semiautomatic assault weapons following the massacre of five children on a Stockton, Calif., school playground. 1990 The Crime Control Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-647) bans the manufacturing and importing semiautomatic assault weapons in the United States. Gun-free school zones are established, carrying specific penalties for violations. 1994 The  Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act  imposes a five-day waiting period on the purchase of a handgun and requires that local law enforcement agencies conduct background checks on purchasers of handguns. The  Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994  prohibits the sale, manufacture, importation, or possession of several specific types of assault-type weapons for a 10-year period. However, the law expires on September 13, 2004, after Congress fails to reauthorize it. 1997 The U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of  Printz v. United States, declares the background check requirement of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court upholds a jurys $11.5 million verdict against Kmart for selling a gun to an intoxicated man who used the gun to shoot his estranged girlfriend. Major American gun manufacturers voluntarily agree to include child safety trigger devices on all new handguns. June 1998 A Justice Department report indicates the blocking of some 69,000 handgun sales during 1997 when the Brady Bill pre-sale background checks were required. July 1998 An amendment requiring a trigger lock mechanism to be included with every handgun sold in the United States is defeated in the Senate. But the Senate approves an amendment requiring gun dealers to have trigger locks available for sale and creating federal grants for gun safety and education programs. October 1998 New Orleans becomes the first U.S. city to file suit against gunmakers, firearms trade associations, and gun dealers. The citys suit seeks recovery of costs attributed to gun-related violence. Nov. 12, 1998 Chicago files a $433 million suit against local gun dealers and makers alleging that oversupplying local markets provided guns to criminals. Nov. 17, 1998 A negligence suit against gunmaker Beretta brought by the family of a 14-year-old boy killed by another boy with a Beretta handgun is dismissed by a California jury. Nov. 30, 1998 Permanent provisions of the Brady Act go into effect. Gun dealers are now required to initiate a pre-sale criminal background check of all gun buyers through the newly created  National Instant Criminal Background Check  (NICS) computer system. Dec. 1, 1998 The NRA files suit in federal court attempting to block the FBIs collection of information on firearm buyers. Dec. 5, 1998 President  Bill Clinton  announces that the instant background check system had prevented 400,000 illegal gun purchases. The claim was called misleading by the NRA. January 1999 Civil suits against gunmakers seeking to recover costs of gun-related violence were filed in Bridgeport, Conn., and Miami-Dade County, Fla. April 20, 1999 At Columbine High School near Denver, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shoot and kill 12 other students and a teacher, and wound 24 others before killing themselves. The attack renews debate on the need for more restrictive gun control laws. May 20, 1999 By a 51-50 vote, with the tie-breaker vote cast by  Vice President  Al Gore, the  U.S. Senate  passes a bill requiring trigger locks on all newly manufactured handguns and extending waiting period and background check requirements to sales of firearms at gun shows. Aug. 24, 1999 The Los Angeles County, Calif., Board of Supervisors votes 3-2 to ban the Great Western Gun Show, billed as the Worlds Largest Gun Show from the Pomona fairgrounds where it had been held for the last 30 years. Sept. 13, 2004 After lengthy and heated debate, Congress allows the 10-year-old Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 banning the sale of 19 types of military-style assault weapons to expire. December 2004 Congress fails to continue funding for President  George W. Bush’s  2001 gun control program,  Project Safe Neighborhoods. Massachusetts becomes the first state to implement an electronic instant gun buyer background check system with fingerprint scanning for gun licenses and gun purchases. January 2005 California bans the manufacture, sale, distribution or import of the powerful .50-caliber BMG, or Browning machine gun rifle. October 2005 President Bush signs the  Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act  limiting the ability of victims of crimes in which guns were used to sue firearms manufacturers and dealers. The law includes an amendment requiring all new guns to come with trigger locks. January 2008 In a move supported by both opponents and advocates of gun control laws, President Bush signs the  National Instant Criminal Background Check Improvement Act  requiring gun-buyer background checks to screen for legally declared mentally ill individuals, who are ineligible to buy firearms. June 26, 2008 In its landmark decision in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment affirmed the rights of individuals to own firearms. The ruling also overturns a 32-year-old ban on the sale or possession of handguns in the District of Columbia. February 2010 A federal law signed by President  Barack Obama  took effect allowing licensed gun owners to bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law. Dec. 9, 2013 The Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988, requiring that all guns must contain enough metal to be detectable by security screening machines was extended through 2035. July 29, 2015 In an effort to close the so-called â€Å"gun show loophole† allowing gun sales conducted without Brady Act background checks, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) introduces the  Fix Gun Checks Act of 2015  (H.R. 3411), to require background checks for all gun sales, including sales made over the internet and at gun shows. June 12, 2016 President Obama again calls on Congress to enact or renew a law prohibiting the sale and possession of assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines after a man identified as Omar Mateen kills 49 people in an Orlando, Fla., gay nightclub on June 12, using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. In a call to 911 he made during the attack, Mateen told