Ellen DeGeneres' Use of Social Media Research Paper

Ellen DeGeneres' Use of Social Media - Research Paper Example As the discussion stresses Ellen’s career has prospered and among other activities, she has been the host of the Emmys and the Oscars, she produces her own fictional television show on NBC and is the spokesperson for various companies. According to Van Krieken, celebrity is a status or quality characterized by a an ability to get attention that will create value from the fact of being widely known. Based on this definition, it is clear that Ellen is a celebrity as she is broadly accepted by the US public and has developed to become among the most influential celebrities who fight for equality using social media platforms. Ellen has been able to make the issues that surround sexual equality more visible through social media while at the same time advancing cultural and social change in America.This paper discusses that  Ellen DeGeneres uses numerous social media platforms that include her website which contains all the information that one may seek to know about her such as g etting tickets to her shows, past episodes, the celebrity guests she hosts, inspirational experiences as well as musical performances among others. The website also allows visitors to buy items from The Ellen Shop and connect to other social media sites and pages. On the other hand, her Facebook page has been verified and is liked by more than eleven million Facebook users. Her Twitter account s also verified and has approximately forty two million followers with more than ten thousand tweets.

Investigation of Sustainable Tourism and its Role in Tourism Planning Essay

Investigation of Sustainable Tourism and its Role in Tourism Planning and Development - Essay Example Thus, a sustainable tourism aspect essentially tries to make the optimal use of the physical and environmental resources available in the host destinations because this constructs the basic element of an ethically and morally compliant tourism sector. Also, sustainable tourism involves the maintenance of the essential environment and ecological processes and actively acts towards the conservation of the cultural heritage, biodiversity and natural heritage of the host destination, shows adequate respect to the identification and the socio cultural authenticity of the tourism destination, conserves the living traditional values and contributes to the environmental and social development, enhances the intercultural tolerance and understanding of the benefits for the location. Sustainable tourism is also necessary because it helps to build up a more dynamic and efficient tourism sector by ensuring long term and viable operations and by providing various types of social and economic benef its to the key stakeholders of the industry. These benefits include the creation of income earning and employment opportunities, provision of social services to the local communities and contributions for poverty reduction and economic value creation for the respective destinations. The development of a sustainable tourism is critical to ensure that the negative impacts of the conventional tourism industry are restrained by the entities functioning in the tourism sector. The tourism developments should necessarily be planned in a sustainable manner because the need for sustainability and compliance with the environmental and ethical standards and requirements have become the buzzword for achieving competiveness and ensuring success in the dynamic and intensely competitive global tourism environment (Mowforth and Munt, 2003). Another reason why tourism developments are to

Public and Government approach in mosquito control programs Essay

Public and Government approach in mosquito control programs - Essay Example It will discuss the effectiveness of the programs, their advantages and disadvantages with regard to how they are implemented. It will also outline the prevalence rates of mosquito born diseases in Queensland especially with reference to Ross River Virus and others. Finally, it will provide some recommendations on how the programs can be designed and who to include in implementation process making them more efficient in future. Mosquito control programs in Queensland have been developed in the past and are still being developed to eradicate mosquitoes in homesteads, houses, hospitals and other public places. The programs are drafted and implemented by the Queensland authorities together with health care providers, local councils and the public in general. The problem has however been the rate at which members of the public are accepting and adopting these programs. The communities do not appreciate these programs and they instead use their own knowledge on how they can control and manage mosquitoes in their homes. They have resorted to buying treated nets, repellents and other pesticides to keep mosquitoes off. The programs from the government although being taken in are a second fiddle especially considering the fact that people don’t take them seriously Surveillance of any disease is the first line of defence against the disease2. In the recent years, there have been many cases of ‘imported diseases’ to Queensland especially from Asia and Africa. This is a setback against the fighting against the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Various groups are currently promoting the idea of disease surveillance in Queensland. A group based in the area by the name Tropical Population Health Networks Communicable Diseases Control Centre is working with communities and local government officials to make sure that all immigrants do not ‘infect’ the mosquitoes in Queensland