police he had pledged his allegiance to the radical Islamic terrorist group ISIS. September 2017 A bill titled â€Å"Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act,† or SHARE Act (H.R. 2406) advances to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. While the main purpose of the bill is to expand access to public land for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, a provision added by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) called The Hearing Protection Act would reduce the current federal restrictions on purchasing firearm silencers, or suppressors. Currently, the restrictions on silencer purchases are similar to those for machine guns, including extensive background checks, waiting periods, and transfer taxes. Duncan’s provision would eliminate those restrictions. Backers of Duncan’s provision argue that it would help recreational hunters and shooters protect themselves from hearing loss. Opponents say it would make it harder for police and civilians to locate the source of gunfire, potentially resulting in more casualties. Witnesses to the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, reported that the gunfire coming from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Resort sounded like â€Å"popping† that was at first mistaken as fireworks. Many argue that the inability to hear the gunshots made the shooting even more deadly. Oct. 1, 2017 Barely over a year after the Orlando shooting, a man identified as Stephen Craig Paddock opens fire on an outdoor music festival in Las Vegas. Shooting from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, Paddock kills at least 59 people and wounds more than 500 others.   Among the at least 23 firearms found in Paddock’s room were legally-purchased, semi-automatic AR-15 rifles which had been fitted with commercially-available accessories known as â€Å"bump stocks,† which allow semi-automatic rifles to be fired as if in fully-automatic mode of up to nine rounds per second. Under a law enacted in 2010, bump stocks are treated as legal, after-market accessories. In the aftermath of the incident, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for laws specifically banning bump stocks, while others have also called for a renewal of the assault weapons ban. Oct. 4, 2017 Less than a week after the Las Vegas shooting, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduces the â€Å"Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act† that would ban the sale and possession of bump stocks and other devices that allow a semiautomatic weapon to fire like a fully-automatic weapon. The bill states: â€Å"It shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a trigger crank, a bump-fire device or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun.† Oct. 5, 2017 Sen. Feinstein introduces the  Background Check Completion Act. Feinstein  says the bill would close a loophole in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. Feinstein said: â€Å"Current law allows gun sales to proceed after 72 hours- even if background checks aren’t approved. This is a dangerous loophole that could allow criminals and those with mental illness to complete their purchase of firearms even though it would be unlawful for them to possess them.† The Background Check Completion Act would require that a background check be fully completed before any gun buyer who purchases a gun from a federally-licensed firearms dealer (FFL) can take possession of the gun. Feb. 21, 2018 Just days after the February 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Donald Trump orders the Justice Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to review bump fire stocks- devices that allow a semi-automatic rifle to be fired similar to a fully-automatic weapon. Trump had previously indicated that he might support a new  federal regulation  banning the sale of such devices.   White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters: â€Å"The President, when it comes to that, is committed to ensuring that those devices are- again, Im not going to get ahead of the announcement, but I can tell you that the president doesnt support use of those accessories.† On February 20, Sanders stated that the president would support â€Å"steps† to raise the current minimum age for buying military-style weapons, such as the AR-15- the weapon used in the Parkland shooting- from 18 to 21. â€Å"I think thats certainly something thats on the table for us to discuss and that we expect to come up over the next couple of weeks,† Sanders said.   July 31 2018 U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik in Seattle issued a temporary restraining blocking the release of blueprints that could be used to produce untraceable and undetectable 3D-printable plastic guns. Assembled from ABS plastic parts, 3D guns are firearms that can be made with a computer-controlled 3D printer. The judge acted partly in response to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by several states to block the release of blueprints for 3D-printed plastic guns. Judge Lasnik’s order banned the Austin, Texas-based gun rights group Defense Distributed from allowing the public to download the blueprints from its website. â€Å"There is a possibility of irreparable harm because of the way these guns can be made,† Lasnik wrote. Before the restraining order, plans for assembling a variety of guns, including an AR-15-style rifle and a Beretta M9 handgun could be downloaded from the Defense Distributed website. Shortly after the restraining order was issued, President Donald Trump (realDonaldTrump) tweeted, â€Å"I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!† The NRA said in a statement that anti-gun politicians and certain members of the press had wrongly claimed that 3D printing technology will allow for the production and widespread proliferation of undetectable plastic firearms. August 2019 In the wake of three mass shootings in Gilroy, Calif.; El Paso, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio in the span of two weeks that left a total of almost three dozen people dead, a new push was made in Congress for gun control measures. Among the proposals were stronger background checks and limits on high-capacity magazines. Red flag laws also were proposed to allow police or family members to file a court petition to remove firearms from individuals who might pose a danger to themselves or others.

Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Writing - Essay Example However, Hou Hsai-hsien has used the concept of the red balloon in the context of modern day Paris. Hou Hsai-hsien’s film seems to underline the change in the perception of childhood since the 1950s. The little boy Pascal (The Red Balloon) and Simon (Flight of the Red Balloon) live two different types of life set apart by the time to which they belong. Their childhood too seems to be suffering from the whims of the adult world. The red balloon that connects both the films and gives the feel of continuity is the only representation of a child’s free spirit and imagination. Albert Lamorisse in his film The Red Balloon portrays childhood as a fairytale world where a child’s dream comes true. The big and bright red balloon brings variation in the otherwise monotonous life of Pascal. Lamorisse seems to stress upon the fact that childhood often gets lost in the attempt of making children live under strict routine. Pascal breaks free from the mechanical life with getting the balloon. He tries to shield it and protect it from the violence of nature and the human world. It seems as though he is trying to keep his imagination away from the clutches of harsh reality and live in his own imaginative world. The red balloon which stands for a child’s fantasy and boundless imagination follows Pascal everywhere. This sense of dependence and attachment that they bear for each other indicates the child’s love for his own imaginative world. But finally reality takes over as the older boys out of jealousy and the pleasure of bullying him steal his re d balloon and pelt stones at it. The conclusion of the film is made unique and full of optimism as Lamorisse does not project the death of a child’s imagination but by setting Pascal on a flight with the colorful balloons triggers childhood fancy. Hou Hsai-hsien’s Flight of the Red Balloon treats the red balloon as the icon of childhood

Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marijuana - Essay Example This paper discusses legalization of marijuana, as a contemporary issue, with an opinion that the drug should be legalized for its potential benefits to the society and the nation. The paper reviews existing opinions on whether the drug should be legalized or not. One of the major concerns that have led to calls for legalization of marijuana is its diverse potential benefits to the society. Most significant benefit of the drug is its application as medicine following identified adverse effects of chemical based medicines. With increasing rate of depression and diseases such as cancer, and with emergent of adverse effects of the applied drugs for their prevention and treatment, scientists and doctors have appreciated the need for treatment approaches to which patients’ bodies do not adversely react. Natural medicines have as a result become a focus, owing to their less significant side effects as compared to industrial medicines. Chemotherapy and anti-depression pills, as contr ol and treatment methods, have for example exhibited extreme side effects that could even cause people to resort to suicide as a means of getting away from pain and suffering that they live in. However, with better research and newly developed technology, scientists have found that a majority of natural supplements are healthier for treatment of certain illnesses. Medicinal application marijuana, for instance, has many benefits and is currently prescribed to patients with diseases ranging from Alzheimer to HIV, to help with treatments. The drug is also effective in managing stress and depression and therefore makes life a little simpler. Even though marijuana portrays many medicinal benefits, its advantages should not be used as a way to promoting abuse. This means that its use should be regulated like in cases of alcohol and tobacco, whose consumption effects are in some cases worse than marijuana’s. Debates are currently ongoing, both in Congress and all over the world, on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Even though it is still illegal, marijuana’s consumption is widespread and most Americans have at least tried it, or are using it to help them overcome stress. The drug is also an ‘all-natural’ plant that grows anywhere in the world has high demand and supply. The root cause of its contention, however, is the fact that drug lords and marijuana growers started adding chemicals to the commodity. This causes users to become addicted to the modified product and after a while of use, start consuming stronger drugs. That is why marijuana is called a gateway drug. Should Congress pass the bill to legalize marijuana, Food and Drug Administration agency will supervise the product’s sale and consumption. It will be legally available to the public from pharmacies and sold on prescription. Gangs and drug dealers will not sell it on the streets, due to the vast drop in prices from the legalization, and its consequential easy access to the public. Right now, however, if there were no marijuana in the streets, people would be forced to use worse drugs, like cocaine, or crystal meth; those types of drugs that can affect a person’s health physically, mentally, and are highly addictive. Social responsibility, rather than legal restrictions, can better resolve the opposing opinions over legalization of marijuana. In Saudi Arabia for instance, people do not accept drugs socially or