The Impact of Social Media on Society Research Paper

The Impact of Social Media on Society - Research Paper Example Social media is highly trendy among college students. According to 2010 research, almost a quarter of students’ time on the web is spent in the social media (Wang, Chen & Liang). Facebook dominates the popularity list of the most widespread social networks, followed by Twitter and YouTube. Globally, Facebook has over 1.55 billion active users, half of whom log in on a daily basis. On average, students spend nearly two hours a day on the social networks. In 2007, a portion of American students who had a Facebook account was already impressive – 92%. By 2008, the number of users reached 99%. Keeping in mind that the service became available only in 2006, this is an amazing statistics. One of the positive sides of social media is that it can be utilized for academic purposes. Being easily accessible, online communities can offer numerous benefits for young individuals, such as providing a virtual platform for sharing thoughts and ideas with colleagues, enabling easy and fa st access to academic support, and enhancing computer knowledge and online communication skills. Moreover, students who are shy to present their thoughts in the class receive an opportunity to participate in discussions via blogs and virtual societies. On the contrary, findings in a number of studies suggest that the time spent in social networks is in inverse relation with academic grades (Wang, Chen & Liang). Jacobsen and Forste revealed that over 60% of the students use electronic media while in college, when studying, or while preparing for the class

Analysis of Barbie Doll Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Barbie Doll Essay The Devastation of Social Pressure One would think that growing up would be a fun, not a worry in the world, happy experience. Yes, that is the way it should be, but that’s not always the case, especially for women. As girls season into women they realize they not only have to face the fact that they’re in a patriarchal society, but also the influences and pressure they face in the social aspect of things, such as their looks and body image. There is so much competition amongst girls, especially when transitioning into a woman and through most of their adulthood. So instead of being able to enjoy life and absorbing the true quality of it, we are side tracked with superficial, stereotypical, shallow thoughts and images of how we think life is supposed to be. Although, who’s to say what’s right and what’s wrong with the way we interpret things? Marge Piercy, who wrote the poem â€Å"Barbie Doll†, has a very strong view of how destructive social pressure can be to a girl through her transitioning stages into a woman. She expresses how the Barbie doll, the toy figurine that woman idealize, is, in fact, a method of corruption to a young girl. First and for most we must understand who the persona is in the poem, which is a woman, and more specifically Marge Piercy herself. She is observing a young girl going from Wolfe 2 childhood, adolescents, adulthood and then death in a roundabout way. Starting with the first stanza, of four, the persona explains of a young girl, and her playing with a doll, the Mattel’s Barbie doll to be precise. This doll is to be described as tall, blonde hair, blue eyes and it has the perfect body. The girl, â€Å"†¦presented dolls that pee-pee/and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy† (2-4). The words iron, stove, and lipstick are all play-things for the girl, but are also identity markers. Such that the doll represents the ideal body image, the iron and stove tells us what type of work is expected of the girl when she becomes an adult (keep in mind that this poem was written in the nineteen seventies and that woman in the work force was still a very small percentage, thus