Napster and Apple’s Ipod Essay Example for Free

Napster and Apple’s Ipod Essay This paper deals with a through case study of the music industry in the face of change within the age of the Internet with the major focus on Napster and Apple’s ipod. In 2000 Shawn Fanning founded Napster – a file sharing program where people could download music for free and access the songs they have downloaded at any hour of the day. However, in 2000, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and a number of the big business recording labels argued that Napster was violating copyright laws, facilitating the illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted music. ’’ (Hill, 1) After Napster was in the lime light for allowing people to take advantage of free downloads, peer sharing technologies such as Kazaa were just coming into play where people were able to download music in a similar fashion. In very short order after Napster’s service was shut down, a number of new file sharing services started to rapidly gain users.’’ (Hill, 11) However there was one slight difference here, people were downloading through other people’s computers and not accessing the files via a central server and therefore it became difficult to stop this practice from taking place. The music industry responded as it had with Napster, filing lawsuits in attempt to shut down the services for copyright violation. But in this case it was more difficult to prove infringement.’’ (Hill, 11) Within the last 20 years since CD’s have been in vogue the music industry has changed. People have differing opinions regarding whether one is better than the other. It was Apple’s ipod and the Itunes online music service that revolutionized the music industry. These were the programs and applications that allowed you to purchase and listen to whatever you want but at the same time protect the artists that wrote and produced the music. It is important to look at the growth in the music recording industry since these changes took place and to see what the results and changes have been. There was strong growth in the music recording industry in the 90’s. However, when the 2000’s hit global sales dropped by 5% and continued to drop for the next three years. Many people have been blaming this negative trend on Napster. In 2003 sales dropped to a low of $32 billion in 2003. In the early 90’s the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) was concerned about consumers burning’’ songs downloaded over the Internet onto CD’s. This was such an easy process to do as you could download the files you wished to place on your CD from Napster and use a program by which you can copy CD’s. This concern was important to take into consideration because of the sheer amount of songs that were downloaded over the Internet for free and if people were downloading the songs they were not purchasing the CD’s from their favourite artists. There is a large cost in promoting an artist and the use of copyrighted material makes this process even more expensive for the artist as not as many people will be purchasing the CD’s. People would be more likely to download the songs instead of purchasing them because it is cheap (free) and easy. In the past, the music industry has always been concerned about the potential for piracy of copyrighted material. However, another trend that raised copyright infringement issues was MP3- compressed digital files that could be downloaded for free from the Internet. At the point where Napster was going through the courts certain lobbying groups were concerned with websites where people could download free MP3 files and in doing that listen to pirated music. The RIAA tried to shut down Napster because of piracy and the laws that the company had broken. During this time the music industry also tried to develop technology that would protect digital audio recordings from piracy and counterfeiting. The main problem in regard to Napster and the piracy issue is to do with the fact that Napster’s service was violating copyright, facilitating massive piracy of intellectual property and consequently stealing. There were talks about a paid subscription service to be created by Napster in 2001 but nothing ended up coming into fruition and on September 2, 2002, Napster announced its liquidation. It is clear to see why Napster has such an appeal to its audience given the fact that it was free and people could download any song that they wanted. In today’s environment people can still access peer-sharing websites however sometimes songs may be written down under a search engine listing and may even be a computer virus. Itunes is therefore giving users and artists the best of both worlds – consumers get to download the songs they want even if it is only one song off a particular album and the artist gets compensated for it. All in all, it is clear to see the vast changes that have taken place over the last decade or more and the fact that significant changes will take place in the future. The growing popularity and vast information available on the Internet is going to change the way people purchase and listen to music and people need to be aware of this as the world changes everyday and nothing lasts forever. References Hill, Charles W, The music industry in the age of the Internet: from Napster to Apple’s Ipod.