women were still very domesticated) and the lipstick is to imply a sexual innuendo. In the last line in the first stanza the girl goes through puberty and no time is wasted before a classmate judges and criticizes her, â€Å"You have a great big nose and fat legs† (6). Going through puberty is a stage of growth. Adolescents become more aware of their social standing and sexual being. As we read further, the doll, she once played with, will create a major impact on her; in the aspect of her body image and the pressure she faces from her peers. In the second stanza we see how the woman is dissatisfied with herself even though she is â€Å"healthy and tested intelligent/possessed strong arms and back/ abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity† (7-9). The persona continues to say, â€Å"She went to and fro apologizing/Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs† (10-11). The traits that this woman possesses, is in every way correct; however, she is so sure her physical traits are unacceptable to the culture. No matter what she sees in the mirror or what she hears, this won’t change her opinion about herself image. She has been brainwashed about her looks and she doesn’t think she is good enough. She goes around apologizing to everyone about the person she has become, believing there is no way she can change, at least in a healthy manner. In the third stanza we read how society is forcing the woman to change her healthy ways, physically, into something she isn’t. She does what she can to fit into society by, â€Å"†¦play[ing] coy/ exhorted to come on hearty/ exercise, diet, smile and wheedle† (12-14). She had so much pressure from every direction, she felt obligated to try and conform her body into what society viewed as ideal, which we know of as the Barbie doll toy. This idea was short lived. Instead of standing her grounds and accepting the individual that she is, she drowns. Society got the best of her, â€Å"Her good nature wore out/ like a fan belt† (15-16). She gave up and paid the ultimate price to be accepted in society, â€Å"†¦she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up† (17-18). Now that she has removed her flaws she temporarily relinquishes her depression, weakness, and anxiety. Now that she has met the, impossible, unrealistic, standard, she can permanently wash her existences away and leave her shell of beauty behind. In the final Stanza, Piercy highlights the theme of the poem. Simply put, women aren’t accepted into society unless they represent the ideal woman. Now that the woman is free of body flaws and has had a makeover, she can be accepted into her culture even though we know this isn’t her true self. What must this say about the society she has been exposed to? In order to survive in this specific culture, if we’re not perfect, is to become someone we’re not. So not only do we have to try to live up to a standard that is not comprehendible but we also have to be fake. In the middle of the last stanza Piercy explains, â€Å"with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on/a turned-up putty nose/dressed in a pink and white nightie† (20-22). The woman now has the superficial , but perfect, looks. She is manipulated (physically) so she can finally be recognized. Letting a society make this woman frail and surrender to being her own individual shows a lack of values and morals within herself. Having our own opinions, life experiences and ethics make us who we are and if we were all the same or are held up to the same expectations what would life be like? Would we all act like robots? Clones? As the woman has been re-configured, shallow talks are amongst her, â€Å"Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said/Consummation at last/To every woman a happy ending† (23-25). Mission complete, she achieved her goal; she is pretty, unflawed, and looks like the ideal woman.

Glory Movie Essay Example for Free

Glory Movie Essay Glory is both an awe inspiring and heart wrenching movie about the first all black volunteer company to fight in the civil war. The movie starts off with Col. Robert Gould Shaw leading a company of soldiers in Antietam which suffers heavy losses. Soon he is promoted to Colonel and given command to the 54th Massachusetts volunteer infantry; the first all black regiment. The first volunteer to sign up is an educated black man named Thomas Searles who is also Shaws friend. Many more men join the regiment including an escaped slave named Trip, a free black man named Jupiter Sharts, as well as the gravedigger Rawlins. After realizing the regiment in never going to be more than anything but manual labor, Colonel Shaw confronts his superiors and demands to be transferred to somewhere where they will see some fighting or else he will report him to the War Department for suspicious business. Shaws request is granted and is transferred to South Carolina where they successfully fight off a group of confederates. This movie was a huge hit. Released in 1989, it won a total of 16 awards including 3 Oscars and god nominated for 12 more awards. The Director Edward is well-known for his heroic movies that include Glory (1989), and the breathtaking works of art that include Legends of the Fall (1994) as well as modern hits such as Love and other Drugs (2010) and Defiance (20080. Zwick has also been known for his thoughtfulness as a director, and for his record of working with television series and other films as a producer. The movie itself was destined for greatness with huge Hollywood names such as Denzel Washington who played Trip and Morgan Freeman who played John Rawlins also great supporting actors like Matthew Broderick who played Colonel Shaw and Andre Braugher to play Thomas Searles. The movie budget was 18,000,000 and grossed a total of 26,830,000. In my own rating system 5 being the best and 1 being the lowest the movie got a 4. The movie deserved every award it got. There were amazing battle scenes as well as some very emotional scenes as well. Denzel Washington was an amazing actor, the scene where he was getting whipped for deserting (which we later find out was to find shoes) while the colonel was watching was one of the most heart wrenching scenes in the movie. As well as great acting the story never skips a beat. There’s never a dull moment. The movie had a clear plot and you could easily understand why something was happening. The movie gave a realistic view of how hard things were for African Americans were and their hunger to fight for what they believe is right. The historical accuracy of Glory is pretty questionable. It does a good job addressing the hardships and discrimination the 54th did go through. However like all Hollywood history movies it does have its rights and wrongs. Most of the volunteers in the movie were depicted as fugitive slaves when in reality they were free men in Massachusetts. Of the major characters in the movies version of the regiment, only Robert Gould Shaw was a real person. The rest are made up characters. The name of Shaws executive officer (Cabot Forbes) is a combination of the first name from one of the real Shaws friends and the last name of another. Colonel Shaw was a married man yet in the movie it wasn’t shown. Though it may not have been a big point in history it was a big part of Colonel Shaw’s personal life. At the end of the movie it states that over half of the regiment was lost during the assault on Fort Wagner. However, official records state that the 54th sustained 272 casualties, which is closer to 40%. Of these casualties, only 116 were fatalities, just under one fifth of the men to storm the fort, however if you include the 156 that were captured it would bring your total to over half. Most aspects of the movie however are true. When the black soldiers refused pay due to discrimination Colonel Shaw did refuse his pay as well. Against all expectations the 54th rose above that and proved them wrong. They proved their valor and honor throughout several battles during the war. There was a memorial made to Colonel Shaw and his 54th and thus solidifying their regiment as one of the most influential and memorable of all time. Bibliography * Glory. Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman. TriStar Pictures, 1989. * Glory. IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097441/. * The 54th Massachusetts Regiment in Myth, Memory, and History. Civil War Memory RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2013 * Museum of African American History, Boston Black Heritage Trail Site 1. Museum of African American History, Boston Black Heritage Trail Site 1. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.