Cheetah :: essays research papers

Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose to do my television project on the cheetah which I saw on the Discovery Channel. Although I knew some interesting characteristics on the cheetah, I did happen to discover some facts I did not know. Those of which are written in the rest of the paper along with some facts I thought were pretty cool.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cheetah is an endangered species and has been for quit some time. This is mainly due to poachers who hunt and kill this animal for it’s illustrious fur of different colors. It’s coat is very coarse and a goldish color including some round black spots for camouflage. It has â€Å"tear strips† running from it’s eyes to it’s nose. The next part was surprising to me in that the cheetah is only 44-53 inches long. On the TV they always seem bigger somehow. And the tail is about 26-33 inches long! Their average weight is 86-143 pounds, surprisingly light for such a powerful animal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s low weight, it seems, is what allows it have it’s high top speed of sixty miles per hour. It is regarded as one the fastest hunters in the world and of course, the fastest land animal in existence. I also found that it’s habitat is in the grassy plains of Africa. This is definitely a great place for it to hide based on it’s coat color. It is because of this combination of tall grass and camouflage coat which allows the cheetah to stalk and catch it’s prey. These usually consist of gazelles, wild boar, or pretty much any animal it can handle. However, the regular range for it’s food is about 88 pounds. The cheetah then drags the meat to it’s â€Å"home†, away from prying animals, and feasts on it immediately.

The Ways in Which Managerial Role Has Changed in the 21st Century

THE WAYS IN WHICH MANAGERIAL ROLE HAS CHANGED IN THE 21ST CENTURY Globalization and advances in technology has brought changes to the business environment and the world as we know it today. Consequently, the nature of work has changed and it has brought on new challenges for managers (French et al, 2008). There is therefore the need to examine the ways the role of managers has evolved as a result of these changes. The role of managers is primarily to guide organisations towards the accomplishment of its goals. Certo and Certo (2009) identified four major activities that mangers use in achieving organisational goals.These are planning, organising, influencing and controlling. The way managerial role has changed with be assessed based on this four activities. Planning refers to objectives and goal setting. Traditionally, planning has been concentrated at the top with employees been told what the next strategy is. The changing nature of work implies that managers and employees plan and execute decisions together (Bouchikhi and Kimberly, 2000 cited in Mullins, 2011). Employees’ views are now being taken into consideration in taking operational decisions.Managers have to plan in an uncertain world as such they have to be proactive and know how to manage risks. Organising involves creating structures and the division of labour. Managers would have to constantly restructure their organisations in line with changes in the business environment and their strategy. There is the need for proper delegation of authority. Advances in technology have brought about the trend towards ‘virtuality’ which removes some aspect of the borders and design of the traditional organisation by carrying business operations with the use of information technology (Certo and Certo, 2009).Managers have to be able to organise work and find efficient ways of communicating within this virtual environment. Influencing has to do with creating enthusiasm in people and inspiring emp loyees to perform better. Changes in work environment mean that the organisational values need to be based on teamwork and trust because people are now seen as an important resource (Mullins, 2011). There is a greater emphasis on getting employees involved in the organisation and giving them the liberty to take initiative (Certo and Certo, 2009). It is essential that managers are able to attract and retain effective workforce overtime (French et al, 2008).Due to globalisation, the workforce is more diverse than ever. As a result, managers have to firstly recognize the differences in culture and modify their actions to deal with differing cultural norms (Molinsky et al, 2012). Controlling involves measuring performance and taking corrective actions. Advances in information technology impacts management control systems. The workplace is more interconnected with a speedy diffusion of information to more people (Mullins, 2011). Consequently, it is then necessary to manage information sy stems. In controlling people, managers need to be able to exude the right level of power over their subordinates.Bouchikhi and Kimberly (2000) claim that power is no longer concentrated at the top but is now shared. The 21st century marks the era called the information age which has seen themes such as globalisation, diversification and virtual organisations becoming at the heart of business operations. This has tremendous impact on the way a manager plans, organises, influences and controls his team. In order to be effective, a manger needs to be able to work in a virtual world where his team has as much input in the way plans are designed and decisions are made. The managers must also be open to the different cultures.