Issues of State Intervention in the Market Economy

Issues of State Intervention in the Market Economy Free Market Economy The free market economy is designed to operate with a minimum of state intervention. However, as this paper will show, there are certain issues that can only be addressed by state intervention. These include avoidance of unfair trading, employee and supplier exploitation. In many cases, such as the expansion of the power of supermarkets, economists are of the opinion that the state does not go far enough in protecting the public (Marguand, 1977, p.5). This report shows that, whilst a free market is good for economic growth, there is a need for intervention from the state, however limited, to protect public services and the rights of the individual. Introduction Although many economists and politicians have concluded that the â€Å"free market economy† is the most appropriate form of trade, it seldom is allowed to operate without some measure of state intervention. The purpose of this paper is to study the concept of a â€Å"free market economy† and, at the same time provide an understanding of the reasons for and operation of state intervention. To provide an example of how such intervention manifests itself in practice, its recent impact on the Tesco supermarket chain is explored. The basic premise of a free market economy is one where the distribution of resources is determined solely by market forces, without any state interference (Philip Allan Updates, 2006). The main condition of is that exchange of resources should be undertaken freely, without duress or deceit. In a free market, the price of goods or services is agreed between buyers and sellers, and there is no government restriction imposed upon this process. If the state interferes by influencing price for any purpose, be that to aid the consumer or seller, a free market cannot be said to exist. Proponents of the free market system believe that it can provide its own solution to problems and that state interference is a hindrance to that process (Ian Adams, 1998, p.23). Essentially, the free market operation is based on the laws of supply and demand. A buyer, by offering to pay a given amount for a product creates the demand. Conversely, a producer, by offering to sell a product or service at a price creates the supply. In a free market, an exchange between a buyer and seller takes place when the amount offered by a buyer matches the price requested by the seller. The optimum price will normally be determined by the level of demand and supply. If the supply is higher than demand, there being not enough buyers, prices will tend to fall as suppliers compete to sell their products and buyers look to reduce the price offered. In such circumstances, suppliers may also choose to reduce their production or even cease business altogether. The suppliers who remain will be those whose product unit cost is at the lowest level, allowing them to retain profitability levels despite price reductions. When the reverse occurs, in that demand exceeds the number of products available (the supply), prices will rise. In this situation, the seller is in command of the market. An excess demand situation may also lead to existing suppliers increasing production levels, and may tempt new producers into the marketplace. However, businesses that achieve rapid growth, even when an excess demand arises, are typified by sellers who maintain lower than market demand prices, such as supermarkets. Often this is achieved by constraining supplier prices. It can be seen therefore, that a free market is very much based on an enterprise system, where entrepreneurs are the most important factors (Marquand, 1977, p.159). Many economists agree that the free market cannot exist without some state intervention. For example, â€Å"Keyness argument [is][1] that the only way to stop the market wreaking havoc is for the state to intervene in the economy.† (Quoted in Peter Morgan, 1999). However, economists often disagree about the extent of such intervention. In an ideal version of a free market economy, the state role would be limited to ensuring freedom of competition remains and to protect the marketplace from incidences of intimidation, conspiracy or deceit. Therefore, if a situation develops where a group of sellers agree to maintain prices at an artificial level, forming a cartel for the purpose of price fixing irrespective of the market demand, the state may intervene. Similarly, the state may intervene if a large corporation endeavours to force suppliers to meet restrictive conditions including price, in order to an unfair competitive edge over other sellers, or attempts to achieve dominant market share by maintaining artificially low prices. Included within this area is the concept of free and unencumbered competition. This presupposes that no one corporation, or group of corporations, should be allowed to dominant their sector in a way that precludes other suppliers from entry (Erik Ringmar, 2005). In order to address these situations, state intervention usually occurs by the introduction of anti-competition laws and regulations, unless a self-regulatory code of ethics and conduct is agreed. To reduce the incidence of fraud by corporations most states, nationally and internationally, have introduced a combined system of codes and laws designed to combat this problem. In the UK, such laws include the consumer protection act, anti-competition laws and corporate governance regulations, supported by the company’s acts. A significant part of the role of these acts also serves to protect consumers from abuse by corporate action. In this respect, the state considers that the consumer needs to have access to accurate information, such as pricing and content of products, which they might otherwise be denied. In recent decades, state intervention has also focused on protecting the rights of the workforce, to stop workers being exploited, unfairly treated or discriminated against by the businesses they work for. To achieve this many acts have been instigated, the latest of which is the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 Another area where governments intervene in the free market scenario is to protect and provide public services. These include the National Health Service. Despite the move to greater privatisation on public services, generally the ordinary member of the public favour these being run by the state (Erik Ringmar, 2005, p.136). To fund their role in the economy, the state imposes taxes upon the enterprises that occupy the market. Although in theory, such taxes should be limited to this purpose, in reality governments also use taxation as another form of intervention. For example, in an effort to address health and environmental issues, such as tobacco and alcohol addition and global warming, additional taxes have been levied on products that cause these addition and the use of which exacerbates environmental problems. Thus, in the UK we have seen the introduction of additional levies on such items as cigarettes, beers, wines and spirits, and fossil fuels and energy usage. Margaret Thatcher, during her terms as Prime Minister, was a strong supporter of the free-market, believing it to be a moral and sound way to develop the economy (Ian Adams, 1998, p.79). In the UK, one of the commercial sectors that have benefited most from the freedom of trade under the â€Å"Thatcher† years was Supermarkets. This ethos has been carried through the Blair years, although some ministers now admit that such freedom is not necessarily the right path (Stephen Byers, 2003). As a result, supermarkets have experienced almost unprecedented growth, creating an imbalance in many market sectors, to the extent that the high street is dominated by four major chains, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Safeway (now Morrisons) (Joanna Blythman, 2003). Of these, Tesco’s is the largest and accounts for one eight of all consumers shopping and over a third of groceries. Because of increased concerns over supermarket power and competition issues, the government has taken a direct approach in terms of intervention. For example, the monopolies commission was instrumental in stopping further consolidation of supermarket numbers by subjecting the Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury bids for Safeway, the fourth largest, to full inquiries, allowing Morrisons to succeed (Richard Northedge, 2003). For Tesco’s, a number of similar planned expansion projects, to extend its stores numbers through construction or acquisition, have been thwarted by various government methods. However, the supermarket chain responded to these measures by achieving expansion through a different route. Using the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) own two-market view of grocery retailing, namely that one-stop and convenience shopping were separate markets, Tesco has expanded into the latter field, despite concerns expressed by some ministers (Julia Finch, 2005). The corporation has aggressive ly built a six hundred-store presence in this marketplace, with plans to double this in the near future. In 2002, in response to continuing concerns and complaints regarding the supermarket’s treatment of their suppliers, which included Tesco, the Office of Fair Trading, a government-funded body, introduced a supermarket code of practice (Joanne Blythman, 2003). Since then, there have been no further complaints. However, it is widely believed the reason for this is not so much satisfaction with the working of the code, but more the enormous influence supermarkets such as Tesco’s exercise over their supply chain. It is considered that this influence is used to deflect intervention (Joanna Blythman, 2003). In respect of the protection of employees, over the past few decades the UK government, partially driven by European Commission regulations, has intervened by introducing laws including the Protection of Employee (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003, together with numerous other Acts that deal with a wide range of discrimination issues, such as race, disability and age. In addition, to further reduce the possibility of exploitation of workers and to provide them with a reasonable standard of living, a system of setting a minimum wage was introduced. In an effort to enable employees to bring complaints against employers, a tribunal system, together with an independent body, ACAS[2] has been set up to intercede in these issues. In most cases, supermarket chains, such as Tesco, have pre-empted these regulations, by introducing their own human resource strategy to deal with the issues. For example, before the age discrimination act that came into force in 2006, Tesco had previously taken steps to address the problem. Such was their success in this area that they won the â€Å"Personal Today 2004 Age Positive Award† (Tesco Website 2006), which acknowledged the steps they had undertaken to eliminate age discrimination. Although historically it can be seen that the free market system has led to significant economic growth, a side effect was that it also created problems and, in some cases, misery for many people (Erik Ringmar, 2005). To redress the balance required state intervention. It can be seen from the research carried out for this paper that, certainly in an effort to counteract the power of supermarket giant’s such as Tesco, a free market economy needs to have a certain element of state intervention in order to protect suppliers and employees. References Adams, Ian (1998). Ideology and Politics in Britain Today. Manchester University Press. UK. Anon (2006) Price and resource allocation. Philip Allan Updates. Retrieved 14 December 2006 from http://www.philipallan.co.uk/images/532-T2.pdf Blythman, Joanna (2003). Lord of the aisles. The Guardian, UK. 17 May 2003 Byers, Stephen (2003). I was wrong. Free market trade policies hurt the poor. The Guardian, 19 May 2003 UK. Finch, Julia (2005). Calls for an end to Tesco’s bully-boy tactics have grown too loud to ignore. The Guardian, 12 November 2005. Marquand, David (1997). The New Reckoning: Capitalism, States and Citizens. Polity Press, Cambridge. UK. Morgan, Peter (1999). The new Keynesians: staking a hold on the system? International Socialism Journal. Issue 82, March 1999 Northedge, Richard (2003). Morrisons profits will boost Safeway bid. The Scotsman on Sunday. UK. Ringmar, Erik (2005). Surviving Capitalism: How We Learned to Live With the Market and Remained Almost Human. Anthem Press, UK. Statement (2006) Older Staff. Tesco website. Retrieved 13 December 2006 from http://www.tescocorporate.com/page.aspx?pointerid=DE09B90CFDD44BE995DFE562405EAF38 The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. London. UK. Footnotes [1] Words in brackets added [2] Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (UK)